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A IIEFKESE^’TATION  OF  UNCIVILIZED  ISLANDERS  AND  INDIANS. 


THE 


UNCIVILIZED 

EACES  OF  MEN 

IN 

ALL  COUNTRIES  OF  THE  WORLD ; 


A COMPEEIIEWSIVE  ACCOUE'T  OF  THEIB  MANNEBS  AND  CUSTOMS, 
AND  OF  THEIB  PHYSICAL,  SOCIAL,  MENTAL,  MOBAL  AND 
BELIGIOUS  CHABACTEBISTICS. 


Lev.  J.  (1.  WOOD,  I.A.,  E.L.S. 

AUTHOR  OF  “illustrated  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  ANIMALS,”  “ANECDOTES  OF  ANIMAL  LIFE,”  “HOMES 
WITHOUT  HANDS,”  “ BIBLE  ANIMALS,”  “COMMON  OB.IECTS  OF  THE  COUNTRY  AND  SEASHORE,”  ETC. 


WITH  NEW  DESIGNS 

BY  ANGAS,  DANBY,  WOLF,  ZWECKEE, 


•iisr  TWO 

VOL.  II. 


Etc., 

1. 


iv,,. 

e 


rv 

S?' 


o/ 


r 


A. 


HARTFORD:^ 

THE  J.  B.  BURR  PUBL.ISHING  CO, 


18  7 5. 


4 


. • 5‘:  ^ 

\j\]3bxx 

j.Z. 


PREFACE. 


In  this  volume  will  be  found  a selection  of  the  most  interesting  uncivilized  tribes 
that  inhabit,  or  once  inhabited,  America  and  the  vast  number  of  islands  which  lie 
between  that  country  and  the  eastern  coast  of  Asia,  including  among  them  the  great 
groups  of  Australia  and  New  Zealand.  A short  notice  is  given  of  the  long-perished 
Lake-dwellers  of  Switzerland,  and  the  partial  civilization  of  India,  China,  Japan  and 
Siam  is  also  represented.  * 

My  best  thanks  are  due  to  the  Geographical  and  Anthropological  Societies,  for  the 
constant  access  permitted  to  their  libraries,  and  to  the  Curator  of  the  ‘‘  Christy 
Collection,”  for  the  assistance  which  he  rendered  in  the  illustration  of  the  work. 


879907 


CONTENTS 


OF 

VOLUME  II. 


Ctap,  Page. 


AUSTRALIA. 

LXIX.  Appearance  and  Character 

OF  Natives 694 

LXX.  Dress  — Food 703 

LXXI.  Weapons 719 

LXXIL  — Concluded 727 

LXXIII.  War — Amusements 744 

LXXIV.  Domestic  Life 755 

LXXV.  From  Childhood  to  Manhood  761 
LXX VI.  Medicine  — Surgery  — Dispo- 
sal OF  Dead 769 

LXXVII.  Dwellings  — Canoes 784 

NEW  ZEALAND. 

LXX  Yin.  General  Remarks.  ..........  792 

LXXIX.  Drt^ss 800 

LXa.X.  Dress  — Concluded 807 

LXXXI.  Domestic  Life 816 

LXXXII.  Food  and  Cookery 826 

LXXXIII.  War 838 

LXXXIV.  Canoes 852 

LXXXV.  Religion 856 

LXXXVI.  The  Tapu 863 

LXXXVII.  Funeral  Ceremonies — Archi- 
tecture   869 

NEW  CALEDONIA. 

LXXXYin.  Appearance  — Dress  — War- 
fare....  883 


ANDAMAN  AND  NICOBAR  ISLANDS. 
LXXXIX.  Origin  of  Natives  — Appear- 
ance — Character — Educa- 


tion  888 

NEW  GUINEA. 

XC.  Papuans  and  Outanatas 898 

XCI.  The  Alfoers  or  Haraforas.  905 

PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS. 

XCII.  The  Ajitas  or  Ahitas 919 

FIJI. 

XCITI.  Appearance  — Dress 922 

XCIV.  Manufactures 929 

XCV.  Government  — Social  Life.  . . 934 

XCVI.  War  — Amusements 948 

XCVIT.  Religion — Funeral  Rites...  960 


SOLOMON  ISLANDS  AND  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
XCVin.  Character— Dress— Customs,  968 


Chap.  Page. 

TONGA. 

XCIX.  Government— Gradations  of 

Rank 976 

C.  War  and  Ceremonies 984 


CL  Sickness  — Burial— Games.  . . 997 

SAMOA,  OR  NAVIGATOR’S  ISLAND. 

CII.  Appearance  — Character  — 

Dress 1008 

cm.  War 1016 

CIV.  Amusements  — Marriage  — 

Architecture 1028 

HERVEY  AND  KINGSMILL  ISLANDS. 
CV.  Appearance — Weapons — Gof^ 

ERNMENT 

MARQUESAS  ISLANDS. 

CVT.  Dress  — Amusements  — War 

— Burial 1044 

NIUE,  OR  SAVAGE  ISLANDS. 

evil.  Origin  — Costume  — Laws  — 
Burial 1052 

SOCIETY  ISLANDS. 

C Vm.  Appearance  — Dress  — Social 

Customs 1057 

CIX.  Religion 1064 

CX.  History  — ,War  — Funerals — 

Legends 1072 

SANDWICH  ISLANDS. 

CXI.  Climate — Dress — Ornaments 

— Women 1081 

CXII.  War— Sport  — Religion 1088 

CAROLINE  ARCHIPELAGO. 

CXni.  Dress, — Architecture, — Amuse- 
ments—War  1100 

BORNEO. 

CXIV.  The  Dyaks,  Appearance  and 

Dress 1110 

CXV.  War 1119 

CXVI.  War — Concluded 1128 

exvn.  Social  Life 1137 

CXVin.  Architecture, Manufactures,1149 
CXIX.  Religion— Omens— Funerals,  1157 


CONTENTS, 


Chap.  Page- 

TIEEKA  DEL  EUEGO. 

CXX.  Appearance  — Architecture 

— Manufactures 1161 

PATAGONIANS. 

CXXI.  Appearance  — Weapons  — 

Horsemanship 1172 

CXXIL  Domestic  Life 1183 

AEAUCANIANS. 

CXXIII.  Dress  — Etiquette  — Govern- 
ment  1190 

CXXIY.  Domestic  Life 1196 

CXXV.  Games— Social  Customs 1201 

THE  GEAN  CHACO. 

CXX VI.  Appearance  — Weapons  — 

Character 1211 

THE  MUNDHEUCHS. 

CXXVn.  Manufactures  — Social  Cus- 
toms  1215 

THE  TEIBES  OF  GUIANA. 

CXXVIII.  Weapons 1221 

CXXIX.  W^EAPOifS  — Concluded 1228 

CXXX.  War— Superstition 1239 

CXXXL  Architecture  — Social  Cus- 
toms   1245 

CXXXn.  Dress— Amusements .1255 

CXXXIII.  Eeligion  — Burial 1263 


MEXICO. 

CXXXrV.  History — Eeligion— Art — 1271 
NOETH  AMEEICAN  INDIANS. 


CXXX V.  Government  — Customs 1 273 

CXXXYI.  War 1281 

CXXXYII.  Hunting— Amusements 1293 

CXXXYIII.  Eeligion  — Superstition 1301  - 

CXXXIX.  Social  Life 1316 

ESQUIMAUX. 

CXL.  Appearance  — Dress  — Man- 
ners  1333 


Chap.  Page. 

CXLI.  Hunting  — Eeligion  — Buri- 
al,  1338 

YANCOUVEE’S  ISLAND. 

CXLH.  The  Ahts,  and  Neighboring 

Tribes 13.54 

CXLIII.  Canoes  — Feasts  — Dances 1362 

CXLIY.  Architecture  — Eeligion  — 

Disposal  of  Dead 1369 

ALASKA. 

CXLY.  Malemutes  — Ingeletes  — Co- 

YUKONS 1374 

SIBEEIA. 

CXLYI.  TheTchuktchi— Jakuts— Tun- 

Gusi 1377 

CXLYII.  The  Samoiedes  — Ostiaks 1381 

INDIA. 

CXL  Yin.  The  Sowrahs  and  Khonds — 1385 

CXLIX.  Weapons 1395 

CL.  Sacrificial  Eeligion 1407 

CLI.  The  Indians,  with  relation 

TO  Animals 1416 

TAETAEY. 

CLH.  The  Mantchu  Tartars 1422 

CHINA. 

CLHI.  Appearance  — Dress  — Food,  1426 

CLIY.  Warfare 1433 

CLY.  Social  Characteristics 1441 

JAPAN. 

CLYI.  Dress  — Art  — Amusements  . .1449 
CLYH.  Miscellaneous  Customs 1458 

SIAM. 

CLYIII.  Government  — Dress  — Eeli- 
gion   1467 

ANCIENT  EUEOPE. 

CLIX.  The  Swiss  Lake-Dwellers.. .1473 


CHAPTEE  LXIX. 


AUSTRALIA. 


THE  NATIVE  AUSTRALIANS  — THE  GENERAL  CONFORMATION  OF  THE  HEAD  AND  FJCA^URES — THEIR 
AVERAGE  STATURE  AND  FORM  — THE  WOMEN  AND  THEIR  APPEARANCE  — CHARACTER  OF  THE 
NATIVES  — THEIR  THIEVISH  PROPENSITIES — THEIR  CUNNING,  AND  POWER  OF  DISSIMULATION  — 
A PAIR  OF  CLEVER  THIEVES — THE  “GOOD  NATIVE” — A CLEVER  OLD  WOMAN  — INCENTIVES  TO 
ROBBERY — HIDEOUS  ASPECT  OP  THE  OLD  WOMEN  — A REPULSIVE  SUBJECT  FOR  AN  ARTIST  — 
YOUNGER  WOMEN  OF  SAME  TRIBE — THEIR  STRANGE  DRESS  — THE  CIRCULAR  MAT  CLOAK  AND 
ITS  USES — THE  NATIVE  BASKET  — TREACHEROUS  CHARACTER  OF  THE  NATIVES — MR.  BAINES’S 
NARRATIVE  — THE  OUTRIGGER  CANOE  OP  NORTH  AUSTRALIA,  AND  ITS  PROBABLE  ORIGIN  — PIPE, 
AND  MODE  OF  SMOKING — THE  MAMMALS  OF  AUSTRALIA,  AND  THEIR  MARSUPIAL  CHARACTER  — 
CONFUSION  OF  NOMENCLATURE — EFFECT  OF  THE  ANIMALS  ON  THE  HUMAN  INHABITANTS  OF 
THE  COUNTRY — PRIMARY  USE  OF  WEAPONS. 


Following  up  the  principle  of  taking  the 
least  civilized  races  in  succession,  we  natu- 
rally pass  to  the  great  continent  of  Austra- 
lia and  its  adjacent  islands. 

This  wonderful  country  holds  a sort  of 
isolated  position  on  the  earth,  owing  to  the 
curious  contrast  which  reigns  between  it 
and  all  the  lands  with  which  we  are  familiar. 
It  is  situated,  as  my  readers  will  see  by  ref- 
erence to  a map,  just  below  the  equator,  and 
extends  some  forty  degrees  southward,  thus 
having  at  its  northern  extremity  a heat 
which  is  tropical,  and  at  its  southern  point 
a climate  as  cold  as  our  own.  But  there  is 
perhaps  no  country  where  the  temperature 
is  so  variable  as  Australia,  and  there  is  one 
instance  recorded  where  the  thermometer 
registered  a change  of  fifty  degrees  in  twen- 
ty-five minutes.  This  sudden  change  is 
owing  to  the  winds,  which  if  they  blow  from 
the  sea  are  cool,  but  if  they  blow  toward 
the  coast,  after  passing  over  the  heated 
sand-wastes  of  the  interior,  raise  the  tem- 
perature in  the  extraordinary  manner  which 
has  been  mentioned.  Still,  the  climate, 
changeable  though  it  be,  is  a pleasant  one; 
and  the  colonists  who  visit  England  nearly 
always  grumble  at  the  damp  climate  of  the 
mother  country,  and  long  to  be  back  again 
in  Australia.  Both  the  animal  and  vegeta- 
ble products  of  this  country  are  strangely 
unlike  those  of  other  lands,  but,  as  we  shall 
have  occasion  to  describe  them  in  the  course 
of  the  following  pages,  they  will  not  be 
mentioned  at  present;  and  we  will  proceed 


at  once  to  the  human  inhabitants  of  Aus 
tralia. 

It  is  exceedingly  difficult,  not  to  say  im- 
possible, to  treat  of  the  aborigines  of  Aus- 
tralia with  much  accuracy  of  system.  Dif- 
fering as  do  the  tribes  with  which  we  are 
acquainted  in  many  minor  particulars,  they 
all  agree  in  general  characteristics;  and, 
whether  a native  be  taken  from  the  north  or 
south  of  the  vast  Australian  continent,  there 
is.  a similitude  of  habits  and  a cast  of  features 
which  point  him  out  at  once  as  an  Australian. 

The  plan  that  will  he  adopted  will  there- 
fore be  to  give  a general  sketch  of  the  na- 
tives, together  with  an  account  of  those 
habits  in  which  they  agree,  and  then  to 
glance  over  as  much  of  Australia  as  trav- 
ellers have  laid  open  to  us,  and  to  mention 
briefiy  the  most  interesting  of  the  manners 
and  customs  which  exist  in  the  several  tribes. 

In  color  the  Australians  are  quite  black, 
as  dark  indeed  as  the  negro,  but  with  noth- 
ing of  the  negro  character  in  the  face.  The 
forehead  does  not  recede  like  that  of  the 
negro;  and  though  the  nose  is  wide,  the 
mouth  large,  and  the  lips  thick,  there  is  none 
of  that  projection  of  jaw  which  renders  the 
pure  negro  face  so  repulsive.  The  eye  is 
small,  dark,  .and,  being  deeply  sunken,  it 
gives  to  the  brows  a heavy,  overhanging  sort 
of  look.  The  hair  is  by  no  means  close  and 
woolly,  like  that  of  the  negro,  but  is  plenti- 
ful, rather  long,  and  disposed  to  curl,  mostly 
C694) 


PHYSICAL  CIIAKACTEIUSTICS. 


G95 


undulating,  and  sometimes  even  taking  the 
form  of  ringlets.  In  texture  it  is  very  coarse 
and  harsh,  but  cannot  be  described  as  wool. 

The  beard  and  moustache  are  very  thick 
and  full,  and  the  men  take  a pride  in  these 
ornaments,  sometimes  twisting  the  beard 
into  curious  shapes.  Indeed,  as  a rule  they 
are  a hairy  race.  There  is  now  before  me 
a large  collection  of  photographs  of  native 
Australiflns,  in  many  of  which  the  men  are 
remarkable  for  the  thickness  of  the  beard, 
and  some  of  them  have  their  faces  so  heavily 
bearded  that  scarcely  the  nose  is  perceptible 
among  the  mass  of  hair  that  covers  the 
cheeks  nearly  up  to  the  eyes.  Several  of  the 
elder  men  are  very  remarkable  for  the  de- 
velopment of  the  hair,  which  covers  the 
whole  of  the  breast  and  arms  with  a thick 
coating  of  pile,  and  looks  as  if  they  were 
clothed  with  a tightly-fitting  fur  garment. 
The  illustration  Ko.  1,  on  the  698th  page,  will 
give  a good  idea  of  the  features  of  the  Aus- 
tralian. It  is  exactly  copied  from  photo- 
graphic portraits;  and  although  the  subjects 
have  disfigured  themselves  by  putting  on 
European  dress,  and  the  woman  has  actually 
combed  her  hair,  the  general  cast  of  the  fea- 
tures is  well  preserved. 

Ill  stature  the  Australian  is  about  equal  to 
that  of  the  average  Englishman  — say  five 
feet  eight  inches,  although  individuals  much 
below  and  above  this  height  may  be  seen. 
The  bodily  form  of  the  Australian  savages  is 
good,  and  their  limbs  well  made.  There  are 
several  well-knov.^n  drawings  of  Australians, 
which  have  been  widely  circulated  on  ac- 
count of  their  grotesqueness,  and  which  have 
been  accepted  as  the  ordinary  form  of  this 
curious  people,  and  they  have  given  the  idea 
that  the  native  Australian  is  distinguished 
by  a very  large  head,  a very  small  body,  and 
very  long  and  attenuated  limbs ; in  fact,  that 
he  is  to  the  European  what  the  spider-mon- 
key is  to  the  baboon. 

Such  drawings  are,  however,  only  taken 
from  exceptional  cases,  and  give  no  idea  of 
the  real  contour  of  the  native  Australian. 
Indeed,  Mr.  Pickering,  who  traversed  the 
greater  part  of  the  world  in  search  of  anthro- 
pological knowledge,  writes  in  very  strong 
terms  of  the  beautiful  forms  which  can  be 
seen-  among  these  natives.  “ The  general 
form,  though  sometimes  defective,  seemed 
on  the  average  better  than  that  of  the  negro, 
and  I did  not  find  the  undue  slenderness  of 
limb  which  has  been  commonly  attributed 
to  the  Australians.  Strange  as  it  may  ap- 
pear, I would  refer  to  an  Australian  as  the 
finest  model  of  human  proportions  I have 
ever  met  with,  in  muscular  development 
combining  perfect  symmetry,  activity,  and 
strength;  while  his  head  might  have  com- 
pared with  an  antique  bust  of  a philosopher.” 

Those  of  my  readers  who  happened  to 
see  the  native  Australians  that  came  over 
to  England  as  cricketers  and  athletes  in 
general  must  have  noticed  the  graceful  forms 


for  which  some  of  the  men  were  lemarkable, 
while  all  were  possessed  of  great  cleganco 
of  limb. 

The  disadvantageous  effect  of  European 
clothing  on  the  dark  races  was  well  shown 
in  these  men,  who  seemed  to  undergo  a posi- 
tive transformation  when  they  laid  aside 
their  ordinary  clothes  for  a costume  which 
represented,  as  far  as  possible,  the  light 
and  airy  apparel  of  the  native  Australian. 
Dressed  in  gray,  or  clad  in  the  cricketer’s 
costume,  there  was  nothing  remarkable 
about  them,  and  in  fact  they  seemed  to  be 
very  ordinary  persons  indeed.  But  with 
their  clothes  they  threw  of  their  common- 
place look,  and,  attired  only  in  tight  “ fiesh- 
ings,”  dyed  as  nearly  as  possible  the  color  of 
their  black  skins,  with  a piece  of  fur  wrapped 
round  their  loins  and  a sort  of  fur  cap  on 
their  heads,  they  walked  with  a proiu\,  elastic 
step  that  contrasted  strangely  with  their  for- 
mer gait. 

It  may  perhaps  be  said  that  this  change  of 
demeanor  was  only  the  natural  result  of  re- 
moving the  heavy  clothing  and  giving  free- 
dom to  the  limbs.  This  was  not  the  case, 
for  several  professional  English  athletes  con- 
tended with  the  Australians,  and,  when  they 
came  to  run  or  leap,  wore  the  usual  light 
attire  of  the  professional  acrobat.  In  them, 
however,  no  such  improvement  took  place, 
and,  if  anything,  they  looked  better  in  their 
ordinary  dress. 

The  women  are,  as  a rule,  much  inferior  to 
the  men  in  appearance.  Even  when  young, 
although  they  possess  symmetrical  forms, 
their  general  appearance  is  not  nearly  so 
pleasing  as  that  of  the  young  African  girl, 
and,  when  the  woman  becomes  old,  she  is, 
if  possible,  even  more  hideous  and  hag-like 
than  the  African.  This  deterioration  may 
partly  be  due  to  the^Bxceedingly  hard  life  led 
by  the  women,  or  “ gins  ” — in  which  word, 
by  the  way,  the  g is  pronounced  hard  as  in 
“ giddy.”  -That  they  have  to  do  all  the  hard 
work,  and  to  carry  all  the  heavy  weights, 
including  the  children,  while  their  husbands 
sit  or  sleep,  or,  if  on  the  march,  burden  them- 
selves with  nothing  more  weighty  than  their 
weapons,  is  to  be  expected,  as  it  is  the  uni- 
versal practice  among  natives.  But  it  is  not 
so  much  the  hard  work  as  the  privation  which 
tells  upon  the  woman,  who  is  treated  with 
the  same  contemptuous  neglect  with  which 
a savage  treats  his  dog,  and,  while  her  hus- 
band, father,  or  brother,  is  feasting  on  the 
game  which  she  has  cooked,  thinks  herself 
fortunate  if  they  now  and  then  toss  a nearly 
cleaned  bone  or  a piece  of  scorched  meat  to 
her. 

Like  most  savages,  the  Australian  natives 
are  adroit  and  daring  thieves,  displaying  an 
amount  of  acuteness  in  carrying  out  their 
designs  which  would  do  honor  to  the  most 
expert  professional  thief  of  London  or  Paris. 
In  his  interesting  ,y/ork  entitled  “ Savage 
Life  and  Scenes,”  Mr.  G.  F.  Angas  has  re- 


696 


AUSTRALIA. 


lated  several  anecdotes  respecting  this  pro- 
pensity. 

“ Leaving  Rivoli  Bay,  we  fell  in  with  two 
very  droll  natives,  the  only  ones  who  had 
made  hold  to  approach  our  camp ; both  were 
in  a state  of  nudity.  One  of  these  fellows 
was  a perfect  supplejack;  he  danced  and 
capered  about  as  though  he  were  filled  with 
quicksilver.  We  mounted  them  on  horses, 
from  which  they  were  continually  tumbling 
off,  and  they  travelled  with  us  all  clay. 

“When  we  encamped  at  an  old  resting- 
place,  near  Lake  Howden,  they,  by  signs, 
requested  permission  to  remain  by  our  fires, 
which  we  allowed  them  to  do,  and  gave  them 
for  supper  the  head  and  refuse  of  a sheep 
that  was  just  killed  and  hung  up  to  a tree 
near  the  tents.  They  showed  great  surprise 
on  seeing  our  various  utensils  and  articles  of 
cookery.  So  modest  and  well-behaved  did 
these  artful  gentlemen  appear,  that  they 
would  not  touch  the  slightest  article  of  food 
without  first  asking  permission  by  signs;  and 
they  so  far  gained  our  confidence  that  one  of 
them  was  adorned  with  a tin  plate,  suspended 
round  his  neck  by  a string,  on  which  was 
inscribed  ‘ Good  Native.’ 

“ In  the  dead  of  the  night  we  were  all 
aroused  by  the  unusual  barking  of  the  dogs. 
At  first  it  was  supposed  that  the  wild  dogs 
were  ‘ rushing  ’ the  sheep ; but  as  the  tumult 
increased,  the  Sergeant-Major  unwrapped 
his  opossum  rug,  and  looked  around  for  his 
hat,  to  go  and  ascertain  the  cause  of  the  dis- 
turbance. To  his  surprise,  he  found  that  his 
hat  had  vanished.  The  hat  of  his  companion, 
who  lay  next  him  near  the  fire,  was  also  no- 
where to  be  found;  and,  casting  his  eyes  to 
the  spot  where  the  sheep  hung  suspended 
from  the  tree,  he  saw  in  a moment  that 
our  fond  hopes  for  to-morrow’s  repast  were 
blighted,  for  the  sheep  too  had  disappeared. 
The  whole  camp  was  roused,  when  it  was 
ascertained  that  forks,  spoons,  and  the  con- 
tents of  the  Governor’s  canteen,  pannikins 
and  other  articles,  were  likewise  missing,  and 
that  our  two  remarkably  docile  natives  had 
left  us  under  cover  of  the  night. 

“ A council  of  war  was  held.  Black  Jimmy 
protested  that  it  was  useless  to  follow  their 
tracks  until  the  morning,  and  that  from  the 
nature  of  the  country  they  had  doubtless 
taken  to  the  swamps,  walking  in  the  water, 
so  that  pursuit  was  in  vain.  Wc  had  been 
completely  duped  by  these  artful  and  clever 
fellows,  who  probably  had  a large  party  of 
their  colleagues  lying  in  ambush  amid  the  sur- 
rounding swamps,  ready  to  assist  in  carrying 
away  the  stolen  property.  Retaliation  was 
useless;  and  we  contented  ourselves  by 
giving  utterance  to  our  imprecations  and 
commenting  on  the  audacity  and  cunning  of 
the  rogues  until  daybreak.” 

Another  instance  of  theft  — in  this  case 
single-handed  — occurred  not  long  before 
the  robbery  which  has  just  been  recorded. 
Wiile  the  exploring  party  was  on  the  march, 


they  fell  in  with  a number  of  natives  who 
were  cooking  their  food. 

“ At  our  approach,  they  flew  down  the  de- 
scent, and  hid  among  the  bulrushes;  but  one 
old  woman,  unable  to  escape  as  speedily  as 
the  rest,  finding  flight  useless,  began  to  chat- 
ter very  loud  and  fast,  pointing  to  her  blind 
eye,  and  her  lean  and  withered  arms,  as 
objects  of  commiseration.  Damper  was  given 
to  her  and  she  continued  in  terror  to  chew  it 
very  fast  without  swallowing  any,  until  she 
was  almost  choked;  when  suddenly  she  got 
hold  of  Gisborne’s  handkerchief  and  made  off 
with  it.  With  a vigorous  leap  she  plunged 
into  the  mud  and  reeds  beneath,  effecting  her 
escape  by  crawling  into  the  swamp  and 
joining  her  wild  companions,  to  whom  she 
doubtless  recounted  her  adventures  that 
night  over  a dish  of  fried  tadpoles.” 

The  dish  of  fried  tadpoles,  to  which  al- 
lusion has  been  made,  is  quite  a luxury 
among  this  wretched  tribe,  and,  when  the 
exploring  party  pushed  on  to  the  spot  where 
the  people  had  been  cooking,  it  was  found 
that  they  had  been  engaged  in  roasting  a 
dish  of  water-beetles  over  a fire. 

It  is  impossible  to  withhold  admiration  for 
the  skill  displayed  by  these  sable  thieves  in 
stealing  the  property  which  they  coveted, 
and,  in  excuse  for  them,  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  the  articles  which  were  stolen 
were  to  the  blacks  of  inestimable  value. 
Food  and  ornaments  are  coveted  by  the  black 
man  as  much  as  wealth  and  titles  by  the 
white  man,  and  both  these  articles  were 
ready  to  hand.  The  temptation  to  which 
these  poor  people  was  exposed  seems  very 
trifling  • to  us,  but  we  must  measure  it,  not 
from  our  own  point  of  view,  but  from  theirs. 

The  strange  visitors  who  so  suddenly  ap- 
peared among  them  possessed  abundance  of 
the  very  things  which  were  dearest  to  them. 
There  was  a whole  sheep,  which  would  en- 
able them  to  enjoy  the  greatest  luxury  of 
which  they  could  form  any  notion,  i.  e.  eating 
meat  to  repletion;  and  there  was  store  of 
glittering  objects  which  could  be  worn  as 
ornaments,  and  would  dignify  them  forever 
in  the  eyes  of  their  fellows.  The  happy 
possessor  of  a spoon,  a fork,  or  a tin  plate, 
which  would  be  hung  rourd  the  reck  and 
kept  highly  polished,  would  be  exalted  above 
his  companions  like  a newly  ennobled  man 
among  ourselves,  and  it  should  not  be  ex- 
pected that  such  an  oprortunity,  which  could 
never  again  be  looked  for,  Avould  be  allowed 
to  pass.  The  temptation  to  them  was  much 
as  would  be  a title  and  a fortune  arnong  our- 
selves, and  there  are  many  civilized  men 
who  have  done  worse  than  the  savage  Aus- 
tralian when  tempted  by  such  a bait. 

Reference  has  been  made  to  the  haggard 
appearance  of  the  old  woman  who  so  in- 
geniously stole  the  handkerchief,  the  love 
of  finery  overcoming  the  dread  of  the  white 
man  in  spite  of  her  age  and  hideous  aspect, 
which  would  only  be  made  more  repulsive 


Oi' 

Qi  ■ 


, \ 


■ ' :\r~;  ■* 


^ ■ :;,vv5' 

♦ ' h 


(1.)  AUSTRALIAN  MAN  AND  WOMAN. 
(See  page  695.) 


(2.)  WOMEN  AND  OLD  MAN  OF  THE  LOWER  MURRAY  AND  THE  LAKES. 

(See  page  099.) 


ASPECT  OF  THE  OLD  WOMEK 


G99 


by  any  attempt  at  ornament.  It  is  scarcely 
possible  to  imagine  the  depths  of  ugliness 
into  which  an  Australian  woman  descends 
after  she  has  passed  the  prime  of  her  life. 
As  we  have  seen,  the  old  woman  of  Africa 
is  singularly  hideous,  but  she  is  quite  passa- 
ble when  compared  with  her  aged  sister  of 
Australia. 

The  old  Australian  woman  certainly  does 
not  possess  the  projecting  jaws,  the  enor- 
mous mouth,  and  the  sausage-like  lips  of  the 
African,  but  she  exhibits  a type  of  hideous- 
ness peculiarly  her  own.  Her  face  looks 
like  a piece  of  black  parchment  strained 
tightly  over  a skull,  and  the  mop-like,  un- 
kempt hair  adds  a grotesque  element  to  the 
features  which  only  makes  them  still  more 
repulsive.  The  breasts  reach  to  the  waist, 
flat,  pendent,  and  swinging  about  at  every 
movement;  her  body  is  so  shrunken  that 
each  rib  stands  out  boldly,  the  skin  being 
drawn  deeply  in  between  them,  and  the 
limbs  shrivel  up  until  they  look  like  sticks, 
the  elbows  and  knees  projecting  like  knots 
in  a gnarled  branch. 

Each  succeeding  year  adds  to  the  hideous 
look  of  these  poor  creatures,  because  the 
feebleness  of  increasing  years  renders  them 
less  and  less  useful;  and  accordingly  they  are 
neglected,  ill-treated,  and  contemptuously 
pushed  aside  by  those  who  are  younger 
and  stronger  than  themselves,  sufiering  in 
their  turn  the  evils  which  in  their  youth 
they  carelessly  inflicted  on  those  who  were 
older  and  feebler. 

Mr.  Angas  has  among  his  sketches  one 
which  represents  a very  old  woman  of  the 
Port  Fairy  tribe.  They  had  built  their 
rude  huts  or  miam-miams  under  some  gum- 
trees,  and  very  much  disgusted  the  explor- 
ing party  by  their  hideous  appearance  and 
neglected  state.  There  was  one  old  woman 
in  particular,  who  exemplified  strongly  all 
the  characteristics  which  have  just  been 
described ; and  so  surpassingly  hideous, 
filthy,  and  repulsive  was  she,  that  she 
looked  more  like  one  of  the  demoniacal 
forms  that  Callot  was  so  fond  of  painting 
than  a veritable  human  creature.  Indeed, 
so  very  disgusting  was  her  appearance,  that 
one  of  the  party  was  made  as  ill  as  if  he 
had  taken  an  emetic. 

Hot  wishing  to  shock  my  readers  by  the 
portrait  of  this  wretched  creature,  I have 
introduced  on  page  preceding,  two  younger 
females  of  the  same  tribe. 

The  remarkable  point  about  this  and  one 
or  two^  other  tribes  of  the  same  locality  and 
the  neighborhood,  is  the  circular  mat  which 
is  tied  on  their  backs,  and  which  is  worn 
by  both  sexes.  The  mat  is  made  of  reeds 
twisted  into  ropes,  coiled  round,  and  fas- 
tened together  very  much  as  the  archer’s 
targets  of  the  present  day  are  made.  The 
fibres  by  which  the  reed  ropes  are  bound 
together  are  obtained  from  the  chewed  roots 
<>f  the  bulrush.  The  native  name  for  this 


mat  is  painrihoont.  One  of  the  women 
appears  in  her  ordinary  home  dress,  i.  e. 
wearing  the  paingkoont  and  her  baby,  over 
wdiose  little  body  she  has  thrown  a piece  of 
kangaroo  skin.  The  mat  makes  a very  good 
cradle  for  the  child,  which,  when  a^vake  and 
disposed  to  be  lively,  puts  its  head  over  the 
mat  and  surveys  the  prospect,  but  wlicn 
alarmed  pops  down  and  hides  itself  like  a 
rabbit  disappearing  into  its  burrow.  The 
old  woman,  whose  portrait  is  withheld,  was 
clothed  in  the  paingkoont,  and  wore  no 
other  raiment,  so  that  the  full  hideousness 
of  her  form  was  exposed  to  view. 

The  woman  standing  opposite  is  just  start- 
ing upon  a journey.  She  is  better  clad  than 
her  companion,  having  beside  the  paing- 
koont a rude  sort  of  petticoat.  On  her 
back  she  has  slung  the  net  in  which  she 
places  the  roots  which  she  is  supposed  to 
dig  out  of  the  ground,  and,  thrust  through 
the  end  which  ties  it,  she  carries  the  dig- 
ging-stick, or  katta,  wdiich  serves  her  for  a 
spade.’  She  has  in  her  hand  the  invariable 
accompaniment  of  a journey,  — namely,  the 
fire-stick,  smouldering  amid  dry  grass  be- 
tween two  pieces  of  bark,  and  ahvays  ready 
to  oe  forced  into  a flame  by  whirling  i': 
round  her  head. 

Behind  them  is  seated  an  old  man,  also 
wearing  the  mat-cloak,  and  having  by  his 
side  one  of  the  beautifully  constructed  na- 
tive baskets.  These  baskets  are  made,  like 
the  mat,  of  green  rushes  or  reeds,  and  are 
plaited  by  the  women.  One  of  these  bas- 
kets is  illustrated  in  an  engraving  on  the 
722d  page.  The  reader  wdll  doubtless  ob- 
serve that  the  mode  of  plaiting  it  is  almost 
identical  "with  that  wdiich  is  emplo3"ed  by 
the  natives  of  Southern  Africa,  the  rushes 
being  twdsted  and  coiled  upon  each  other 
and  bound  firmly  together  at  short  intervals 
by  strong  fibrous  threads.  They  are  rather 
variable  in  shape;  some,  which  are  intended 
to  stand  alone,  being  flat-bottomed,  and 
others,  which  are  always  suspended  by  a 
string,  ending  in  a point. 

In  common  with  other  savage  races, 
the  Australians  are  apt  to  behave  treach- 
erously to  the  wdiitc  man  when  they  find 
themselves  able  to  do  so  with  impunity. 
This  behavior  is  not  always  the  result  of 
ferocity  or  cruelty,  though  an  Australian 
can  on  occasion  be  as  fierce  and  cruel  as 
any  savage.  Oftentimes  it  is  the  result  of 
fear,  the  black  people  standing  in  awe  of 
the  white  stranger  and  his  deadly  weapons, 
and  availing  themselves  of  their  native  cun- 
ning to  deprive  him  of  his  unfair  advan- 
tages as  soon  as  possible. 

Ignorant  of  the  object  of  travel,  and  hav- 
ing from  infancy  been  accustomed  to  con- 
sieWr  certain  districts  as  the  property  of  cer- 
tain tribes,  and  any  man  wdio  intruded  into 
the  district  of  another  as  an  enemy,  it  is  but 
natural  that  when  they  see,  especially  for 
the  first  time,  a man  of  different  color  from 


AUSTRALIA. 


"ioo 

themselves  travelling  through  the  country, 
such  strangers  must  necessarily  be  enemies, 
come  for  the  purpose  of  using  against  the 
aborigines  the  weapons  which  they  possess. 
Again,  a feeling  of  acquisitiveness  has  much 
to  do  with  the  treachery. 

Add  to  their  ideas  of  the  inimical  character 
of  the  strangers  the  cupidity  that  must  be  ex- 
cited by  ihe  sight  of  the  valuable  property 
brought  into  their  country  by  those  whom 
they  consider  as  enemies  delivered  into  their 
hand,  and  there  is  no  reason  for  wonder  that 
they  should  take  both  the  lives  and  the  prop- 
erty of  the  strangers,  and  thus  secure  the 
valued  trophies  of  war  at  the  same  time 
that  they  rid  their  country  of  strange  and 
powerful  enemies,  and  attain  at  one  stroke 
an  amount  of  wealth  which  they  could 
not  hope  to  gain  through  the  labors  of  a 
life. 

This  phase  of  their  character  is  well  shown 
by  Mr.  T.  Baines,  in  a letter  which  he  has 
Idndly  allowed  me  to  transfer  to  these  pages. 
Ile^  was  one  of  an  exploring  expedition, 
which  had  also  undertaken  to  convey  a num- 
ber of  sheep  and  horses.  “While  making 
the  inner  passage  along  the  coast,  we  fell  in 
with  several  canoes,  some  of  very  rude  con- 
struction, being  in  fact  mere  logs  capable  of 
carrying  a couple  of  men,  who,  perhaps  in 
terror  of  the  telescopes  pointed  at  them,  did 
not  approach  us. 

“ Others  were  of  greater  size  and  power, 
being  large  hollowed  logs,  very  straight  and 
narrow,  and  steadied  on  either  side  bj^  other 
logs,  pointed  at  the  ends,  and  acting  as  out- 
riggers, neatly  enough  attached  by  pegs 
driven  into  them  through  a framing  of  bam- 
boo. Others  again  were  strictly  double 
canoes,  two  of  the  narrow  vessels  being  con- 
nected by  a bamboo  platform  so  as  to  lie  par- 
allel to  each  other  at  some  little  distance 
apart. 

“ They  were  manned  by  crews  of  from  six 
to  twelve,  or  even  more  in  number,  all.  tol- 
erably fine  fellows,  perfectly  naked,  with 
shock  heads  of  woolly  hair  and  scanty  beards. 
They  were  ornamented  with  scars  and  raised 
cicatrices  tastefully  cut  on  their  shoulder  and 
elsewhere.  They  were  armed  with  long 
spears,  some  of  them  tipped  with  wood, 
others  with  bone,  and  having  Rom  one  to 
four  points.  They  also  had"  bows  and  ar- 
roAVs,  as  Avell  as  their  curious  paddles,  the 
looms  of  Avhich  Avere  barbed  and  pointed,  so 
as  to  be  useful  as  spears.  When  these  weap- 
ons Avere  throAvn  at  a fish,  the  OAvner  always 
plunged  into  the  Avater  after  his  Ayeapon,  so  as 
to  secure  the  fish  the  moment  that  it  Avas 
struck. 

“ Their  arrival  caused  various  emotions 
among  our  party.  One  gentleman  ruined 
his  revolver  by  hurriedly  trying  to  load  it, 
Avhile  a little  girl,  so  far  from  being  afraid  of 
them,  traded  Avith  them  for  almost  eveiy- 
thing  they  had  in  their  canoes.  Just  as  they 
dropped  astern  after  reaching  us,  the  cap- 


tain’s little  daughtd^s  were  being  bathed 
in  a tub  on  the  main-hatch,  and,  naturally 
enough,  jumped  out  of  their  bath,  and  ran  aft 
Avet  and  glistening  in  the  sunlight,  to  hide 
themselves  from  the  strange  black  fellows 
who  were  stretching  themselves  to  look  over 
our  loAV  bulwarks  at  the  little  naked  white 
girls. 

“We  bought  spears,  bows,  arroAvs,  tor- 
toise-shell, &c.,  for  hats,  handkerchiefs,  and 
other  things;  and  they  were  greatly  inter- 
ested in  the  Avhite  baby,  Avhich,  at  their 
express  request,  Avas  held  up  for  them  to 
look  at.” 

Up  to  this  point  we  find  the  natives  mild 
and  conciliatory,  but  Ave  jAroceed  Avith  the 
letter,  and  find  an  unexpected  change  in  their 
demeanor. 

“We  had  here  an  instance  of  the  capri- 
ciousness of  the  natives.  We  met  about  a 
dozen  on  shore,  and  endeavored  by  all 
friendly  signs  to  induce  them  to  come  to 
terms  Avith  us.  We  shoAved  them  that  we 
had  no  guns,  but  our  attempts  Avere  useless. 
They  fell  into  regular  battle  array,  AAoth  their 
long  spears  ready  shipped  on  the  throwing 
sticks,  six  standing  in  front,  and  the  rest 
acting  as  supi^orts  l3ehind.  As  it  was  unsafe 
to  parley  longer,  Ave  mounted  our  horses, 
and  again  tried  to  make  them  understand 
that  Ave  Avished  to  be  on  friendly  terms.  It 
Avas  all  useless,  and  the  only  thing  that  Ave 
could  do  Avas  to  ride  straight  at  them.  They 
ran  like  antelopes,  and  gained  the  thick  bush 

Avhere  we  could  not  folloAv  them.  B 

Avanted  to  shoot  one  of  them,  but  I Avould  not 
alloAv  it. 

“ The  prospect  of  killing  and  eating  our 
horses  seemed  to  be  their  great  temjDtation. 
They  made  constant  Avar  upon  our  stud  for 
a fortnight  or  three  Aveeks,  in  my  camp  at 
Depot  Creek,  and  I had  to  patrol  the  coun- 
try Avith  B daily,  to  keep  them  from 

ringing  the  horses  round  Avith  fire. 

“The  character  of  the  Australian  canoe- 
men  is  variously  spoken  of,  some  reporting 
them  as  good-natured  and  peaceable,  while 
others  say  that  they  are  treacherous  and 
savage.  Both  speak  the  truth  from  their 
OAvn  experience.  A fellow  artist,  aaLo  gen- 
erally landed  from  a man-of-Avar’s  boat,  Avith 
the  ship  in  the  offing,  found  them  peaceable 
enough,  but  poor  Mr.  Strange,  the  natural' 
ist,  Avas  murdered  on  one  of  the  islands. 

“ While  AA"e  Avere  on  board  our  vessels, 
they  Avere  quite  friendly;  and  even  during 
my  boat’s  voyage  of  750  miles,  AA'hile  we 
had  a dashing  breeze  and  the  boat  well 
under  command,  Ave  found  the  groups  Ave 
met  Avith  civil  enough.  But  Avhen  Ave  Aver(s 
helplessly  becalmed  at  the  entrance,  of  the 
Gulf  of  Carpentaria,  and  supposed  by  the 
natives  to  be  the  unarmed  survivors  of  some 
vessel  Avrecked  in  Torres  Straits,  Ave  Avere 
deliberately  and  treacherously  attacked. 

“ We  Avatched  the  preparations  for  nearly 
an  hour  through  th.e  telescope,  and  refrained 


THE  MAMMALS  OF  AUSTRALIA. 


701 


from  giving  them  the  slightest  ground  even 
to  suspect  that  we  looked  on  them  otherwise 
than  as  friends.  As  soon  as  they  thought 
they  had  us  in  their  power,  they  began  to 
throw  spears  at  ns,  so  I put  a rifle-bullet 
through  the  shoulder  of  the  man  who  threw 
at  us,  to  teach  him  the  danger  of  interfering 
with  supposed  helpless  boats,  but  did  not  tire 
again.  The  wounded  man  was  led  on  shore 
by  one  of  his  mates,  and  we  were  not  mo- 
lested again. 

“ These  people  are  very  capricious.  They 
have  the  cunning  and  the  strong  passions  of 
men,  but  in  reason  they  are  only  children. 
Life  is  noit  held  sacred  by  them,  and,  when 
their  thirst  for  blood  is  raised,  they  revel  in 
cruelty.” 

These  Australian  canoes,  with  outriggers 
attached,  indicate  a Pol^mesian  origin,  as 
indeed  do  the  bows  and  arrows,  which  will 
be  fully  described  on  a future  page.  The 
tobacco  pipes  in  use  in  that  part  of  Aus- 
tralia are  curious.  One  form  consists  of  a 
hollow  tube  as  thick  as  a man''s  arm,  stopped 
at  the  ends  and  having  one  hole  near 
the  bottom  into  which  is  introduced  the 
stem  of  a pipe,  and  another  hole  near  the 
top  through  which  the  smoke  is  imbibed. 
Their  use  of  the  pipe  is  rather  singular. 
When  a party  desires  to  smoke,  the  chief 
man  lights  the  pipe,  places  his  mouth  to  the 
orifice,  and  continually  inhales  until  the 
interior  of  the  hollow  stem  is  filled  with 
smoke.  The  bowl  is  then  removed,  and  the 
aperture  stopped  with  a plug  which  is  kept 
in  readiness.  The  first  smoker  closes  with 
his  thumb  the  hole  through  which  he  has 
been  imbibing  the  smoke,  and  passes  the 
pipe  to  his  neighbor,  who  applies  his  lips  to 
the  hole,  fills  his  lungs  with  smoke,  and 
then  passes  the  pipe  to  the  next  man.  In 
this  wa}g  the  tobacco  is  made  to  last  as  long 
as  possible,  and  the  greatest  possible  amount 
of  enjoyment  is  got  out  of  the  least  possible 
amount  of  material.  The  exterior  of  the 
stem  is  generally  carved  into  the  simple  pat- 
terns which  are  found  on  nearly  all  Austra- 
lian weapons  and  implements. 

Before  proceeding  further  with  the  char- 
acter and  habits  of  the  natives,  we  will  cast 
a glance  at  the  country  which,  they  inhabit, 
and  the  peculiarities  which  have  contributed 
toward  forming  that  character. 

It  is  a very  strange  country,  as  strange 
to  us  as  England  would  be  to  a savage 
Australian.  Its  vegetable  and  animal  pro- 
ductions are  most  remarkable,  and  are  so 
strange  that  when  the  earlier  voyagers 
brought  back  accounts  of  their  travels  they 
were  not  believed;  and  when  they  exhibited 
specimens  of  the  flora  and  fauna,  they  were 
accused  of  manufacturing  them  for  the  pur- 
pose of  deception. 

In  the  first  place,  with  a single  exception, 
the  mammalia  are  all  marsupials,  or  eden- 
tates. The  solitary  exception  is  the  dingo, 


or  native  dog,  an  animal  which  somewhat 
resembles  the  jackal,  but  is  altogether  a 
handsomer  animal.  Whether  it  be  indig- 
enous, or  a mere  variety  of  the  dog  modi- 
fied by  long  residence  in  the  country,  is 
rather  doubtful,  though  the  best  zoologists 
incline  to  the  latter  opinion,  and  say  that 
the  marsupial  type  alone  is  indigenous  to 
this  strange  country.  Of  course  the  reader 
is  supposed  to  know  that  the  young  of  a 
marsupial  animal  is  born  at  a very  early 
age,  and  attains  its  full  development  in 
a supplementary  pouch  attached  to  the 
mother,  into  which  pouch  the  teats  open. 

The  animal  which  is  most  characteristic 
of  Australia  is  the  kangaroo.  Of  this  sin- 
gular type  some  forty  species  are  known, 
varying  in  size  from  that  of  a tall  man  to 
that  of  a mouse.  Some  of  them  are  known 
as  kangaroos,  and  others  as  kangaroo-rats, 
but  the  type  is  the  same  in  all.  As  their 
form  implies,  they  are  made  for  leaping  over 
the  ground,  their  enormously  long  legs  and 
massive  development  of  the  hind  quarters 
giving  them  the  requisite  power,  while  their 
long  tails  serve  to  balance  them  as  they  pass 
through  the  air. 

i^early  all  the  so-called  “rats”  of  Aus- 
tralia belong  to  the  kangaroo  tribe,  though 
some  are  members  of  other  marsupial  fami- 
lies. Here  I may  mention  that  the  nomen- 
clature of  the  colonists  has  caused  great 
perplexity  and  labor  to  incipient  zoologists. 
They  are  told  in  some  books  that  the  dingo 
is  the  only  Australian  animal  that  is  not  a 
marsupial  or  an  edentate,  and  yet  they  read 
in  books  of  travel  of  the  bear,  the  monkey, 
the  badger,  the  wolf,  the  cat,  the  squirrel, 
the  mole,  and  so  forth.  The  fact  is,  that, 
with  the  natural  looseness  of  diction  com- 
mon to  colonists  all  over  the  world,  the  im- 
migrants have  transferred  to  their  new  coun- 
try the  nomenclature  of  the  old.  To  the 
great  trouble  of  index-searchers,  there  is 
scarcely  a part  of  the  world  inhabited  by 
our  colonists  where  London,  Oxford,  Boston, 
and  fifty  other  places  are  not  multiplied. 
The  first  large  river  they  meet  they  are 
sure  to  call  the  Thames,  and  it  is  therefore 
to  be  expected  that  natural  history  should 
suffer  in  the  same  way  as  geography. 

Thus,  should,  in  the  course  of  this  account 
of  Australia,  the  reader  come  across  a pas- 
sage quoted  from  some  traveller  in  which 
the  monkey  or  bear  is  mentioned,  he  must 
remember  that  the  so-called  “monkey”  and 
“bear”  are  identical,  and  that  the  animal 
in  question  is  neither  the  one  nor  the  other, 
but  a marsupial,  known  to  the  natives  by 
the  name  of  koala,  and,  as  if  to  add  to  the 
confusion  of  names,  some  travellers  call  it 
the  sloth. 

The  so-called  “ badger  ” is  the  wombat, 
probably  called  a badger  because  it  lives  in 
holes  which  it  burrows  in  the  ground.  The 
Australian  “ wolf”  is  another  marsupial, 
belonging  to  the  Basyures.  and  the  “cat” 


702 


AUSTRALIA. 


belongs  to  the  same  group.  The  “ squirrels  ” 
are  all  marsupials,  and  by  rights  are  called 
phalangists,  and  it  is  to  this  group  that  the 
koala  really  belongs.  As  to  the  “ hedgehog,” 
it  is  the  spiny  ant-eater  or  echidna,  and  the 
“ mole  ” is  the  celebrated  duck-bill  or  orni- 
thorhynchus. 

With  few  exceptions  these  animals  are 
not  easily  captured,  many  of  them  being 
nocturnal,  and  hiding  in  burrows  or  hollow 
trees  until  the  shades  of  night  conceal  their 
movements;  while  others  are  so  shy,  active, 
and  watchful,  that  all  the  craft  of  the  hun- 
ter must  be  tried  before  they  can  be  cap- 
tured. Much  the  same  may  be  said  of  the 
birds,  the  chief  of  which,  the  emu,  is  nearly 
as  large  as  an  ostrich,  and  is  much  valued  by 
the  natives  as  food.  It  is  evident,  therefore, 
that  the  existence  of  these  peculiar  animals 
must  exercise  a strong  influence  on  the  char- 
acter of  the  natives,  and  must  make  them 
more  active,  wary,  and  quicksighted  than  the 
creatures  on  which  they  live. 


Possessing,  as  he  does,  the  most  minute 
acquaintance  with  every  vegetable  which 
can  aflbrd  him  food,  and  even  knowing  where 
to  obtain  a pleiitiful  supply  of  food  and  water 
in  a land  where  an  European  could  not  find 
a particle  of  anything  eatable,  nor  discover  a 
drop  of  moisture  in  the  dry  and  parched  ex- 
panse, the  Australian  native  places  his  chief 
reliance  on  animal  food,  and  supports  him- 
self almost  entirely  on  the  creatures  which 
he  kills.  His  appetite  is  very  indiscriminate ; 
and  although  he  prefers  the  flesh  of  the  kan- 
garoo and  the  pigeon,  he  will  devour  any 
beast,  bird,  reptile,  or  fish,  and  will  also  eat 
a considerable  number  of  insects.  Conse- 
quently the  life  of  the  Australian  savage  is 
essentially  one  of  warfare,  not  against  his 
fellow-man,  but  against  the  lower  animals, 
and,  as  the  reader  will  see  in  the  course  of 
the  following  pages,  the  primary  object  of 
his  weapons  is  the  hunt,  and  war  only  a 
secondary  use  to  which  they  are  directed. 


CHAPTER  LXX. 


AUSTRALIA — Continued, 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  NATIVES — DRESS  AND  ORNAMENTS  OP  NORTHERN  AUSTRALIA  — 
MODE  OF  DRESSING  THE  HAIR  — THE  “ DIBBI-DIBBI  ” — TATTOOING  AND  CICATRIZING  — PATTERN 
OF  THE  SCARS  — SIGNIFICATION  OF  THE  VARIOUS  PATTERNS — POMP  AND  VANITY — THE  NOSE- 
BONE — NECKLACES — THE  GIRDLE  AND  TASSEL  — TATTOOS  AND  SCARS  AMONG  THE  WOMEN  — 
THE  TURTLE  SCAR — HIGH  SHOULDERS  OF  THE  AUSTRALIANS — INDIFFERENCE  TO  DRESS  — THEIR 
FUR  MANTLES,  AND  THEIR  USES — THE  SEA-GRASS  MANTLE — FOOD  OF  THE  AUSTRALIANS  — 
VEGETABLE  FOOD  — MODE  OF  PROCURING  ROOTS — THE  BIYU  — THE  NARDOO  PLANT  AND  ITS 
USES  — THE  “burke  AND  WILLS”  EXPEDITION — THE  BULRUSH  ROOT,  ITS  USE  FOR  FOOD  AND 
ROPE  MAKING  — SUBTERRANEAN  WATER  STORES — MOLLUSCS,  AND  MODE  OF  COLLECTING  THEM  — 
HARD  WORK  FOR  THE  WOMEN  — DIVING  FROM  THE  RAFT  — RELAXATION  WHEN  THEY  RETURN 
HOME  — COOKING  THE  MOLLUSCS  AND  CRUSTACEA— FISH  CATCHING  WITH  LINE,  NET,.  AND  SPEAR 
— INSECT  FOOD — THE  BEE  CATCHERS — TREE  AND  EARTH  GRUBS,  AND  MODE  OF  CATCHING 
THEM — THE  PILEYAH  — THE  DUGONG  — ITS  LOCALITIES,  AND  MODES  OF  TAKING  AND  COOKING 
IT  — CAPTURING  AND  COOKING  THE  GREEN  TURTLE  — CURIOUS  USE  OF  THE  SUCKING  FISH  — 
TAMING  THE  TURTLE  — THE  HAWKSBILL  TURTLE,  AND  MODE  OF  CATCHING  IT  — TURTLE  OIL  AND 
DRIED  FLESH  — SALE  OF  TORTOISE-SHELL  — TWO  FORMS  OF  AUSTRALIAN  OVENS  — COOKING  AND 
EATING  SNAKES  — CATCHING  THE  SNAKE  ALIVE — THE  CLOAK  AND  THE  SHIELD— 7 THE  DUGONG, 
AND  ITS  CAPTURE  — SMALL  TENACITY  OF  LIFE — A SAVORY  FEAST. 


We  will  now  proceed  to  the  various  man- 
ners and  customs  of  the  Australians,  not 
separating  them  into  the  arbitrary  and  fluc- 
tuating distinctions  of  tribes,  but  describing 
as  briefly  as  is  consistent  with  justice,  the 
most  interesting  of  their  habits,  and  men- 
tioning those  cases  where  any  particular 
custom  seems  to  be  confined  to  any  one 
tribe  or  district. 

We  have  in  the  illustration  No.  1,  on  page 
707,  a good  example  of  a native  of  North 
W estern  Australia.  The  sketch  w^as  kindly 
made  by  Mr.  T.  Baines.  A profile  of  the 
man  is  given,  in  order  to  show  the  peculiar 
contour  of  the  face,  which,  as  the  reader 
may  see,  has  nothing  of  the  negro  character 
about  it;  the  boldly  prominent  nose,  the  full 
beard,  and  the  long  hair  fastened  up  in  a 
top-knot  being  the  distinguishing  features. 
The  man  carries  in  his  belt  his  provisions 
for  the  day,  namely,  a snake  and  one  of  the 
little  kangaroo-rats,  and  having  these  he 
knows  no  care,  though  of  course  he  would 
prefer  larger  game. 

Bound  his  neck  may*  be  seen  a string. 
This  supports  an  ornament  which  hangs 
upon  his  breast.  Several  forms  of  this  or- 
nament, which  is  called  in  the  duplicative 


Australian  language  a “ dibbi-dibbi,”  are 
employed,  and  there  are  in  my  collection 
two  beautiful  specimens  made  from  the 
shell  of  the  pearl-oyster.  The  ordinary 
dibbi-dibbi  is  fan-shaped,  and  does  not 
depart  very  much  from  the  original  outline 
of  the  shell.  There  is,  however,  one  kind 
of  dibbi-dibbi  which  is  valued  exceedingly, 
and  which  is  shaped  like  a crescent.  The 
specimen  in  my  possession  is  almost  as 
large  as  a cheese  plate,  and  must  have  been 
cut  from  an  enormous  shell,  economy, 
whether  of  material  or  time,  not  being  un- 
derstood by  these  savages.  Ov  Ing  to  the 
shape  of  the  shell,  it  is  slightly  convex,  and 
was  worn  with  the  concave  side  next  the 
body. 

Not  being  satisfied  with  the  natural 
smooth  polish  of  the  nacre,  the  native  has 
ornamented  the  dibbi-dibbi  with  a simple 
but  tolerably  effective  pattern.  Along  the 
margin  of  the  scooped  edge  he  has  bored 
two  parallel  rows  of  small  and  shallow  holes 
about  half  an  inch  apart,  and  on  either  side 
of  each  row  he  has  cut  a narrow  line.  From 
the  outer  line  he  has  drawn  a series  of  scal- 
loped patterns  made  in  a similar  fashion; 
and,  simple  as  this  pattern  is,  its  effect  is 


(703) 


704 


AUSTRALIA. 


really  remarkable.  The  man  has  evidently 
begun  a more  elaborate  pattern  on  the  broad 
surface  of  the  shell,  but  his  mind  seems  to 
have  misgiven  him,  and  he  has  abandoned 
it.  The  cord  by  which  it  is  suspended  round 
the  neck  is  nearly  an  inch  wide,  and  is  made 
of  string  and  a sort  of  rattan  plaited  to- 
gether. 

On  the  shoulder  of  the  man  may  be  seen 
a number  of  raised  marks.  These  are  the 
scars  of  wounds  with  which  the  Australians 
are  in  the  habit  of  adorning  their  bodies, 
and  which  they  sometimes  wear  in  great 
profusion.  The  marks  are  made  by  cutting 
deeply  into  the  skin,  and  filling  the  wounds 
with  clay  and  other  substances,  so  that 
when  the  wound  heals  an  elevated  scar  is 
made.  These  scars  are  made  in  patterns 
which  partly  differ  according  to  the  taste  of 
the  individual,  and  partly  signifying  the  dis- 
trict to  which  the  tattooed  person  belongs. 
For  example,  the  scars  as  shown  in  the 
illustration  are  the  mark  of  a Korthern 
Australian;  and,  although  he  may  have 
plenty  other  scars  on  his  body  and  limbs, 
these  will  always  appear  on  his  shoulder  as 
the  distinguishing  mark  of  his  tribe. 

In  my  photographs,  which  represent  na- 
tives from  various  parts  of  the  continent, 
these  scars  are  very  prominent,  and  there 
is  not  an  individual  who  does  not  possess 
them.  Some  have  them  running  longitu- 
dinally down  the  upper  arm,  while  others 
have  them  alternately  longitudinal  and  trans- 
verse. They  occasionally  appear  on  the 
breast,  and  an  old  man,  remarkable  for  the 
quantity  of  hair  which  covered  his  breast  and 
arms,  has  disposed  them  in  a fan  shai>e, 
spreading  from  the  centre  of  the  body  to 
the  arms.  He  has  evidently  spent  a vast 
amount  of  time  on  this  adornment,  and  suf- 
fered considerable  pain,  as  scars,  although 
not  so  large  as  in  many  other  instances,  are 
exceedingly  numerous;  the  man  has  adorned 
his  arms  and  shoulders  with  little  scars  of 
the  same  character  arranged  in  regular 
lines. 

In  some  parts  of  Australia  the  scars  as- 
sume a much  more  formidable  appearance, 
being  long  and  heavy  ridges.  One  chief, 
who  was  very  proud  of  his  adornments, — 
as  well  he  might  be,  seeing  that  their  pos- 
session must  nearly  have  cost  him  his  life, — 
was  entirely  covered  from  his  neck  to  his 
knees  with  scars  at  least  an  inch  broad,  set 
closely  together,  and  covering  the  whole  of 
the  body.  The  front  of  the  chest  and  stom- 
ach was  adorned  with  two  rows  of  these 
scars,  each  scar  being  curved,  and  reaching 
from  the  side  to  the  centre  of  the  body, 
where  they  met.  The  man  was  so  inordi- 
nately proud  of  this  ornament  that  nothing 
could  induce  him  to  wear  clothing  of  any 
kind,  and  he  stalked  about  in  his  grandeur, 
wearing  nothing  but  his  weapons.  The 
photograph  of  this  man  has  a very  singular 
aspect,  the  light  falling  on  the  polished 


ridge  of  the  scars  having  an  elfect  as  if  he 
were  clad  in  a suit  of  some  strange  armor. 

By  way  of  adding  to  the  beauty  of  their 
countenances,  they  are  in  the  habit  of  per- 
forating the  septum  of  the  nose,  and  of 
thrusting  through  it  a piece  of  bone  or  stick, 
the  former  being  preferred  on  account  of  its 
whiteness.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  de- 
scribe the  exceedingly  grotesque  appearance 
presented  by  an  Australian  dandy,  who  has 
his  body  covered  with  scars,  and  his  face 
crossed^  by  a wide  piece  of  bone  some  six 
inches  in  length,  making  his  naturally  broad 
nose  wider,  and  seeming  as  it  were  to  cut  his 
face  in  half.  The  hole  through  which  this 
ornament  is  tlirust  is  made  when  a child  is  a 
fortnight  old. 

As  to  other  ornaments,  they  consist  of  the 
usual  necklaces,  bracelets,  and  anklets  which 
are  common  to  savage  tribes  in  all  parts  of 
the  world.  Some  of  these  necklaces  which 
are  in  my  collection  are  really  pretty,  and 
some  skill  is  shown  in  their  manufacture. 
One  is  made  of  pieces  of  yellow  reed  as  thick 
as  quills  and  almost  an  inch  in  length,  strung 
alternately  with  scarlet  reeds;  another  is 
made  entirely  of  the  same  reeds,  while  a 
third  is,  in  my  oi3inion,  the  handsomest, 
though  not  the  most  striking  of  them.  At 
first  sight  it  appears  to  be  made  entirely  of 
the  reeds  already  mentioned,  but  on  a closer 
examination  it  is  seen  to  be  composed  en- 
tirely of  the  antennae  of  lobsters,  cut  into 
short  lengths  and  strung  together.  To 
the  necklaces  is  attached  a small  mother-of- 
pearl  dibbi-dibbi  four  inches  long  and  one 
inch  wide,  and  the  pieces  of  lobster  antennae 
are  so  disposed  that  the  thinner  parts  of  the 
antennae,  taken  from  the  extremities,  come 
next  to  the  dibbi-dibbi  and  hang  on  the 
breast,  while  the  larger  and  thicker  parts, 
taken  from  the  base  of  the  antennae,  come 
bn  the  neck.  The  native  basket  in  which 
these  necklaces  were  kept  is  more  than  half 
filled  with  bright  colored  seeds  of  various 
hues,  that  are  evidently  intended  for  the 
manufacture  of  necklaces. 

Girdles  of  finely  twisted  human  hair  are 
often  worn  by  the  men,  and  the  native  who 
is  represented  in  the  engraving  Ho.  1,  on 
page  707,  is  wearing  one  of  these  girdles. 
Sometimes,  as  in  the  present  instance,  a 
small  tassel  made  of  the  hair  of  a phalan- 
gist  or  “flying-squirrel,”  as  it  is  wrongly 
termed,  is  hung  to  the  front  of  the  girdle, 
by  no  means  as  a covering,  but  as  an  orna- 
ment. 

The  scars  are  so  highly  valued  that  the 
women  wear  them  nearly  as  profusely  as  the 
men.  In  my  photographs,  there  are  por- 
traits of  many  women  of  all  ages,  not  one  of 
whom  is  without  scars.  They  do  not  wear 
them  so  large  as  the  men,  but  seem  to  be 
more  careful  in  the  regularity  of  the  pat- 
tern. 

Taking  a series  of  three  women,  the  first 
has  three  cuts  on  the  shoulder,  showing  her 


THE  TURTLE  SCAR. 


705 


northern  extraction,  and  a row  of  small  hor- 
izontal and  parallel  scars  along  the  front  of 
the  body  from  the  breast-bone  downward. 
The  second,  in  addition  to  the  shoulder  cuts, 
has  several  rows  of  scars  extending  from  the 
breast  to  the  collar-bones,  together  with  a 
central  line  as  already  described,  and  some 
similar  rows  of  cuts  on  the  ribs  and  sides. 
The  third  woman,  a mere  girl  of  fourteen  or 
so,  has  been  very  careful  in  the  arrangement 
of  the  scars,  which  descend  in  regular  and 
parallel  rows  from  the  breast  downward,  and 
then  radiate  fan-wise  in  six  rows  from  the 
breast  upward  to  the  collar  bones. 

Mr.  M’Gillivray,  who  accompanied  II.  M. 
S.  Battlesnake  in  her  voyage,  writes  as  fol- 
lows concerning  the  scar  ornaments  and 
their  uses : — “ The  Torres  Straits  islanders 
are  distinguished  by  a large  complicated 
oval  scar,  only  slightly  raised,  and  of  neat 
construction.  This,  which  I have  been  told 
has  some  connection  with  a turtle,  occupies 
the  right  shoulder,  and  is  occasionally  re- 
peated on  the  left.  (See  engraving  at  foot 
of  page  722.)  At  Cape  York,  however,  the 
cicatrices  were  so  varied  that  I could  not 
connect  any  particular  style  with  an  indi- 
vidual tribe.  At  the  same  time,  something 
like  uniformity  was  noticed  among  the 
Katchialaigas,  nearly  all  of  whom  had,  in 
addition  to  the  horned  breast  mark,  two  or 
three  long  transverse  scars  on  the  chest, 
which  the  other  tribes  did  not  possess. 

“ In  the  remaining  people  the  variety  of 
marking  was  such  that  it  appeared  fair  to 
consider  it  as  being  regulated  more  by  indi- 
vidual caprice  than  by  any  fixed  custom. 
Many  had  a simple  two-horned  mark  on 
each  breast,  and  we  sometimes  saw  upon 
them  a clumsy  imitation  of  the  elaborate 
shoulder  mark  of  the  islanders.’' 

Well-shaped  as  are  these  women,  they 
have  one  defect  in  form,  namely,  the  high 
and  square  shoulder,  which  detracts  so  much 
from  feminine  beauty,  and  which  is  equally 
conspicuous  in  the  child  of  six,  the  girl  of 
thirteen  or  fourteen,  and  the  old  woman. 
The  men  also  exhibit  the  same  defective 
form. 

The  reader  will  have  noticed  the  elaborate 
manner  in  which  the  hair  of  the  Australian 
savage  is  sometimes  dressed.  ^ The  style  of 
hair-dressing  varies  with  the  locality,  and 
often  with  the  time,  fashion  having  as  abso- 
lute a reign  among  the  native  Australians, 
and  being  quite  as  capricious,  as  among  our- 
selves. Sometimes  the  hair  is  twisted  up 
into  long  and  narrow  ringlets,  and,  if  the 
savage  should  not  happen  to  have  enough 
hair  for  this  fashion,  he  straightway  makes 
a wig  in  imitation  of  it.  Now  and  then  the 
head  is  shaved,  except  a transverse  crest  of 
hair,  and  sometimes  the  natives  will  take  a 
fashion  of  rubbing  red  ochre  and  turtle-fat 
into  their  heads  until  they  are  saturated  with 
the  compound,  and  will  then  twist  up  the 
hair  into  little  strands. 

35 


The  men  of  this  part  of  Australia  never 
wear  any  dress,  and  the  women  are  often 
equally  indifierent  to  costume.  At  Cape 
York,  however,  they  mostly  wear  an  apol- 
ogy for  a petticoat,  consisting  of  a tuft  of 
long  grass  or  split  pandanus  leaves  sus- 
pended to  the  front  of  the  girdle.  On  great 
occasions,  and  especially  in  their  dances, 
they  wear  over  this  a second  petticoat 
mostly  made  of  some  leaf,  and  having  the 
ends  woven  into  a sort  of  waistband.  The 
material  of  the  petticoat  is  generally  pan- 
danus leaf,  but,  whatever  may  be  the  mate- 
rial, the  mode  of  plaiting  it  and  the  general 
form  are  the  same  among  all  the  tribes  of 
Torres  Straits.  From  this  useful  leaf,  the 
women  also  make  the  rude  sails  for  their 
canoes,  which  serve  the  double  purpose  of 
sails  and  coverings  under  which  the  natives 
can  sleep  in  wet  weather. 

The  women  have  rather  a curious  mode  of 
wearing  one  of  their  ornaments.  This  is  a 
very  long  belt,  composed  of  many  strands  of 
plaited  or  twisted  fibre,  and  passed  round 
the  body  in  such  a manner  that  it  crosses  on 
the  breast  like  the  now  abolished  cross-belts 
of  the  soldier.  It  is  drawn  rather  tight,  and 
may  perhaps  be  of  some  service  in  support- 
ing the  bosom.  In  neither  case  does  cloth- 
ing seem  to  be  worn  as  a mode  of  concealing 
any  part  of  the  body,  but  merely  as  a defence 
against  the  weather  or  as  an  ornament. 
Even  when  dress  is  worn  it  is  of  a very  slight 
character,  with  one  or  two  exceptions.  These 
exceptions  are  the  fur  cloaks,  with  which  the 
women  sometimes  clothe  themselves,  and  a 
remarkable  garment  which  presently  will  be 
described. 

The  fur  cloaks  are  made  almost  universally 
from  the  skin  of  the  opossum,  and,  as  the 
animal  is  a small  one,  a considerable  number 
are  sewed  together  to  make  a single  robe. 
The  mode  of  manufacture  is  exactly  similar 
to  that  which  was  described  when  treating  of 
the  kaross  of  the  Kaffir  tribes,  the  skins  be- 
ing cut  to  the  proper  shape,  laid  side  by  side, 
and  sewed  laboriously  together  with  threads 
formed  of  the  sinews  of  the  kangaroo’s  tail, 
or  often  with  those , which  are  drawn  out  of 
the  tails  of  the  very  creatures  which  furnish 
the  skin. 

Sometimes  a piece  of  kangaroo  skin  is  used 
for  the  same  purpose,  but  in  neither  case 
does  it  fulfil  the  office  of  a dress  according  to 
our  ideas.  The  cloak  is  a very  small  one  in 
proportion  to  the  size  of  the  women,  and  it  is 
worn  by  being  thrown  over  the  back  and 
tied  across  the  chest  by  a couple  of  thongs, 
so  as  to  leave  the  whole  front  of  the  body  un- 
covered. If  the  garment  in  question  be  the 
skin  of  the  kangaroo,  it  is  slung  over  one 
shoulder,  and  allowed  to  fall  much  as  it  likes, 
the  only  object  seeming  to  be  that  it  shall 
cover  the  greater  part  of  the  back  and  one 
shoulder.  Occasionally  a man  wears  a fur 
cloak,  but  he  seems  to  be  very  indifferent  as 
to  the  manner  in  which  it  hangs  upon  his 


706 


AUSTKALIA. 


body,  sometimes  draping  it  about  his  shoul- 
ders, sometimes  letting  it  fall  to  his  waist 
and  gathering  it  about  his  loins,  and  some- 
times, especially  if  walking,  holding  two  cor- 
ners together  with  his  left  hand  in  front  of 
his  breast,  while  his  right  hand  grasps  his 
bundle  of  weapons. 

Mr.  Angas  mentions  one  instance  of  a sin- 
gularly perfect  dress  in  use  among  the  Aus- 
tralians — the  only  dress  in  fact  that  is  really 
deserving  of  the  name.  It  is  a large  cloak 
made  from  the  zostera  or  sea  grass,  a plant 
that  is  remarkable  for  being  the  only  true 
flowering  plant  that  grows  in  the  sea.  It  has 
very  long  grass-like  blades,  and  is  found  in 
vast  bedSj  that  look  in  a clear  sea  like  lux- 
uriant hay-fields  just  before  mowing. 

The  fibre  of  the  zostera  is  long,  and  won- 
derfully tough,  and  indeed  the  fibre  is  so 
good,  and  the  plant  so  abundant,  that  the 
uses  to  which  it  is  now  put,  such  as  packing 
and  stufiing,  are  far  below  its  capabilities,  and 
it  ought  to  be  brought  into  use  for  purposes 
for  which  a long  and  strong  fibre  are  needed. 
Some  time  ago,  when  the  supply  of  rags  for 
paper  seemed  to  be  failing,  there  was  an  at- 
tempt made  to  substitute  the  zostera  for  rags; 
and,  although  it  was  not  a perfectly  success- 
ful experiment,  it  had  at  all  events  the  ele- 
ments of  success  in  it. 

With  this  long  grass  the  Australian  native 
occasionally  makes  a large  cloak,  which  will 
cover  the  whole  body.  It  is  made  by  laying 
the  fibres  side  by  side,  and  lashing  them  to- 
gether at  regular  intervals,  much  as  the  well- 
known  htew  Zealand  mantle  is  made  from 
the  phormium.  Anxious  to  avoid  trouble, 
tlie  native  only  fastens  together  a sutficient 
quantity  to  make  a covering  for  his  body  as 
low  as  the  knees,  the  loose  ends  of  the  zostera 
being  left  as  a kind  of  long  fringe  that  edges 
the  mantle  all  round,  and  really  has  a very 
graceful  effect. 

The  illustration  ]STo.  2,  on  the  next  page, 
shows  one  of  those  curious  mantles,  which 
was  sketched  while  on  the  body  of  the  wearer. 
As  the  manufacture  of  such  a mantle  in- 
volves much  trouble,  and  the  Australian  na- 
tive has  the  full  savage  hatred  of  labor,  very 
few  of  these  cloaks  are  to  be  seen.  Indeed, 
nothing  but  a rather  long  inclement  season 
will  induce  a native  to  take  the  trouble  of 
making  a garment  which  he  will  only  use 
for  a comparatively  short  period,  and  which 
is  rather  troublesome  to  carry  about  when 
not  wanted. 

We  now  come  to  the  food  of  the  natives. 
As  has  already  been  stated,  they  eat  almost 
anything,  but  there  are  certain  kinds  of  food 
which  they  prefer,  and  which  will  be  specially 
mentioned. 

As  to  vegetable  food,  there  *are  several 
kinds  of  yams  which  the  more  civilized  tribes 
cultivate  — the  nearest  approach  to  labor  of 
which  they  can  be  accused.  It  is  almost  ex- 
clusively on  the  islands  that  cultivation  is 


found,  and  Mr.  M‘Gillivray  states  that  on  the 
mainland  he  never  saw  an  attempt  at  clear- 
ing the  ground  for  a garden.  In  the  islands, 
however,  the  natives  manage  after  a fashion 
to  raise  crops  of  yams. 

When  they  want  to  clear  a piece  of  ground, 
they  strew  the  surface  with  branches,  which 
are  allowed  to  wither  and  dry;  hs  soon  as 
they  are  thoroughly  dried,  fire  is  set  to  them, 
and  thus  the  space  is  easily  cleared  from 
vegetation.  The  ground  is  then  pecked  up 
with  a stick  sharpened  at  the  point  and  hard- 
ened by  fire ; the  yams  are  cut  up  and  planted, 
and  by  the  side  of  each  hole  a stick  is  thrust 
into  the  ground,  so  as  to  form  a support  for 
the  plant  when  it  grows  up.  The  natives 
plant  just  before  the  rainy  season.  They 
never  trouble  themselves  to  build  a fence 
round  the  simple  garden,  neither  do  they 
look  after  the  growth  of  the  crops,  knowing 
that  the  rains  which  are  sure  to  fail  will 
bring  their  crops  to  perfection. 

There  are  also  multitudes  of  vegetable  pro- 
ducts on  which  the  natives  feed.  One  of 
them,  which  is  largely  used,  is  called  by  them 
“biyu.  ” It  is  made  from  the  young  and 
tender  shoots  of  the  mangrove  tree.  Tha 
sprouts,  when  three  or  four  inches  in  length, 
are  laid  upon  heated  stones,  and  covered  with 
bark,  wet  leaves,  and  sand.  After  being 
thoroughly  stewed,  they  are  beaten  between 
two  stones,  and  the  pulp  is  scraped  away 
from  the  fibres.  It  then  forms  a slimy  gray- 
paste,  and,  although  it  is  largely  eaten,  the 
natives  do  not  seem  to  like  it,  and  only  resort 
to  it  on  a necessity.  They  contrive,  how- 
ever, to  improve  its  flavor  by  adding  large 
quantities  of  wild  yams  and  other  vegetable 
products. 

Perhaps  the  most  celebrated  wild  food  of 
the  Australians  is  the  “ nardoo,”  vrhich  has 
become  so  familiar  to  the  British  reader 
since  the  important  ex})edition  of  Burke  and 
Wills.  The  nardoo  is  the  produce  of  a cryp- 
togamous  plant  which  grows  in  large  quali- 
ties, but  is  rather  local.  The  fruit  is  about 
as  large  as  a pea,  and  is  cleaned  for  use  by 
being  rubbed  in  small  wooden  troughs.  It 
is  then  pounded  into  a paste,  and  made  into 
cakes,  like  oatmeal. 

The  nardoo  plant  is  one  of  the  ferns.,  and 
those  of  my  readers  who  are  skilled  in  bot- 
any will  find  it  in  the  genus  Marsilea, 
Like  many  of  the  ferns,  the  plant  presents  a 
strangely  unfernlike  aspect,  consisting  of 
upright  and  slender  stems,  about  twelve 
inches  high,  each  having  on  its  tips  a small 
quadruple  frond,  closely  resembling  a flower. 
The  fruit,  or  “ sporocarp,”  of  the  nardoo  is 
the  part  that  is  eaten;  and  it  is  remarkable 
for  its  powers  of  absorbing  water,  CvUd  so 
increasing  its  size.  Indeed,  when  the  fruit 
is  soaked  in  water,  it  will  in  the  course  of  a 
single  hour  swell  until  it  is  two  hundred 
times  its  former  size. 

The  nardoo  is  useful  in  its  way,  and,  when 
mixed  with  more  nutritious  food,  is  a valu- 


(1.)  THE  HUNTER  AND  HIS  DAY’S  PROVISIONS.  • (2.)  THE  SEA  GRASS  CLOAK. 


(707) 


t •; 


I 

i 


I*.  • 


mV" 


.,  ■ - , i 


: m 


• " ' ■ I 


SUBTERKANEAI^  WATER  STORES. 


709 


able  article  of  diet.  Taken  alone,  however, 
it  has  scarcTJly  the  slightest  nutritive  powers, 
and  though  it  distends  the  stomach,  and  so 
keeps  off  the  gnawing  sense  of  hunger,  it 
gives  no  strength  to  the  system.  Even  when 
eaten  with  fish,  it  is  of  little  use,  and  re- 
quires either  fat  or  sugar  to  give  it  the  due 
power  of  nourishment.  With  the  wonderful 
brightness  of  spirit  which  Mr.  Wills  managed 
to  keep  up,  even  when  suffering  the  severest 
hardships,  and  feeling  himself  gradually 
dying,  he  gives  in  his  diary  a curiously  accu- 
rate picture  of  the  effects  of  living  for  a length 
of  time  on  an  innutritious  substance.  . lie 
liked  the  nardoo,  and  consumed  considerable 
quantities  of  it,  but  gradually  wasted  away, 
leaving  a record  in  his  diary  that  “star- 
vation on  nardoo  is  by  no  means  unpleas- 
ant but  for  the  weakness  one  feels,  and  the 
utter  inability  to  rouse  one’s  self;  for  as  far 
as  appetite  is  concerned,  it  gives  the  greatest 
satisfaction.” 

The  death  of  this  fine  young  man  affords 
another  proof  of  the  disadvantage  at  which  a 
stranger  to  the  country  is  placed  while  trav- 
ersing a new  land.  Many  native  tribes  lived 
on  the  route  along  which  the  travellers 
passed,  and,  from  their  knowledge  of  the 
resources  of  the  country,  were  able  to  sup- 
port themselves;  whereas  the  white  travel- 
lers seem  to  have  died  of  starvation  in  the 
"^lidst  of  plenty. 

The  chief  vegetable  food,  however,  is  fur- 
tiished  by  the  bulrush  root,  which  is  to  the' 
A.ustralians  who  live  near  rivers  the  staff 
■)f  life.  As  the  task  of  procuring  it  is  a 
very  disagreeable  one,  it  is  handed  over  to 
the  women,  who  have  to  wade  among  the 
reeds  and  half  bury  themselves  in  mud  while 
procuring  the  root. 

It  is  cooked  after  the  usual  Australian 
manner.  A heap  of  limestones  is  raised, 
and  heated  by  fire.  The  roots  are  then  laid 
on  the  hot  stones,  and  are  covered  with  a 
layer  of  the  same  material.  In  order  to  pro- 
duce a quantity  of  steam,  a heap  of  wet 
grass  is  thrown  on  the  upper  hayer  of  stones, 
and  a mound  of  sand  heaped  over  all. 

As  the  root,  however  well  cooked,  is  very 
librous,  the  natives  do  not  swallow  it,  but, 
after  chewing  it  and  extracting  all  the  soft 
parts,  they  reject  the  fibres,  just  as  a sailor 
throws  aside  his  exhausted  quid;  and  great 
quantities  of  these  little  balls  of  fibre  are  to 
be  found  near  every  encampment.  The 
same  fibre  is  convertible  into  string,  and  is 
used  in  the  manufacture  of  fishing  lines  and 
nets. 

The  singular  knowledge  of  vegetable  life 
possessed  by  the  natives  is  never  displayed 
with  greater  force  than  in  the  power  wliich 
they  have  of  procuring  water.  In  aTi  appar- 
ently desert  place,  where  no  signs  of  water 
are  to  be  found,  and  where  not  even  a 
pigeon  can  be  seen  to  wdng  its  way  through 
the  air,  as  the  guide  to  the  distant  water 
toward  which  it  is  flying,  the  native  will 


manage  to  supply  himself  with  both  water 
and  food. 

He  looks  out  for  certain  eucalypti  or  gum- 
trees,  whic^h  are  visible  from  a very  great 
distance,  and  makes  his  way  toward  them. 
Choosing  a spot  at  three  or  four  yards  from 
the  trunk,  with  his  katta  he  digs  away  at  the 
earth,  so  as  to  expose  the  roots,  tears  them 
out  of  the  ground,  and  proceeds  to  prepare 
them.  Cutting  them  into  pieces  of  a foot  or 
so  in  length,  he  stands  them  upright  in  the 
bark  vessel  which  an  Australian  mostly  car- 
ries with  him,  and  waits  patiently.  Pres- 
ently a few  drops  of  water  ooze  from  the 
lower  ends  of  the  roots,  and  in  a short  time 
water  pours  out  freely,  so  that  an  abundant 
supply  of  liquid  is  obtained. 

Should  the  native  be  very  much  parched, 
he  takes  one  of  the  pieces  of  root,  splits  it 
lengthwise,  and  chews  it,  finding  that  it 
gives  as  much  juice  as  a water-melon.  The 
youngest  and  freshest-looking  trees  are  al- 
ways chosen  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining 
water,  and  the  softest-looking  roots  selected. 
After  the  water  has  all  been  drained  from 
them,  they  are  pealed,  pounded  between  two 
stones,  and  then  roasted;  so  that  the  euca- 
lyptus supplies  both  food  and  drink. 

As,  however,  as  has  been  stated,  the  chief 
reliance  of  the  natives  is  upon  animal  food 
and  fish,  molluscs,  Crustacea,  reptiles,  and 
insects  form  a very  considerable  proportion 
of  their  food.  Collecting  the  shell-fish  is  the 
duty  of  the  women,  chiefly  because  it  is 
really  hard  work,  and  requires  a great 
amount  of  diving.  Throughout  the  whole 
of  this  vast  continent  this  duty  is  given  to 
the  women;  and  whether  in  the  Gulf  of  Car- 
pentaria, on  the  extreme  north,  or  in  the 
island  of  Van  Diemen’s  Land,  in  the  ex- 
treme south,  the  same  custom  prevails. 
During  Labillardicre’s  voyage  in  search  of 
La  Perouse,  the  travellers  came  upon  a party 
of  the  natives  of  Yan  Diemen’s  Land  while 
the  women  were  collecting  shell-fish,  and 
the  author  gives  a good  description  of  the 
labors  to  which  these  poor  creatures  were 
subjected;  — 

“ About  noon  we  saw  them  prepare  their 
repast.  Hitherto  we  had  but  a faint  idea  of 
the  pains  the  women  take  to  procure  the 
food  requisite  for  the  subsistence  of  their 
families.  They  took  each  a basket,  and 
were  followed  by  their  daughters,  who  did 
the  same.  Getting  on  the  rocks  that  pro- 
jected into  the  sea,  they  plunged  from  them 
to  the  bottom  in  search  of  shell-fish.  When 
they  had  been  down  some  time,  we  became 
very  uneasy  on  their  account;  for  where 
they  had  dived  were  seaweeds  of  great  length, 
among  which  we  observed  the  fucus  pyrif- 
erus,  and  we  feared  that  they  might  have 
been  entangled  in  these,  so  as  to  be  unable 
to  regain  the  surface. 

“ At  length,  however,  they  appeared,  and 
convinced  us  that  they  were  capable  of  re- 
maining under  water  twice  as  long  as  our 


710 


AUSTRALIA. 


ablest  divers.  An  instant  was  sufficient 
for  them  to  take  breath,  and  then  they  dived 
again.  This  they  did  repeatedly  till  their 
baskets  Avere  nearly  full.  Most  of  them 
Avere  provided  Avith  a little  bit  of  Avood,  cut 
into  the  shape  of  a spatula,  and  Avith  these 
they  separated  from  beneath  the  rocks,  at 
great  depths,  very  large  sea-ears.  Perhaps 
they  chose  the  biggest,  for  all  they  brought 
Avere  of  a great  size. 

“ On  seeing  the  large  lobsters  which  they 
had  in  their  baskets,  we  Avere  afraid  that 
they  must  have  Avounded  these  poor  women 
terribly  with  their  large  claAvs;  but  Ave  soon 
found  that  they  had  taken  the  precaution  to 
kill  them  as  soon  as  they  caught  them. 
They  quitted  the  Avater  only  to  bring  their 
husbands  the  fruits  of  their  labor,  and  fre- 
quently returned  almost  immediately  to  their 
diving  till  they  had  procured  a sufficient  meal 
for  their  families.  At  other  times  they 
stayed  a little  while  to  Avarm  themselves, 
Avith  their  faces  toAvard  the  fire  on  AAdiich 
their  fish  Avas  roasting,  and  other  little  fires 
burning  behind  them,  that  they  might  be 
Avarmed  on  all  sides  at  once. 

“ It  seemed  as  if  the}''  Avere  miAvilling  to 
lose  a moment’s  time;  for  AAdiile  they  Avere 
Avarming  themselves,  they  Avere  employed  in 
roasting  fish,  some  of  which  they  laid  on  the 
coals  Avith  the  utmost  caution,  though  they 
took  little  care  of  the  lobsters,  which  they 
IhreAV  anyAvhere  into  the  fire;  and  Avhen 
they  Avere  ready  they  diA'ided  the  claAvs 
among  the  men  and  the  children,  reserving 
the  body  for  themselves,  Avhich  they  some- 
times ate  before  returning  into  the  Avater. 

“It  gave  us  great  pain  to  see  these  poor 
women  condemned  to  such  severe  toil; 
while,  at  the  same  time,  they  ran  the  hazard 
of  being  devoured  by  sharks,  or  entangled 
among  the  Aveeds  that  rise  from  the  bottom 
of  the  sea.  We  often  entreated  their  hus- 
])ands  to  take  a share  in  their  labor  at  least, 
but  ahvays  in  \^ain.  They  remained  con- 
stantly near  the  fire,  feasting  on  the  best 
bits,  and  eating  broiled  fucus,  or  fern-roots. 
Occasionally  they  took  the  trouble  to  break 
boughs  of  trees  into  short  pieces  to  feed  the 
fire,  taking  care  to  choose  the  dryest. 

“From  their  manner  of  breaking  them 
we  found  that  their  skulls  must  be  very 
hard;  for,  taking  hold  of  the  sticks  at  each 
end  with  the  hand,  they  broke  them  over 
their  heads,  as  we  do  at  the  knee,  till  they 
broke.  Their  heads  being  constantly  bare, 
and  often  exposed  to  all  weathers  in  this 
high  latitude,  acquire  a capacity  for  resisting 
such  efforts:  besides,  their  hair  forms  a 
cushion  which  diminishes  the  pressure,  and 
renders  it  much  less  painful  on  the  summit 
of  the  head  than  any  other  part  of  the  body. 
FeAv  of  the  Avomen,  however,  could  have 
done  as  much,  for  some  had  their  hair  cut 
pretty  short,  and  Avore  a string  several  times 
round  the  head;  others  had  only  a simple 
croAvn  of  hair.  W e made  the  same  observa- 


tion with  respect  to  several  of  the  children, 
but  none  of  the  men.  These  had  the  back, 
breast,  shoulders,  and  arms  covered  with 
doAvny  hair.” 

Sometimes  a party  of  Avomen  Avill  go  out 
on  a raft  made  of  layers  of  reeds,  pushing 
themselves  along  by  means  of  very  long 
poles.  When  they  arrive  at  a bed  of  mus- 
sels, they  Avill  stay  there  nearly  all  day  div- 
ing from  the  raft,  with  their  nets  tied  round 
their  necks,  and,  after  remaining  under  Avater 
for  a considerable  time,  come  up  Avith  a 
heavy  load  of  mussels  in  their  nets. 

They  even  manage  to  cook  upon  this  fragile 
raft.  They  make  a heap  of  Avet  sand  upon 
the  reeds,  put  a feAv  stones  on  it,  and  build 
their  fire  on  the  stones,  just  as  if  they  had 
been  on  shore.  After  remaining  until  they 
have  procured  a large  stock  of  mussels,  they 
pole  themselves  ashore,  and  in  all  probability 
have  to  spend  several  hours  in  cooking  the 
mussels  for  the  men.  The  mussels  are  usually 
eaten  Avith  the  bulrush  root. 

There  is  a sort  of  crayfish  Avhich  is  found 
in  the  mud-flats  of  rivers  and  lakes.  These 
are  also  caught  by  the  Avomen,  who  feel  for 
them  in  the  mud  with  their  feet,  and  hold 
them  down  firmly  until  they  can  be  seized 
by  the  hand.  As  soon  as  the  creatures  are 
taken,  the  claAA’-s  are  crushed  to  prevent  them 
from  biting,  and  they  are  afterAvard  roasted, 
Avhile  still  alive,  on  the  embers  of  the  fire. 
Tadpoles  are  favorite  articles  of  diet  Avith  the 
Australians,  Avho  fry  them  on  grass. 

’The  ordinary  limpet,  mussel,  and  other 
molluscs,  are  largely  eaten  by  the  natives, 
Avho  scoop  them  out  by  means  of  smaller 
shells,  just  as  is  done  by  boys  along  our  OAvn 
coasts  — a plan  Avhich  is  very  efficacious,  as 
I can  testify  from  personal  experience. 
Sometimes  they  cook  the  molluscs  by  the 
simple  process  of  throAving  them  on  the 
eml)ers,  but  as  a general  rule  they  eat  them 
in  a raAV  state,  as  Ave  eat  oysters. 

Fish  they  catch  in  various  ways.  The 
usual  method  is  by  a hook  and  line;  the 
former  of  Avhich  is  ingeniously  cut  out  of  the 
shell  of  the  haAvksbill  turtle.  Tavo  of  these 
hooks  are  noAV  before  me,  and  raise  a feel- 
ing of  Avonder  as  to  the  fish  Avhich  could  be 
induced  to  take  such  articles  into  its  mouth. 
It  is  flat,  A’ery  clumsily  made,  and  there  is 
no  barb,  the  point  being  curved  very  much 
iuAvard,  so  as  to  prevent  the  fish  from  slip- 
ping off  the  hook.  In  fact  the  Avhole  shape 
of  the  hook  is  almost  exactly  identical  AA’ith 
that  of  the  hook  which  is  found  throughout 
Polynesia  and  extends  to  New.  Zealand. 

The  hook  is  fastened  to  a long  and  stout 
line,  made  by  cheAving  reeds,  stripping  them 
into  fibres,  and  rolling  them  on  the  thighs. 
Two  of  ♦these  strings  are  then  tAvisted  to- 
gether, and  the  line  is  complete.  My  OAvn 
specimen  of  a line  is  about  as  thick  as  the  fish- 
ing lines  used  on  our  coasts,  and  it  is  A^ery 
long,  having  a hook  at  either  end.  The 
hook  is  lashed  to  the  line  by  a very  firm  but 


BEE  HUNTING. 


711 


rather  clumsy  wrapping.  Sometimes  the 
line  is  made  of  scraped  rattan  fibres. 

Another  mode  of  fishing  is  by  the  net. 
This  requires  at  least  two  men  to  manage  it. 
The  net  is  many  feet  in  length,  and  about 
four  feet  in  width.  It  is  kept  extended  by  a 
number  of  sticks  placed  a yard  or  so  apart, 
and  can  then  be  rolled  up  in  a cylindrical 
package  and  be  taken  to  the  water.  One 
man  then  takes  an  end  of  the  net,  unrolls  it, 
and  with  the  assistance  of  his  comrade  drops 
it  into  the  water.  As  soon  as  the  lower 
edge  of  the  net  touches  the  bottom,  the  men 
wiule  toward  the  shore,  drawing  with  them 
the  two  ends  of  the  net  and  all  the  fish  that 
happen  to  be  within  its  range.  As  soon  as 
they  near  the  shore,  they  bring  the  two  ends 
of  the  net  to  the  land,  fix  them  there,  and 
are  then  able  to  pick  up  and  throw  ashore 
all  the  fish  that  are  in  the  net.  Some  of  the 
more  active  fish  escape  by  leaping  over  the 
upper  edge  of  the  net,  and  some  of  the  mud- 
loving  and  crafty  wriggle  their  way  under 
the  lower  edge ; but  there  is  always  a suffi- 
ciency of  fish  to  reward  the  natives  for  their 
labor. 

Like  the  fishing  line,  the  net  is  made  of 
chewed  reeds,  and  the  labor  of  chewing  and 
twisting  the  string  belongs  exclusively  to  the 
women. 

A third  mode  of  fishing  is  by  employing 
certain  traps  or  baskets,  ingeniously  woven 
of  rattan,  and  made  so  that  the  fish  can  easily 
pass  into  them,  but  cannot  by  any  possibility 
get  out  again,  Sometimes  fish  are  speared 
in  the  shallow  water,  the  native  wading  in, 
and  with  unerring  aim  transfixing  the  fish 
with  his  spear.  Even  the  children  take  part 
in  this  sport,  and,  though  armed  with  noth- 
ing better  than  a short  stick,  sharpened  at 
one  end,  contrive  to  secure  their  fisffi  With 
the  same  stick  they  dig  molluscs  out  of  the 
mud,  and  turn  Crustacea  out  of  their  holes; 
and  when  they  can  do  this,  they  are  supposed 
to  be  able  to  shift  for  themselves,  and  their 
parents  take  no  more  trouble  about  feeding 
them. 

They  are  not  more  fastidious  in  the  cook- 
ing of  fish  than  of  Crustacea  or  molluscs,  but 
just  throw  them  on  the  fire,  turn  them  once 
or  twice  with  a stick,  and  when  they  are 
warmed  through  and  the  outside  scorched, 
they  pick  them  out  of  the  Are,  scrape  off  the 
burnt  scales,  and  eat  them  without  further 
ceremony. 

Insect  food  is  much  used  among  the  Aus- 
tralians. As  might  be  expected,  honey  is 
greatly  valued  by  them,  and  they  display 
great  ingenuity  in  procuring  it.  When  a 
native  sees  a bee  about  the  flowers,  and 
wishes  to  find  the  honey,  he  repairs  to  the 
nearest  pool,  selects  a spot  where  the  bank 
shelves  very  gradually,  lies  on  his  face,  fills 
his  mouth  with  water,  and  patiently  awaits 
the  arrival  of  a bee.  These  insects  require 
a considerable  amount  of  moisture,  as  every 
one  knows  who  has  kept  them,  and  the  bee- 


hunter  reckons  on  this  fact  to  procure  him 
the  honey  which  'he  desires.  After  a while 
a bee  is  sure  to  come  and  drink,  and  the 
hunter,  hearing  the  insect  approaching  him, 
retains  his  position  and  scarcely  breathes,  so 
fearful  is  he  of  alarming  it.  At  last  it  alights, 
and  instantly  the  native  blows  the  water 
from  his  mouth  over  it,  stunning  it  for  the 
moment.  Before  it  can  recover  itself,  he 
seizes  it,  and  by  means  of  a little  gum  at- 
taches to  it  a tuft  of  white  down  obtained 
from  one  of  the  trees. 

As  soon  as  it  is  released,  the  insect  flies 
away  toward  its  nest,  the  white  tuft  serving 
the  double  purpose  of  making  it  more  con- 
spicuous and  retarding  its  flight.  Away 
goes  the  hunter  after  it  at  full  speed,  run- 
ning and  leaping  along  in  a wonderful  man- 
ner, his  eyes  fixed  on  the  guiding  insect, 
and  making  very  light  of  obstacles.  (See 
illustration  No.  1,  on  the  716th  page.)  Some- 
times a fallen  tree  will  be  in  his  way,  and  if 
he  can  he  jumps  over  it;  but  at  all  risks  he 
must  get  over  without  delay,  and  so  he 
dashes  at  the  obstacle  with  reckless  activity. 
Should  he  surmount  it,  well  and  good;  but 
if,  as  often  happens,  he  should  fall,  he  keeps 
his  eyes  fixed,  as  well  as  he  can,  on  the  bee, 
and  as  soon  as  he  springs  to  his  feet  he 
resumes  the  chase.  Even  if  he  should  lose 
sight  of  it  for  a moment,  he  dashes  on  in 
the  same  direction,  knowing  that  a bee 
always  flies  in  a straight  line  for  its  home ; 
and  when  he  nears  it,  the  angry  hum  of  the 
hampered  insect  soon  tells  him  that  he  has 
recovered  the  lost  ground. 

The  reader  will  see  that  this  mode  of 
tracking  the  bee  to  its  home  is  far  inferior 
to  that  of  the  American  bee-hunters,  and  is 
rather  a business  of  the  legs  than  of  the 
head.  The  Australian  bee-hunter  waits 
until  a bee  happens  to  come  to  the  spot 
where  he  lies;  the  American  bee-hunter 
baits  an  attractive  trap,  and  induces  the 
insect  to  come  to  the  spot  which  he  selects. 
Then  the  Australian  bee-hunter  only  runs 
after  the  single  bee;  whereas  the  American 
bee-hunter  economizes  his  strength  by  em- 
ploying two  bees,  and  saving  his  legs. 

He  puts  honey  on  a flat  wooden  slab,  hav- 
ing drawn  a eircle  of  white  paint  round  it. 
The  bee  alights  on  the  honey,  and,  after  fill- 
ing its  crop,  crawls  through  the  white  paint 
and  sets  off  homeward.  The  hunter  follows 
the  “bee-line”  taken  by  the  insect,  and 
marks  it  by  scoring  or  “blazing”  a few 
trees.  He  then  removes  his  honeyed  trap 
to  a spot  at  an  angle  with  his  former  station 
and  repeats  the  process.  There  is  no  need 
for  him  to  race  after  the  flying  bee,  and  to 
run  considerable  risk  of  damaging  himself 
more  or  less  seriously;  he  simply  follows 
out  the  lines  which  the  two  bees  have  taken, 
and,  by  fixing  on  the  point  at  which  they 
meet,  walks  leisurely  up  to  the  nest. 

Having  found  his  bee  nest,  the  Australian 
loses  no  time  in  ascending  to  the  spot, 


712 


AUSTKALIA. 


whether  it  he  a cleft  in  a rock,  or,  as  is 
usually  the  case,  a hole  in  a tree.  This  lat- 
ter spot  is  much  favored  by  the  bees,  as  well 
as  by  many  of  the  arboreal  mammals,  of 
which  there  are  so  many  in  Australia.  The 
sudden  and  violent  tempests  which  rage  in 
that  part  of  the  world  tear  oft*  the  branches 
of  trees  and  hurl  them  to  the  ground.  Dur- 
ing succeeding  rainy  seasons,  the  wet  lodges 
in  the  broken  branch,  and  by  degrees  rots 
away  the  wood,  which  is  instantly  ftlled  with 
the  larv83  of  beetles,  moths,  flies,  and  other 
insects  that  feed  upon  decaying  Avood. 
Thus,  in  a few  years,  the  holloAV  extends 
itself  until  it  burroAvs  into  the  tree  itself, 
and  sometimes  descends  nearly  from  the  top 
to  the  bottom,  thus  forming  an  admirable 
locality  for  the  bees. 

Taking  with  him  a hatchet,  a basket,  and 
a quantity  of  dry  grass  or  leaves,  the  native 
ascends,  lights  the  grass,  and  under  cover  of 
the  smoke  chops  away  the  Avood  until  he 
can  get  at  the  combs,  which  he  places  in 
the  basket,  Avith  Avhich  he  descends.  Should 
he  be  too  poor  to  possess  even  a basket,  he 
extemporizes  one  % cutting  aAA’^ay  the  bark 
of  the  tree;  and  should  the  nest  be  a very 
large  one,  he  is  supplied  by  his  friends  from 
beloAv  with  a number  of  vessels,  and  passes 
them  doAvn  as  fast  as  they  are  filled. 

Perhaps  some  of  my  readers  may  remark 
that  honey  cannot  be  rightly  considered 
as  insect  food,  and  that  it  ought  to  have 
been  ranked  among  the  vegetable  produc- 
tions. The  Australian,  hoAvever,  does  not 
content  himself  Avith  extracting  the  honey 
from  the  comb,  but  eats  it  precisely  in  the 
state  in  Avhich  it  is  brought  from  the  nest. 
As  the  bees  are  not  forced,  as  amongst  Eng- 
lish bee-masters,  to  keep  their  honey-cells 
distinct  from  those  Avhich  contain  the 
hoard  and  the  “ bee-bread,”  each  comb  con- 
tains indiscriminately  bee-bread,  young  bee- 
grubs,  and  honey,  and  the  Australian  eats 
ail  three  with  equal  satisfaction. 

Another  kind  of  insect  food  is  a grub 
Avhich  inhabits  the  trunks  of  trees,  and  of 
Avhich  the  natives  are  inordinately  fond. 
They  have  a Avonderful  faculty  of  discover- 
ing the  presence  of  this  grub,  and  tAvist  it 
out  of  its  hole  Avith  an  odd  little  instrument 
composed  of  a hook  fastened  to  the  end  of  a 
slender  tAvig.  This  implement  is  carried  in 
the  hair  so  as  to  project  over  the  ear,  like 
a clerk’s  pen,  and  for  a long  time  puzzled 
traA^ellers,  who  thought  it  to  be  merely  an 
ornament,  and  could  not  understand  its 
very  peculiar  shape. 

The  larva  is  the  caterpillar  of  a moth 
Avhich  is  closely  allied  to  the  goat-moth  of 
our  OAvn  country,  and  has  the  same  habit 
of  burroAAung  into  the.Avood  of  living  trees. 
The  hooked  instrument  Avhich  is  used  for 
draAving  them  out  of  their  holes  is  called 
the  “pileyah,”  and  is  employed  also  for 
hooking  beetles,  grubs,  and  other  insects 
out  of  their  holes  in  the  ground.  When  the 


pileyah  is  used  for  extracting  grubs  from 
the  earth,  the  ground  is  first  loosened  by 
means  of  a wooden  scoop  that  looks  some- 
thing like  a hollowed  waddy.  The  pileyah 
is  then  tied  to  the  end  of  a polygonum  twig 
of  sufficient  length,  and  by  such  means  can 
be  introduced  into  the  holes. 

Perhaps  the  most  celebrated  of  the  vari- 
ous insect  banquets  in  Avhich  the  Austra- 
lians delight  is  that  Avhich  is  furnished  by 
the  bugong  moth,  as  the  insect  is  popularly, 
but  wrongly,  called.  Instead  of  belonging 
to  the  moth  tribe,  it  is  one.  of  the  butterflies, 
and  belongs  to  the  graceful  family  of  the 
Heliconidse.  Its  scientific  name  is  Ewploea 
hamata.  The  bugong  is  remarkable  for  the 
fact  that  its  body,  instead  of  being  slender 
like  that  of  most  butterflies,  is  A^ery  stout, 
and  contains  an  astonishing  amount  of  oily 
matter.  The  color  of  the  insect  is  dark 
brown,  Avith  tAvo  black  spots  on  the  upper 
Avings.  It  is  a small  insect,  measuring  only 
an  inch  and  a half  across  the  Avings. 

It  is  found  in  the  NeAV  South  Wales  dis- 
trict, and  inhabits  a range  of  hills  that  are 
called  from  the  insect  the  Bugong  Moun- 
tains. The  Australians  eat  the  bugong  but- 
terflies just  as  locusts  are  eaten  in  many 
parts  of  the  Avorld,  and,  for  the  short  time 
during  which  the  insect  makes  its  appear- 
ance, feast  inordinately  upon  it,  and  get  quite 
fat.  The  following  account  is  given  by  Mr. 
Gr.  Bennett;  — 

“ After  riding  over  the  lower  ranges,  we 
arrived  a short  distance  above  the  base  of 
the  Bugong  Mountain,  tethered  the  horses, 
and  ascended  on  foot,  by  a steep  and  rugged 
path,  which  led  us  to  the  first  summit  of  the 
mountain:  at  this  place,  called  Ginandery 
by  the  nati\"es,  enormous  masses  of  granite 
rock,  piled  one  upon  another,  and  situated 
on  the  A^erge  of  a Avooded  precipice,  excited 
our  attention.  An  extensive  and  romantic 
vieAv  Avas  here  obtained  of  a distant,  Avooded, 
mountainous  country. 

“ This  Avas  the  first  place  Avhere,  upon  the 
smooth  sides  or  crevices  of  the  granite 
blocks,  the  bugong  moths  congregated  in 
such  incredible  multitudes;  but,  from  the 
blacks  having  recently  been  here,  we  found 
but  feAV  of  the  insects  remaining.  At  one 
part  of  this  group  of  granite  rocks  were 
tA\"o  pools,  apparently  holloAved  naturally 
from  the  solid  stone,  and  filled  with  cool  and 
clear  AA^ater;  so,  lighting  a fire,  Ave  enjoyed 
a cup  of  tea  previous  to  recommencing  our 
further  ascent.  On  proceeding  Ave  found 
the  rise  more  gradual,  but  unpleasant,  from 
the  number  of  loose  stones  and  branches  of 
trees  streAved  about;  several  of  the  deserted 
bark  huts  of  the  natives  (Avhich  they  had 
temporarily  erected  Avhen  engaged  in  col- 
lecting and  preparing  the  bugong)  Avere 
scattered  around.  Shrubs  and  plants  Avere 
numerous  as  AA’-e  proceeded,  but,  Avith  few 
exceptions,  did  not  differ  from  those  seen  m 
other  parts  of  the  colon}\ 


THE  BUGONG. 


713 


“Hear  a small  limpid  stream  a species  of 
tiycopodium  grew  so  dense  as  to  form  a 
carpet  over  which  we  wer^  able  to  walk. 
The  timber  trees  towered  to  so  great  an 
elevation  that  the  prospect  of  the  country 
we  had  anticipated  was  impeded.  At  last 
we  arrived  at  another  peculiar  group  of 
granite  rocks  in  enormous  masses  and  of 
various  forms;  this  place,  similar  to  the  last, 
formed  the  locality  where  the  bugong  moths 
congregate,  and  is  called  ‘Warrogong’  by 
the  natives.  The  remains  of  recent  fires 
apprised  us  that  the  aborigines  had  only 
recently  left  the  place  for  another  of  similar 
character  a few  miles  further  distant. 

“ Our  native  guides  wished  us  to  proceed 
and  join  the  tribe,  but  the  day  had  so  far 
advanced  that  it  was  thought  more  advisa- 
able  to  return,  because  it  was  doubtful,  as 
the  blacks  removed  from  a place  as  soon  as 
they  had  cleared  it  of  the  insects,  whether 
we  should  find  them  at  the  next  group,  or 
removed  to  others  still  further  distant. 

“From  the  result  of  my  observations  it 
appears  that  the  insects  are  only  found  in 
such  multitudes  on  these  insulated  and  pecul- 
iar masses  of  granite,  for  about  the  other 
solitary  granite  rocks,  so  profusely  scattered 
over  the  range,  I did  not  observe  a single 
moth,  or  even  the  remains  of  one.  Why 
they  should  be  confined  only  to  these  par- 
ticular places,  or  for  what  purpose  they  thus 
collect  together,  is  not  a less  curious  than 
interesting  subject  of  inquiry.  Whether  it 
be  for  the  purpose  of  emigrating,  or  any 
other-cause,  our  present  knowledge  cannot 
satisfactorily  answer. 

“The  bugong  moths,  as  I have  before 
observed,  collect  on  the  surfaces,  and  also  in 
the  crevices,  of  the  masses  of  granite  in  in- 
credible quantities.  To  procure  them  with 
greater  facility,  the  natives  make  smothered 
fires  underneath  these  rocks  about  which 
they  are  collected,  and  suffocate  them  with 
smoke,  at  the  same  time  sweeping  them  off 
frequently  in  bushelfuls  at  a time.  After 
they  have  collected  a large  quantity,  they 
proceed  to  prepare  them,  which  is  done  in 
the  following  manner. 

“ A circular  space  is  cleared  upon  the 
ground,  of  a size  proportioned  to  the  num- 
ber of  insects  to  be  prepared;  on  it  a fire  is 
lighted  and  kept  burning  until  the  ground  is 
considered  to  be  sufficiently  heated,  when, 
the  fire  being  removed,  and  the  ashes  cleared 
away,  the  moths  are  placed  upon  the  heated 
ground,  and  stirred  about  until  the  down  and 
wings  are  removed  from  them;  they  are  then 
placed  on  pieces  of  bark,  and  winnowed  to 
separate  the  dust  and  wings  mixed  with  the 
bodies;  they  are  then  eaten,  or  placed  into 
a wooden  vessel  called  ‘ walbum,’  or  ‘ cali- 
bum,’  and  pounded  by  a piece  of  wood  into 
masses  or  cakes  resembling  lumps  of  fat,  and 
may  be  compared  in  color  and  consistence 
to  dough  made  from  smutty  wheat  mixed 
with  fat. 


“ The  bodies  of  the  moths  are  large  and 
filled  with  a yellowish  oil,  resembling  in 
taste  a sweet  nut.  These  masses  (with  which 
the  ‘ neibuls,’  or  ‘ talabats,’  of  the  native 
tribes  are  loaded  during  the  season  of  feasting 
upon  the  bugong)  will  not  keep  more  than  a 
week,  and  seldom  even  for  that  time;  but  by 
smoking  they  are  able  to  preserve  them  for 
a much  longer  period.  The  first  time  this 
diet  is  used  by  the  native  tribes,  violent 
vomiting  and  other  debilitating  effects  are 
produced,  but  after  a few  days  they  become 
accustomed  to  its  use,  and  then  thrive  and 
fatten  exceedingly  upon  it. 

“ These  insects  are  held  in  such  estima- 
tion among  the  aborigines,  that  they  assem- 
ble from  all  parts  of  the  country  to  colleet 
them  from  these  mountains.  It  is  not  only 
the  native  blacks  that  resort  to  the  bugong, 
but  crows  also  congregate  for  the  same  pur- 
pose. The  blacks  (that  is,  the  crows  and 
the  aborigines)  do  not  agree  about  their 
respective  shares  : so  the  stronger  decides 
the  point;  for,  when  the  crows  (called  ‘ara- 
bul  ’ by  the  natives)  enter  the  liollov/s  of 
the  rocks  to  feed  upon  the  insects,  the  na- 
tives stand  at  the  entrance  and  kill  them  as 
they  fly  out;  and  they  afford  them  an  excel- 
lent meal,  being  fat  from  feeding  upon  tlie 
rich  bugong.  So  eager  are  the  feathered 
blacks  or  arabuls  after  this  food  that  they 
attack  it  even  when  it  is  preparing  by  the 
natives;  but  as  the  aborigines  never  consider 
any  increase  of  food  a misfortune,  they  lay 
in  wait  for  the  arabuls  with  waddies  or  clubs, 
kill  them  in  great  numbers,  and  use  them  as 
food.” 

Reptiles  form  a very  considerable  part 
of  an  Australian’s  diet,  and  he  displays  equal 
aptitude  in  capturing  and  cooking  them. 
Turtle  is  an  especial  favorite  with  him,  not 
only  on  account  of  its  size,  and  of  the  quan- 
tity of  meat  which  it  furnishes,  but  on  ac- 
count of  the  oil  which  is  obtained  from  it. 

On  the  coast  of  Australia  several  kinds  of 
turtle  are  found,  the  most  useful  of  which 
are  the  ordinary  green  turtle  and  the  hawks- 
bill.  They  are  caught  either  in  the  watcu’, 
or  by  watching  for  them  when  they  come 
on  shore  for  the  purpose  of  laying  their 
eggs,  and  then  turning  them  on  their  backs 
before  they  can  reach  the  sea.  As,  how- 
ever, comparatively  few  venture  on  the 
shore,  the  greater  number  are  taken  in  tho 
water.  Along  the  shore  the  natives  have 
regular  watchtowers  or  cairns  made  of  stones 
and  the  bones  of  turtles,  dugongs,  and  other 
creatures.  When  the  sentinel  sees  a turtle 
drifting  along  with  the  tide,  he  gives  tho 
alarm,  and  a boat  puts  out  after  it.  Tho 
canoe  approaches  from^  behind,  and  paddles 
very  cautiously  so  that  the  reptile  may  not 
hear  it.  As  soon  as  they  come  close  to  it, 
the  chief  hunter,  who  holds  in  his  hand  one 
end  of  a slight  but  tough  rope,  leaps  on  the 
turtle’s  back,  and  clings  to  it  with  both 


714 


AUSTRALIA. 


hands  on  its  shoulders.  The  startled  rep- 
tile dashes  off,  but  before  it  has  got  very  far 
the  hunter  contrives  to  upset  it,  and  while 
it  is  struggling  he  slips  the  noose  of  the 
rope  over  one  of  its  flippers.  The  creature 
is  then  comparatively  helpless,  and  is  towed 
ashore  by  the  canoe. 

In  some  districts  the  turtle  is  taken  by 
means  of  a harpoon,  which  is  identical  in 
principle  with  that  which  is  used  by  the  hip- 
popotamus hunters  of  Africa.  There  is  a 
long  shaft,  into  the  end  of  which  is  loosely 
slipped  a movable  head.  A rope  is  attached 
to  the  head,  and  a buoy  to  the  other  end  of 
the  rope.  As  soon  as  the  reptile  is  struck, 
the  shaft  is  disengaged,  and  is  picked  up  by 
the  thrower;  while  the  float  serves  as  an 
indication  of  the  turtle’s  whereabouts,  and 
enables  the  hunters  to  tow  it  toward  the 
shore. 

One  of  the  natives,  named  Gi’om,  told  Mr. 
M’Gillivray  that  they  sometimes  caught  the 
turtle  by  means  of  the  remora,  or  sucking- 
fish.  One  of  these  fish,  round  whose  tail  a 
line  has  been  previously  made  fast,  is  kept 
in  a vessel  of  water  on  board  the  boat,  and, 
when  a small  turtle  is  seen,  the  remora  is 
dropped  into  the  sea.  Instinctively  it  makes 
its  way  to  the  turtle,  and  fastens  itself  so 
firmly  to  the  reptile’s  back  that  they  are  both 
hauled  to  the  boat’s  side  and  lifted  in  by  the 
fishermen.  Only  small  turtles  can  be  thus 
taken,  and  there  is  one  species  which  never 
attains  any  great  size  which  is  generally 
captured  in  this  curious  manner. 

The  hawksbill  turtle  is  too  dangerous  an 
antagonist  to  be  chased  in  the  water.  The 
sharp-edged  scales  which  project  from  its 
sides  would  cut  deeply  into  the  hands  of  any 
man  who  tried  to  turn  it;  and  even  the  green 
turtle,  with  its  comparatively  blunt-edged 
shell,  has  been  known  to  inflict  a severe 
wound  upon  the  leg  of  the  man  who  was 
clinging  to  its  back.  The  native,  therefore, 
is  content  to  watch  it  ashore,  and  by  means 
of  long,  stout  poles,  which  he  introduces 
leverwise  under  its  body,  turns  it  over  with- 
out danger  to  himself. 

When  the  Australians  have  succeeded  in 
turning  a turtle,  there  are  great  rejoicings, 
as  the  very  acme  of  human  felicity  consists, 
according  to  native  ideas,  in  gorging  until 
the  feasters  can  neither  stand  nor  sit.  They 
may  be  seen  absolutely  rolling  on  the  ground 
in  agony  from  the  inordinate  distensioii  of 
their  stomachs,  and  yet,  as  soon  as  the  pain 
has  abated,  they  renew  their  feastings. 
Mostly  they  assemble  round  the  turtle,  cook 
it  rudely,  and  devour  it  on  the  spot;  but 
in  Torres  Straits  they  are  more  provident, 
and  dry  the  flesh  in  order  to  supply  them- 
selves with  food  during  their  voyages.  They 
cut  up  the  meat  into  thin  slices,  boil  the 
slices,  and  then  dry  them  in  the  sun. 

During  the  process  of  cooking,  a consider- 
able amount  of  oil  rises  to  the  surface,  and 
is  skimmed  off  and  kept  in  vessels  made  of 


bamboo  and  turtles’  bladders.  The  cook, 
however,  has  to  exercise  some  vigilance 
while  performing  his  task,  as  the  natives 
are  so  fond  of  the  oil  that,  unless  they  are 
closely  watched,  they  will  skim  it  off  and 
drink  it  while  in  an  almost  boiling  state. 
The  boiling  and  subsequent  drying  render 
the  flesh  very  hard,  so  that  it  will  keep  for 
several  weeks;  but  it  cannot  be  eaten  with- 
out a second  boiling. 

The  shell  of  the  hawksbill  turtle  is  doubly 
valuable  to  the  natives,  who  reserve  a little 
for  the  manufacture  of  hooks,  and  sell  the 
rest  to  shippers  or  traders,  who  bring  it  to 
Europe,  where  it  is  converted  into  the  “ tor- 
toise-shell ” with  which  we  are  so  familiar. 
There  is  in  my  collection  a beautiful  speci- 
men of  one  of  these  scales  of  tortoise-shell  as 
it  was  purchased  from  the  natives.  It  is 
about  eleven  inches  in  length  and  seven  in 
width,  and  has  a hole  at  one  end  by  which 
they  string  the  scales  together.  There  are 
the  scars  of  eight  large  limpet  shells  upon  it, 
showing  the  singular  appearance  which  the 
animal  must  have  presented  when  alive. 

The  cooking  of  turtle  is  a far  more  impor- 
tant process  than  that  of  boiling  fish,  and  a 
sort  of  oven  is  required  in  order  to  dress  it 
properly.  In  principle  the  oven  resembles 
that  which  is  in  use  in  so  many  parts  of  the 
world,  and  which  has  been  already  described 
when  shewing  how  the  hunters  of  South 
Africa  cook  the  elephant’s  foot.  Instead, 
however,  of  digging  a hole  and  burning 
wood  in  it,  the  Australian  takes  a number  of 
stones,  each  about  the  size  of  a man’s  fist, 
and  puts  them  into  the  fire.  When  they  are 
heated,  they  are  laid  closely  together,  and 
the  meat  placed  upon  them.  A second  layer 
of  heated  stones  is  arranged  upon  the  meat, 
and  a rim  or  bank  of  tea-tree  bush,  backed 
up  with  sand  or  earth,  is  built  round  this 
primitive  oven.  Grass  and  leaves  are  then 
strewn  plentifully  over  the  stones,  and  are 
held  in  their  places  by  the  circular  bank. 
The  steam  is  thus  retained,  and  so  the  meat 
is  cooked  in  a very  effectual  manner. 

In  some  parts  of  the  country,  however,  a 
more  elaborate  oven  is  used.  It  consists  of 
a hole  some  three  feet  in  diameter  and  tv/o 
feet  in  depth,  and  is  heated  in  the  following 
manner : — It  is  filled  to  within  six  inches  of 
the  top  with  round  and  hard  stones,  similar 
to  those  which  have  already  been  described, 
and  upon  them  a fire  is  built  and  maintained 
for  some  time.  When  the  stones  are  thought 
to  be  sufficiently  heated,  the  embers  are 
swept  away,  and  the  food  is  sirnply  laid  upon 
the  stones  and  allowed  to  remain  there  until 
thoroughly  cooked. 

This  kind  of  oven  is  found  oyer  a large 
range  of  country,  and  Mr.  M‘Gillivray  has 
seen  it  throughout  the  shores  of  Torres 
Straits,  and  extending  as  far  southward  as 
Sandv  Cape  on  the  eastern  side. 

Although  the  idea  of  snake  eating  is  so  re- 
pugnant to  our  ideas  that  many  persons  can- 


~r»i 


•p 


; ■ 


'M^>S\ 


fryfi’pi'  ' 


' 0|  .ny.  ^'\ii^^ 


iji  uiE 


' 7'Cv  .,.»  /'« 


vifc‘  "M 


t r/>-. 


:iv-''!^?'4  ’-{feii' jV; 


. ••  ; ;l#lS*'] ''f  - •"■■ ' 

I \yf:^WX‘..),^%  >t/.- ' t’s  .. 

'" '■  c;  r 


:t'!' 

■'  frn  . . 

v^. 

. ’ 


'_•■•(':  I',- 

-!j»f  i j(c!,Vji.?*‘n-. 


C<r:> 


..:  •..-,  ■— 


■ '/'  ' 


(1.)  BEE  HUNTING. 


(See  page  711.) 


(2.)  COOKING  A SNAKE. 


(See  page  717.) 


COOKESTG  A mAKE. 


717 


not  eat  eels  because  they  look  like  snakes, 
the  Australian  knows  better,  and  considers  a 
snake  as  one  of  the  greatest  delicacies  which 
the  earth  produces.  And  there  is  certainly 
no  reason  why  we  should  repudiate  the  snake 
as  disgusting  while  we  accept  the  turtle  and 
so  many  of  the  tortoise  kind  as  delicacies,  no 
matter  whether  their  food  be  animal  or  veg- 
etable. The  Australian  knows  that  a snake 
in  good  condition  ought  to  have  plenty  of 
fat,  and  to  be  well  flavored,  and  is  always 
easy  in  his  mind  so  long  as  he  can  catch  one. 

The  process  of  cooking  (see  page  716)  is 
exactly  like  that  which  is  employed  with  fish, 
except  that  more  pains  are  taken  about  it,  as 
is  consistent  with  the  superior  character  of 
the  food.  The  fire  being  lighted,  the  native 
squats  in  front  of  it  and  waits  until  the  flame 
and  smoke  have  partly  died  away,  and  then 
carefully  coils  the  snake  on  the  embers,  turn- 
ing it  and  recoiling  it  until  all  the  scales  are 
so  scorched  that  they  can  be  rubbed  off.  He 
then  allows  it  to  remain  until  it  is  cooked  ac- 
cording to  his  ideas,  and  eats  it  deliberately, 
as  becomes  such  a dainty,  picking  out  the 
best  parts  for  himself,  and,  if  he  be  in  a good 
humor,  tossing  the  rest  to  his  wives. 

Snake  hunting  is  carried  on  in  rather  a 
curious  manner.  Killing  a snake  at  once, 
unless  it  should  be  wanted  for  immediate  con- 
sumption, would  be  extremely  foolish,  as  it 
would  be  unfit  for  food  before  the  night  had 
passed  away.  Taking  it  alive,  therefore,  is 
the  plan  which  is  adopted  by  the  skilful  hun- 
ter, and  this  he  manages  in  a very  ingenious 
way. 

Should  he  come  upon  one  of  the  venomous 
serpents,  he  cuts  off  its  retreat,  and  with  his 
spear  or  with  a forked  stick  he  irritates  it 
with  one  hand,  while  in  his  other  he  holds 
the  narrow  wooden  shield.  By  repeated 
blows  he  induces  the  reptile  to  attack  him, 
and  dexterously  receives  the  stroke  on  the 
shield,  flinging  the  snake  back  by  the  sudden 
repulse.  Time  after  time  the  snake  renews 
the  attack,  and  is  as  often  foiled ; and  at  last 
it  yields  the  battle,  and  lies  on  the  ground 
completely  beaten.  The  hunter  then  presses 
his  forked  stick  on  the  reptile’s  neck,  seizes 
it  firmly,  and  holds  it  while  a net  is  thrown 
over  it  and  it  is  bound  securely  to  his  spear. 
It  is  then  , carried  off,  and  reserved  for  the 
next  day’s  banquet. 

Sometimes  the  opossum-skin  cloak  takes 
the  place  of  the  shield,  and  the  snake  is  al- 
lowed to  bite  it. 

The  carpet  snake,  which  sometimes  attains 
the  length  of  ten  or  twelve  feet,  is  favorite 
game  with  the  Australian  native,  as  its  large 
size  furnishes  him  with  an  abundant  supply 
of  meat,  as  well  as  the.fat  in  which  his  soul 
delights.  This  snake  mostly  lives  in  holes  at 
the  foot  of  the  curious  grass-tree,  of  which 
we  shall  see  several  figures  in  the  course  of 
the  following  pages,  and  in  many  places  it  is 
so  plentiful  that  there  is  scarcely  a grass- tree 
wi^out  its  snake. 


As  it  would  be  a waste  of  time  to  probe 
each  hole  in  succession,  the  natives  easily  as- 
certain those  holes  which  are  inhabited  by 
smearing  the  earth  around  them  with  a kind 
of  white  clay  mixed  witli  water,  which  is  as 
soft  as  putty.  On  the  following  day  they  can 
easily  see,  by  the  appearance  of  the  clay, 
when  a snake  has  entered  or  left  its  hole,  and 
at  once  proceed  to  induce  the  reptile  to  leave 
its  stronghold.  This  is  done  by  putting  on 
the  trunk  of  the  tree  immediately  over  the 
hole  a bait,  which  the  natives  state  to  be 
honey,  and  waiting  patiently,  often  for  many 
hours,  until  the  serpent  is  attracted  by  the 
bait  and  climbs  the  tree.  As  soon  as  it  is 
clear  of  the  hole,  its  retreat  is  cut  off,  and  the 
result  of  the  ensuing  combat  is  a certainty. 
The  forked  spear  which  the  native  employs 
is  called  a bo-bo. 

All  the  tribes  which  live  along  the  eastern 
coast,  especially  those  which  inhabit  the 
northern  part  of  the  country,  are  in  the  habit 
of  capturing  the  dugong.  This  animal  is 
very  fond  of  a green,  &anchless,  marine  alga, 
and  ventures  to  the  shore  in  order  to  feed 
upon  it.  The  natives  are  on  the  watch  for 
it,  and,  as  soon  as  a dugong  is  seen,  a canoe 
puts  off  after  it. 

Each  canoe  is  furnished  with  paddles  and 
a harpooner,  who  is  armed  with  a weapon 
very  similar  to  that  which  is  used  by  the 
turtle  catchers,  except  that  no  buoy  is  re- 
quired. It  is  composed  of  a shaft  some 
twelve  or  fifteen  feet  in  length,  light  at  one 
end,  and  heavy  at  the  other.  A hole  is  made 
at  the  heavy  end,  and  into  the  hole  is  loosely 
fitted  a kind  of  spear  head  made  of  bone, 
about  four  inches  in  length,  and  covered 
with  barbs.  One  end  of  a stout  and  long 
rope  is  made  fast  to  this  head,  and  the  other 
is  attached  to  the  canoe. 

As  soon  as  he  is  within  striking  distance, 
the  harpooner  jumps  out  of  the  boat  into  the 
water,  striking  at  the  same  time  with  his 
weapon,  so  as  to  add  to  the  stroke  the  force 
of  his  own  weight.  Disengaging  the  shaft, 
he  returns  to  the  canoe,  leaving  the  dugong 
attached  to  it  by  the  rope.  The  wounded 
animal  dives  and  tries  to  make  its  way  sea- 
ward. Strange  to  say,  although'  the  dugong 
is  a large  animal,  often  eight  feet  in  length, 
and  very  bulky  in  proportion  to  its  length, 
it  seldom  requires  to  be  struck  a second  time, 
but  rises  to  the  surface  and  dies  in  a few 
minutes  from  a wound  occasioned  by  so  ap- 
parently insignificant  a weapon  as  a piece  of 
bone  struck  some  three  inches  into  its  body. 
When  it  is  dead,  it  is  towed  ashore,  and 
rolled  up  the  bank  to  some  level  spot,  where 
preparations  are  at  once  made  for  cooking 
and  eating  it. 

Those  who  are  acquainted  with  zoology 
are  aware  that  the  dugong  is  formed  much 
after  the  manner  of  the  whale,  and  that  it  is 
covered  first  with  a tough  skin  and  then 
with  a layer  of  blubber  over  the  muscles. 
This  structure,  by  the  way,  renders  its  sue- 


718 


AUSTRALIA. 


cumbing  to  the  wound  of  the  harpoon  the 
more  surprising.  The  natives  always  cut  it 
up  in  the  same  manner.  The  tail  is  sliced 
much  as  we  carve  a round  of  beef,  while  the 
body  is  cut  into  thin  slices  as  far  as  the  ribs, 
each  slice  having  its  own  proportion  of  meat, 
blubber,  and  skin.  The  blubber  is  esteemed 
higher  than  any  other  portion  of  the  animal, 
though  even  the  tough  skin  can  be  rendered 
tolerably  palatable  by  careful  cooking. 

Of  all  Australian  animals,  the  kangaroo 
is  most  in  favor,  both  on  account  of  the 
excellent  quality  of  the  flesh,  and  the  quan- 
tity which  a single  kangaroo  will  furnish. 
It  is  hardly  necessary  to  remind  the  reader 
that  with  the  Australian,  as  with  other  sav- 
ages, quantity  is  considered  rather  than  qual- 
ity. A full  grown  “ boomah  ” kangaroo 
will,  when  standing  upright,  in  its  usual 
attitude  of  defence,  measure  nearly  six  feet 
in  height,  and  is  of  very  considerable  weight. 
And,  when  an  j^.  ustralian  kills  a kangaroo, 
he  performs  feats  of  gluttony  to  which  the 
rest  of  the  world  can  scarcely  find  a parallel, 
and  certainly  not  a superior.  Give  an 


Australian  a kangaroo  and  he  will  eat  until 
he  is  nearly  dead  from  repletion;  and  he 
will  go  on  eating,  with  short  intervals  of 
rest,  until  he  has  finished  the  entire  kanga- 
roo. 

Like  other  savage  creatures,  whether  hu- 
man or  otherwise,  he  is  capable  of  bearing 
deprivation  of  food  to  a wonderful  extent; 
and  his  patient  endurance  of  starvation, 
when  food  is  not  to  be  obtained,  is  only  to 
be  excelled  by  his  gluttony  when  it  is  plen- 
tiful. This  curious  capacity  for  alternate 
gluttony  and  starvation  is  fostered  by  the 
innately  lazy  disposition  of  the  Australian 
savage,  and  his  utter  disregard  for  the  future. 
The  animal  that  ought  to  serve  him  and  his 
family  for  a week  is  consumed  in  a few  hours; 
and,  as  long  as  he  does  not  feel  the  pain  of 
absolute  hunger,  nothing  can  compel  the 
man  to  leave  his  rude  couch  and  go  ofi*  on  a 
hunting  expedition.  But  when  he  does 
make  up  his  mind  to  hunt,  he  has  a bulldog 
sort  of  tenacity  which  forbids  him  to  relin- 
quish the  chase  until  he  has  been  successful 
in  bringing  down  his  game. 


CHAPTEE  LXXI, 


AU  STR  ALIA  — Continued. 


WEAPONS  OF  THE  AUSTRALIANS,  THEIR  FORMS  AND  USES  — THE  CLUB  OR  WADDY,  AND  ITS  VARIOUS 
FORMS  — USES  OF  THE  WADDY  — A DOMESTIC  PANACEA  — AN  AUSTRALIAN  DUEL  — THICK  SKULLS 
OF  THE  NATIVES  — LOVE  OF  THE  NATIVE  FOR  HIS  WADDY  — THE  BLACK  POLICE  FORCE— THE 
MISSILE  WADDY  — THE  KATTA,  OR  DIGGING-STICK,  AND  ITS  VARIED  USES  — HOW  AN  AUSTRALIAN 
DIGS  A HOLE— THE  STONE  TOMAHAWK  AND  ITS  USE  — THE  ASCENT  OF  TREES  — HOW  AN  AU 
STRALIAN  KNOWS  WHETHER  AN  ANIMAL  IS  IN  A TREE  — SMOKING  OUT  THE  PREY  — THE  BLACK- 
BOY  GUM  — THE  GRASS-TREE  OF  AUSTRALIA  — THE  AUSTRALIAN  SAW. 


As  in  the  course  of  the  following  pages  all 
the  weapons  of  the  Australian  Will  have  to 
be  mentioned,  we  will  take  the  opportunity 
of  describing  them  at  once,  without  troubling 
ourselves  as  to  the  peculiar  locality  in  which 
each  modification  is  found. 

We  will  begin  with  the  club,  the  simplest 
of  all  weapons.  Several  examples  of  the 
club  are  to  be  seen  in  the  illustration  enti- 
tled “Australian  Clubs,”  on  the  722d  page. 
All  the  figures  are  drawn  from  actual  speci- 
mens, some  belonging  to  my  own  collec- 
tion, some  being  sketched  from  examples 
in  the  British  Museum,  and  others  being 
taken  from  the  fine  collection  of  Colonel 
Lane  Fox. 

The  simplest  form  of  Australian  club  is 
that  which  is  known  by  the  name  of  “ waddy,” 
and  which  is  the  favorite  weapon  of  an  Au- 
stralian savage,  who  never  seems  to  be  happy 
■without  a waddy  in  his  hands,  no  matter 
ivhat  other  weapons  he  may  happen  to 
carry.  One  of  these  waddies  may  be  seen  at 
fig.  4,  and  another  at  fig.  5..  The  latter  is  a 
specimen  in  my  own  collection,  and  atfords 
a very  good_  example  of  the  true  Australian 
waddy.  It  is  made  of  the  tough  and  heavy 
wood  of  the  gum-tree,  and  is  really  a most 
effective  weapon,  well  balanced,  and  bears 
marks  of  long  usage.  The  length  is  two 
teet  eight  inches,  and,  as  the  reader  may  see 
from  the  illustration,  it  is  sharpened  at  the 
point,  so  that  in  close  combat  it  can  be  used 
for  stabbing  as  well  as  for  striking.  It  weighs 
exactly  twenty-one  ounces. 


Four  deep  grooves  run  along  the  waddy, 
from  the  point  to  the  spot  where  it  is 
grasped,  and  seem  to  be  intended  as  edges 
whereby  a blow  may  cut  through  the  skin 
as  well  as  inflict  a bruise.  Besides  these 
grooves,  there  are  sundry  carvings  which 
the  native  evidently  has  thought  to  be  orna- 
mental. On  two  of  the  sides  the  pattern  is 
merely  the  double-headed  T seen  in  the 
illustration,  but  on  the  other  two  sides  the 
]Daitern  is  varied.  In  every  case  the  top 
figure  is  the  double  T ; but  on  one  side  there 
is  first  a T,  then  a cross  with  curved  arms, 
then  a T,  and  then  a pattern  that  looks 
something  like  a key,  having  a bow  at  each 
end.  The  fourth  side  is  evidently  unfinished, 
there  being  only  two  patterns  on  it;  the  sec- 
ond, evidently  an  attempt  to  imitate  the  let- 
ter B,  showing  that  the  maker  had  some 
acquaintance  with  civilization. 

With  this  waddy  the  native  is  better  armed 
than  most  men  would  be  with  the  keenest 
sword  that  ever  was  forged,  and  with  it  he 
strikes  and  stabs  with  marvellous  rapidity, 
seeming  to  be  actuated,  when  in  combat,  by 
an  uncontrollable  fury.  He  can  use  it  as  a 
missile  with  deadly  effect;  and  if,  as  is  gen- 
erally the  case,  he* has  several  of  these  wael- 
dies  in  his  hand,  he  will  hurl  one  or  two  of 
them  in  rapid  succession,  and,  while  the 
antagonist  is  still  attempting  to  avoid  the 
flying  weapon,  precipitate  himself  upon  the 
foe,  and  attack  him  with  the  waddy  which 
he  has  reserved  for  hand-to-hand  combat. 

The  waddy  is  the  Australian  panacea  foi 


(719) 


720 


AUSTKALIA. 


domestic  troubles,  and  if  one  of  his  wives 
should  presume  to  have  an  opinion  of  her 
own,  or  otherwise  to  otfend  her  dusky  lord, 
a blow  on  the  head  from  the  ever-ready 
waddy  settles  the  dispute  at  once  by  leaving 
her  senseless  on  the  ground.  Sometimes 
the  man  strikes  the  offender  on  a limb,  and 
breaks  it;  but  he  does  not  do  this  unless  he 
should  be  too  angry  to  calculate  that,  by 
breaking  his  slave’s  arm  or  leg,  he  deprives 
himself  of  her  services  for  a period. 

With  the  Australian  man  of  honor  the 
waddy  takes  the  place  which  the  pistol  once 
held  in  England  and  the  United  States,  and 
is  the  weapon  by  which  disputes  are  settled. 
In  case  two  Australians  of  reputation  should 
fall  out,  one  of  them  challenges  the  other  to 
single  combat,  sending  him  a derisive  mes- 
sage to  the  effect  that  he  had  better  bring 
his  stoutest  waddy  with  him,  so  that  he  may 
break  it  on  the  challenger’s  head. 

Thickness  of  skull  — a reproach  in  some 
parts  of  the  world  — is  among  the  Austra- 
lians a matter  of  great  boast,  and  one  Au- 
stralian can  hardly  insult  another  in  more 
contemptuous  words  than  by  comparing  his 
skull  to  an  emu’s  egg-shell.  I have  exam- 
ined several  skulls  of  Australian  natives, 
and  have  been  much  surprised  by  two 
points:  the  first  is  the  astonishing  thickness 
and  hardness  of  the  bone,  which  seems 
capable  of  resisting  almost  any  blow  that 
could  be  dealt  by  an  ordinary  weapon;  and 
the  second  is  the  amount  of  injury  which  an 
Australian  skull  can  endure.  Owing  to  the 
thickness  of  the  skull,  the  Australian  puts 
his  head  to  strange  uses,  one  of  the  oddest 
of  which  is  his  custom  of  breaking  sticks 
on  his  head  instead  of  snapping  them  across 
the  knee. 

In  due  time  the  conibatants  appear  on 
the  ground,  each  bearing  his  toughest  and 
heaviest  waddy,  and  attended  by  his  friends. 
After  going  through  the  usual  gesticula- 
tions and  abuse  which  always  precede  a 
duel  between  savages,  the  men  set  definitely 
to  work. 

The  challenged  individual  takes  his  waddy, 
and  marehes  out  into  the  middle  of  the  space 
left  by  the  spectators.  His  adversary  con- 
fronts him,  but  unarmed,  and  stooping  low, 
with  his  hands  on  his  knees,  he  offers  his 
head  to  the  opponent.  The  adversary  exe- 
cutes a short  dance  of  delight  at  the  blow 
which  he  is  going  to  deal,  and  then,  after 
taking  careful  aim,  he  raises  his  waddy  high 
in  the  air,  and  brings  it  down  with  all  his 
force  on  the  head  of  his  foe. 

The  blow  would  fell  an  ordinary  ox;  but 
the  skull  of  an  Australian  is  made  of  sterner 
stuff  than  that  of  a mere  ox,  and  the  man 
accordingly  raises  himself,  rubs  his  head, 
and  holds  out  his  hand  to  his  nearest  friend, 
who  gives  him  the  waddy,  which  he  is  about 
to  use  in  his  turn.  The  challenged  man  now 
takes  his  turn  at  stooping,  while  the  chal- 
lenger does  his  best  to  smash  the  skull  of 


the  antagonist.  Each  man,  however,  knows 
from  long  experience  the  hardest  part  of  his 
own  skull,  and  takes  care  to  present  it  to  the 
enemy’s  blow.  In  this  way  they  continue  to 
exchange  blows  until  one  of  them  falls  to  the 
ground,  when  the  victory  is  decided  to  re- 
main with  his  antagonist. 

In  consequence  of  the  repeated  injuries  to 
which  the  head  of  a native  Australian  is 
subjected,  the  skull  of  a warrior  presents, 
after  death,  a most  extraordinary  appear- 
ance, being  covered  with  dents,  fractures, 
and  all  kinds  of  injuries,  any  one  of  which 
would  have  killed  an  European  immediately, 
but  which  seems  to  have  only  caused  tem- 
porary inconvenience  to  the  Australian. 

So  fond  is  the  Australian  of  his  waddy, 
that  even  in  civilized  life  he  cannot  be  in- 
duced to  part  with  it.  Some  of  my  readers 
may  be  aware  that  a great  number  of  cap- 
tives are  now  enrolled  among  the  police, 
and  render  invaluable  service  to  the  com- 
munity, especially  against  the  depredations 
of  their  fellow-blacks  whom  they  persecute 
with  a relentless  vigor  that  seems  rather 
surprising  to  those  who  do  not  know  the 
singular  antipathy  which  invariably  exists 
between  wild  and  tamed  animals,  whether 
human  or  otherwise.  In  fact,  the  Australian 
native  policeman  is  to  the  colonist  what  the 
“ Totty  V of  South  Africa  is  to  the  Dutch 
and  English  colonists,  what  the  Ghoorka  or 
Sikh  of  India  is  to  the  English  army,  and 
what  the  tamed  elephant  of  Ceylon  or  India 
is  to  the  hunter. 

These  energetic  “ black  fellows  ” are 
armed  with  the  ordinary  weapons  of  Euro- 
peans, and  are  fully  acquainted  with  their 
use.  But  there  is  not  one  of  them  who 
thinks  himself  properly  armed  unless  he 
has  his  waddy;  and,  when  he  enters  the 
bush  in  search  of  native  thieves,  he  will  lay 
aside  the  whole  of  lys  clothing,  except  the 
cap  which  marks  his  office,  will  carry  his 
gun  with  him,  buckle  his  cartouch-pouch 
round  his  naked  waist,  and  will  take  his 
waddy  as  a weapon,  without  Avhich  even  the 
gun  would  seem  to  him  an  insufficient 
weapon. 

This  form  of  waddy  (fig.  4),  although  it 
is  often  used  as  a missile,  is  not  the  one 
which  the  native  prefers  for  that  purpose 
His  throwing  waddy  or  “wadna,”  is  much 
shorter  and  heavier,  and  very  much  resem- 
bles the  short  missile  club  used  so  effectively 
by  the  Polynesians.  Two  other  forms  of 
waddy  are  shown  at  figs.  3 and  6,  the  latter 
of  which  is  generally  known  by  the  name  of 

piccaninny  waddy,”  because  it  is  generally 
smaller  and  lighter  than  the  others,  and  can 
be  used  by  a child. 

Hos.  1 and  2 are  also  clubs,  but  are  made 
in  a different  form,  and  used  in  a different 
manner.  If  the  reader  will  refer  to  the 
account  of  the  Abyssinian  curved  sword,  or 
shotel,  he  will  see  that  in  general  form  it 
much  resembles  this  club,  the  long  pointed 


■'o: 


(722) 


CLUBS  AND  TOMAHAWKS. 


723 


head  of  each  being  equally  useful  in  strik- 
ing downward  over  a shield.  This  weapon 
is  not  only  used  in  combat,  but  is  employed 
in  the  native  dances  to  beat  time  by  repeated 
strokes  on  the  shield. 

The  reader  will  notice  that  many  of  these 
clubs  have  the  ends  of  the  handles  pointed. 
This  formation  is  partly  for  the  purpose  of 
increasing  their  efficiency  as  offensive  weap- 
ons, and  partly  for  another  object.  As  was 
the  case  with  the  warriors  of  the  Iliad,  both 
combatants  will  occasionally  rest,  and  give 
each  other  time  to  breathe,  before  renewing 
the  fight.  During  these  intervals^  the  Au- 
stralian combatants  squat  down,  dig  up  the 
earth  with  the  handle  of  the  club,  and  rub 
their  hands  with  the  dusty  soil,  in  order  to 
])revent  the  weapons  from  slipping  out  of 
their  grasp. 

This  club  is  made  in  a very  ingenious 
way,  the  artificer  taking  advantage  of  some 
gnarled  branch,  and  cutting  it  so  that  the 
grain  of  the  wood  follows  the  curve,  or 
rather  the  angle  of  the  head,  which  adds 
greatly  to  its  strength.  A club  of  almost 
the  same  shape,  and  cut  similarly  from  the 
angle  of  a branch,  is  used  in  New  Caledonia, 
and,  but  for  the  great  superiority  of  the 
workmanship,  might  easily  be  mistaken  for 
the  angular  club  of  the  Australian. 

This  particular  form  of  club  has  a tolera- 
bly wide  range,  and  among  the  tribes  which 
inhabit  the  shores  of  Encounter  Bay  is  called 
Marpangye. 

In  many  parts  of  Australia  the  natives 
have  a curious  weapon  which  much  resem- 
bles a sword.  It  is  from  three  to  four  feet  in 
length,  is  flat,  about  three  inches  in  width, 
and  has  the  outer  edge  somewhat  sharpened. 
Being  made  of  the  close-grained  wood  of  the 
gum-tree,  it  is  very  heavy  in  proportion  to 
its  size,  and  in  practised  hands  is  a most 
formidable  ‘weapon. 

The  Australian  women  carry  an  .instru- 
ment which  is  sometimes  thought  to  be  a 
spear,  and  sometimes  a club,  but  which'  in 
the  hands  of  a woman  is  neither,  though  a 
man  will  sometimes  employ  it  for  either  pur- 
pose. It  is  simply  a stick  of  variable  length, 
sharpened  at  one  end  and  the  point  hard- 
ened by  fire.  It  is  called  by  the  natives  the 

katta,”  and  is  popularly  known  by  the  ap- 
propriate name  of  the  digging-stick. 

With  this  stick  the  natives  contrive  to  dig 
up  the  ground  in  a most  astonishing  man- 
ner, and  an  English  “ navvy,”  with  his  pick, 
spade,  and  barrow,  would  feel  considerably 
surprised  at  the  work  which  is  done  by  the 
naked  black,  who  has  no  tools  except  a 
pointed  stick.  Let,  for  example,  a navvy 
be  set  to  work  at  the  task  of  digging  out  an 
echidna  from  its  hole,  and  he  would  find  his 
powers  of  digging  baffled  by*the  burrowing 
capabilities  of  the  animal,  which  would  make 
its  way  through  the  earth  faster  than  could 
the  navvy.  In  order  to  sink  some  six  feet 
deep  into  the  ground,  the  white  man  would 


be  obliged  to  make  a funnel-shaped  hole  of 
very  large  size,  so  as  to  allow  him  to  work 
ill  it,  and  to  give  the  pick  and  spade  free  play 
as  he  threw  out  the  soil. 

The  black  man,  on  the  contrary,  would 
have  no  such  difficulty,  but  knows  how  to 
sink  a hole  without  troubling  himself  to  dig 
a foot  of  needless  soil.  This  he  does  by 
handling  the  katta  precisely  as  the  Bosjes- 
man  handles  his  digging-stick,  i.  e.  by  hold- 
ing it  perpendicularly,  jobbing  the  hardened 
point  into  the  ground,  and  throwing  out  with 
his  hands  the  loosened  earth. 

In  digging  out  one  of  the  burrowing  ani- 
mals, the  black  hunter  pushes  a long  and 
flexible  stick  down  the  hole,  draws  it  out, 
measures  along  the  ground  to  the  spot  ex- 
actly above  the  end  of  the  burrow,  replaces 
the  stick,  and  digs  down  upon  it’  By  the 
time  that  he  has  reached  it,  the  animal  has 
gone  on  digging,  and  has  sunk  its  burrow 
still  further.  The  stick  is  then  pushed  into 
the  lengthened  burrow,  and  again  dug  down 
upon;  and  the  process  is  repeated  until  the 
tired  animal  can  dig  no  more,  and  is  captured. 
The  katta  also  takes  the  part  of  a weapon, 
and  can  be  wielded  very  effectively  by  a 
practised  hand,  being  used  either  for  striking 
or  thrusting. 

We  now  come  to  a curious  instrument 
which  is  often  thought  to  be  a weapon,  but 
which,  although  it  would  answer  such  a pur- 
pose very  well,  is  seldom  used  for  it.  This 
is  the  tomahawk,  or  hammer,  as  it  is  generally 
called.  Three  yarieties  of  the  tomahawk  are 
given  in  the  illustration  “ Tomahawks  ” on 
the  722d  page.  In  all  of  them  the  cutting 
part  is  made  of  stone  and  the  handle  of  wood, 
and  the  head  and  the  handle  are  joined  in 
several  different  ways,  according  to  the  fash- 
ion of  the  locality  in  which  the  instru- 
ment is  made.  The  simplest  plan  is  that 
which  is  shown  in  fig.  1.  In  this  instrument, 
a conveniently  shaped  piece  of  stone  has 
been  selected  for  a head,  and  the  handle  is 
made  of  a flexible  stick  bent  over  it,  and  the 
two  ends  firmly  lashed  together,  just  as  the 
English  blacksmith  makes  handles  for  his 
punches  and  cold  chisels.  This  weapon  was 
mdde  in  New  South  Wales. 

At  fig.  3 is  shown  a tomahawk  of  a more 
elaboi’ate  construction.  Here  the  stone 
head  has  been  lashed  to  the  shaft  by  a thong, 
which  is 'wrapped  over  it  in  a way  that  ex- 
actly reserubles  the  lashing  employed  by  the 
New  Zealander  or  the  Dyak  for  the  same 
purpose.  The  tomahawk  at  fig.  4 is,  how- 
ever, the  best  example  of  the  instrument, 
and  is  taken  front'  a specimen  in  the  British 
Museum.  The  handle  and  head  are  shaped 
much  like  those  of  fig.  3,  but  the  fastening  is 
much  more  elaborate. 

In  the  first  place,  the  head  is  held  to  the 
handle  by  lashings  of  sinews,  which  are 
drawn  from  the  tail  of  the  kangaroo,  and 
always  kept  in  readiness  by  the  Australian 
savage.  The  sinews  are'  steeped  in  hot 


724 


AUSTRALIA. 


water,  and  pounded  between  two  stones,  in 
order  to  separate  them  into  fibres;  and, 
while  still  wet  and  tolerably  elastic,  they 
are  wrapped  round  the  stone  and  the  handle. 
Of  course,  as  they  dry,  they  contract  with 
great  force,  and  bind  the  head  and  handle 
together  far  more  securely  than  can  be  done 
with  any  other  material.  Even  raw  hide 
does  not  hold  so  firmly  as  sinew. 

When  the  sinew  lashing  is  perfectly  dry, 
the  native  takes  a quantity  of  the  peculiar 
substance  called  “ black-boy  ” wax,  and 
kneads  it*  over  the  head  and  the  end  of  the 
handle,  so  as  to  bind  everything  firmly 
together. 

Another  instrument  is  showm  at  fig.  2,  in 
which  the  combination  of  stone  and  vege- 
table is  managed  in  another  way.  The  blade 
is  formed  from  a piece  of  quartz  about  as 
long  as  a man’s  hand,  which  has  been 
chipped  into  the  form  of  a spear-head.  The 
handle,  instead  of  being  a piece  of  wood,  is 
simply  a number  of  fibres  made  into  a bun- 
dle. The  base  of  the  stone  head  has  been 
pushed  among  the  loose  ends  of  the  fibres, 
and  then  the  whole  has  been  bound  firmly 
together  by  a lashing  of  string  made  of 
reeds.  This  is  a sort  of  dagger;  and  another 
form  of  the  same  instrument  is  made  by 
simply  sharpening  a stick  about  eighteen 
inches  in  length,  and  hardening  the  sharp- 
ened end  in  the  fire.  It  is,  in  fact,  a miniature 
katta,  but  is  applied  to  a different  purpose. 

These  axes  and  daggers  have  been  men- 
tioned together,  because  they  are  used  for  the 
same  purpose,  namely,  the  ascent  of  trees. 

Active  as  a monkey,  the  Australian  na- 
tive can  climb  any  tree  that  grows.  Should 
they  be  of  i-^oderate  size,  he  ascends  them, 
not  by  claspibg  the  trunk  with  his  legs  and 
arms  (the  mode  which  is  generally  used  in 
England),  and  which  is  popularly  called 
“ swarming.”  Instead  of  passing  his  legs 
and  arms  round  the  tree-trunk  as  far  as  they 
can  go,  he  applies  the  soles  of  his  feet  to  it 
in  front,  and  presses  a hand  against  it  on 
either  side,  and  thus  ascends  the  tree  with 
the  ra,pidity  of  a squirrel.  This  mode  of 
ascent  is  now  taught  at  every  good  gymna- 
sium in  England,  and  is  far  superior  to  the 
old  fashion,  which  has  the  disadvantage  of 
slowness,  added  to  the  certainty  of  damaging 
the  clothes. 

Those  who  have  seen  our  own  acrobats 
performing  the  feat  called  La  Perche^  in 
which  one  man  balances  another  on  the  top 
of  a pole,  or  the  extraordinary  variations  on 
it  performed  by  the  Japanese  jugglers,  who 
balance  poles  and  ladders  on  the  soles  of 
their  feet,  will  be  familiar  with  the  manner 
in  which  one  of  the  performers  runs  up  the 
ole  which  is  balanced  by  his  companion, 
t is  by  this  method  that  the  Australian 
ascends  a tree  of  moderate  dimensions,  and, 
when  he  is  well  among  the  boughs,  he  trav- 
erses them  with  perfect  certainty  and  quick- 
ness. 


Trees  which  will  permit  the  man  to  ascend 
after  this  fashion  are,  however,  rather  scarce 
in  the  Australian  forests,  and,  moreover, 
there  is  comparatively  little  inducement  to 
climb  them,  the  hollows  in  which  the  bees 
make  their  nests  and  the  beasts  take  up  their 
diurnal  abode  being  always  in  the  branch  or 
trunk  of  some  old  and  decaying  tree.  Some  ' 
of  these  trees  are  so  large  that  their  trunks 
are  veritable  towers  of  wood,  and  afford  no 
hold  to  the  hands;  yet  they  are  ascended  by 
the  natives  as  rapidly  as  if  they  w^ere  small 
trees. 

^ By  dint  of  constant  practice,  the  Austra- 
lian never  passes  a tree  without  casting  a 
glance  at  the  bark,  and  by  that  one  glance 
he  will  know  whether  he  will  need  to  mount 
it.  The  various  arboreal  animals,  especially 
the  so  called  o-possums,  cannot  ascend  the 
tree  without  leaving  marks  of  their  claws  in 
the  bark.  There  is  not  an  old  tree  that  has 
not  its  bark  covered  with  scratches,  but  the 
keen  and  practised  eye  of  the  native  can  in 
a moment  distinguish  bet’ween  the  ascend- 
ing and  descending  marks  of  the  animal,  and 
can  also  determine  the  date  at  which  they 
w'ere  made. 

The  difference  between  the  marks  of  an 
ascending  and  descending  animal  is  easy 
enough  to  see  when  it  has  once  been  pointed 
out.  When  an  animal  climbs  a tree,  the 
marks  of  its  claws  are  little  more  than  small 
holes,  with  a slight  scratch  above  each,  look- 
ing something  like  the  conventional  “tears” 
of  heraldry.  But,  when  it  descends,  it  does 
so  by  a series  of  slippings  and  catchings,  so 
that  the  claws  leave  long  scratches  behind 
them.  Nearly  all  arboreal  annuals,  with  the 
exception  of  the  monkey  tribe,  leave  marks 
of  a similar  character,  and  the  bear  hunter 
of  North  America  and  the  ’possum  hunter 
of  Australia  are  guided  by  similar  marks. 

Should  the  native  hunter  see  an  ascend- 
ing mark  of  more  recent  date  than  the  other 
scratches,  he  knows  that  somewhere  in  the 
tree  lies  his  intended  prey.  Accordingly,  he 
lays  on  the  ground  everything  that  may  im- 
pede him,  and,  going  to  the  tree-trunk,  he 
begins  to  deliver  a series  of  chopping  blows 
with  his  axe.  These  blows  are  delivered  in 
pairs,  and  to  an  Englishman  present  rather 
a ludicrous  reminiscence  of  the  postman’s 
double  rap.  By  each  of  these  double  blows 
he  chops  a small  hole  in  the  tree,  and  man- 
ages so  as  to  cut  them  alternately  right  and 
left,  and  at  intervals  of  two  feet  or  so. 

Having  cut  these  notches  as  high  as  he 
can  reach,  he  places  the  great  toe  of  his  left 
foot  in  the  lowermost  hole,  clasps  the  tree 
with  his  left  arm,  and  strikes  the  head  of  the 
tomahawk  into  the  tree  as  high  as  he  can 
reach.  Using  the  tomahawk  as  a handle  by 
which  he  can  pull  himself  up,  he  lodges  the 
toe  of  his  right  foot  in  the  second  hole,  and 
is  then  enabled  to  shift  the  toe  of  the  left 
foot  into  the  third  hole.  Here  he  w^aits  for  a 
moment,  holding  tightly  by  both  his  feet  and 


TREE  CLIMBIKG. 


725 


the  left  hand  and  arm,  while  he  cuts  more 
notches;  and,  by  continuiiig  the  process,  he 
Boon  reaches  the  top  of  the  tree. 

When  he  reaches  the  first  branch,  he  looks 
carefully  to  tind  the  spot  toward  which  the 
tell-tale  scratches  are  directed,  and,  guided 
by  them  alone,  he  soon  discovers  the  hole  in 
which  the  animal  lies  hidden.  lie  tests  the 
dimensions  of  the  hollow  by  tapping  on  the 
trunk  with  the  axe,  and,  if  it  should  be  of 
moderate  depth,  sets  at  work  to  chop  away 
tlie  wood,  and  secure  the  inmate. 

Should,  however,  the  hollow  be  a deep 
one,  he  is  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  an- 
other plan.  Descending  the  tree  by  the 
same  notches  as  those  by  which  he  had 
climbed  it,  he  takes  from  his  bundle  of  be- 
longings a fire-stick,  i.  e.  a sort  of  tiuderlike 
wood,  which  keeps  up  a smouldering  lire, 
like  that  of  the  willow  “ touchwood  ” so  dear 
to  schoolboys.  Wrapping  up  the  fire-stick 
in  a bundle  of  dry  grass  and  leaves,  he  re- 
ascends the  tree,  and,  when  he  has  reached 
the  entrance  of  the  burrow,  he  whirls  the 
bundle  round  his  head  until  the  fire  spreads 
through  the  mass,  and  the  grass  bursts  into 
flame. 

As  soon  as  it  is  well  inflamed,  he  pushes 
some  of  the  burning  material  into  the  bur- 
row, so  as  to  fall  upon  the  enclosed  animal, 
and  to  rouse  it  from  the  heavy  sleep  in 
which  it  passes  the  hours  of  daylight.  He 
also  holds  the  rest  of  the  torch  at  the  en- 
trance of  the  burrow,  and  manages  to  direct 
the  smoke  into  it.  Did  he  not  rouse  the 
animal  by  the  burning  leaves,  he  would  run 
a chance  of  suffocating  it  in  its  sleep.  This 
may  seem  to  be  a very  remote  contingency, 
but  in  fact  it  is  very  likely  to  happen.  I 
have  known  a cat  to  be  baked  alive  in  an 
oven,  and  yet  not  to  have  awaked  from 
sleep,  as  was  evident  by  the  attitude  in 
which  the  body  of  the  animal  was  found 
curled  up,  with  its  chin  on  its  paws,  and  its 
tail  wrapped  round  its  body.  Yet  the  slum- 
ber of  a domesticated  cat,  which  can  sleep  as 
often  as  it  likes  in  the  day  or  night,  is  not 
nearly  so  deep  as  that  which  wraps  in  obliv- 
ion the  senses  of  a wild  animal  that  is  abroad 
all  night,  and  whose  whole  structure  is  in- 
tended for  a nocturnal  life. 

The  chopping  holes,  and  getting  the  toes 
into  them,  seems  in  theory  to  be  rather  a 
tedious  business,  but  in  practice  it  is  quite 
the  contrary,  the  native  ascending  almost  as 
quickly  as  if  he  were  climbing  a ladder.  As 
the  large  trees  are  so  capable  of  containing 
the  animals  on  which  the  Australians  feed, 
there  is  scarcely  one  which  does  not  exhibit 
several  series  of  the  notches  that  denote  the 
track  of  a native.  Strange  to  say,  the  Au-  ^ 
stralian  hunters  will  not  avail  themselves  of  I 
the  notches  that  have  been  made  by  other 
persons,  but  each  man  chops  a new  series  of 
lioles  for  himself  every  time  that  he  wants  to 
ascend  a tree. 

Sometimes  a man  sees  the  track  of  an 


animal  or  the  indication  of  a bee’s  nest  on  a 
tree  when  he  happens  not  to  have  an  axe  in 
hand.  In  such  a case  he  is  still  able  to 
ascend  the  tree,  for  he  can  make  use  of  the 
dagg-er  which  has  been  already  described, 
punching  holes  in  the  bark,  and  pulling  him- 
self up  exactly  as  if  he  had  a tomahawk,  the 
only  difference  being  that  the  holes  are 
smaller  and  the  work  is  harder. 

When  the  hunter  has  once  found  the 
entrance  of  the  burrow,  the  capture  of  the 
inmate  is  simply  a matter  of  time,  as. the 
heat  and  smoke  are  sure  to  force  i-t  into  the 
air,  where  it  has  the  double  disadvantage  of 
being  half-choked  with  smoke  and  being 
blind  with  the  flame  and  the  daylight,  to 
which  its  eyes  are  unaccustomed.  A blow 
on  the  head  from  the  tomakawk,  or  a stab 
from  the  dagger,  renders  it  senseless,  when 
it  is  flung  on  the  ground,  and  the  successful 
hunter  proceeds  to  traverse  the  tree  in  case 
some  other  animal  may  be  hidden  in  it. 

The  skill  of  the  natives  in  tree  climb- 
ing is  also  exercised  for  another  purpose 
besides  hunting  for  bees  and  animals.  The 
well-known  cabbage-palm  grows  to  a very 
great  height,  and,  like  other  palms,  never 
grows  quite  straight,  but  has  always  a 
bend  in  the  trunk.  After  the  manner  of 
the  palm-tribe,  it  grows  by  a succession  of 
buds  from  the  top,  and  this  bud,  popularly 
called  the  “ cabbage,”  is  a favorite  article 
of  food.  It  has  been  called  the  prince  of 
vegetables,  and  one  enthusiastic  traveller 
declares  that  it  must  have  been  the  am- 
brosia of  the  Olympic  gods.  The  removal 
of  the  bud  causes  the  death  of  the  tree, 
and  for  that  reason  the  vegetable  is  for- 
bidden in  civilized  regions  under  penalty 
of  a heavy  fine.  The  savage,  however,  who 
has  no  idea  of  care  for  the  morrow,  much 
less  of  looking  forward  to  future  years,  takes 
the  bud  wherever  he  meets  it,  caring  noth- 
ing for  the  death  of  the  useful  tree.  He 
ascends  by  means  of  a little  wooden  dagger, 
or  warpoo,  or  makes  use  of  the  tomahawk. 
The  quartz  dagger  which  was  shown  in  a 
previous  illustration  would  not  be  used  for 
tree  climbing,  unless  the  owner  could  not 
procure  a tomahawk  or  warpoo.  Its  chief 
use  is  as  a weapon,  and  it  can  be  also  em- 
ployed as  a knife,  by  means  of  which  the 
savage  can  mutilate  a fallen-  enemy,  after 
the  manner  which  will  be  described  when 
we  come  to  treat  of  warfare  in  Australia. 

The  “ black-boy  ” gum,  which  plays  so 
large  a part  in  the  manufacture  of  Austra- 
lian weapons  and  implements,  is  obtained 
from  the  grass-tree,  popularly  called  the 
“ black  boy,”  because  at  a distance  it  may 
easily  be  mistaken  for  a native,  with  his 
spear  and  cloak.  It  is  very  tenacious  in  its 
own  country,  but  when  brought  to  England 
it  becomes  brittle,  and  is  apt  to  break  away 
from  the  weapon  in  fragments,  just  as  does 
a similar  preparation  called  “ kurumanni  ” 
gum,  which  is  made  by  the  natives  of  Gui* 


7'2G 


AUSTRALIA. 


ana.  It  is  quite  black,  and  when  dry  is 
extremely  hard. 

•The  grass-tree  is  one  of  the  characteristic 
plants  of  Australia,  and  partakes  of  the 
strange  individuality  of  that  curious  coun- 
try. The  trunk  is  cylindrical,  and  looks  like 
that  of  a palm,  while  an  enormous  tuft  of 
long  leaves  starts  from  the  top  and  droops  in 
all  directions,  like  a gigantic  plume  of  feath- 
ers. The  flower  shoots  up  straight  from  the 
centre;  and  the  long  stalk  becomes,  when 
dried,  so  hard,  tougli,  and  light,  that  it  is 
made  into  spear  shafts. 

There  is  in  my  collection  an  Australian 
saw  (illustrated  on  page  722),  in  the  manu- 
facture of  which  the  black-boy  gum  plays 
a considerable  part.  No  one  would  take  it 
for  a saw  who  did  not  know  the  implement, 
and  indeed  it  looks  much  more  like  a rude 
dagger  thai^  a saw.  It  is  made  from  a piece 
of  wood  usually  cut'  from  a branch  of  the 
gum-tree,  and  about  as  thick  as  a man’s 
Anger  at  the  thickest  part,  whence  it  tapers 
gradually  to  a point.  The  average  length 
of  the  saw  is  fourteen  inches,  though  I have 
seen  them  nearly  two  feet  long. 

Along  the  thicker  end  is  cut  a groove, 
which  is  intended  to  receive  the  teeth  of 
-the  saw.  These  teeth  are  made  from  chips 
of  quartz  or  obsidian,  the  latter  being  pre- 
ferred; and  some  makers,  who  have  been 
brought  in  contact  with  civilization,  have 
taken  to  using  fragments  of  glass  bottles. 
A number  of  flat  and  sharp-edged  chips  are 
selected  as  nearly  as  possible  of  the  same 


size,  and  being  on  an  average  as  large  as  a 
shilling.  These  the  natives  insert  into  the 
groove  with  their  sharp  edges  uppermost. 
A quantity  of  black-boy  wax  is  then  warmed 
and  applied  to  them,  the  entire  wood  of  the 
saw  being  enveloped  in  it,  as  well  as  the 
teeth  for  half  their  depth,  so  as  to  hold 
them  firmly  in  their  places.  As  the  chips 
of  stone  are  placed  so  as  to  leave  little 
spaces  between  them,  the  gaps  are  filled 
in  with  this  useful  cement. 

For  Australian  work  this  simple  tool 
seems  to  answer  its  purpose  well  enougln 
Of  course  it  is  very  slow  in  its  operation, 
and  no  great  force  can  be  applied  to  it,  lest 
the  teeth  should  be  broken,  or  twisted  out 
of  the  cement.  The  use  of  this  saw  entails 
great  waste  of  material,  time,  and  labor; 
but  as  the  first  two  of  these  articles  are 
not  of  the  least  value  to  the  natives,  and  the 
third  is  of  the  lightest  possible  kind,  the 
tool  works  well  enough  for  its  purpose.  A 
perfect  specimen  of  this  saw  is  not  often 
seen  in  this  country,  as  the  black-boy  wax 
flakes  off,  and  allows  the  teeth  to  drop  out 
of  their  place.  Even  in  my  own  specimen, 
which  has  been  carefully  tended,  the  wax 
has  been  chipped  off  here  and  there,  while  in 
instruments  that  have  been  knocked  about 
carelessly  scarcely  a tooth  is  left  in  its  place. 
Owing  to  the  pointed  end  of  the  handle, 
the  saw  can  be  used  after  the  fashion  of  a 
dagger,  and  can  be  employed,  like  the  war- 
poo,  for  the  ascent  of  trees. 


CHAPTER  LXXH. 


AU  STE  ALIA  — Continued. 


THE  AUSTRALIAN’  SPEAR  AND  ITS  MANY  FORMS  — THE  THROWING-SPEAR  OR  JAVELIN  — A GROUP  OP 
AUSTRALIAN  SPEARS  — THE  LIGHTNESS  OF  THE  SHAFT  — THE  MANY-POINTED  FISH-SPEAR  — 
INGENIOUS  MODE  OF  TIPPING  THE  POINTS  WITH  BONE,  AND  FASTENING  THEM  TO  THE  SHAFT  — 
ELASTICITY  OF  THE  POINTS — DOUBLE  USE  AS  PADDLE  AND  SPEAR  — AN  ELABORATELY-MADE 
WEAPON  — FLINT-HEADED  SPEARS  — EXCELLENCE  OF  THE  AUSTRALIAN  AS  A THROWER  OF 
MISSILES  — THE  CLUB,  THE  STONE,  AND  THE  “ KANGAROO-RAT  ” — THE  THROW-STICK,  MIDLAH, 
OR  WUMMERAH  — PRINCIPLE  ON  WHICH  IT  IS  CONSTRUCTED  — MODES  OF  QUIVERING  THE  SPEAR 
— DISTANCE  TO  WHICH  IT  CAN  BE  THROWN  — THE  UNDERHAND  THROW  — ACCURACY  OF  AIM  — 
SPEARING  THE  KANGAROO  — THE  BOW  AND  ARROW  — STRENGTH  OF  THE  BOW  — THE  RATTAN 
STRING  AND  INGENIOUS  KNOT  — CAREFUL  MANUFACTURE  OF  THE  ARROWS  — PRESUMED  ORIGIN 
OF  THE  WEAPONS  — THE  BOOMERANG  AND  ITS  VARIOUS  FORMS  — MODE  OF  THROWING  THE 
WEAPON  — ITS  PROBABLE  ORIGIN  — STRUCTURE  OF  THE  BOOMERANG  — THE  AUSTRALIAN  SHIELD, 
ITS  FORMS  AND  USES  — THE  WOODEN  AND  THE  BARK  SHIELDS. 


AVe  now  come  to  the  various  forms  of  the 
spears  which  are  used  by  the  native  Austra- 
lians. 

The  usual  weapon  is  slight,  and  scarcely 
exceeds  in  diameter  the  assagai  of  Southern 
Africa.  It  is,  however,  considerable  longer, 
the  ordinary  length  being  from  nine  to 
eleven  feet.  As  a general  rule,  the  spear  is 
constructed  after  a,  very  rude  fashion,  and 
tlie  maker  seems  to  care  but  little  whether 
the  shaft  be  perfectly  straight,  so  that  the 
weapon  be  tolerably  well  balanced.  There 
are  several  specimens  of  Australian  spears 
in  my  collection,  one  of  which  (a  weapon 
that  has  evidently  been  a favorite  one,  as  it 
shows  marks  of  long  usage)  is  twice  bent, 
the  second  bend  counteracting  the  former, 
and  so  bringing  the  weapon  tolerably 
straight. 

The  butt  of  the  Australian  spear,  like 
that  of  the  South  African  assagai,  is  very 
slight,  the  shaft  tapering  gradually  from  the 
head,  which  is  about  as  large  as  a man’s  fin- 
ger, to  the  butt,  where  it  is  hardly  thicker 
than  an  artist’s  pencil.  This,  being  one  of 
the  common  spears,  is  simply  sharpened  at 
the  end,  and  a few  slight  barbs  cut  in  the 
wood.  I have,  however,  specimens  in  which 
there  is  almost  every  variety  of  material, 
dimensions,  and  structure  that  can  be  found 
in  Australia. 

^ Some  of  these -are  made  on  the  same  prin- 
ciple as  that  which  has  just  been  described, 
but  differ  from  it  in  having  a separate  head, 
36 


made  of  hard  and  heavy  wood.  This‘  is 
deeply  cut  with  barbs;  so  that  the  weapon 
is  a more  formidable  one  than  that  which  is 
made  simply  from  one  piece  of  ivood.  The 
head  of  one  of  these  spears  is  shown  at  fig. 
7 in  the  illustration  “ Ileads  of  Spears,”  on 
page  731. 

Several  of  the  spears  are  perfectly  plain, 
being  simply  long  sticks,  pointed  at  the 
larger  end.  These,  however,  have  been 
scraped  very  carefully,  and  seem  to  have 
had  more  pains  bestowed  upon  them  than 
those  with  more  elaborate  heads.  These 
spears  are  about  eight  feet  in  length. 

Then  there  are  other  spears  with  a varia- 
ble number  of  heads,  and  of  variable  dimen- 
sions. The  commonest  form  of  multiheaded 
spears  has  either  three  or  four  points;  but 
in  every  other  respect,  except  number,  the 
spear  heads  are  constructed  in  the  same 
manner.  One  of  these  spears,  now  before 
me,  has  a shaft  about  nine  feet  in  length,  and 
rather  more  than  an  inch  in  diameter  at  the 
thickest  part,  which,  as  is  usual  with  Aus- 
tralian spears,  is  just  below  the  head.  The 
wood  of  which  it  is  made  is  exceedingly 
light  and  porous;  but  this  very  quality  has 
unfortunately  made  it  so  acceptable  to  the 
ptilinus  beetles  that  they  have  damaged  it 
sadly,  and  rendered  it  so  brittle  that  a very 
slight  sliock  would  snap  it.  Indeed,  the 
shaft  of  one  of  them  was  broken  into  three 
pieces  by  a little  child  stumbling  against  it 
while  coming  down  stairs. 


(727) 


728 


AUSTRALIA. 


The  four  points  which  constitute  the  head 
are  cut  from  the  gum-tree,  the  wood  of 
which  is  hard  and  dural)le,  and  can  be 
trimmed  to  a very  sharp  point  without  dan- 
ger of  breakage.  Each  of  them  is  twenty 
inches  in  length,  and  they  are  largest  in  the 
middle,  tapering  slightly  at  one  end  so  as  to 
permit  of  their  being  fastened  to  the  shaft, 
and  being  scraped  to  a tine  point  at  the 
other  end. 

On  examination  I find  that  the  large  end 
of  the  shaft  has  been  cut  into  four  grooves, 
in  each  of  which  is  placed  the  butt  end  of 
one  of  the  points,  which  is  fixed  temporarily 
by  black-boy  gum.  Wedgelike  pegs  have 
then  been  pushed  between  the  points,  so  as 
to  make  them  diverge  properly  from  each 
other,  and,  when  they  have  assumed  the 
proper  position,  they  have  been  tightly 
bound  together  with  cord.  A layer  of  black- 
boy  gum  has  then  been  kneaded  over  the 
string,  so  as  to  keep  all  firmly  together. 

So  much  for  the  mode  of  putting  on  the 
points,  the  end  of  one  of  which  may  be  seen 
at  fig.  3 in  the  illustration.  My  own  speci- 
men, however,  is  better  made  than  that  from 
which  the  sketch  has  been  taken.  The 
reader  will  perceive  that  there  is  a barb 
attached  to  the  point,  and  lashed  in  its  place 
by  string.  In  my  specimen  the  barb  is 
made  of  a piece  of  bone  about  as  long  as  a 
skewer,  and  sharply  pointed  at  both  ends. 
In  the  example  shown  in  the  illustration, 
the  barb  merely  projects  from  the  side  of 
the  point,  whereas  in  my  specimen  the  bone 
answers  the  purpose  both  of  point  and  barb. 
In  order  to  enable  it  to  take  the  proper 
direction,  the  top  of  the  wooden  point  is 
bevelled  off,  and  the  piece  of  bone  lashed  to 
it  by  the  middle,  so  that  one  end  becomes 
the  point  of  the  weapon,  and  the  other  end 
does  duty  for  the  barb.  Wishing  to  see 
how  this  was  done,  I have  cut  away  part  of 
the  lashings  of  one  of  the  four  points,  and 
have  been  much  struck  with  the  ingenuity 
displayed  by  the  maker  in  fastening  the 
bone  to  the  point,  so  as  to  make  it  discharge 
its  double  duty.  The  barbs  are  all  directed 
inward,  so  that,  when  the  native  makes  a 
stroke  at  a fish,  the  slippery  prey  is  caught 
between  the  barbs,  and  held  there  just  as  is 
an  eel  between  the  prongs  of  the  spear. 
The  elasticity  of  the  four  long  points  causes 
them  to  diverge  when  they  come  upon  the 
back  of  a fish,  and  to  contract  tightly  upon 
it,  so  that  the  points  of  the  barbs  are  pressed 
firmly  into  its  sides. 

This  spear  also  stands  the  native  instead 
of  a paddle,  and  with  it  he  contrives  to 
guide  his  fragile  bark  with  moderate  speed. 
How  he  manages  to  stand  erect  in  so 
frail  a vessel,  to  paddle  about,  to  strike  the 
fish,  and,  lastly,  to  haul  the  struggling  prey 
aboard,  is  really  a marvel.  The  last-men- 
tioned feat  is  the  most  wonderful,  as  the  fish 
are  often  of  considerable  size,  and  the  mere 
leverage  of  their  weight  at  the  end  of  a 


ten-foot  spear,  added  to  the  violent  strug- 
gles which  the  wounded  fish  makes,  seems 
sufficient  to  upset  a far  more  stable  vessel. 

Yet  the  natives  manage  to  pass  hour  after 
hour  without  meeting  with  an  accident,  and 
in  one  of  their  tiny  boats,  which  seem  scarcely 
large  enough  to  hold  a single  European, 
even  though  he  should  be  accustomed  to 
the  narrow  outrigger  skiff,  or  the  com- 
paratively modern  canoe,  two  men  will  be 
perfectly  comfortable,  spearing  and  hauling 
in  their  fish,  and  even  cooking  them  with  a 
fire  made  on  an  extemporized  hearth  of  wet 
sand  and  stones  in  the  middle  of  the  canoe. 

Night  is  the  favorite  time  for  fish  spear- 
ing, and  then  the  sight  of  a number  of  na- 
tives engaged  in  the  watery  chase  is  a most 
picturesque  one.  They  carry  torches,  by 
means  of  which  they  see  to  the  bottom  of 
the  water,  and  which  have  also  the  advan- 
tage of  dazzling  the  fish;  and  the  effect  of 
the  constantly  moving  torches,  the  shifting 
glare  on  the  rippled  water,  and  the  dark 
figures  moving  about,  some  searching  for 
fish,  others  striking,  and  others  struggling 
with  the  captured  prey,  is  equally  pictu- 
resque and  exciting.  The  torches  which 
they  use  are  made  of  inflammable  bark; 
and  the  whole  scene  is  almost  precisely 
like  that  which  is  witnessed  in  “ burning 
the  water,”  in  North  America,  or,  to  come 
nearer  home,  “ leistering  ” in  Scotland. 

In  the  daytime  they  cannot  use  the  torch, 
and,  as  the  slightest  breeze  will  cause  a 
ripple  on  the  surface  of  the  water  that  effec- 
tually prevents  them  from  seeing  the  fish, 
they  have  an  ingenious  plan  of  lying  flat 
across  the  canoe,  with  the  upper  part  of  the 
head  and  the  eyes  immersed  in  the  water, 
and  the  hand  grasping  the  spear  ready  for 
the  stroke.  The  eyes  being  under  the  rip- 
ple, they  can  see  distinctly  enough. 

I have  often  employed  this  plan  when 
desirous  of  watching  the  proceedings  of  sub- 
aquatic  animals.  It  is  very  effectual,  though 
after  a time  the  attitude  becomes  rather 
fatiguing,  and  those  wlio  are  not  gymnasts 
enough  to  be  independent  as  to  the  relative 
position  of  their  heads  and  heels  are  apt  to 
find  themselves  giddy  from  the  determina- 
tion of  blood  to  the  head. 

Another  spear,  also  used  for  fishing,  and 
with  an  elaborate  head,  is  seen  at  fig  8.  In 
this  spear  one  point  is  iron,  and  the  other 
two  are  bone.  The  weapon  is  remarkable 
for  the  manner  in  which  the  shaft  is  allowed 
to  project  among  the  points,  and  for  the 
peculiar  mode  in  which  the  various  parts 
are  lashed  together.  This  specimen  comes 
from  the  Lower  Murray  River. 

There  is  in  my  collection  a weapon  which 
was  brought  from  Cape  York.  It  is  a fish- 
ing spear,  and  at  first  sight  greatly  resem- 
bles that  which  has  just  been  described.  It 
is,  however,  of  a more  elaborate  character, 
and  deserves  a separate  description.  It  is 
seven  feet  in  length,  and  very  slender,  the 


AUSTRALIAN  AS  A THROWER  OF  MISSILES. 


729 


thickest  part  of  the  shaft  not  being  more 
than  half  an  inch  in  diameter.  It  has  four 

{)oints,  two  of  which  are  iron  and  without 
)arbs,  the  iron  being  about  the  thickness 
of  a crow-quill,  and  rather  under  three 
inches  in  length.  The  two  bone  points 
are  made  from  the  flat  tail-bone  of  one  of 
the  rays,  and,  being  arranged  with  the  point 
of  the  bone  in  front,  each  of  these  points 
has  a double  row  of  barbs  directed  back- 
ward, one  running  along  each  edge. 

At  fig.  6 of  the  same  illustration  is  seen  a 
very  formidable  variety  of  the  throwing- 
spear.  Along  each  side  of  the  head  the 
native  warrior  has  cut  a groove,  and  has 
stuck  in  it  a number  of  chips  of  flint  or 
quartz,  fastened  in  their  places  by  the  black- 
boy  gum,  just  as  has  been  related  of  the 
saw.  The  workmanship  of  this  specimen 
is,  however,  far  ruder  than  that  of  the  saw, 
the  pieces  of  flint  not  being  the  same  size, 
nor  so  carefully  adjusted.  Indeed,  it  seems 
as  if  the  saw  maker  laid  aside  the  frag- 
ments of  flint  which  he  rejected  for  the 
tool,  and  afterward  used  them  in  arming  the 
head  of  his  spear.  One  of  these  weapons 
in  my  collection  is  armed  on  one  side  of  the 
head  only,  along  which  are  arranged  four 
pieces  of  obsidian  having  very  jagged  edges, 
and  being  kept  in  their  places  by  a thick 
coating  of  black-boy  gum  extending  to  the 
very  point  of  the  spear. 

At  figs  4 and  5 of  the  same  illustration 
are  seen  two  spear  heads  which  remind  the 
observer  of  the  flint  weapons  which  have  of 
late  years  been  so  abundantly  found  in  va- 
rious parts  of  the  world,  and  which  belonged 
to  races  of  men  now  long  extinct.  The 
spear  heads  are  nearly  as  large  as  a man’s 
hand,  and  are  made  of  flint  chipped  care- 
fully into  the  required  shape.  Tlfey  are 
flat,  and  the  maker  has  had  sufficient  knowl- 
edge of  the  cleavage  to  enable  him  to  give 
to  each  side  a sharp  and  tolerably  uniform 
edge.  It  will  be  observed  that  fig.  5 is  much 
darker  than  fig.  4.  This  distinction  is  not 
accidental,  but  very  well  expresses  the  vari- 
ety in  the  hue  of  the  material  employed, 
some  of  the  spear  heads  being  pale  brown, 
and  some  almost  black.  The  weapons  are, 
in  fact,  nothing  but  elongations  of  the  dagger 
shown  in  fig.  2,  of  the  “ tomahawks,”  on 
page  722. 

If  the  reader  will  look  at  figs.  1 and  2 of 
the  illustration,  he  will  see  that  there  are 
two  heads  of  somewhat  similar  construc- 
tion, except  that  one  is  single  and  the  other 
double.  These  spears  were  brought  from 
Port  Essington. 

^ Specimens  of  each  kind  are  in  mf  collec- 
tion. They  are  of  great  size,  one  being 
more  than  thirteen  feet  in  length,  and  the 
other  falling  but  little  short  of  that  measure- 
ment. In  diameter  they  are  as  thick  as  a 
man’s  wrist;  and,  however  light  may  be  the 
wood  of  which  they  are  made,  they  are 
exceedingly  weighty,  and  must  be  very  in- 


ferior in  efficiency  to  the  light  throwing- 
spears  which  have  already  been  described. 
Of  course  such  a weapon  as  that  is  meant  to 
be  used  as  a pike,  and  not  as  a missile.  Be- 
sides these,  I have  another  with  three  heads, 
and  of  nearly  the  same  dimensions  as  the 
two  others. 

In  every  case  the  head  and  the  shaft  are 
of  diflerent  material,  the  one  being  light  and 
porous,  and  the  other  hard,  compact,  and 
heavy.  Instead  of  being  lashed  together 
with  the  neatness  which  is  exhibited  in  the 
lighter  weapons,  the  head  and  shaft  are 
united  with  a binding  of  thick  string, 
wrapped  carefully,  but  yet  roughly,  round 
the  weapon,  and  not  being  covered  with  the 
coating  of  black-boy  gum,  which  gives  so 
neat  a look  to  the  smaller  weapons.  In  the 
three-pointed  spear,  the  maker  has  exer- 
cised his  ingenuity  in  decorating  the  weapon 
with  paint,  the  tips  of  the  points  being 
painted  with  red  and  the  rest  of  the  head 
white,  while  the  lashing  is  also  painted 
red. 

In  his  wild  state  the  Australian  native 
never  likes  to  be  without  a spear  in  his 
hand,  and,  as  may  be  expected  from  a man 
whose  subsistence  is  almost  entirely  due  to 
his  skill  in  the  use  of  weapons,  he  is  a most 
accomplished  spear  thrower.  Indeed,  as  a 
thrower  of  missiles  in  general  the  Australian 
stands  without  a rival.  Putting  aside  the 
boomerang,  of  which  we  shall  presently 
treat,  the  Australian  can  hurl  a spear  either 
with  his  hand  or  with  the  “ throAv-stick,”  can 
fling  his  short  club  Avith  unerring  aim,  and, 
even  should  he  be  deprived  of  these  missiles, 
he  has  a singular  faculty  of  throAving  stones. 
Many  a time,  before  the  character  of  the 
natives  was  knoAvn,  has  an  armed  soldier 
been  killed  by  a totally  unarmed  Australian. 
The  man  has  fired  at  the  native,  Avho,  by 
dodging  about,  has  prevented  the  enemy 
from  taking  a correct  aim,  and  then  has 
been  simply  cut  to  pieces  by  a shoAver  of 
stones,  picked  up  and  hurled  Avith  a force 
and  precision  that  must  be  seen  to  be  be- 
lieved. When  the  first  Australian  discov- 
erer came  home,  no  one  would  believe  that 
any  weapon  could  be  flung  and  then  return 
to  the  throAver,  and  even  at  the  present  day 
it  is  difficult  to  make  some  persons  believe 
in  the  stone-throAving  poAvers  of  the  Austra- 
lian. To  fling  one  stone  Avith  perfect  pre- 
cision is  not  so  easy  a matter  as  it  seems,  but 
the  Australian  Avill  hurl  one  after  the  other 
Avith  such  rapidity  that  they  seem  to  be 
poured  from  some  machine;  and  as  he 
throAvs  them  he  leaps  from  side  to  side,  so 
as  to  make  the  missiles  converge  from  dif- 
ferent directions  upon  the  unfortunate  ob- 
ject of  his  aim. 

In  order  to  attain  the  wonderful  skill 
which  they  possess  in  avoiding  as  Avell  as  in 
throwing  spears,  it  is  necessary  that  they 
should  be  in  constant  practice  from  child- 
hood. Accordingly,  they  are  fond  of  get- 


730 


AUSTRALIA. 


ting  lip  sham  fights,  armed  with  shield, 
throw-stick,  and  spear,  the  latter  weapon 
being  headless,  and  the  end  blunted  by 
being  split  and  scraped  into  filaments,  and 
the  bushy  filaments  then  turned  back,  until 
they  form  a soft  fibrous  pad.  Even  with 
this  protection,  the  weapon  is  not  to  be 
despised;  and  if  it  strike  one  of  the  com- 
batants fairly,  it  is  sure  to  knock  him  down; 
and  if  it  should  strike  him  in  the  ribs,  it 
leaves  him  gasping  for  breath.  This  mimic 
.spear  goes  by  the  name  of  “ matamoodlu,” 
and  is  made  of  various  sizes  according  to  the 
age  and  capabilities  of  the  person  who  uses  it. 

There  is  one  missile  which  is,  I believe, 
as  peculiar  to  Australia  as  the  boomerang, 
though  it  is  not  so  widely  spread,  nor  of  such 
use  in  war  or  hunting.  It  is  poiDularly  called 
the  “ kangaroo-rat,”  on  account  of  its  pe- 
culiar leaping  progression,  and  it  ma}^  be 
familiar  to  those  of  my  readers  who  saw  the 
Australian  cricketers  who  came  over  to 
England  in  the  spring  of  1868.  Tlie  “kan- 
garoo-rat” is  a piece  of  hard  ivood  shaped 
like  a double  cone,  and  having  a long  flexi- 
ble handle  projecting  from  one  of  the  points. 
The  handle  is  about  a yard  in  length,  and  as 
thick  as  an  artist’s  drawing-pencil,  and  at  a 
little  distance  the  weapon  looks  like  a huge 
tadpole  with  a much  elongated  tail.  In 
Australia  the  natives  make  the  tail  of  a 
flexible  twig,  but  those  who  have  access  to 
the  resources  of  civilization  have  found  out 
that  whalebone  is  the  best  substance  for  the 
tail  that  can  be  found. 

When  the  native  throws  the  kangaroo- 
rat,  he  takes  it  by  the  end  of  the  tail  and 
swings  it  backward  and  forward,  so  that  it 
bends  quite  double,  and  at  last  he  gives  a 
sort  of  underhanded  jerk  and  lets  it  fly.  It 
darts  through  the  air  with  a sharp  and  men- 
acing hiss  iike  the  sound  of  a rifle  ball,  its 
greatest  height  being  some  seven  or  eight 
feet  from  the  ground.  As  soon  as  it  touches 
the  earth,  it  springs  up  and  makes  a succes- 
sion of  leaps,  each  less  than  the  preceding, 
until  it  finally  stops.  In  fact,  it  skims  over 
the  ground  exactly  as  a flat  stone  skims  over 
the  water  when  boys  are  playing  at  “ ducks 
and  drakes.”  The  distance  to  which  this 
instrument  can  be  thrown  is  really  astonish- 
ing. I have  seen  an  Australian  stand  at  one 
side  of  Kennington  Oval,  and  throw  the 
“kangaroo-rat.”  completely  across  it.  Much 
depends  upon  the  angle  at  which  it  first 
takes  the  ground.  If  thrown  too  high,  it 
makes  one  or  two  lofty  leaps,  but  traverses 
no  great  distance;  and,  if  it  be  thrown  too 
low,  it  shoots  along  the  ground,  and  is  soon 
brought  up  by  the  excessive  friction,.  When 
properly  thrown,  it  looks  just  like  a living 
animal  leaping  along,  and  those  who  have 
been  accustomed  to  traverse  the  country  say 
that  its  movements  have  a wonderful  resem- 
blance to  the  long  leaps  of  a kangaroo-rat 
fleeing  in  alarm,  with  its  long  tail  trailing  as 
a balance  behind  it. 


A somewhat  similarly  shaped  missile  i.s 
used  in  Fiji,  but  the  Fijian  instrument  has  a 
stiff  shaft,  and  it  is  propelled  by  placing  the 
end  of  the  forefinger  against  the  butt,  and 
throwing  it  underhanded.  It  is  only  used  in 
a game  in  which  the  competitors  try  to  send 
it  skimming  along  the  ground  as  far  as  pos- 
sible. 

To  return  to  our  spears.  It  is  seldom 
that  an  Australian  condescends  to  throw  a 
spear  by  hand,  the  native  always  preferring 
to  use  the  curious  implement  called  by  the 
aborigines  a “ wummerah,”  or  “ midlah,”  and 
by  the  colonists  tlie  “ throw-stick.”  The 
theory  of  the  throw-stick  is  simple  enough, 
but  the  practice  is  very  difficult,  and  requires 
a long  apprenticeship  before  it  can  be  learned 
with  any  certainty. 

The  principle  of  this  implement  is  that  of 
the  sling;  and  the  throw-stick  is,  in  fact,  a 
sling  made  of  wood  instead  of  cord,  the  spear 
taking  the  place  of  the  stone.  So  completely 
is  the  throw-stick  associated  with  the  spear, 
that  the  native  would  as  soon  think  of  going 
without  his  spear  as  without  the  instrument 
whereby  he  throws  it.  The  implement  takes 
different  forms  in  different  localities,  al- 
though the  principle  of  its  construction  is 
the  same  throughout.  In  the  illustration 
entitled  “ Throw-sticks,”  on  page  731,  the 
reader  may  see  every  variety  of  form  which 
the  throw-stick  takes.  He  will  see,  on  in- 
specting the  figures,  that  it  consists  of  a stick 
of  variable  length  and  breadth,  but  alwa3^s 
having  a barblike  projection  at  one  end. 
Before  describing  the  manner  in  which 'the 
instrument  is  used,  I will  proceed  to  a short 
notice  of  the  mode  of  its  construction,  and 
the  various  forms  which  it  takes. 

In  the  first  place,  it  is  always  more  or  less 
flattened;  sometimes,  as  in  fig.  3,  being 
almost  leaf-shaped,  and  sometimes,  as  in  fig. 
6,  being  quite  narrow,  and  throughout  the 
greater  part  of  its  length  little  more  than  a 
flattened  stick.  It  is  always  made  of  some 
hard  and  elastic  wood,  and  in  many  cases  it 
is  large  and  heav^’^  enough  to  be  serviceable 
as  a club  at  close  quarters.  Indeed,  one 
very  good  specimen  in  my  collection,  which 
came  from  the  Swan  River,  was  labelled, 
when  it  reached  me,  as  an  Indian  club. 
This  form  of  the  throw-stick  is  shown  at 
fig.  3. 

"This  particular  specimen  is  a trifle  under 
two  feet  in  length;  and  in  the  broadest  part 
it  measures  four  inches  and  a half  in  width. 
In  the  centre  it  is  one-sixth  of  an  inch  in 
thickness,  and  diminishes  graduall}^  to  the 
edges,  which  are  about  as  sharp  as  those  of 
the  wooden  sword  already  mentioned.  Tow- 
ard the  end,  however,  it  becomes  thicker, 
and  at  the  place  where  the  peg  is  placed  it 
is  as  thick  as  in  the  middle.  Such  a weapon 
would  be  very  formidable  if  used  as  a club  — 
scarcely  less  so,  indeed,  than  the  well-known 
“ merai  ” of  Kew  Zealand. 


HEADS  OF  AUSTRALIAN  SPI:ARS.  (See  page  727.) 


THROW-STICKS.  (See  page  7.30.) 


BOOMERANGS.  (See  page  737.) 


(731) 


THE  THROW- STICK. 


733 


That  it  has  been  used  for  this  purpose  is 
evident  from  a fracture,  which  has  clearly 
been  caused  by  the  effect  of  a severe  blow. 
The  wood  is  split  from  one  side  of  the  handle 
half  along  the  weapon,  and  so  it  has  been 
rendered  for  a time  unserviceable.  The  care- 
ful owner  has,  however,  contrived  to  mend 
the  fracture,  and  has  done  so  in  a singularly 
ingenious  manner.  He  has  fitted  the  broken 
surfaces  accurately  together,  and  has  then 
bound  them  with  the  kangaroo-tail  sinews 
which  have  already  been  mentioned.  The 
sinews  are  flat,  and  have  been  protected  by 
a thick  coating  of  black-boy  gum.  Perhaps 
the  reader  may  be  aware  that,  when  catgut 
is  knotted,  the  ends  are  secured  by  scorching 
them,  which  makes  them  swell  into  round 
knobs.  The  sinew  has  the  same  property, 
and  the  native  has  secured  the  ends  pre- 
cisely as  an  English  artisan  would  do. 

The  wood  is  that  of  the  tough,  hard,  wavy- 
grained  gum-tree.  Whether  in  consequence 
of  much  handling  by  greasy  natives,  or 
whether  from  other  causes,  I do  not  know, 
but  I cannot  make  a label  adhere  to  it.  To 
each  of  the  specimens  in  my  collection  is 
attached  a catalogue  number,  and  though  I 
have  tried  to  affix  the  label  with  paste,  gum, 
and  glue,  neither  will  hold  it,  and  in  a few 
days  the  label  falls  off  of  its  own  accord. 
This  specimen  has  been  cut  from  a tree 
which  has  been  attacked  by  some  boring 
insect,  and  the  consequence  is,  that  a small 
hole  is  bored  through  it  edgewise,  and  has  a 
very  curious  appearance.  The  hole  looks 
exactly  like  that  of  our  well-known  insect, 
the  great  Sirex. 

The  peculiarly-shaped  handle  is  made 
entirely  of  black-boy  gum,  and,  with  the' 
exception  of  a tendency  to  warp  away  from 
the  wood,  it  is  as  firm  as  on  the  day  when  it 
was  first  made.  The  peg  which  fits  into  the 
butt  of  the  spear  is  in  this  case  made  of 
wood,  but  in  many  throw-sticks  it  is  made 
of  bone.  Figs.  1 and  2 are  examples  of  this 
flattened  form  of  midlah,  and  were  drawn 
from  specimens  in  Southern  Australia.  At 
figs.  4 and  5 may  be  seen  examples  of  the 
throw-stick  of  Port  Essington,  one  of  which, 
fig.  4,  is  remarkable  for  the  peculiarly-shaped 
handle.  That  of  fig.  5 seems  to  be  remark- 
ably inconvenient,  and  almost  to  have  been 
made  for  the  express  purpose  of  preventing 
the  native  from  taking  a firm  hold  of  the 
weapon.  Fig.  6 is  an  example  of  the  throw- 
stick  of  Queensland,  and,  as  may  easily  be 
seen,  can  be  used  as  a club,  provided  that 
it  be  reversed,  and  the  peg  end  used  as  a 
handle. 

There  is  another  form  of  throw-stick  used 
in  Korthern  Australia,  an  example  of  which 
may  be  seen  at  fig.  6.  It  is  a full  foot  longer 
than  that  which  came  from  the  Murray,  and 
is  one  of  the  “ flattened  sticks  ” which  have 
been  casually  mentioned.  It  has  a wooden 
spike  for  the  spear-butt,  and  a most  remark- 
able handle.  Two  pieces  of  melon-shell 


have  been  cut  at  rather  long  ovals,  and  have 
been  fixed  diagonally  across  the  end  of  the 
weapon,  one  on  each  side.  Black-boy  gum 
has  been  profusely  used  in  fixing  these 
pieces,  and  the  whole  of  the  interior  space 
between  the  shells  has  been  filled  up  with 
it.  A diagonal  lashing  of  sinew,  covered 
with  the  same  gum,  passes  over  the  shells, 
and  the  handle  is  strongly  wrapped  with 
the  same  material  for  a space  of  five  inches. 

We  will  now  proceed  to  sec  how  the 
native  throws  the  spear. 

Holding  the  throw-stick  by  the  handle,  so 
that  the  other  end  projects  over  his 'shoul- 
der, he  takes  a spear  in  his  left  hand,  fits  a 
slight  hollow  in  its  butt  to  the  peg  of  the 
midlah,  and  then  holds  it  in  its  place  by 
passing  the  forefinger  of  the  right  hand  over 
the  shaft.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  leverage 
is  enormously  increased  by  this  plan,  and 
that  the  force  of  the  arm  is  more  than 
doubled. 

Sometimes,  especially  when  hunting,  the 
native  throws  the  spear  without  further 
trouble,  but  when  he  is  engaged  in  a fight 
he  goes  through  a series  of  performances 
which  are  rather  ludicrous  to  an  European, 
though  they  are  intended  to  strike  terror 
into  the  native  enemy.  The  spear  is  jerked 
about  violently,  so  that  it  quivers  just  like 
an  African  assagai,  and  while  vibrating 
strongly  it  is  thrown.  There  are  two  ways 
of  quivering  the  spear;  the  one  by  merely 
moving  the  right  hand,  and  the  other  by 
seizing  the  shaft  in  the  left  hand,  and  shak- 
ing it  violently  while  the  butt  rests  against 
the  peg  of  the  throw-stick.  In  any  case  the 
very  fact  of  quivering  the  spear  acts  on  the 
Australian  warrior  as  it  does  upon  the  Afri- 
can. The  whirring  sound  of  the  vibrating 
weapon  excites  him  to  a pitch  of  frenzied 
excitement,  and  while  menacing  his  foe  with 
the  trembling  spear,  the  warrior  dances  and 
leaps  and  yells  as  if  he  were  mad  — and 
indeed  for  the  moment  he  becomes  a raving 
madman. 

The  distance  to  which  the  spear  can  be 
thrown  is  something  wonderful,  and  its  as- 
pect as  it  passes  through  the  air  is  singu- 
larly beautiful.  It  seems  rather  to  have 
been  shot  from  some  huge  bow,  or  to  be  fur- 
nished with  some  innate  powers  of  flight, 
than  to  have  been  flung  from  a human  arm, 
as  it  performs  its  lofty  course,  undulating 
like  a thin  black  snake,  and  writhing  its 
graceful  way  through  the  air.  As  it  leaves 
the  thro w^-stick,.  a slight  clashing  sound  is 
heard,  which  to  the  experienced  ear  tells  its 
story  as  clearly  as  the  menacing  clang  of  an 
archer’s  bowstring. 

To  me  the  distance  of  its  flight  is  not 
nearly  so  wonderful  as  the  precision  with 
which  it  can  be  aimed.  A tolerabl}’  long 
throw-stick  gives  so  powerful  a leverage  that 
the  length  of  range  is  not  so  very  astonish- 
ing. But  that  accuracy  of  aim  should  be 
attained  as  well  as  length  of  flight  is  reaUy 


734 


AUSTEALIA. 


wonderful.  I have  seen  the  natives,  when 
engaged  in  mock  battle,  stand  at  a distance 
of  eighty  or  ninety  yards,  and  throw  their 
spears  with  such  certainty  that,  in  four 
throws  out  of  six,  the  antagonist  was 
obliged  to  move  in  order  to  escape  the 
spears. 

Beside  the  powerful  and  lofty  throw,  they 
have  a way  of  suddenly  flinging  it  under- 
hand, so  that  it  skims  just  above  the  ground, 
and,  when  it  touches  the  earth,  proceeds 
with  a series  of  ricochets  that  must  be  pecul- 
iarly embarrassing  to  a novice  in  that  kind 
of  warfare. 

The  power  of  the  spear  is  never  better 
shown  than  in  the  chase  of  the  kangaroo. 
When  a native  sees  one  of  these  animals 
engaged  in  feeding,  he  goes  off  to  a little 
distance  where  it  cannot  see  him,  gathers  a 
few  leafy  boughs,  and  ties  them  together  so 
as  to  form  a screen.  lie  then  takes  his 
spears,  throw-stick,  and  waddy,  and  goes  off 
in  chase  of  the  kangaroo.  Taking  advantage 
of  every  cover,  he  slips  noiselessly  forward, 
always  taking  care  to  approach  the  animal 
against  the  wind,  so  that  it  shall  not  be  able 
to  detect  his  presence  by  the  nostrils,  and 
gliding  along  with  studied  avoidance  of 
withered  leaves,  dry  twigs,  and  the  other 
natural  objects  which,  by  their  rustling  and 
snapping,  warn  the  animal  that  danger  is  at 
hand. 

As  long  as  possible,  the  hunter  keeps  under 
the  shelter  of  natural  cover,  but  when  this  is 
impossible,  he  takes  to  his  leafy  screen,  and 
trusts  to  it  for  approaching  within  range. 
Before  quitting  the  trees  or  bush  behind 
which  he  has  been  hiding  himself,  he  takes 
liis  spear,  fits  it  to  the  throw-stick,  raises  his 
arm  with  the  spear  ready  poised,  and  never 
moves  that  arm  until  it  delivers  the  .spear. 
Holding  the  leafy  screen  in  front  of  him 
with  his  left  hand,  and  disposing  the  second 
spear  and  other  weapons  which  cannot  be 
hidden  so  as  to  look  like  dead  branches  grow- 
ing from  the  bush,  he  glides  carefully  toward 
the  kangaroo,  always  advancing  while  it 
stoops  to  feed,  and  crouching  quietly  behind 
the  screen  whenever  it  raises  itself,  after  the 
fashion  of  kangaroos,  and  surveys  the  sur- 
rounding country. 

At  last  he  comes  within  fair  range,  and 
with  unerring  aim  he  transfixes  the  un- 
suspecting kangaroo.  Sometimes  he  comes 
upon  several  animals,  and  in  that  case  his 
second  spear  is  rapidly  fixed  in  the  midlah 
and  hurled  at  the  flying  animals,  and,  should 
he  have  come  to  tolerably  close  quarters,  the 
short  missile  club  is  flung  with  certain  aim. 
Having  thrown  all  the  missiles  which  he 
finds  available,  he  proceeds  to  despatch  the 
wounded  animals  with  his  waddy. 

In  the  illustration  No.  1,  on  the  739tli  page, 
the  action  of  the  throw-stick  is  well  shoAvn, 
and  tAvo  scenes  in  the  hunt  are  depicted.  In 
the  foreground  is  a hunter  who  has  succeeded 
in  getting  tolerably  close  to  the  kangaroos 


by  creeping  toAvard  them  behind  the  shadow 
of  trees,  and  is  just  poising  his  spear  for  the 
fatal  throAv.  The  reader  will  note  the  curi- 
ous bone  ornament  Avhich  passes  through 
the  septum  of  the  nose,  and  gives  such  a curi- 
ous character  to  the  face.  In  the  background 
is  another  hunter,  Avho  has  been  obliged  to 
have  recourse  to  the  bough  screen,  behind 
AAdiich  he  is  hiding  himself  like  the  soldiers 
in  “ .Vlacbeth,”  Avhilc  the  unmspecting  kan- 
garoos are  quietly  feeding  AA'ithin  easy  range. 
One  of  them  has  taken  alarm,  and  is  sitting 
upright  to  look  about  it,  just  as  the  squirrel 
will  do  AA’^hile  it  is  feeding  on  the  ground. 

The  reader  will  noAv  see  the  absolute 
necessity  of  an  accurate  aim  in  the  throAver 
— an  accomplishment  AA’hich  to  me  is  a prac- 
tical mystery.  I can  hurl  the  spear  to  a con- 
siderable distance  by  means  of  a throAA'-stick, 
but  the  aim  is  quite  another  business,  the 
spear  seeming  to  take  an  independent  course 
of  its  OAvn  AAuthout  the  least  reference  to  the 
Avishes  of  the  throAver.  Yet  the  Australian 
is  so  good  a marksman  that  he  can  make 
good  practice  at  a man  at  the  distance  of 
eighty  or  ninety  yards,  making  due  allow- 
ance for  the  Avind,  and  calculating  the  curve 
described  by  the  spear  Avith  AA’onderful  ac- 
curacy; Avhile  at  a short  distance  his  eye  and 
hand  are  equally  true,  and  he  will  transfix  a 
kangaroo  at  tAventy  or  thirty  yards  as  cer- 
tainly as  it  could  be  shot  by  an  experienced 
rifleman. 

In  some  parts  of  Australia  the  natives  use 
the  boAV  and  arroAv;  but  the  employment  of 
such  Aveapons  seems  to  belong  chiefly  to  the 
inhabitants  of  the  extreme  north.  There 
are  in  my  collection  specimens  of  boAvs  and 
arrows  brought  from  Cape  York,  Avhich  in 
their  Avay  are  really  admirable  Aveapons,  and 
Avould  do  credit  to  the  archers  of  Polynesia. 
The  bow  is  more  than  six  feet  long,  and  is 
made  from  the  male,  i.  e.  the  solid  bamboo. 
It  is  very  stiff,  and  a poAverful  as  Avell  as  a 
practised  arm  is  needed  to  bend  it  properly. 

Like  the  spear  shaft,  this  boAv  is  greatly 
subject  to  being  AAwm-eaten.  My  OAvn  speci- 
men is  so  honeycombed  by  these  tiny  borers 
that  Avhen  it  arrived  a little  heap  of  yelloAV 
poAvder  fell  to  the  ground  Avherever  the  bow 
Avas  set,  and,  if  it  Avere  sharply  struck,  a 
cloud  of  the  same  poAvder  came  from  it. 
Fortunately,  the  same  looseness  of  texture 
AAdiich  enabled  the  beetle  to  make  such  havoc 
served  also  to  conduct  the  poisoned  spirit 
which  I injected  into  the  holes;  and  noAV  the 
ravages  have  ceased,  and  not  the  most  vora- 
cious insect  in  existence  can  touch  the  Avea- 
pon.  The  string  is  very  simply  made,  being 
nothing  but  a piece  of  rattan  split  to  ihe  re- 
quired thickness.  Perhaps  the  most  ingen- 
ious part  of  this  boAv  is  tlie  manner  in  which 
the  loop  is  made.  Although  unacquainted 
vAuth  the  simple  yet  effective  boAvstring  knot, 
Avhich  is  so  AA^ell  knoAvn  to  our  archers,  and 
Avhich  would  not  suit  the  stiff  and  harsh  rat- 
tan^ Te  native  has  invented  a knot  AAdiich  is 


THE  BOW  AND  AllIlOWS. 


735 


Cfuite  as  efficacious,  and  is  managed  on  the 
same  principle  of  taking  several  turns,  with 
the  cord  round  itself  just  below  the  loop.  In 
order  to  give  the  rattan  the  needful  flexibility 
ic  has  been  beaten  so  as  to  separate  it  into 
fibres  and  break  up  the  hard,  flinty  coating 
which  surrounds  it,  and  these  fibres  have 
then  been  twisted  round  and  round  into  a 
) ort  of  rude  cord,  guarded  at  the  end  with  a 
wrapping  of  the  same  matHidal  in  order  to 
preserve  if  from  unravelling. 

The  arrows  arc  suitable  to  the  bow.  They 
are  variable  in  length,  but  all  are  much 
longer  than  those  which  the  English  bow- 
men were  accustomed  to  use,  and,  instead  of 
being  a “ cloth  yard  ” in  length,  the  shortest 
measures  three  feet  seven  inches  in  length, 
while  the  longest  is  four  feet  eight  inches 
from  butt  to  point.  They  are  without  a 
vestige  of  feathering,  and  have  no  nock,  so 
that  the  native  archer  is  obliged  to  hold  the 
arrow  against  the  string  with  his  thumb  and 
finger,  and  cannot  draw  the  bow  with  the 
fore  and  middle  finger,  as  all  good  English 
archers  have  done  ever  since  the  bow  was 
known. 

The  shafts  of  the  arrows  are  made  of  reed, 
and  they  are  all  headed  with  long  spikes  of 
some  dark  and  heavy  wood,  which  enable 
them  to  fly  properly.  Some  of  the  heads  are 
plain,  rounded  spikes,  but  others  are  elabo- 
rately barbed.  One,  for  example,  has  a sin- 
gle row  of  six  barbs,  each  an  inch  in  length, 
and  another  has  one  double  barb,  like  that 
of  the  “ broad  arrow  ” of  England.  Another 
has,  instead  of  a barb,  a smooth  bulb,  ending 
gradually  in  a spike,  and  serving  no  possible 
purpose,  except  perhaps  that  of  ornament. 
Another  has  two  of  these  bulbs;  and  another, 
the  longest  of  them  all,  has  a slight  bulb,  and 
then  an  attempt  at  carving.  The  pattern  is 
of  the  very  simplest  character,  but  it  is  the 
only  piece  of  carving  on  all  the  weapons. 
The  same  arrow  is  remarkable  for  having 
the  point  covered  for  some  two  inches  with 
a sort  of  varnish,  looking  exactly  like  red 
sealing-wax,  while  a band  of  the  same  ma- 
terial encircles  the  head  about  six  inches 
nearer  the  shaft.  The  sailor  who  brought 
the  weapons  over  told  me  that  this  red  var- 
nish was  poison,  but  I doubt  exceedingly 
whether  it  is  anything  but  ornament. 

The  end  of  the  reed  into  which  the  head 
is  inserted  is  guarded  by  a wrapping  of 
rattan  fibre,  covered  with  a sort  of  dark  var- 
nish, which,  however,  is  not  the  black-boy 
gum  that  is  so  plentifully  used  in  the  manu- 
facture of  other  weapons.  In  one  instance 
tlie  place  of  the  wrapping  is  taken  by  an 
inch  or  so  of  plaiting,  wrought  so  beauti- 
fully with  the  outside  of  the  rattan  cut  into 
flat  strips  scarcely  wider  than  ordinary 
twine,  that  it  betrays  the  Polynesian  origin 
of  the  weapons,  and  confirms  me  in  the 
belief  that  the  bow  and  arrow  are  not  in- 
digenous to  Australia,  but  have  only  been 
imported  from  New  Guinea,  and  have  not 


made  their  way  inland.  The  natives  of 
Northern  Australia  have  also  evidently  bor- 
rowed much  from  Polynesia,  as  we  shall  see 
in  the  coursb  of  this  narrative. 

The  bow  is  usually  about  six  feet  in 
length,  though  one  in  my  possession  is 
somewhat  longer.  Owing  to  the  dimen- 
sions of  the  bow  and  arrows,  a full  equip- 
ment of  them  is  very  weighty,  and,  together 
with  the  other  weapons  which  an  Austra- 
lian thinks  it  his  duty  to  cany,  must  be  no 
slight  burden  to  the  warrior. 

Ferocity  of  countenance  is  very  charac- 
teristic of  the  race,  and,  as  we  shall  see 
when  we  come  to  the  canoes  and  their  occu- 
pants, the  people  are  very  crafty;  mild  and 
complaisant  when  they  think  themselves 
overmatched,  insolent  and  menacing  when 
they  fancy  themselves  suj)erior,  and  tolera- 
bly sure  to  commit  murder  if  they  think 
they  can  do  so  with  impunity.  The  only 
mode  of  dealing  with  these  people  is  the 
safe  one  to  adopt  with  all  savages:  i.  o. 
never  trust  them,  and  never  cheat  them. 

We  now  come  to  that  most  wonderful  of 
all  weapons,  the  boomerang.  This  is  essen- 
tially the  national  weapon  of  Australia,  and 
is  found  throughout  the  W est  country.  As 
far  as  is  known,  it  is  peculiar  to  Australia, 
and,  though  curious  missiles  are  found  in 
other  parts  of  the  world,  there  is  none  which 
can  be  compared  with  the  boomerang. 

On  one  of  the  old  Egyptian  monuments 
there  is  a figure  of  a bird-catcher  in  a canoe. 
He  is  assisted  by  a cat  whom  he  has  taught 
to  catch  prey  for  him,  and,  as  the  l)irds  fly 
out  of  the  reeds  among  which  he  is  pushing 
his  canoe,  he  is  hurling  at  them  a curved 
missile  which  some  persons  have  thought  to 
be  the  boomerang.  I cannot,  however,  see 
that  there  is  the  slightest  reason  for  such  a 
supposition. 

No  weapon  in  the  least  like  the  boome- 
rang is  at  present  found  in  any  part  of 
Africa,  and,  so  far  as  I know,  there  is  no 
example  of  a really  efficient  weapon  having 
entirely  disappeared  from  a whole  continent 
The  harpoon  with  which  the  Egyptians  of 
old  killed  the  hippopotamus  is  used  at  the 
present  day  without  the  least  alteration;  the 
net  is  used  for  catching  fish  in  the  same 
manner;  the  spear  and  shield  of  the  Egyp- 
tian infantry  were  identical  in  shape  with 
those  of  the  Kanemboo  soldier,  a portrait  of 
whom  may  be  seen  on  page  (512;  the  bow 
and  arrow  still  survive;  and  even  the  whip 
with  which  the  Eg}'-ptian  task  masters  beat 
their  Jewish  servants  is  the  “khoorbash’* 
with  which  the  Nubian  of  the  present  day 
beats  his  slave. 

In  all  probability,  the  curved  weapon 
which  the  bird-catcher  holds  in  his  hand, 
and  which  he  is  about  to  throw,  is  nothing 
more  than  a short  club,  analogous  to  the 
knob-kerry  of  the  Kaffir,  and  having  no 
returning  power.  Varying  slightly  in  some 
of  its  details,  the  boonierang  fs  identical  iu 


736 


AUSTKALIA. 


principle  wherever  it  is  made.  It  is  a flat- 
tish  curved  piece  of  wood,  various  examples 
of  whicli  may  be  seen  in  the  illustration  on 
the  731st  page;* and  neither  by  its  shape 
nor  nniterial  does  it  give  the  least  idea  of  its 
wonderful  powers. 

The  material  of  which  the  boomerang  (or 
bommereng,  as  the  word  is  sometimes  ren- 
dered) is  made  is  almost  invariably  that  of 
the  gum-tree,  which  is  heavy,  hard,  and 
tough,  and  is  able  to  sustain  a tolerably 
severe  shock  without  breaking.  It  is  slightly 
convex  on  the  upper  surface,  and  flat  below, 
and  is  always  thickest  in  the  middle,  being 
scraped  away  toward  the  edges,  whic  h are 
moderately  sharp,  especially  the  outer  edge. 
It  is  used  as  a missile,  and  it  is  one  of  the 
strangest  weapons  tha,t  ever  was  invented. 

In  the  old  fairy  tales,  with  which  we  are 
more  or  less  acquainted,  one  of  the  strange 
gifts  which  is  presented  by  the  fairy  to  the 
hero  is  often  a weapon  of  some  wonderful 
power.  Thus  we  have  the  sword  of  sharp- 
ness, which  cut  through  every  thing  at 
which  it  was  aimed,  and  the  coat  of  mail, 
which  no  weapon  would  pierce.  It  is  a pity, 
by  the  way,  that  the  sword  and  the  coat 
never  seem  to  have  been  tried  against  each 
other.  Then  there  are  arrows  (in  more 
modern  tales  modified  into  bullets)  that 
always  struck  their  mark,  and  so  on.  And 
in  one  of  the  highest  flights  of  fairy  lore  we 
read  of  arrows  that  always  returned  of  their 
own  accord  to  the  archer. 

In  Australia,  however,  we  have,  as  an 
actual  fact,  a missile  that  can  be  thrown  to 
a considerable  distance,  and  which  always 
returns  to  the  thrower.  By  a pecuiiar  mode 
of  hurling  it  the  weapon  circles  through  the 
air,  and  then  describes  a circular  course, 
falling  by  the  side  of  or  behind  the  man 
who  threw  it.  The  mode  of  throvdng  is 
very  simple  in  theory,  and  very  difficult  in 
practice.  The  weapon  is  grasped  by  the 
handle,  which  is  usually  marked  by  a num- 
ber of  cross  cuts,  so  as  to  give  a firm  hold, 
and  the  flat  side  is  kept  downward.  Then, 
with  a quick  and  sharp  fling,  the  boomerang 
is  hurled,  the  hand  at  the  same  time  being 
drawn  back,  so  as  to  make  the  weapon 
revolve  with  extreme  rapidity.  A billiard- 
player  will  understand  the  sort  of  move- 
ment when  told  that  it  is  on  the  same  prin- 
ciple as  the  “screw-back”  stroke  at  billiards. 
The  weapon  must  be  flung  with  great  foia*e, 
or  it  will  not  perform  its  evolutions  properly. 

If  the  reader  'would  like  to  practice  throw- 
ing the  boomerang,  let  me  recommend  him, 
in  the  first  place,  to  procure  a genuine 
weapon,  and  not  an  English  imitation  there- 
of, such  as  is  generally  sold  at  the  toy-shops. 
He  should  then  go  alone  into  a large  field, 
where  the  ground  is  tolerably  soft  and  there 
are  no  large  stones  about,  and  then  stand 
facing  the  wind.  Having  grasped  it  as 
described,  he  should  mark  with  his  eye  a 
spot  on  the  ground  at  the  distance  of  forty 


yards  or  so,  and  hurl  the  boomerang  at  it. 
Should  he  throw  it  rightly,  the  weapon  will 
at  first  look  as  if  it  were  going  to  strike  tlio 
ground;  but,  instead  of  doing  so,  it  will 
shoot  off  at  a greater  or  less  angle,  accord- 
ing to  circumstances,  and  will  rise  high  into 
the  air,  circling  round  with  gradually' dimin- 
ishing force,  until  it  falls  to  the  ground. 
Should  sufficient  force  have  been  imparted 
to  it,  the  boomerang  will  fall  some  eight  or 
ten  yards  behind  the  thrower. 

It  is  necessary  that  the  thrower  should  be 
alone,  or  at  least  have  only  an  instructor 
with  him,  when  he  practises  this  art,  as  the 
boomerang  will,  in  inexperienced  hands, 
take  all  kinds  of  strange  courses,  and  will, 
in  all  probability,  swerve  from  its  line,  and 
strike  one  of  the  spectators;  and  the  force 
with  which  a boomerang  can  strike  is  almost 
incredible.  I have  seen  a dog  killed  on  the 
spot,  its  body  being  nearly  cut  in  two  b}^  the 
boomerang  as  it  fell;  and  I once  saw  a brass 
spur  struck  clean  off  the  heel  of  an  incau- 
tious spectator,  who  ran  across  the  path  of 
the  weapon. 

It  is  necessary  that  he  choose  a soft  as  well 
as  spacious  field,  as  the  boomerang  has  a spcr 
cial  knack  of  selecting  the  hardest  spots  on 
which  to  fall,  and  if  it  can  find  a large  stone 
is  sure  to  strike  it,  and  so  break  itself  to 
pieces.  And  if  there  are  trees  in  the  way, 
it  will  get  among  the  boughs,  perhaps  smash 
itself,  certainly  damage  itself,  and  probably 
stick  among  the  branches.  The  learner 
should  throw  also  against  the  wind,  as,  if 
the  boomerang  is  thrown  with  the  wind,  it 
does  not  think  of  coming  back  again,  but 
sails  on  as  if  it  never  meant  to  stop,  and  is 
sure  to  reach  a wonderful  distance  before  it 
falls. 

Nearly  thirty  years  ago,  I lost  a boome- 
rang by  this  very  error.  In  company  wilh 
some  of  my  schoolfellows,  I was  throwing  the 
weapon  for  their  amusement,  when  one  of 
them  snatched  it  up,  turned  round,  and 
threw  it  with  all  his  force  in  the  direction 
of  the  wind.  The  distance  to  which  the 
weapon  travelled  I am  afraid  to  mention, 
lest  it  should  not  be  believed.  The  ground 
in  that  neighborhood  is  composed  of  suc- 
cessive undulations  of  hill  and  vale,  and  we 
saw  the  boomerang  cross  two  of  the  valleys, 
and  at  last  disappear  into  a grove  of  lime- 
trees  that  edged  the  churchyard. 

In  vain  we  sought  for  the  weapon,  and  it 
was  not  found  until  four  years  afterward, 
when  a plumber,  who  had  been  sent  to  re- 
pair the  roof  of  the  church,  found  it  stick- 
ing in  the  leads.  So  it  had  first  traversed 
that  extraordinary  distance,  had  then  cut 
clean  through  the  foliage  of  a lime-tree, 
and  lastly  had  sufficient  force  to  stick  into 
the  leaden  roofing  of  a church.  The  boome- 
rang was  brought  down  half  decayed,  and 
wrenched  out  of  its  proper  form  by  the 
shock. 

Should  the  reader  wish  to  learn  the  use 


THE  BOOMEllANG. 


737 


of  the  weapon,  he  should  watch  a native 
throw  it.  The  attitude  of  the  man  as  he 
hurls  the  boomerang  is  singularly  graceful. 
Holding  three  or  four  of  the  weapons  in  his 
left  hand,  he  draws  out  one  at  random  with 
his  right,  while  his  eyes  are  fixed  on  the 
object  v/hich  he  desires  to  hit,  or  the  spot 
to  which  the  weapon  has  to  travel.  Bal- 
ancing the  boomerang  for  a moment  in  his 
hand,  he  suddenly  steps  a pace  or  two  for- 
ward, and  with  a quick,  sharp,  almost  angry 
stroke,  launches  his  weapon  into  the  air. 

Should  he  desire  to  bring  the  boomerang 
back  again,  he  has  two  modes  of  throwing. 
In  the  one  mode,  he  flings  it  high  in  the  air, 
into  which  it  mounts  to  a wonderful  height, 
circling  the  while  with  a bold,  vigorous  sweep, 
that  reminds  the  observer  of  the  grand 
flight  of  the  eagle  or  the  buzzard.  It  flies 
on  until  it  has  reached  a spot  behind  the 
thrower,  wlien  ail  life  seems  suddenly  to 
die  out  of  it;  it  collapses,  so  to  speak,  like 
a bird  shot  on  the  wing,  topples  over  and 
over,  and  falls  to  the  ground. 

There  is  another  mode  of  throwing  the 
returning  boomerang  which  is  even  more 
remarkable.  The  thrower,  instead  of  aim- 
ing high  in  the  air,- marks  out  a spot  on  the 
ground  some  thirty  or  forty  yards  in  ad- 
vance, and  Inirls  the  boomerang  at  it.  The 
weapon  strikes  the  ground,  and,  instead  of 
being  smashed  to  pieces,  as  might  be  thought 
from  tlie  violence  of  the  stroke,  it  springs 
from  the  ground  AntDeus-like,  seeming  to 
attain  new  vigor  by  its  contact  with  the 
earth.  It  flies  up  as  if  it  had  been  shot 
from  the  ground  by  a catapult;  and,  taking 
a comparatively  low  elevation,  performs  the 
most  curious  evolutions,  whirling  so  rapidly 
that  it  looks  like  a semi-transparent  disc 
with  an  opaque  centre,  and  directing  its 
course  in  an  erratic  manner  that  is  very 
alarming  to  those  who  are  unaccustomed 
to  it.  I have  seen  it  execute  all  its  manoeu- 
vres within  seven  or  eight  feet  from  the 
ground,  hissing  as  it  passed  through  the  air 
with  a strangely  menacing  sound,  and,  when 
it  finally  came  to  the  ground,  leaping  along 
as  if  it  were  a living  creature. 

We  will  now  examine  the  various  shapes 
of  boomerangs,  as  seen  in  the  illustration 
on  the  731st  page.  Some  of  the  specimens 
are  taken  from  the  British  Museum,  some 
from  the  collection  of  Colonel  Lane  Fox, 
some  from  my  own,  and  the  rest  are  drawn 
by  Mr.  Angas  from  specimens  obtained  in 
the  country.  I have  had  them  brought  to- 
gether, so  that  the  reader  may  see  how  the 
boomerang  has  been  gradually  modified  out 
of  the  club. 

At  fig.  4 is  the  short  pointed  stick  which 
may  either  answer  the  purpose  of  a minia- 
ture club,  a dagger,  or  an  instrument  to  be 
used  in  the  ascent  of  trees.  Just  below  it 
is  a club  or  waddy,  with  a rounded  head, 
and  at  fig.  6 the  head  has  been  developed 
into  a point,  and  rather  flattened.  If  the 


reader  will  refer  to  figs.  6 and  7,  he  will 
sec  two  clubs  which  are  remarkable  for 
having  not  only  the  knob,  but  the  whole  of 
the  handle  flattened,  and  the  curve  of  the 
head  extended  to  the  handle. 

The  transition  from  this  club  to  the  l)Oome- 
rang  is  simple  enough,  and,  indeed,  we  have 
an  example  (fig.  1)  of  a weapon  which  looks 
like  an  ordinary  l)oomerang,  but  is  in  fact 
a club,  and  is  used  for  hand-to-hand  combat. 

These  figures  show  pretty  clearly  the  pro- 
gressive structure  of  the  boomerang.  The 
flattened  clubs  were  probably  made  from 
necessity,  the  native  not  being  able  to  find  a 
suitable  piece  of  wood,  and  taking  the  best 
that  he  could  get.  If,  then,  one  of  these 
clubs  were,  on  the  spur  of  the  moment, 
hurled  at  an  object,  the  superior  value  which 
this  flatness  conferred  upon  it  as  a missile 
would  be  evident  as  well  as  the  curved 
course  which  it  would  take  through  the  air. 
The  native,  ever  quick  to  note  anything 
which  might  increase  the  power  of  his 
weapons,  would  be  sure  to  notice  this  latter 
peculiarity,  and  to  perceive  the  valuable 
uses  to  which  it  could  be  turned.  He  would 
therefore  try  various  forms  of  flattened  mis- 
siles, until  he  at  last  reached  the  true  boom- 
erang. 

The  strangest  point  about  the  boomerang 
is,  that  the  curve  is  not  uniform,  and,  in  fact, 
scarcely  any  two  specimens  have  precisely 
the  same  curve.  Some  have  the  curve  so 
sharp  that  it  almost  deserves  the  name  of 
angle,  for  an  example  of  which  see  fig.  8; 
others,  as  in  fig.  9,  have  the  curve  very 
slight;  while  others,  as  in  fig.  2,  have  a ten- 
dency to  a double  curve,  and  there  is  a spec- 
imen in  the  British  Museum  in  which  the 
double  curve  is  very  boldly  marked.  The 
best  and  typical  form  of  boomerang  is,  how- 
ever, that  which  is  shown  at  fig.  3.  The  spec- 
imen which  is  there  represented  was  made 
on  the  banks  of  the  river  Darling. 

The  natives  can  do  almost  anything  with 
the  boomerang,  and  the  circuitous  course 
which  it  adopts  is  rendered  its  most  useful 
characteristic.  Many  a hunter  has  wished 
that  he  only  possessed  that  invaluable 
weapon,  a gun  which  would  shoot  round  a 
corner,  and  just  such  a Aveapon  does  the 
Australian  find  in  his  boomerang.  If,  for 
example,  he  should  see  a kangaroo  in  such  a 
position  that  he  cannot  come  within  the 
range  of  a spear  Avithout  showing  himself 
and  alarming  the  animal,  or  say,  for  ex- 
ample, that  it  is  sheltered  from  a direct 
attack  by  the  trunk  of  a tree,  he  Avill  steal  as 
near  as  he  can  without  disturbing  the  ani- 
mal, and  then  Avill  throAV  his  boomerang  in 
such  a manner  that  it  circles  round  the 
tree,  and  strikes  the  animal  at  which  it  is 
aimed. 

That  such  precision  should  be  obtained 
with  so  curious  a weapon  seems  rather  re- 
markable, but  those  of  my  readers  Avho  are 
accustomed  to  play  at  boAvls  will  call  to 


738 


AUSTRALIA. 


mind  the  enormous  power  which  is  given  to 
them  by  the  “ bias,”  or  weighted  side  of  the 
bowl,  and  the  bold  curves  which  they  can 
force  the  missile  to  execute,  when  they  wish 
to  send  the  bowl  round  a number  of  obsta- 
cles which  are  in  its  way.  The  boomerang 
is  used  as  a sort  of  aerial  bowl,  with  the 
advantage  that  the  expert  thrower  is  able 
to  alter  the  bias  at  will,  and  to  make  the 
weapon  describe  almost  any  curve  that  he 
chooses. 

It  is  even  said  that,  in  case  there  should 
be  obstacles  which  prevent  the  boomerang 
from  passing  round  the  tree,  the  native  has 
the  power  of  throwing  it  so  that  it  strikes 
the  ground  in  front  of  the  tree,  and  then,  by 
the  force  of  the  throw,  leaps  over  the  top  of 
the  branches,  and  descends  upon  the  object 
at  which  it  is  thrown. 

On  page  739  is  shown  a scene  on  the  river 
Murray,  in  which  the  natives  are  drawn  as 
they  appear  when  catching  the  shag,  a spe- 
cies of  cormorant,  which  is  found  there  in 
great  numbers.  They  capture  these  birds 
in  various  ways,  sometimes  by  climbing  at 
night  the  trees  on  which  they  roost,  and 
seizing  them,  getting  severely  bitten,  by  the 
way,  on  their  naked  limbs  and  bodies.  They 
have  also  a very  ingenious  mode  of  plant- 
ing sticks  in  the  bed  of  the  river,  so  that 
tliey  project  above  the  surface,  and  form 
convenient  resting-places  for  the  birds. 
Fatigued  with  diving,  the  cormorants  are 
sure  to  i)erch  upon  them;  and  as  they  are  doz- 
ing while  digesting  their  meal  of  fish,  the 
native  swims  gently  up,  and  suddenly  catches 
them  by  the  wings,  and  drags  them  under 
water.  He  always  breaks  the  neck  of  the 
bird  at  once. 

They  are  so  wonderfully  skilful  in  the 
water,  that  when  pelicans  are  swimming 
unsuspectingly  on  the  surface,  the  natives 
approach  silently,  dive  under  them,  seize 
the  birds  by  the  legs,  jerk  them  under  w^ater, 
and  break  l)oth  the  wings  and  legs  so  rapidly 
that  the  unfortunate  birds  have  no  chance  of 
escape. 

Sometimes,  as  showm  in  the  illustration, 
the  natives  use  their  boomerangs  and  clubs, 
knock  the  birds  off  the  branches  on  which 
they  are  roosting,  and  secure  them  before 
they  have  recovered  from  the  stunning  blow 
of  the  w'eapon.  When  approaching  cormo- 
rants and  other  aquatic  birds,  the  native  has 
a very  ingenious  plan  of  disguising  himself. 
He  gathers  a bunch  of  weeds,  ties  it  on  his 
head,  and  slips  quietly  into  the  water,  keep- 
ing his  whole  body  immersed,  and  only  al- 
lowing the  artificial  covering  to  be  seen. 
The  bird  being  quite  accustomed  to  see 
patches  of  v/eeds  floating  along  the  water, 
takes  no  notiee  of  so  familiar  an  object,  and 
80  allows  the  disguised  man  to  come  within 
easy  reach. 

To  return  to  the  boomerang.  The  reader 
may  readily  have  imagined  that  the  manu- 
facture of  so  remarkable  an  implement  is 


not  a very  easy  one.  The  various  points 
which  constitute  the  excellence  of  a boome- 
rang are  so  light  that  there  is  searcely  an 
European  who  can  see  them,  especially  as 
the  shape,  size,  and  weight  of  the  weapon 
differ  so  much  according  to  the  locality 
in  which  it  was  made.  The  native,  when 
employed  in  making  a boomerang,  often 
spends  many  days  over  it,  not  only  on  ac- 
count of  the  very  imperfect  tools  which  he 
possesses,  but  by  reason  of  the  minute  care 
which  is  required  in  the  manufacture  of  a 
good  weapon. 

Day  after  day  he  may  be  seen  with  the 
boomerang  in  his  hand,  chipping  at  it  slowly 
and  circumspectly,  and  becoming  more  and 
more  careful  as  it  approaches  completion. 
When  he  has  settled  the  curve,  and  nearly 
flattened  it  to  its  proper  thickness,  he 
scarcely  makes  three  or  four  strokes  without 
balancing  the  w'eapon  in  his  hand,  looking 
carefully  along  the  edges,  and  making  move- 
ments as  if  he  were  about  to  throw  it.  The 
last  few  chips  seem  to  exercise  a wonderful 
effeet  on  the  powers  of  the  weajDon,  and 
about  them  the  native  is  exceedingly  fastid- 
ious. 

Yet,  with  all  this  care,  the  weapon  is  a 
very  rough  one,  and  the  marks  of  the  flint 
axe  are  left  without  even  an  attempt  to 
smooth  them.  In  a well-used  boomerang 
the  projecting  edges  of  the  grooves  made  by 
various  cuts  and  chips  become  quite  pol- 
ished by  friction,  while  the  sunken  portion 
is  left  rough.  In  one  fine  specimen  in  my 
possession  the  manufacturer  has  taken  a 
curious  advantage  of  these  grooves.  Be- 
sides marking  the  handle  end  by  covering  it 
with  cross-scorings  as  has  already  been  de- 
scribed, he  has  filled  the  grooves  with  the 
red  ochre  of  which  the  Australian  is  so  fond, 
and  for  some  eight  inches  the  remains  of 
the  red  paint  are  visible  in  almost  eveiy 
groove. 

So  delicate  is  the  operation  of  boomerang 
making,  that  some  men,  natives  though  they 
be,  cannot  turn  out  a really  good  weapon, 
while  others  are  eelebrated  for  their  skill, 
and  can  dispose  of  their  weapons  as  fast  as 
they  make  them.  One  of  the  native  “ kings  ” 
was  a well-known  boomerang  maker,  and  his 
weapons  were  widely  distributed  among  the 
natives,  who  knew  his  handiwork  as  an  artist 
know^s  the  touch  of  a celebrated  painter.  To 
this  skill,  and  the  comparative  wealth  which 
its  exercise  brought  him,  the  king  in  ques- 
tion owed  the  principal  part  of  his  author- 
ity. 

A fair  idea  of  the  size  and  weight  of  the 
boomerang  maj’^  be  gained  by  the  measure- 
ments of  the  weapon  which  has  just  been 
mentioned.  It  is  two  feet  nine  inches  long 
when  measured  with  the  curve,  and  two  feet 
six  inehes  from  tip  to  tip.  It  is  exactly  two 
inches  in  width,  only  narrowing  at  the  tips, 
and  its  weight  is  exactly  eleven  ounces. 
This,  by  the  way,  is  a war  boomerang,  and  is 


(1.)  SPEAKING  THE  KANGAROO.  (See  page  734.) 


(2.)  CATCHING  THE  CORMORANT.  (See  page  738.) 

(739) 


AUSTRALIAN  SHIELDS. 


741 


shaped  like  that  which  is  shown  in  “ Boome- 
rangs ” on  page  731,  fig.  3.  Another  speci- 
men, which  is  of  about  the  same  weight,  is 
shaped  like  that  of  fig.  8.  It  measures  two 
feet  five  inches  along  the  curve,  two  feet 
one  inch  from  tip  to  tip,  and  is  three  inches 
in  width  in  the  middle,  diminishing  gradu- 
ally toward  the  tij^s. 

In  order  to  enable  them  to  ward  off  these 
various  missiles,  the  natives  are  armed  with 
a shield,  which  varies  exceedingly  in  shape 
and  dimensions,  and,  indeed,  in  some  places 
is  so  unlike  a shield,  and  apparently  so  in- 
adequate to  the  office  of  protecting  the  body, 
that  when  strangers  come  to  visit  my  collec- 
tion I often  have  much  difficulty  in  persuad- 
ing them  that  such  strange-lboking  objects 
can  by  any  possibility  be  shields.  As  there 
is  so  great  a variety  in  the  shields,  I have 
collected  together  a number  of  examples, 
which,  I believe,  comprise  every  form  of 
shield  used  throughout  Australia.  Two  of 
them  are  from  specimens  in  my  own  collec- 
tion, several  from  that  of  Colonel  Lane  Fox, 
others  are  drawn  from  examples  in  the 
British  Museum,  and  the  rest  were  sketched 
by  Mr.  Angas  in  the  course  of  his  travels 
through  Australia. 

As  a general  fact,  the  shield  is  very  solid 
and  heavy,  and  in  some  cases  looks  much 
more  like  a club  with  which  a man  can  be 
knocked  down,  than  a shield  whereby  he  can 
be  saved  from  a blow,  several  of  them  hav- 
ing sharp  edges  as  if  for  the  purpose  of  in- 
flicting injury. 

If  the  reader  will  look  at  the  row  of  shields 
on  page  742,  he  will  see  that  figs.  2 and  3 ex- 
hibit two  views  of  the  same  shield.  This  is 
one  of  the  commonest  forms  of  the  weapon, 
and  is  found  throughout  a considerable  por- 
tion’ of  W estern  Australia.  It  is  cut  out  of 
a solid  piece  of  the  ever  useful  gum-tree,  and 
is  in  consequence  very  hard  and  very  heavy. 
As  may  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  illustra- 
tion, the  form  of  the  shield  is  somewhat 
triangular,  the  face  which  forms  the  front  of 
the  weapon  being  slightly  rounded,  and  the 
handle  being  formed  by  cutting  through  the 
edge  on  which  the  other  two  faces  converge. 
The  handle  is  very  small,  and  could  scarcely 
be  used  by  an  ordinary  European,  though  it 
h amply  wide  enough  for  the  small  and  deli- 
cate looking  hand  of  the  Australian  native. 
My  own  is  a small  hand,  but  is  yet  too  large 
to  hold  the  Australian  shield  comfortably. 

The  reader  will  see  that  by  this  mode  of 
forming  the  handle  the  w^rist  has  great  play, 
and  can  turn  the  shield  from  side  to  side 
with  the  slightest  movement  of  the  hand. 
This  faculty  is  very  useful,  especially  when 
the  instrument  is  used  for  warding  off  the 
spear  or  the  club,  weapons  which  need  only 
to  be  just  turned  aside  in  order  to  guide 
them  away  from  the  body. 

One  of  these  shields  in  my  own  collection 
is  a very  fine  example  of  the  instrument,  and 


its  dimensions  will  serve  to  guide  the  reader 
as  to  the  usual  form,  size,  and  weight  of  an 
Australian  shield.  It  measures  exactly  two 
feet  seven  inches  in  length, and  is  five  inches 
wide  at  the  middle,  which  is  the  broadest 
part.  The  width  of  the  hole  wliicli  receives 
the  hand  is  three  inches  and  three-eighths, 
and  the  weight  of  the  shield  is  rather  more 
than  three  pounds. 

The  extraordinary  weight  of  the  shield  is 
needed  in  order  to  enable  it  to  resist  the 
shock  of  the  boomerang,  the  force  of  which 
may  be  estimated  by  its  weight,  eleven 
ounces,  multiplied  by  the  force  with  which 
it  is  hurled.  This  terrible  weapon  cannot  be 
merely  turned  aside,  like  the  spear  or  the 
waddy,  and  often  seems  to  receive  an  addi- 
tional impulse  from  striking  any  olfiect,  as 
the  reader  may  see  by  reference  to  page  737, 
in  which  the  mode  of  throwing  the  boome- 
rang is  described.  A boomerang  must  be 
stopped,  and  not  merely  parried,  and  more- 
over, if  it  be  not  stopped  properly,  it  twists 
round  the  shield,  and  with  one  of  its  revolv- 
ing ends  inflicts  a wound  on  the  careless 
warrior. 

Even  if  it  be  met  with  the  shield  and 
stopped,  it  is  apt  to  break,  and  the  two 
halves  to  conv^erge  upon  the  body.  The 
very  fragments  of  the  boomerang  seem  able 
to  inflict  almost  as  much  injury  as  the  entire 
weapon;  and,  in  one  of  the  skirmishes  to 
v-hich  the  nativ^es  are  so  addicted,  a man 
was  seen  to  fall  to  the  ground  with  his  body 
cut  completely  open  by  a broken  boomerang. 

It  is  in  warding  off  the  boomerang,  there- 
fore, that  the  chief  skill  of  the  Australian  is 
shown.  When  he  sees  the  weapon  is  pursu- 
ing a course  which  will  bring  it  to  him,  he 
steps  forward  so  as  to  meet  it;  and,  as  the 
boomerang  clashes  against  the  shield,  he 
gives  the  latter  a rapid  turn  with  the  wrist. 
If  this  manoeuvre  be  properly  executed,  the 
boomerang  breaks  to  pieces,  and  the  frag- 
ments are  struck  ai)art  by  the  movement  of 
the  shield. 

Perhaps  some  of  my  readers  may  remenv- 
ber  that  “ Dick-a-dick,”  the  very  popular 
member  of  the  Australian  cricketers  who 
came  to  England  in  1868,  among  other  ex- 
hibitions of  his  quickness  of  eye  and  hand, 
allowed  himself  to  be  pelted  with  cricket 
balls,  at  a distance  of  fifteen  yards,  liaving 
nothing  wherewith  to  protect  himself  but 
the  shield  and  the  leowal,  or  angular  club, 
the  former  being  used  to  shield  the  body, 
and  the  latter  to  guard  the  legs.  The  force 
and  accuracy  with  wdflch  a practised  crick- 
eter can  throw  the  ball  are  familiar  to  all 
Englishmen,  and  it  was  really  wonderful  to 
see  a man,  with  no  Clothes  but  a skin-tight 
elastic  dress,  with  a piece  of  wood  five  inches 
wide  in  his  left  hand,  and  a club  in  his 
right,  quietly  stand  against  a positive  rain 
of  cricket-balls  as  long  as  any  one  liked  to 
throw  at  him,  and  come  out  of  the  ordeal 
unscathed. 


742 


AUSTKALIA. 


Not  the  least  surprising  part  of  the  per- 
formance was  the  coolness  with  which  he 
treated  the  whole  affair,  and  the  almost  in- 
stinctive knowledge  that  he  seemed  to  pos- 
sess respecting  the  precise  destination  of 
each  ball.  If  a ball  went  straight  at  his 
body  or  head,  it  was  met  and  blocked  by  the 
shield;  if  it  were  hurled  at  his  legs,  the  club 
knocked  it  aside.  As  to  those  which  were 
sure  not  to  hit  him,  he  treated  them  with 
contemptuous  indifference,  just  moving  his 
head  a little  on  one  side  to  allow  the  ball  to 
pass,  which  absolutely  ruffled  his  hair  as  it 
shot  by,  or  lifting  one  arm  to  allow  a ball  to 
pass  between  the  limb  and  his  body,  or,  if*  it 
were  aimed  but  an  inch  wide  of  him,  taking 
no  notice  of  it  whatever.  The  shield  which 
he  used  with  such  skill  was  the  same  kind 
as  that  which  has  just  been  described,  and 
was  probably  selected  because  its  weight 
enabled  it  to  block  the  balls  without  the 
hand  that  held  it  feeling  the  shock. 

To  all  appearances,  the  natives  expend 
much  more  labor  upon  the  shield  than  upon 
the  boomerang,  the  real  reason,  however, 
being  that  much  ornament  would  injure  the 
boomerang,  but  can  have  no  injurious  effect 


grooves,  and  each  groove  has  been  filled 
with  red  ochre.  The  space  between  is  filled 
in  with  a double  zigzag  pattern,  and  the 
effect  of  all  these  lines,  simple  as  they  are, 
is  perfectly  artistic  and  consistent. 

The  pattern,  by  the  way,  is  one  that  seems 
common  to  all  savage  races  of  men,  wher- 
ever they  may  be  found,  and  is  to  be  seen 
on  weapons  made  by  the  ancient  races  now 
long  passed  away,  among  the  Kaffir  tribes  of 
South  Africa,  the  cannibal  tribes  of  Central 
W estern  Africa,  the  inhabitants  of  the  vari- 
ous Polynesian  islands,  the  savages  of  the 
extreme  north  and  extreme  south  of  Amer- 
ica, and  the  natives  of  the  great  continent 
of  Australia. 

At  fig.  7 of  the  accompanying  illustration 
may  be  seen  a shield  made  of  solid  wood,  in 
which  the  triangular  form  has  been  devel- 
oped in  a very  curious  manner  into  a quad- 
rangular shape.  The  handle  is  made  in  the 
same  manner  as  that  of  the  former  shield, 
i.  e.  by  cutting  through  two  of  the  faces  of 
the  triangle,  while  the  front  of  the  shield, 
instead  of  being  a tolerably  round  face, 
is  flattened  out  into  a sharp  edge.  It  is 
scarcely  possible  to  imagine  any  instrument 


SHIELDS. 


upon  the  shield.  By  reference  to  the  illus- 
tration, the  reader  will  see  that  the  face  of 
the  shield  is  covered  with  ornament,  Avhich, 
simple  in  principle,  is  elaborate  in  detail. 

There  is  a specimen  in  my  collection 
which  is  ornamented  to  a very  great  extent 
on  its  face,  the  sides  and  the  handle  being 
perfectly  plain.  It  has  a number  of  lines 
drawn  transversely  in  bands,  which,  how- 
ever, are  seven  instead  of  five  in  number. 
Each  band  is  composed  of  three  zigzag 


that  looks  less  like  a shield  than  does  this 
curious  weapon,  which  seems  to  have  been 
made  for  the  express  purpose  of  presenting 
as  small  a surface  as  possible  to  the  enemy. 

The  fact  is,  however,  that  the  Southern 
Australian  who  uses  these  shields  has  not 
to  defend  himself  against  arrows,  from 
which  a man  can  only  be  defended  by  con- 
cealing his  body  behind  shelter  which  is 
proof  against  them:  he  has  only  to  guard 
against  the  spear  and  boomerang,  and  occa- 


THE  MULABAKKA  SHIELD. 


743 


sionally  the  missile  club,  all  which  weapons 
he  can  turn  aside  with  the  narrow  shield 
that  has  been  described. 

One  of  these  shields  in  my  collection  is 
two  feet  seven  inches  in  length,  rather  more 
than  six  inches  in  width,  and  barely  three 
inches  thick  in  the.  middle.  Its  weight  is 
just  two  pounds.  Such  a Aveapon  seems 
much  more  like  a club  than  a shield,  and, 
indeed,  if  held  by  one  end,  its  sharp  edge 
might  be  used  with  great  effect  upon  the 
head  of  an  enemy.  Like  most  Australian 
shields,  it  is  covered  with  a pattern  of  the 
same  character  as  that  which  has  alread}'' 
been  mentioned,  and  it  has  been  so  thor- 
oughly painted  with  ochre  that  it  is  of  a 
reddish  mahogany  color,  and  the  real  hue 
of  the  Avood  can  only  be  seen  by  scraping 
off  some  of  the  stained  surface.  The  name 
for  this  kind  of  shield  is  tamarang,  and  it  is 
much  used  in  dances,  in  Avhich  it  is  struck 
at  regular  intervals  Avith  the  Avaddy. 

In  the  British  Museum  is  a shield  A\diich 
is  much  more  solid  than  either  of  those 
Avhich  have  been  described.  The  manufac- 
turer evidently  found  the  labor  of  chipping 
the  Avood  too  much  for  him,  and  accordingly 
made  much  use  of  fire,  forming  his  shield 
by  alternate  charring  and  scraping.  The 
handle  is  rather  curiously  made  by  cutting 
tAvo  deep  holes  side  by  side  in  the  back  of 
the  shield,  the  piece  of  AA^ood  betAveen  them 
being  rounded  into  a handle.  As  is  the  case 


with  most  of  the  shields,  the  handle  is  a 
A^ery  small  one.  The  face  of  the  sliield  is 
much  wider  than  either  of  those  wliicli 
have  been  noticed,  and  is  very  slightly 
rounded.  It  is  ornamented  Avith  carved 
greoA^es,  but  rough  usage  has  obliterated 
most  of  them,  and  the  whole  implement 
is  as  rough  and  unsightly  an  article  as  can 
well  be  imagined,  in  spite  of  the  labor 
Avhich  has  been  bestowed  upon  it. 

We  noAv  come  to  another  class  of  shield, 
made  of  bark,  and  going  by  the  title  of  Mul- 
abakka.  Shields  in  general  are  called  by  the 
name  of  Ilieleman.  Some  of  these  bark 
shields  are  of  considerable  size,  and  are  so 
wide  in  the  middle  that,  when  the  OAvner 
crouches  behind  them,  they  protect  the 
greater  part  of  his  body.  As  the  compara- 
tively thin  material  of  AA^hich  they  are  com- 
posed prevents  the  handle  from  being  made 
by  cutting  into  the  shield  itself,  the  native  is 
obliged  to  make  the  handle  separately,  and 
fasten  it  to  the  shield  by  various  methods. 

The  commonest  mode  of  fixing  the  handle 
to  a Mulabakka  shield  is  seen  at  figs.  4 and 
5,  on  pa,ge  742,  which  exhibit  the  front  and 
profile  views  of  the  same  shield.  Another 
Mulabakka  is  shoAvn  at  fig.  6.  The  faces  of 
all  the  Mulabakka  shields  are  covered  with 
ornamented  patterns,  mostly  on  the  usual 
zigzag  principle,  but  some  having  a pattern 
in  Avhich  curves  form  the  chief  element. 


CHAPTEK  LXXm. 


AUSTRALIA — Continued. 


REAL.  WAR  UNKNOWN  TO  THE  AUSTRALIANS  — FEUDS  AND  THE  CAUSES  OF  THEM — A SAVAGE  TOURNA- 
MENT— VENGEANCE  FOR  DEATH  — THE  TROPHY  OF  VICTORY  — AUSTRALIAN  VENDETTA  — FIRE- 
SIGNALS  — DEATH  OF  TARMEENIA  — ORDEAL  OF  BATTLE  — CANNIBALISM  AS  AN  ADJUNCT  OF  WAR 
— DANCES  OF  THE  ABORIGINES  — THE  KURI  DANCE  AND  ITS  STRANGE  ACCOMPANIMENTS — THE 
PALTI  DANCE  — THE  CONCLUDING  FIGURE  — DANCE  OF  THE  PARNKALLA  TRIBE  — ORDINARY  COB- 
ROBBOREES— THE  KANGAROO  DANCE  — TASMANIAN  DANCE. 


The  mention  of  these  various  weapons  nat- 
urally leads  ns  to  warfare;  and  that  they  are 
intended  for  that  purpose  the  existence  of 
the  shields  is  a proof.  Offensive  weapons, 
such  as  the  spear  and  the  club,  may  be 
used  merely  for  killing  game;  but  the  shield 
can  only  be  employed  to  defend  the  body 
from  the  weapons  of  an  enemy 

W ar,  however,  as  we  understand  the  word, 
is  unknown  among  the  Australians.  They 
have  not  the  intellect  nor  the  organization 
for  it,  and  so  we  have  the  curious  fact  of 
skilled  warriors  who  never  saw  a battle.  No 
single  tribe  is  large  enough  to  take  one  side 
in  a real  battle;  and,  even  supposing  it  to 
possess  sufficient  numbers,  there  is  no  spirit 
of  discipline  by  means  of  which  a force  could 
be  gathered,  kept  together,  or  directed,  even 
if  it  were  assembled" 

Yet,  though  real  war  is  unknown,  the 
Australian  natives  are  continually  fighting, 
and  almost  every  tribe  is  at  feud  with  its 
neighbor.  The  cause  of  quarrel  with  them 
is  almost  invariably  the  possession  of  some 
territory.  By  a sort  of  tacit  arrangement, 
the  various  tribes  have  settled  themselves 
in  certain  districts;  and,  although  they  are 
great  wanderers,  yet  they  consider  them- 
selves the  rightful  owners  of  their  own  dis- 
trict. 

It  mostly  happens,  however,  that  members 
of  one  trilie  trespass  on  the  district  of  another, 
especially  if  it  be  one  in  w’hich  game  of  any 
kind  is  plentiful.  And  sometimes,  when  a 


tribe  has  gone  off  on  a travelling  expedition, 
another  tribe  will  settle  themselves  in  the 
vacated  district;  so  that,  when  the  rightful 
owners  of  the  soil  return,  there  is  sure  to 
be  a quarrel.  The  matter  is  usually  settled 
by  a skirmish,  which  bears  some  resemblance 
to  the  melee  of  ancient  chivalry,  and  is  con- 
ducted according  to  well-understood  regula- 
tions. 

The  aggrieved  tribe  sends  a challenge  to 
the  offenders,  the  challenger  in  question 
bearing  a bunch  of  emu’s  feathers  tied  on 
the  top  of  a spear.  At  daybreak  next  morn- 
ing the  warriors  array  themselves  for  battle, 
painting  their  bodies  in  various  colors,  so  as 
to  make  themselves  look  as  much  like  de- 
mons, and  as  much  unlike  men,  as  possible, 
laying  aside  all  clothing,  and  arranging' their 
various  weapons  for  the  fight. 

Having  placed  themselves  in  battle  array, 
at  some  little  distance  from  each  other,  the 
opposite  sides  begin  to  revile  each  other  in 
quite  a Homeric  manner,  taunting  their  an- 
tagonists with  cowardice  and  want  of  skill 
in  their  weapons,  and  boasting  of  the  great 
deeds  which  they  are  about  to  do.  AYhen, 
by  means  of  interposing  these  taunts  with 
shouts  and  yells,  dancing  from  one  foot  to 
the  other,  quivering  and  poising  their  spears, 
and  other  mechanical  modes  of  exciting 
themselves,  they  have  worked  themselves 
up  to  the  requisite  pitch  of  fury,  they  begin 
to  throw  the  spears,  and  the  combat  becomes 
general.  Confused  as  it  appears,  it  is,  how- 


FEUDS  AND  THEIR  CAUSES. 


745 


ever,  arranged  with  a sort  of  order.  Each 
warrior  selects  his  antagonist;  so  that  the 
fight  is,  in  fact,  a series  of  duels  rather  than 
a battle,  and  the  whole  business  bears  a curi- 
ous resemblance  to  the  mode  of  fighting  in 
the  ancient  days  of  Troy. 

Generally  the  combatants  stand  in  rather 
scattered  lines,  or,  as  we  should  say,  in 
wide  skirmishing  order.  The  gestures  with 
which  they  try  to  irritate  their  opponents 
are  very  curious,  and  often  grotesque;  the 
chief  object  being  apparently  to  induce  the 
antagonist  to  throw  the  first  spear.  Some- 
times they  stand  with  their  feet  very  widely 
apart,  and  their  knees  straight,  after  the 
manner  which  will  be  seen  in  the  illustra- 
tions of  the  native  dances.  While  so  stand- 
ing, they  communicate  a peculiar  quivering 
movement  to  the  legs,  and  pretend  to  offer 
themselves  as  fair  marks.  Sometimes  they 
turn  their  backs  on  their  adversary,  and 
challenge  him  to  throAV  at  them;  or  they 
drop  on  a hand  and  knee  for  the  same  pur- 
pose. 

Mr.  M’Gillivray  remarked  that  two  spear- 
men never  threw  at  the  same  combatant; 
but,  even  with  this  advantage,  the  skill  of 
the  warrior  is  amply  tested,  and  it  is  surpris- 
ing to  see  how,  by  the  mere  inflection  of 
the  body,  or  the  lifting  a leg  or  arm,  they 
avoid  a spear  which  otherwise  must  have 
wounded  them.  While  the  fight  is  going 
on,  the  women  and  children  remain  in  the 
bush,  watching  the  combat,  and  uttering  a 
sort  of  wailing  chant,  rising  and  falling  in 
regular  cadence. 

Sometimes  the  fight  is  a very  bloody  one, 
though  the  general  rule  is,  that  when  one 
man  is  killed  the  battle  ceases,  the  tribe  to 
which  the  dead  man  belonged  being  consid- 
ered as  having  been  worsted.  It  might  be 
thought  that  a battle  conducted  on  such 
principles  would  be  of  very  short  duration; 
but  the  Australian  warriors  are  so  skilful  in 
warding  off  the  weapons  of  their  antago- 
nists that  they  often  fight  for  a considerable 
time  before  a man  is  killed.  It  must  be 
remembered,  too,  that  the  Australian  natives 
can  endure,  without  seeming  to  be  much  the 
worse  for  them,  wounds  which  would  kill  an 
European  at  once.  In  such  a skirmish, 
however,  much  blood  is  spilt,  even  though 
only  one  man  be  actually  killed,  for  the 
barbed  spears  and  sharp-edged  boomerangs 
inflict  terrible  wounds,  and  often  cripple  the 
wounded  man  for  life. 

Other  causes  beside  the  quarrel  for  terri- 
tory may  originate  a feud  between  two 
tribes.  One  of  these  cases  is  a very  curious 
one.  A woman  had  been  bitten  by  a snake; 
but,  a^  no  blood  flowed  from  the  wound,  it 
was  thought  that  the  snake  was  not  a veno- 
mous one,  and  that  there  was  no  danger. 
However,  the  woman  died  in  a few  hours, 
and  her  death  was  the  signal  for  a desperate 
war  between  two  tribes.  There  seems  to 
be  but  little  connection  between  the  two 


events,  but  according  to  Australian  ideas 
the  feud  was  a justifiable  one. 

The  natives  of  the  part  of  Australia 
where  this  event  occurred  have  a curious 
idea  concerning  death.  Should  any  one  die 
without  apparent  cause,  they  think  that 
the  death  is  caused  by  a great  bird  called 
marralya,  which  comes  secretly  to  the  sick 
person,  seizes  him  round  the  waist  in  his 
claws,  and  squeezes  him  to  death.  Now  the 
marralya  is  not  a real  bird,  but  a magical 
one,  being  always  a man  belonging  to  a 
hostile  tribe,  who  assumes  the  shape  of  the 
bird,  and  so  finds  an  opportunity  of  doing 
an  injury  to  the  tribe  with  which  he  is  at 
feud.  Having  made  up  his  mind  that  the 
snake  which  "bit  the  woman  was  not  a veno- 
mous one,  her  husband  could  not  of  course 
be  expected  to  change  his  opinion,  and  so  it 
was  agreed  upon  that  one  of  a neighboring 
tribe  with  whom  they  were  at  feud  must 
have  become  a marralya,  and  killed  the 
woman.  The  usual  challenge  was  the  con- 
sequence, and  from  it  came  a series  of 
bloody  fights. 

Like  most  savage  nations,  the  Australians 
mutilate  their  fallen  enemies.  Instead, 
however,  of  cutting  off  the  scalp,  or  other 
trophy,  they  open  the  body,  tear  out  the  fat 
about  the  kidneys,  and  rub  it  over  their  own 
bodies.  So  general  is  this  custom,  that  to 

take  fat  ” is  a common  paraphrase  for  kill- 
ing an  enemy;  and  when  two  antagonists 
are  opposed  to  each  other,  each  is  sure  to 
boast  that  his  antagonist  shall  furnish  fat 
for  him.  As  far  as  can  be  learned,  they 
have  an  idea  that  this  practice  endues  the 
victor  with  the  courage  of  the  slain  man  in 
addition  to  his  own;  and,  as  a reputation  for 
being  a warrior  of  prowess  is  the  only  dis- 
tinction that  a native  Australian  can  achieve, 
it  may  be  imagined  that  he  is  exceedingly 
anxious  to  secure  such  an  aid  to  ambition. 

Not  from  deliberate  cruelty,  but  from  the 
utter  thoughtlessness  and  disregard  of  in- 
flicting pain  which  characterizes  all  savages, 
the  victorious  warrior  does  not  trouble  him- 
self to  wait  for  the  death  of  his  enemy  before 
taking  his  strange  war  trophy.  Should  the 
man  be  entirely  disabled  it  is  enough  for 
the  Australian,  who  turns  him  on  his  back, 
opens  his  body  with  the  quartz  knife  which 
has  already  been  described,  tears  out  the 
coveted  prize,  and  rubs  himself  with  it  until 
his  whole  body  and  limbs  shine  as  if  they 
were  burnished  Oftentimes  it  has  happened 
that  a wounded  man  has  been  thus  treated, 
and  has  been  doomed  to  see  his  conqueror 
adorn  himself  before  his  eyes.  Putting 
aside  any  previous  injury,  such*  a wound  as 
this  is  necessarily  mortal;  but  a man  has 
been  known  to  live  for  more  than  three 
days  after  receiving  the  injury,  so  wonder- 
fully strong  is  the  Australian  constitution. 

Sometimes  these  feuds  spread  very  widely, 
and  last  for  a very  long  time.  Before  the 
declaration  of  war,  the  opposing  tribes 


740 


AUSTRALIA. 


refrain  from  attacking  each  other,  but,  after 
that  declaration  is  once  made,  the  greatest 
secrecy  is  often  observed,  and  the  warrior  is 
valued  the  highest  who  contrives  to  kill  his 
enemy  without  exposing  himself  to  danger. 
Sometimes  there  is  a sort  of  wild  chivalry 
about  the  Australians,  mingled  with  much 
that  is  savage  and  revolting.  A remarkable 
instance  of  these  traits  is  recorded  by  Mr. 
M’Gillivray. 

An  old  man  had  gone  on  a short  expedi- 
tion in  his  canoe,  while  the  men  of  his  tribe 
were  engaged  in  catching  turtle.  He  was 
watched  by  a party  belonging  to  a hostile 
tribe,  who  followed  and  speared  him.  Leav- 
ing tlieir  spears  in  the  body  to  indicate  their 
identity,  they  returned  to  shore,  and  made  a 
great  fire  by  way  of  a challenge.  Seeing 
the  signal,  and  knowing  that  a column  of 
thick  smoke  is  almost  always  meant  as  a 
challenge,  the  men  left  their  turtling,  and, 
on  finding  that  the  old  man  was  missing, 
instituted  a search  after  him.  As  soon  as 
they  discovered  the  body  they  lighted 
another  fire  to  signify  their  acceptance  of 
the  challenge,  and  a party  of  them  started 
off  the  same  evening  in  order  to  inflict 
reprisals  on  the  enemy. 

They  soon  came  upon  some  natives  who 
l)elonged  to  the  inimical  tribe,  but  who  had 
not  been  concerned  in  the  anurder,  and 
managed  to  kill  the  whole  party,  consisting 
of  four  men,  a woman,  and  a girl.  They  cut 
off  the  heads  of  their  victims,  and  returned 
with  great  exultation,  shouting  and  blowing 
conch-shells  to  announce  their  victory. 

Tlie  heads  were  then  cooked  in  an  oven, 
and  the  eyes  scooped  out  and  eaten,  together 
with  portions  of  the  cheeks.  Only  those 
who  had  been  of  the  war-party  were  allowed 
to  partake  of  this  horrible  feast.  When  it 
was  over  the  victors  began  a dance,  in 
which  they  worked  themselves  into  a per- 
fect frenzy,  kicking  the  skulls  over  the 
ground,  and  indulging  in  all  kinds  of  hide- 
ous antics.  Afterward  the  skulls  were  hung 
up  on  two  cross  sticks  near  the  camp,  and 
allowed  to  remain  there  undisturbed. 

Fire,  by  the  way,  is  very  largely  used  in 
making  signals,  which  are  understood  all 
over  the  continent.  A large  fire,  sending 
up  a great  column  of  smoke,  is,  as  has 
already  been  mentioned,  almost  invariably 
a sign  of  defiance,  and  it  is  sometimes  kin- 
dled daily  until  it  is  answered  by  another. 
If  a man  wishes  to  denote  that  he  is  in  want 
of  assistance,  he  lights  a small  fire,  and,  as 
soon  as  it  sends  up  its  little  column  of 
smoke,  he  extinguishes  it  suddenly  by 
throwing  eairth  on  it.  This  is  repeated  until 
the  required  assistance  arrives. 

Some  years  ago,  when  the  character  and 
habits  of  the  natives  were  not  known  so 
well  as  they  are  now,  many  of  the  settlers 
w'ere  murdered  by  the  natives,  simply 
through  their  system  of  fire-signalling. 
One  or  two  natives,  generally  old  men  or 


women,  as  causing  least  suspicion,  and 
being  entirely  unarmed,  would  approach 
the  farm  or  camp,  and  hang  about  it  for 
some  days,  asking  for  food,  and  cooking  it 
at  their  own  little  fires. 

The  white  men  had  no  idea  that  every 
fire  that  was  lighted  was  a signal  that  was 
perfectly  well  understood  by  a force  of 
armed  men  that  was  hovering  about  them 
under  cover  of  the  woods,  nor  that  the  little 
puffs  of  smoke  which  occasionally  arose  in 
the  distance  were  answers  to  the  signals 
made  by  their  treacherous  guests.  When 
the  spies  thought  that  their  hosts  were 
lulled  into  security,  they  made  the  battle- 
signal,  and  brought  down  the  whole  force 
upon  the  unsuspecting  whites. 

The  Australians  are  wonderfully  clever 
actors.  How  well  they  can  act  honesty  and 
practise  theft  has  already  been  mentioned. 
They  have  also  a way  of  appearing  to  be 
unarmed,  and  yet  having  weapons  ready  to 
hand.  They  will  come  out  of  the  bush,  with 
green  boughs  in  their  hands  as  signs  of  peace, 
advance  for  some  distance,  and  ostenta- 
tiously throw  down  their  spears  and  other 
weapons.  They  then  advance  again,  appa- 
rently unarmed,  but  each  man  trailing  a 
spear  along  the  ground  by  means  of  his  toes. 
As  soon  as  they  are  within  spear  range, 
they  pick  up  their  weapons  with  their 
toes,  wdiich  are  nearly  as  flexible  and  useful 
as  fingers,  hurl  them,  and  then  retreat  to 
the  spot  where  they  had  grounded  their 
weapons. 

The  Australians  have  a tenacious  memory 
for  injuries,  and  never  lose  a chance  of 
reprisal.  In  1849,  some  men  belonging  to 
the  Badulega  tribe  had  been  spending  Wo 
months  on  a friendly  visit  to  the  natives  of 
Miiralug.  One  of  their  hosts  had  married 
an  Italega  woman,  and  two  of  the  brothers 
were  staying  with  her.  The  Badulegas 
happened  to  remember  that  several  years 
before  one  of  their  own  tribe  had  been 
insulted  by  an  Italega.  So  they  killed  the 
woman,  and  tried  to  kill  her  brothers  also, 
but  only  succeeded  in  murdering  one  of 
them.  They  started  at  once  for  their  home, 
taking  the  heads  as  proof  of  their  victory, 
and  thought  that  they  had  done  a great  and 
praiseworthy  action. 

A similar  affair  took  place  among  some  of 
the  tribes  of  Port  Essington.  A Monobar 
native  had  been  captured  when  thieving, 
and  was  imprisoned.  He  attempted  to 
escape,  and  in  so  doing  was  shot  by  the  sen- 
tinel on  duty.  By  rights  his  family  ought  to 
have  executed  reprisals  on  a white  man;  but 
they  did  not  venture  on  such  a step,  and 
accordingly  picked  out  a native  who  was  on 
good  terms  with  the  white  man,  and  killed 
him.  The  friends  of  the  murdered  man 
immediately  answered  by  killing  a Mon- 
obar, and  so  the  feud  Avent  on.  In  each 
case  the  victim  was  murdered  while  sleep- 
ing, a number  of  natives  quietly  surrounding 


THE  AUSTRALIAN  YENDETTxi. 


747 


him,  and,  after  spearing  him,  heating  him 
with  their  waddies  into  a shapeless  mass. 

Should  the  cause  of  the  feud  be  the  unex- 
plained death  of  a man  or  woman,  the  duty 
of  vengeance  belongs  to  the  most  formidable 
male  warrior  of  the  fixmily.  On  such  occa- 
sions he  will  solemnly  accept  the  office, 
adorn  himself  with  the  red  war-paint,  select 
his  best  weapons,  and  promise  publicly  not 
to  return  until  he  has  killed  a male  of  the 
inimical  tribe.  How  pertinaciously  the  Au- 
stralian will  adhere  to  his  bloody  purpose 
may  be  seen  from  an  anecdote  related  by  Mr. 
Lloyd. 

lie  was  startled  one  night  by  the  furi- 
ous barking  of  his  dogs.  On  taking  a lan- 
tern he  found  lying  on  the  ground  an  old 
black  named  Tarmeenia,  covered  with 
wounds  inflicted  by  spears,  and  boomerangs, 
and  waddies.  He  told  his  story  in  the 
strange  broken  English  used  by  the  natives. 
The  gist  of  the  story  was,  that  he  and  his 
son  were  living  in  a hut,  and  the  son  had 
gone  out  to  snare  a bird  for  his  father,  who 
was  ill.  Presently  a “ bungilcarney  coolie,” 
i.  e.  an  enemy  from  another  tribe,  entered 
the  hut  and  demanded,  “ Why  did  your  son 
kill  my  wife?  I shall  kill  his  father.” 
Whereupon  he  drove  his  spear  into  the  old 
man’s  side,  and  was  beating  him  to  death, 
when  he  was  disturbed  by  the  return  of  his 
son.  The  young  man,  a singularly  power- 
ful native,  knowing  that  his  father  would  be 
certainly  murdered  outright  if  he  remained 
in  the  hut,  actually  carried  him  more  than 
four  miles  to  Mr.  Lloyd’s  house,  put  him 
down  in  the  yard,  and  left  him. 

A hut  was  at  once  erected  close  to  the 
house,  and  Tarmeenia  was  installed  and 
attended  to.  He  was  very  grateful,  but  was 
uneasy  in  his  mind,  begging  that  the  con- 
stable might  visit  his  hut  in  his  nightly 
rounds,  “ ’cos  same  bungilcarney  coolie  cum 
agin,  and  dis  time  too  much  kill  ’im 
Tarmeenia.”  The  alarm  of  the  old  man 
seemed  rather  absurd,  considering  the  posi- 
tion of  the  hut,  but  it  was  fully  justified. 
About  three  weeks  after  Tarmeenia  had  been 
placed  in  the  hut,  Mr.  Lloyd  was  aroused  at 
daybreak  by  a servant,  who  said  that  the  old 
black  fellow  had  been  burned  to  death. 
Dead  he  certainly  was,  and  on  examining 
the  body  two  fresh  wounds  were  seen,  one  by 
a spear  just  over  the  heart,  and  the  other 
a deep  cut  in  the  loins,  through  which  the 
“ bungilcarney  ” had  torn  the  trophy  of  war. 

Occasionally  a man  who  has  offended 
against  some  native  law  has  to  engage  in 
a kind  of  a mimic  warfare,  but  without  the 
advantage  of  having  weapons.  Mr.  Lloyd 
mentions  a curious  example  of  such  an 
ordeal. 

“ The  only  instance  I ever  witnessed  of 
corporeal  punishment  being  inflicted  — evi- 
dently, too,  by  some  legal  process  — was 
upon  the  person  of  a fine  sleek  young  black, 
who,  having  finished  his  morning’s  repast, 
37 


rose  in  a dignified  manner,  and,  casting  his 
rug  from  his  shoulders,  strode  with  Mohi- 
can stoicism  to  the  appointed  spot,  divested 
of  his  shield,  waddy,  or  other  means  of  de- 
fence. Nor,  when  once  placed,  did  he  utter 
one  word,  or  move  a muscle  of  his  graceful 
and  well-moulded  person,  but  with  folded 
arms  and  defiant  attitude  awaited  the  fatal 
ordeal. 

“ A few  minutes  only  elapsed  wlicn  two 
equally  agile  savages,  each  armed  with  twQ 
spears  and  a boomerang,  marched  with 
stately  gait  to  within  sixty  yards  of  the  cul- 
prit. One  weapon  after  another  was  hurled 
at  the  victim  savage,  with  apparently  fatal 
precision,  but  his  quick  eye  and  wonderful 
activity  set  them  all  at  defiance,  with  the 
exception  of  the  very  last  cast  of  a boome- 
rang, which,  taking  an  unusual  course,  sev- 
ered a piece  of  flesh  from  the  shoulder- 
blade,  equal  in  size  to  a crown-piece,  as  if 
sliced  with  a razor,  and  thus  finished  the 
affair.” 

The  lex  talionis  forms  part  of  the  Austra- 
lian traditional  law,  and  is  sometimes  exer- 
cised after  a rather  ludicrous  fashion.  A 
young  man  had  committed  some  light  of- 
fence, and  was  severely  beaten  by  two 
natives,  who  broke  his  arm  with  a club,  and 
laid  his  head  open  with  a fishing  spear. 
Considerable  confusion  took  place,  and  at  last 
the  elders  decided  that  the  punishment  was 
much  in  excess  of  the  offence,  and  that,  when 
the  wounded  man  recovered,  the  two  assail- 
ants were  to  offer  their  heads  to  him,  so  that 
he  might  strike  them  a certain  number  of 
blows  with  his  waddy. 

In  the  description  of  the  intertribal  feuds, 
it  has  been  mentioned  that  the  men  who 
assisted  in  killing  the  victims  of  reprisal  par- 
took of  the  eyes  and  cheeks  of  the  murdered 
person.  This  leads  us  to  examine  the  ques- 
tion of  cannibalism,  inasmuch  as  some  trav- 
ellers have  asserted  that  the  Australians  are 
cannibals  and  others  denying  such  a pro- 
pensity as  strongly. 

That  the  flesh  of  human  beings  is  eaten 
by  the  Australians  is  an  undeniable  fact; 
but  it  must  be  remarked  that  such  an  act  is 
often  intended  as  a ceremonial,  and  not 
merely  as  a means  of  allaying  hunger  or 
gratifying  the  palate.  It  has  been  ascer- 
tained that  some  tribes  who  live  along  the 
Murray  River  have  been  known  to  kill  and 
eat  children,  mixing  their  flesh  with  that  of 
the  dog.  This,  however,  only  occurs  in  sea- 
sons of  great  scarcity;  and  that  the  event  was 
exceptional  and  not  customary,  is  evident 
from  the  fact  that  a man  was  pointed  out  as 
having  killed  his  children  for  food.  Now  it 
is  plain,  that,  if  cannibalism  was  the  custom, 
such  a man  would  not  be  sufficiently  con- 
spicuous ■ to  be  specially  mentioned.  These 
tribes  have  a horrible  custom  of  killing  little 
boys  for  the  sake  of  their  fat,  with  which 
they  bait  fish-hooks. 

Another  example  of  cannibalism  is  de- 


748 


AUSTRALIA. 


scribed  by  Mr.  Angas  as  occurring  in  New 
South  W ales.  A lad  had  died,  and  his  body 
was  taken  by  several  young  men,  who  pro- 
ceeded to  the  following  remarkable  cere- 
monies. They  began  by  removing  the  skin, 
together  with  the  head,  rolling  it  round  a 
stake,  and  drying  it  over  the  fire.  While 
this  was  being  done,  the  parents,  who  had 
been  uttering  loud  lamentations,  took  the 
flesh  from  the  legs,  cooked,  and  ate  it.  The 
remainder  of  the  body  was  distributed  among 
the  friends  of  the  deceased,  who  carried  away 
their  portions  on  the  points  of  their  spears ; 
and  the  skin  and  bones  were  kept  by  the 
parents,  and  always  carried  about  in  their 
wallets. 

It  may  seem  strange  that  the  mention  of 
the  weapons  and  mode  of  fighting  should 
lead  us  naturally  to  the  dances  of  the  Au- 
stralians. Such,  however,  is  the  case;  for  in 
most  of  their  dances  weapons  of  some  sort 
are  introduced.  The  first  which  will  be  men- 
tioned is  the  Kuri  dance,  which  was  de- 
scribed to  Mr.  Angas  by  a friend  who  had 
frequently  seen  it,  and  is  illustrated  on  the 
next  page.  This  dance  is  performed  by  the 
natives  of  the  Adelaide  district.  It  seems 
to  have  one  point  in  common  with  the 
cotillon  of  Europe,  namely,  that  it  can  be 
varied,  shortened,  or  lengthened,  according 
to  the  caprice  of  the  players;  so  that  if  a spec- 
tator see  the  Kuri  dance  performed  six  or 
seven  times,  he  will  never  see  the  move- 
ments repeated  in  the  same  order.  The  fol- 
lowing extract  describes  a single  Kuri  dance, 
and  from  it  the  reader  may  form  his  impres- 
sions of  its  general  character  : — 

“ But  first  the  dramatis  personce  must  be 
introduced,  and  particularly  described.^  The 
performers  were  divided  into  five  distinct 
classes,  the  greater  body  comprising  about 
twenty-five  young  men,  including  five  or  six 
boys,  painted  and  decorated  as  follows:  in 
nudity,  except  the  yoodna,  which  is  made 
expressly  for  the  occasion,  with  bunches  of 
gum-leaves  tied  round  the  legs  just  above 
the  knee,  which,  as  they  stamped  about, 
made  a loud  switching  noise.  In  their 
hands  they  held  a katta  or  wirri,  and  some 
a few  gum-leaves.  The  former  were  held  at 
arm’s  length,  and  struck  alternately  with 
their  legs  as  they  stamped.  They  were 
painted,  from  each  shoulder  down  to  the 
hips,  with  five  or  six  white  stripes,  rising 
from  the  breast;  their  faces  also,  with  white 
perpendicular  lines,  making  the  most  hide- 
ous appearance.  These  were  the  dancers. 

“ Kext  came  two  groups  of  women,  about 
five  or  six  in  number,  standing  on  the  right 
and  left  of  the  dancers,  merely  taking  the 
part  of  supernumeraries;  they  were  not 
painted,  but  had  leaves  in  their'  hands, 
which  they  shook,  and  kept  beating  time 
with  their  feet  during  the  whole  perform- 
ance, but  never  moved  from  the  spot  where 
they  stood. 


“Kext  followed  two  remarkable  charac- 
ters, painted  and  decorated  like  the  dancers, 
but  with  the  addition  of  the  palyertatta  — 
a singular  ornament  made  of  two  pieces  of 
stick  put  crosswise,  and  bound  together  by 
the  mangna,  in  a spreading  manner,  having 
at  the  extremities  feathers  opened,  so  as  to 
set  it  oft‘  to  the  best  advantage.  One  had 
the  palyertatta  stick  sideways  upon  his 
head,  while  the  other, .in  the  most  wizard- 
like manner,  kept  waving  it  to  and  fro  be- 
fore him,  corresponding  with  the  action  of 
his  head  and  legs. 

“ Then  followed  a performer  distinguished 
by  a long  spear,  from  the  top  of  which  a 
bunch  of  feathers  hung  suspended,  and  all 
down  the  spear  the  mangna  was  wound;  he 
held  the  koonteroo  (spear  and  feathers)  with 
both  hands  behind  his  back,  but  occasion- 
ally altered  the  position,  and  waved  it  to 
the  right  and  left  over  the  dancers.  And 
last  came  the  singers  — two  elderly  men  in 
their  usual  habiliments;  their  musical  in- 
struments were  the  katta  and  wirri,  on 
which  they  managed  to  beat  a double  note; 
their  song  was  one  unvaried,  gabbling  tone. 

“The  night  was  mild;  the  new  moon 
shone  with  a faint  light,  casting  a depth 
of  shade  over  the  earth,  which  gave  a som- 
bre appearance  to  the  surrounding  scene 
that  highly  conduced  to  enhance  the  effect 
of  the  approaching  play.  In  the  distance, 
a black  mass  could  be  discerned  under  the 
gum-trees,  whence  occasionally  a shout  and 
a burst  of  flame  arose.  These  Vvere  the 
performers  dressing  for  the  dance,  and  no 
one  approached  them  while  thus  occupied. 

“ Two  men,  closely  wrapped  in  their  opos- 
sum-skins, noiselessly  approached  one  of 
the  ivurlies,  where  the  Kuri  was  to  be  per- 
formed, and  commenced  clearing  a space 
for  the  singers;  this  done,  they  went  back 
to  the  singers,  but  soon  after  returned, 
sat  down,  and  began  a peculiar  harsh  and 
monotonous  tune,  keeping  time  with  a katta 
and  a wirri  by  rattling  them  together. 
All  the  natives  oT  the  difterent  icurlies 
flocked  round  the  singers,  and  sat  down 
in  the  form  of  a horse-shoe,  two  or  three 
rows  deep. 

“ By  this  time  the  dancers  had  moved  in 
a compact  body  to  within  a short  distance  of 
the  spectators;  after  standing  for  a few 
minutes  in  perfect  silence,  they  answered 
the  singers  by"a  singular  deep  shout  simul- 
taneously: twice  this  was  done,  and  then 
the  man  with  the  koonteroo  stepped  out,  his 
body  leaning  forward,  and  commenced  with 
a regular  stamp ; the  two  men  with  i\\Qpalyer- 
tattas  followed,  stamping  with  great  regular- 
ity, the  rest  joining  in:  the  regular  and  alter- 
nate stamp,' the  waving  of  the  palyertatta  to 
and  fro,  with  the  loud  switching  noise  of 
the  gum  leaves,  formed  a scene  highly  char- 
acteristic of  the  Australian  natives.  In  this 
style  they  approached  the  singers,  the  spec- 
tators every  now  and  then  shouting  forth 


(2.)  PALTl  DANCE,  Oli  COUROBOKEE.  (See  page  732.) 
(749) 


DIFFERENT  DANCES. 


751 


their  applause.  For  some  time  they  kept 
stamping  in  a body  before  the  singers,  which 
had  an  admirable  effect,  and  did  great  credit 
to  their  dancing  attainments;  then  one  by 
one  they  turned  round,  and  danced  their 
way  back  to  the  place  they  first  started 
from,  and  sat  down.  The  palyertatta  and 
Jcoonteroo  men  were  the  last  who  left,  and 
as  these  three  singular  beings  stamped  their 
way  to  the  other  dancers  they  made  a very 
odd  appearance. 

“ The  singing  continued  for  a short  time, 
and  then  pipes  were  lighted;  shouts  of  ap- 
plause ensued,  and  boisterous  conversation 
followed.  After  resting  about  ten  minutes, 
the  singers  commenced  again;  and  soon  after 
the  dancers  huddled  togetlier,  and  responded 
to  the  call  by  the  peculiar  shout  already  men- 
tioned, and  then  performed  the  same  feat 
over  again  — with  this  variation,  that  the 
palyertatta  men  brought  up  the  rear,  instead 
of  leading  the  way.  Four  separate  times 
these  parts  of  the  play  were  performed  with 
the  usual  effect;  then  followed  the  conclud- 
ing one,  as  follows:  after  tramping  up  to  the 
singers,  the  man  with  the  koonteroo  com- 
menced a part  which  called  forth  unbounded 
applause;  with  his  head  and  body  inclined 
on  one  side,  his  spear  and  feathers  behind 
his  back,  standing  on  the  left  leg,  he  beat 
time  with  the  right  foot,  twitching  his  body 
and  eye,  and  stamping  with  the  greatest 
precision;  he  remained  a few  minutes  in 
this  position,  and  then  suddenly  turned 
round,  stood  on  his  right  leg,  and  did  the 
same  once  with  his  left  foot. 

“ In  the  mean  while  the  two  men  with  the 
mystic  palyertatta  kept  waving  their  instru- 
ments to  and  fro,  corresponding  with  the 
motions  .of  their  heads  and  legs,  and  the 
silent  trampers  performed  their  part  equally 
well.  The  koonteroo  man  now  suddenly 
stopped,  and,  planting  his  spear  in  the 
ground,  stood  in  a stooping  position  behind 
it;  two  dancers  stepped  up,  went  through 
the  same  manoeuvre  as  the  preceding  party 
with  wonderful  regularity,  and  then  gave  a 
final  stamp,  turned  round,  and  grasped  the 
spear  in  a stooping  position,  and  so  on  with 
all  the  rest,  until  every  dancer  was  brought 
to  the  spear,  so  forming  a circular  body. 

“ The  palyertatta  men  now  performed  the 
same  movement  on  each  side  of  this  body, 
accompanied  with  the  perpetual  motion  of  the 
head,  leg,  and  arm,  and  then  went  round  and 
round,  and  finally  gave  the  arrival  stamp, 
thrust  in  their  arm,  and  grasped  the  spear : 
at  the  same  time  all  sunk  on  their  knees  and 
began  to  move  away  in  a mass  from  the 
singers,  with  a sort  of  grunting  noise,  while 
their  bodies  leaned  and  tossed  to  and  fro ; 
when  they  had  got  about  ten  or  twelve  yards 
they  ceased,  and,  giving  one  long  semi-grunt 
or  groan  (after  the  manner  of  the  red  kan- 
garoo, as  they  say),  dispersed. 

“ During  the  whole  performance,  the  sing- 
ing went  on  in  one  continued  strain,  and, 


after  the  last  act  of  the  performers,  the  rat- 
tling accompaniment  of  the  singing  ceased, 
the  strain  died  gradually  away,  and  shouts 
and  acclamations  rent  the  air.” 

• There  are  many  other  dances  among  the 
Australians.  There  is,  for  example,  the 
Frog-dance.  The  performers  paint  them- 
selves after  the  usual  grotesque  manner,  take 
their  wirris  in  their  hands,  beat  them  to- 
gether, and  then  squat  down  and  jump  after 
each  other  in  circles,  imitating  the  move- 
ments of  the  frog.  Then  there  is  the  emu- 
dance,  in  which  all  the  gestures  consist  of 
imitation  of  emu-hunting,  the  man  who 
enacts  the  part  of  the  bird  imitating  its  voice. 

In  some  parts  of  Australia  they  have  the 
canoe  dance,  one  of  the  most  graceful  of 
these  performances. 

Both  men  and  women  take  part  in  this 
dance,  painting  their  bodies  with  white  and 
red  ochre,  and  each  furnished  with  a stick 
which  represents  the  paddle.  They  begin 
to  dance  by  stationing  themselves  in  two 
lines,  but  with  the  stick  across  their  backs 
and  held  by  the  arms,  while  they  move  their 
feet  alternately  to  the  tune  of  the  song  with 
which  the  dance  is  accompanied.  At  a 
given  signal  they  all  bring  the  sticks  to  the 
front,  and  hold  them  as  they  do  paddles, 
swaying  themselves  in  regular  time  as  if 
they  were  paddling  in  one  of  their  light 
canoes. 

Another  dance,  the  object  of  which  is  not 
very  certain,  is  a great  favorite  with  the 
Moorundi  natives.  The  men,  having  pre- 
viously decorated  their  bodies  with  stripes 
of  red  ochre,  stand  in  a line,  Avhile  the 
women  are  collected  in  a group  and  beat 
time  together.  The  dance  consists  in  stamp- 
ing simultaneously  with  the  left  foot,  and 
shaking  the  fingers  of  the  extended  arms. 
This  dance  is  called  Pedeku. 

There  is  a rather  curious  dance,  or  move- 
ment, with  which  they  often  conclude  the 
performance  of  the  evening.  They  sit  cross- 
legged  round  their  fire,  beating  time  with 
their  spears  and  wirris.  Suddenly  they  all 
stretch  out  their  arms  as  if  pointing  to  some 
distant  object,  rolling  their  eyes  fearfull/  as 
they  do  so,  and  finish  by  leaping  on  theii 
feet  with  a simultaneous  yell  that  echoes  for 
miles  through  the  forest. 

In  his  splendid  work  on  South  Australia, 
Mr.  Angas  describes  a rather  curious  dance 
performed  by  the  Parnkalla  tribe,  in  which 
both  sexes  take  part.  Each  man  carries  a 
belt  made  either  of  human  hair  or  opossum 
fur,  holding  one  end  in  each  hand,  and  keep- 
ing the  belt  tightly  strained.  There  is  a 
slight  variation  in  the  mode  of  performing 
this  dance,  but  the  usual  plan  is  for  all  the 
men  to  sit  down,  while  a woman  takes  her 
place  in  the  middle.  One  of  the  men  then 
dances  up  to  her,  jumping  from  side  to  side, 
and  swaying  his  arms  in  harmony  with  his 
movements.  The  woman  begins  j umping  as 
her  partner  approaches,  and  then  they  dance 


752 


AUSTRALIA, 


back  again,  'vyhen  their  place  is  taken  by  a 
fresh  couple. 

Some  persons  have  supposed  that  this 
dance  is  a religious  ceremony,  because  it  is 
usually  held  on  clear  moonlight  evenings. 
Sometimes,  however,  it  is  performed  during 
the  day-time. 

The  commonest  native  dance,  or  “ corrob- 
boree,”  is  that  which  is  known  as  the  Palti, 
and  which  is  represented  on  the  749th  page. 
It  is  always  danced  by  night,  the  fitful  blaze 
of  the  fire  being  thought  necessary  to  bring 
out  all  its  beauties. 

Before  beginning  this  dance,  the  perform- 
ers prepare  themselves  b}^  decorating  their 
bodies  in  some  grotesque  stjde  with  white 
and  scarlet  paints,  which  contrast  boldly  with 
the  shining  black  of  their  skins.  The  favor- 
ite pattern  is  the  skeleton,  each  rib  being 
marked  by  a broad  stripe  of  white  paint,  and 
a similar  stripe  running  down  the  breast  and 
along  the  legs  and  arms.  The  face  is  painted 
in  a similar  fashion.  The  eftect  produced 
by  this  strange  pattern  is  a most  startling 
one.  Illuminated  only  by  the  light  of  the  fire, 
the  black  bodies  and  limbs  are  scarcely  vis- 
ible against  the  dark  background,  so  that,  as 
the  performers  pass  backward  and  forward 
in  the  movements  of  the  dance,  they  look 
exactl}^  like  a number  of  skeletons  endued 
with  life  by  magic  powers. 

This  eftect  is  increased  by  the  curious 
quivering  of  the  legs,  which  are  planted  firmly 
on  the  ground,  bih  to  which  the  dancers  are 
able  to  impart  a rapid  vibratory  movement 
from  the  knees  upward.  The  wirris,  or 
clubs,  are  held  in  the  hands,  as  seen  in  the 
illustration,  and  at  certain  intervals  they  are 
brought  over  the  head,  and  clashed  violently 
together.  The  Palti,  as  well  as  the  Kuri 
dance  is  conducted  by  a leader,  who  gives  the 
Avord  of  command  for  the  ditferent  move- 
ments. Some  of  the  dancers  increase  their 
odd  appearance  by  making  a fillet  from  the 
front  teeth  of  the  kangaroo,  and  tying  it 
round  their  foreheads. 

Once  in  a year,  the  natives  of  some  districts 
haA^e  a very  grand  dance,  called  the  “cob- 
bongo  corrobboree,”  or  great  mystery  dance. 
This  dance  is  performed  by  the  natives  of  the 
far  interior.  An  admirable  account  of  this 
dance  was  published  in  the  Illustrated  Lon- 
don News  of  October  .S,  1863,  and  is  here 
given.  “The  time  selected  for  this  great 
event  is  every  tAvelfth  moon,  and  during  her 
declination.  For  several  days  previous  a 
number  of  tribes  Avhose  territories  adjoin  one 
another  congregate  at  a particular  spot, 
characterized  by  an  immense  mound  of  earth 
covered  Avith  ashes  (known  amongst  the 
white  inhabitants  as  ‘a  black’s  oven’)  and 
surrounded  by  plenty  of  ‘ couraAvay  ’ or  Avater 
holes.  To  this  place  they  bring  numbers  of 
kangaroos,  ’ possums,  emus,  and  Avild  ducks, 
and  a large  quantity  of  wild  honey,  together 
Avith  the  grass  from  the  seeds  of  which  they 
make  a sort  of  bread. 


“Upon  the  evening  on  Avhich  the  ‘cor- 
robboree’ is  celebrated,  a number  of  old 
men  (one  from  each  tribe),  called  by  the 
natives  ‘ wammaroogo,’  signifying  medicine 
men  or  charm  men,  repair  to  the  top  of  the 
mound,  Avhere,  after  lighting  a fire,  they 
Avalk  round  it,  muttering  sentences  and 
throAving  into  it  portions  of  old  charms 
which  they  have  Avorn  round  their  necks 
for  the  past  twelve  months.  This  is  con- 
tinued for  about  half  an  hour,  when  they 
descend,  each  carrying  a fire-stick,  Avhich 
he  places  at  the  outskirts  of  the  camp,  and 
which  is  supposed  to  prevent  evil  spirits 
approaching.  As  soon  as  this  is  o\"er,  du- 
ring which  a most  profound  silence  is  ob- 
served by  all,  the  men  of  the  tribe  prepare 
their  toilet  for  the  ‘ corrobboree,’  daubing 
themselves  OA^er  with  chalk,  red  ochre,  and 
fat. 

“While  the  men  are  thus  engaged,  the 
gentler  sex  are  busy  arranging  themselves 
in  a long  line,  and  in  a sitting  posture,  Avith 
rugs  made  of  ’possum  skins  doubled  round 
their  legs,  and  a small  stick  called  ‘ nulla- 
nulla  ’ in  each  hand.  A fire  is  lighted  in 
front  of  them,  and  tended  by  one  of  the  old 
charmers.  As  the  men  are  ready,  they  seat 
themseh^es  cross-legged  like  tailors,  and  in 
regular  ‘ serried  file,’  at  the  opposite  side  of 
the  fire  to  the  Avomen,  while  one  of  the  medi- 
cine men  lakes  up  his  position  on  the  top  of 
the  mound  to  AA^atch  the  rising  of  the  moon, 
Avhich  is  the  signal  for  ‘ corrobboree.’  All  is 
noAv  still;  nothing  disturbs  the  silence  save 
the  occasional  jabber  of  a Avoman  or  child, 
and  even  that,  after  a fcAv  minutes,  is  hushed. 
The  blaze  of  the  fire  throAA’S  a fitful  light 
along  the  battalion-like  front  of  the  black 
phalanx,  and  the  hideous  faces,  daubed  AAuth 
paint  and  smeared  Avith  grease,  shoAv*  out  at 
such  a moment  to  anything  but  advantage. 

“ As  soon  as  the  old  gentleman  aa'Iio  has 
been  ‘ taking  the  lunar’  announces  the  ad- 
vent of  that  planet,  which  seems  to  exercise 
as  great  an  influence  over  the  actions  of 
these  people  as  over  many  of  those  amongst 
ourselves,  the  ‘ corrobboree  ’ commences. 
The  Avomen  beat  the  little  sticks  together, 
keeping  time  to  a peculiar  monotonous  air, 
and  repeating  the  Avords,  the  burden  of 
Avhich  Avhen  translated  may  be  — 

“ ‘The  kangaroo  is  SAvift,  but  SAvifter  is  Kgoyullo- 
man ; 

The  snake  is  cunning,  hut  more  cunning  is 
Ngoyulloman,’  &c., 

each  Avoman  using  the  name  of  her  husband 
or  favorite  in  the  tribe.  The  men  spring  to 
their  feet  Avith  a yell  that  rings  through  the 
forest,  and,  brandishing  their  spears,  boome- 
rangs, &c.,  commence  their  dance,  flinging 
themselves  into  all  sorts  of  attitudes,  hoAvl- 
ing,  laughing,  grinning,  and  singing;  and 
this  they  continue  till  sheer  exhaustion  com- 
pels them  to  desist,  after  Avhich  they  roast 
and  eat  the  product  of  the  chase,  gathered 


THE  GREAT  CORRORBOREE. 


753 


for  the  occasion,  and  then  drop  off  to  sleep 
one  by  one.” 

The  reader  will  see  that  this  great  mystery 
“ coiTobboree  ” combines  several  of  the  pe- 
culiar movements  which  are  to  bo  found  in 
the  various  dances  that  have  already  been 
described. 

A dance  of  somewhat  similar  character 
used  to  be  celebrated  by  the  Tasmanians  at 
the  occasion  of  each  full  moon,  as  is  described 
by  Mr.  G.  T.  Lloyd.  The  various  tribes  as- 
sembled at  some  trystin<y-place;  and  while 
the  women  prepared  the  tire,  and  fenced  off 
a space  for  the  dance,  the  men  retired  to 
adorn  themselves  with  paint,  and  to  fasten 
bunches  of  bushy  twigs  to  their  ankles, 
wrists,  and  waists. 

The  women  being  seated  at  the  end  of 
this  space,  one  of  the  oldest  among  them 
strode  forward,  calling  by  name  one  of  the 
performers,  reviling  him  as  a coward,  and 
challenging  him  to  appear  and  answer  her 
charge.  The  warrior  was  not  long  in  his 
response,  and,  bounding  into  the  circle 
through  the  tire,  he  proclaimed  his  deeds  of 
daring  in  war  and  in  the  hunt.  At  every 
pause  he  made,  his  female  admirers  took  up 
his  praises,  vaunting  his  actions  in  a sort  of 
chant,  which  they  accompanied  by  extem- 
porized drums  formed  of  rolled  kangaroo 
skins. 

Suddenly,  upon  some  inspiring  allegretto 
movement  of  ,the  thumping  band,  thirty  or 
forty  grim  savages  would  bound  successively 
through  the  furious  flames  into  the  sacred 
arena,  looking  like  veritable  demons  on 
a special  visit  to  terra  Jirma^  and,  after 
thoroughly  exhausting  themselves  by  leap- 
ing in  imitation  of  the  kangaroo  around  and 
through  the  Are,  they  vanished  in  an  instant. 
These,  were  as  rapidly  succeeded  by  their 
lovely  gins,  who,  at  a given  signal  from  the 
beldame  speaker,  rose  en  masse,  and  ranging 
themselves  round  the  fresh-plied  flames  in  a 
state  unadorned  and  genuine  as  imported 
into  the  world,  contorted  their  arms,  legs, 
and  bodies  into  attitudes  that  would  shame 
first-class  acrobats.  The  grand  point,  how- 
ever, with  each  of  the  well-greased  beauties 
was  to  scream  down  her  sable  sister. 

This  dance,  as  well  as  other  native  cus- 
toms, has  departed,  together  with  the  abo- 
rigines, from  the  island,  and  the  native 
Tasmanians  jare  now  practically  extinct. 
There  is  before  me  a photograph  of  the 
three  remaining  survivors  of"^ these  tribes, 
which  some  sixty  years  ago  numbered  be- 
tween six  and  seven  thousand.  That  they 
should  have  so  rapidly  perished  under  the 
influence  of  the  white  man  is  explained  from 
the  fact  that  their  island  is  but  limited  in 
extent,  and  that  they  are  altogether  inferior 
to  the  aborigines  of  the  continent.  They 
are  small  in  stature,  the  men  averaging  only 
five  feet  three  inches  in  height,  and  they  are 
very  ill-favored  in  countenance,  the  line 
from  the  nose  t©  the  corners  of  the  mouth 


being  very  deep  and  much  curved,  so  as  to 
enclose  the  mouth  in  a pair  of  ))arcn theses. 
The  hair  is  cut  very  closely.  This  is  done 
by  means  of  two  sharp-edged  fragments  of 
flint,  broken  .glass  being  preferred  since 
Euro})cans  settled  in  the  country.  Cutting 
the  hair  is  necessarily  a hnlious  ceremony, 
only  ten  or  twelve  hairs  being  severed  at  a 
time,  and  upwards  of  three  hours  being  con- 
sumed in  trimming  a head  fit  for  a dance. 
Shaving  is  conducted  after  the  same  man- 
ner. 

The  general  habits  of  the  Tasmanian  na- 
tives agree  with  those  of  the  continent.  The 
mode  of  climbing  trees,  however,  is  a curious 
mixture  of  the  Australian  and  Polynesian 
custom.  When  the  native  discovers  the 
marks  of  an  opossum  on  the  bark,  he  plucks 
a quantity  of  wire  grass,  and  rapidly  lays  it 
up  in  a three-stranded  plait,  with  which  he 
encircles  the  tree  and  his  own  waist.  By 
means  of  a single  chop  of  the  tomahawk  he 
makes  a slight  notch  in  the  bark,  into  which 
he  puts  his  great  toe,  raises  himself  by  it, 
and  simultaneously  jerks  the  grass  band  up 
the  trunk  of  the  tree.  ISTotch  after  notch  is 
thus  made,  and  the  native  ascends  with  in- 
credible rapidity,  the  notches  never  being 
less  than  three  feet  six  inches  apart. 

Often,  the  opossum,  alarmed  at  the  sound 
of  the  tomahawk,  leaves  its  nest,  and  runs 
along  some  bare  bough,  projecting  horizon- 
tally from  eighty  to  a hundred  feet  above 
the  ground.  The  native  walks  along  the 
bough  upright  and  firm  as  if  the  tree  were 
his  native  place,  and  shakes  the  animal  into 
the  midst  of  his  companions  who  are  assem- 
bled under  the  tree. 

The  natives  never,  in  their  wild  state,  wear 
clothes  of  any  kind.  They  manufacture 
cloaks  of  opossum  and  kangaroo  skins,  but 
only  in  defence  against  cold.  They  are  won- 
derful hunters,  and  have  been  successfully 
employed  by  the  colonists  in  tracing  sheep 
that  had  strayed,  or  the  footsteps  of  the  thief 
who  had  stolen  them.  The  slightest  scratch 
tell  its  tale  to  these  quick-eyed  people,  who 
know  at  once  the  very  time  at  which  the 
impression  was  made,  and,  having  once 
seen  it,  start  off  at  a quick  pace,  and  are 
certain  to  overtake  the  fugitive. 

The  untimely  end  of  the  aboriginal  Tas- 
manians is  greatly  to  be  attributed  to  the 
conduct  of  a well-known  chief,  called  Mos- 
quito. He  was  a native  of  Sydney,  and;  hav- 
ing been  convicted  of  several  murders,  was, 
by  a mistaken  act  of  lenity,  transported  to 
Tasmania,  when  he  made  acquaintance  with 
the  Oyster  Bay  tribe.  Being  much  taller 
and  stronger  than  the  natives,  he  was  unan- 
imously elected  chief,  and  took  the  command. 
His  reign  was  most  disastrous  for  the  Tas- 
manians. He  ruled  them  with  a rod  of  iron, 
punishing  the  slightest  disobedience  with  a 
blow  of  his  tomahawk,  not  caring  in  the  least 
whether  the  culprit  were  killed  or  not.  He 
organized  a series  of  depredations  on  the 


Tiiio  (;ki<:at  (’omiomjoitKK. 


for  (ho  occasion,  and  tlicn  drop  oil’  l,o  sk^c]) 
one  by  oiu'.” 

The  reader  will  S(U‘.  lhal,  l.his  fjji'i'ul  mystery 
“ eorrobboi’cH^  ” coinbiiU'S  si‘.V(!riil  of  llie  pi^- 
cnliar  inoycoinmls  which  arc.  to  h(^  loimd  in 
the  various  dances  that  haye  alniady  h(.*cn 
described. 

A daiute  of  soinewliat  similar  cliaracder 
used  to  he  celehrati'.d  by  (he  ''J'asmanians  at 
the  occasion  of  eaidi  full  moon,  as  is  (h^scrihed 
by  Mr.  (I.  T.  Jjloyd.  The  yarioiis  ti-il)cs  as- 
.sembled  at  some  trystini^-place;  and  while 
the  women  prei)ared  the  lire,  and  fenced  off 
a space  for  the  dance,  the  men  retiiaal  to 
adorn  themselves  with  ))aint,  and  to  fasten 
bunches  of  bushy  twigs  to  their  ankles, 
wrists,  and  waists. 

The  women  being  seated  at  the  end  of 
this  S[)ace,  one  of  tlie  oldest  among  them 
strode  forward,  calling  by  name  one  of  the 
performers,  reviling  him  as  a coward,  and 
challenging  him  to  appear  and  answer  her 
charge.  The  warrior  was  not  long  in  his 
response,  and,  bounding  into  the  circle 
through  the  tire,  he  proclaimed  his  deeds  of 
daring  in  war  and  in  the  hunt.  At  every 
pause  he  made,  his  female  admirers  took  u]) 
his  praises,  vaunting  his  actions  in  a sort  of 
chant,  which  they  accompanied  by  extem- 
porized drums  formed  of  rolled  kangaroo 
skins. 

Suddenly,  upon  some  inspiring  allegretto 
movement  of  ^the  thumping  band,  thirty  or 
forty  grim  savages  would  bound  successively 
through  the  furious  flames  into  the  sacred 
arena,  looking  like  veritable  demons  on 
a special  visit  to  terra  firma,  and,  after 
thoroughly  exhausting  themselves  by  leap- 
ing in  imitation  of  the  kangaroo  around  and 
through  the  fire,  they  vanished  in  an  instant. 
These,  were  as  rapidly  succeeded  by  their 
lovely  gins,  who,  at  a given  signal  from  the 
beldame  speaker,  rose  en  masse,  and  ranging 
themselves  round  the  fresh-plied  flames  in  a 
state  unadorned  and  genuine  as  imported 
into  the  world,  contorted  their  arms,  legs, 
and  bodies  into  attitudes  that  would  shame 
first-class  acrobats.  The  grand  point,  how- 
ever, with  each  of  the  well-greased  beauties 
was  to  scream  down  her  sable  sister. 

This  dance,  as  well  as  other  native  cus- 
toms, has  departed,  together  with  the  abo- 
rigines, from  the  island,  and  the  native 
Tasmanians  jare  now  practically  extinct. 
There  is  before  me  a photogra])h  of  the 
three  remaining  survivors  of^ these  tribes, 
which  some  sixty  years  ago  numbered  be- 
tween six  and  seven  thousand.  That  they 
should  have  so  rapidly  perished  under  the 
influence  of  the  white  man  is  explained  from 
the  fact  that  their  island  is  but  limited  in 
extent,  and  that  they  are  altogether  inferior 
to  the  aborigines  of  the  continent.  They 
are  small  in  stature,  the  men  averaging  only 
five  feet  three  inches  in  height,  and  they  are 
very  ill-favored  in  countenance,  the  line 
from  the  nose  t©  the  corners  of  the  mouth 


])eiiig  very  deep  :iml  miicli  curved,  :is  (o 
enclose,  (be,  moiil  li  in  a pair  of  p:ir(ni I In  ses, 
d’hc.  hair  is  cut  very  (dosely.  d'liis  is  doinj 
by  nu‘ans  ol  two  sli:ii’j)-cdg(!(l  fniginenls  (»f 
Hint,  bi'oken  glass  being  pi’eferred  sinee. 
Knroi)e:ins  SidI  1(‘(1  in  (be  connLry.  ('iiLling 
Mie.  bail*  is  mscessari ly  a (edions  cen-inony, 
only  ten  or  twelve  bairs  being  severed  at  a 
lime,  and  upwards  of  (bree  bom*.s  being  con- 
sumed in  (rimming  a bead  lit  for  a dam  e. 
Sbaving  is  conducted  after  the  same  man- 
ner. 

The  geiK'ral  liabits  of  (he  ''J''asmanian  na- 
tives agi*ee  with  those  of  the  continent,  d'he 
mode  of  climbing  trees,  liowever,  is  a curious 
mixture  of  the  Australian  and  J^olyin.-sian 
custom.  When  the  native  disco\*<‘rs  tbe, 
marks  of  an  opossum  on  tlie  bai*k,  lie  jilucks 
a quantity  of  wire  grass,  and  rapidly  lays  it 
up  in  a three-stranded  )>lait,  with  which  he, 
encircles  the  tree  and  his  own  waist,  ily 
means  of  a single  chop  of  the  tomahawk  he 
makes  a slight  notch  in  the  bark,  into  which 
he  puts  his  great  toe,  raises  himself  by  it, 
and  simultaneously  jerks  the  grass  liand  up 
the  trunk  of  the  tree.  Notch  after  notch  is 
thus  made,  and  the  native  ascends  with  in- 
credible rapidity,  the  notches  never  being 
less  than  three  feet  six  inches  apart. 

Often,  the  opossum,  alarmed  at  the  sound 
of  the  tomahawk,  leaves  its  nest,  and  runs 
along  some  bare  bough,  projecting  horizon- 
tally from  eighty  to  a hundred  feet  above 
the  ground.  The  native  walks  along  the 
bough  upright  and  firm  as  if  the  tree  were 
his  native  place,  and  shakes  the  animal  into 
the  midst  of  his  companions  who  are  assem- 
bled under  the  tree. 

The  natives  never,  in  their  wild  state,  wear 
clothes  of  any  kind.  They  manufacture 
cloaks  of  opossum  and  kangaroo  skins,  but 
only  in  defence  against  cold.  The}'  are  won- 
derful hunters,  and  have  been  successfully 
employed  by  the  colonists  in  tracing  sheep 
that  had  strayed,  or  the  footsteps  of  the  thief 
who  had  stolen  them.  The  slightest  scratch 
tell  its  tale  to  these  quick-eyed  people,  who 
know  at  once  the  very  time  at  which  the 
impression  was  made,  and,  having  once 
seen  it,  start  off  at  a quick  pace,  and  are 
certain  to  overtake  the  fugitive. 

The  untimely  end  of  the  aboriginal  Tas- 
manians is  greatly  to  be  attributed  to  the 
conduct  of  a well-known  chief,  called  Mos- 
quito. He  was  a native  of  Sydney,  and;  hav- 
ing been  convicted  of  several  murders,  was, 
by  a mistaken  act  of  lenity,  transported  to 
Tasmania,  when  he  made  acquaintance  with 
the  Oyster  Bay  tribe.  Being  much  taller 
and  stronger  than  the  natives,  he  was  unan- 
imously elected  chief,  and  took  the  command. 
His  reign  was  most  disastrous  for  the  Tas- 
manians. He  ruled  them  with  a rod  of  iron, 
punishing  the  slightest  disobedience  with  a 
blow  of  his  tomahawk,  not  caring  in  the  least 
whether  the  culprit  were  killed  or  not.  He 
organized  a series  of  depredations  on  the 


754 


AUSTRALIA. 


property  of  the  colonists,  and  was  peculiarly 
celebrated  for  his  skill  in  stealing  potatoes, 
teaching  his  followers  to  abstract  them  from 
the  ridges,  and  to  rearrange  the  ground  so 
as  to  look  as  if  it  had  never  been  disturbed, 
and  to  obliterate  all  traces  of  their  footmarks 
with  boughs. 

Under  the  influence  of  such  a leader,  the 
natives  became  murderers  as  well  as  thieves, 
so  that  the  lives  of  the  colonists  were  always 
in  peril.  It  was  therefore  necessary  to  take 
some  decided  measures  with  them;  and  after 
sundry  unsuccessful  expeditions,  the  natives 
at  last  submitted  themselves,  and  the  whole 
of  them,  numbering  then  (1837)  scarcely  more- 
than  three  hundred,  were  removed  to  Flin- 
der’s  Island,  where  a number  of  comfortable 
stone  cbttages  were  built  for  them,  infinitely 
superior  to  the  rude  bough  huts  or  niiam- 
miams  of  their  own  construction.  They 
were  liberally  supplied  with  food,  clothing, 
and  other  necessaries,  as  well  as  luxuries, 


and  the  Government  even  appointed  a res- 
ident surgeon  to  attend  them  when  ill.  All 
this  care  was,  however,  useless.  Contact 
with  civilization  produced  its  usual  fruits, 
and  in  1861  the  native  Tasmanians  were  only 
thirteen  in  number.  Ten  have  since  died, 
and  it  is  not  likely  that  the  three  whoT  sur- 
vived in  1867  will  perpetuate  their  race. 

That  the  singularly  rapid  decadence  of  the 
Tasmanians  was  partly  caused  by  the  con- 
duct of  the  shepherds,  and  other  rough  and 
uneducated  men  in  the  service  of  the  colo- 
nists, cannot  be  denied.  But  the  white  of- 
fenders were  comparatively  few,  and  quite 
unable  themselves  to  effect  such  a change  in 
so  short  a time.  For  the  real  cause  we  must 
look  to  the  strange  but  unvariable  laws  of 
progression.  Whenever  a higher  race  occu- 
pies the  same  grounds  as  a lower,  the  latter 
perishes,  and,  whether  in  animate  or  inani- 
mate nature,  the  new  world  is  always  built 
on  the  ruins  of  the  old. 


CHAPTER  LXXrV. 

AUSTKALIA — Continued. 
DOMESTIC  LIFE. 


MABRIAOE— PURCHASE  AND  EXCHANGE  OF  WIVES  — A ROUGH  WOOING  — TREATMENT  OF  THE  WIVES  — 
A BRUTAL  HUSBAND — NARROW  ESCAPE  — A FAITHFUL  COMPANION  — AUSTRALIAN  MOTHERS  — 
TREATMENT  OF  THE  NEW-BORN  INFANT  — PRACTICE  OF  INFANTICIDE  — THE  MOTHER  AND  HER 
DEAD  CHILD. 


W E will  now  proceed  to  the  domestic  life  of 
the  native  Australian,  if,  indeed,  their  mode 
of  existence  deserves  such  a name,  and  will 
begin  with  marriage  customs. 

Betrothal  takes  place  at  a very  early  age, 
the  girl  being  often  promised  in  marriage 
when  she  is  a mere  child,  her  future  husband 
being  perhaps  an  old  man  with  two  or  three 
wives  and  a number  of  children.  Of  course 
the  girl  is  purchased  from  her  father,  the 
price  varying  according  to  the  means  of  the 
husband.  Articles  of  European  make  are 
now  exceedingly  valued;  and  as  a rule,  a 
knife,  a glass  bottle,  or  some  such  article,  is 
considered  as  a fair  price  for  a wife. 

Exchange  is  often  practised,  so  that  a 
young  man  who  happens  to  have  a sister  to 
spare  will  look  out  for  some  man  who  has  a 
daughter  unbetrothed,  and  will  effect  an  ami- 
cable exchange  with  him,  so  that  a man  who 
possesses  sisters  by  his  father’s  death  is  as 
sure  of  a corresponding  number  of  wives  as 
if  he  had  the  means  wherewith  to  buy  them. 

Until  her  intended  husband  takes  her  to 
wife,  the  betrothed  girl  lives  with  her  parents, 
and  during  this  interval  she  is  not  watched 
with  the  strictness  which  is  generally  exer- 
cised toward  betrothed  girls  of  savages.  On 
the  contrary,  she  is  tacitly  allowed  to  have 
as  many  lovers  as  she  chooses,  provided  that 
a conventional  amount  of  secrecy  be  ob- 
served, and  her  husband,  when  he  marries 
her,  makes  no  complaint.  After  marriage, 
however,  the  case  is  altered,  and,  if  a former 
lover  were  to  attempt  a continuance  of  the 


acquaintance,  the  husband  would  avenge 
himself  by  visiting  both  parties  with  the  se- 
verest punishment.  There  is  no  ceremony 
about  marriage,  the  girl  being  simply  taken 
to  the  hut  of  her  husband,  and  thenceforth 
considered  as  his  wife. 

In  some  parts  of  Australia,  when  a young 
man  takes  a fancy  to  a girl  he  obtains  her 
after  a rather  curious  fashion,  which  seems  a 
very  odd  mode  of  showing  affection.  Watch- 
ing his  opportunity  when  the  girl  has  strayed 
apart  from  her  friends,  he  stuns  her  with  a 
blow  on  the  head  from  his  waddy,  carries 
her  off,  and  so  makes  her  his  wife.  The 
father  of  the  girl  is  naturally  offended  at  the 
loss  of  his  daughter,  and  complains  to  the 
elders.  The  result  is  almost  invariably  that 
the  gallant  offender  is  sentenced  to  stand  the 
ordeal  of  spear  and  boomerang.  Furnished 
with  only  his  narrow  shield,  he  stands  still, 
while  the  aggrieved  father  and  other  relatives 
hurl  a certain  number  of  spears  and  boome- 
rangs at  him.  It  is  very  seldom  that  he 
allows  himself  to  be  touched,  but,  when 
the  stipulated  number  of  throws  has  been 
made,  he  is  considered  as  having  expiated 
his  offence,  whether  he  be  hit  or  not. 

Polygamy  is  of  course  practised,  but  to 
no  very  great  extent.  Still,  although  a 
man  may  never  have  more  than  two  or 
three  wives  at  a time,  he  has  often  married 
a considerable  number,  either  discarding 
them,  when  they  are  too  old  to  please  his 
taste,  or  perhaps  killing  them  in  a fit  of 
anger.  The  last  is  no  uncommon  mode  of 


756 


AUSTRALIA. 


getting  rid  of  a wife,  and  no  one  seems  to 
think  that  her  husband  has  acted  cruelly. 
Indeed,  the  genuine  native  would  not  be 
able  to  comprehend  the  possibility  of  being 
cruel  to  his  wife,  inasmuch  as  he  recognizes 
in  her  no  right  to  kind  treatment.  She  is 
as  much  his  chattel  as  his  spear  or  hut,  and 
he  would  no  more  think  himself  cruel  in 
beating  his  wife  to  death  than  in  breaking 
the  one  or  burning  the  other. 

Since  white  men  came  to  settle  in  the 
country  the  natives  have  learned  to  consider 
them  as  beings  of  another  sphere,  very 
powerful,  but  unfortunately  possessed  with 
some  unaccountable  prejudices.  Finding, 
therefore,  that  breaking  a wife’s  limb  with  a 
club,  piercing  her  with  a spear,  or  any  other 
mode  of  expressing  dissatisfaction,  shocked 
the  prejudices  of  the  white  men,  they  ceased 
to  mention  such  practices,  though  they  did 
not  discontinue  them. 

Quite  recently,  a native  servant  was  late 
in  keeping  his  appointment  with  his  mas- 
ter, and,  on  inquiry,  it  was  elicited  that  he 
had  just  quarrelled  with  one  of  his  wives, 
and  had  speared  her  through  the  body.  On 
being  rebuked  by  his  master  he  turned  off 
the  matter  with  a laugh,  merely  remarking 
that  white  men  had  only  one  wife,  whereas 
he  had  two,  and  did  not  mind  losing  one 
until  he  could  buy  another. 

Considering  and  treating  the  women  as 
mere  articles  of  property,  the  men  naturally 
repose  no  confidence  in  them,  and  never 
condescend  to  make  them  acquainted  with 
their  plans.  If  they  intend  to  make  an 
attack  upon  another  tribe,  or  to  organize 
an  expedition  for  robbery,  they  carefully 
conceal  it  from  the  weaker  sex,  thinking 
that  such  inferior  animals  cannot  keep  se- 
crets, and  might  betray  them  to  the  objects 
of  ' the  intended  attack. 

The  utter  contempt  which  is  felt  by  the 
native  Australians  for  their  women  is  well 
illustrated  by  an  adventure  which  occurred 
after  a dance  which  had  been  got  up  for  the 
benefit  of  the  white  men,  on  the  under- 
standing that  a certain  amount  of  biscuit 
should  be  given  to  the  daneers.  When  the 
performance  was  over,  the  biscuit  was  in- 
judiciously handed  to  a woman  for  distribu- 
tion. A misunderstanding  at  once  took 
place.  The  men,  although  they  would  not 
hesitate  to  take  away  the  biscuit  by  force, 
would  not  condescend  to  ask  a woman  for 
it,  and  therefore  considered  that  the  prom- 
ised payment  had  not  been  made  to  them. 
Some  of  them,  after  muttering  their  discon- 
tent, slipped  away  for  their  spears  and  throw 
ing-sticks,  and  the  whole  place  was  in  a tur- 
moil. 

Fortunately,  in  order  to  amuse  the  na- 
tives, the  white  visitors,  who  had  never 
thought  of  the  offence  that  they  had  given, 
sent  up  a few  rockets,  which  frightened  the 
people  for  a time,  and  then  burned  a blue 
light.  As  the  brilliant  rays  pierced  the 


dark  recesses  of  the  forest,  they  disclosed 
numbers  of  armed  men  among  the  trees, 
some  alone  and  others  in  groups,  but  all 
evidently  watching  the  movements  of  the 
visitors  whose  conduct  had  so  deeply^  in- 
sulted them.  A friendly  native  saw  their 
danger  at  once,  and  hurried  them  off  to 
their  boats,  saying  that  spears  would  soon 
be  thrown. 

There  was  much  excuse  to  be  found  for 
them.  They  had  been  subjected  to  one  of 
the  grossest  insults  that  warriors  could  re- 
ceive. To  them,  women  were  little  better 
than  dogs,  and,  if  there  were  any  food,  the 
warriors  first  satisfied  their  own  hunger, 
and  then  threw  to  the  women  any  frag- 
ments that  might  be  left.  Therefore,  that  a 
woman  — a mere  household  chattel  — should 
be  deputed  to  distribute  food  to  warriors 
was  a gross,  intolerable,  and,  as  they  natu- 
rally thought,  intentional  insult.  It  was 
equivalent  to  degrading  them  from  their 
rank  as  men  and  warriors,  and  making 
them  even  of  less  account  than  women. 
No  wonder,  then,  that  their  anger  was 
roused,  and  the  only  matter  of  surprise  is 
that  an  attack  was  not  immediately  made. 
Australian  warriors  have  their  own  ideas  of 
chivalry,  and,  like  the  knights  of  old,  feel 
themselves  bound  to  resent  the  smallest 
aspersion  cast  upon  their  honor. 

Mr.  M’Gillivray,  who  narrates  this  anec- 
dote makes  a few  remarks  which  are  most 
valuable,  as  showing  the  errors  which  are 
too  often  committed  when  dealing  with  sav- 
ages, not  only  those  of  Australia,  but  of 
other  countries. 

“ I have  alluded  to  this  occurrence,  trivial 
as  it  may  appear,  not  without  an  object.  It 
serves  as  an  illustration  of  the  policy  of 
respecting  the  known  customs  of  the  Au- 
stralian race,  even  in  ap])arently  trifling  mat- 
ters, at  least  during  the  early  period  of 
intercourse  with  a tribe,  and  shows  how 
a little  want  of  judgment  in  the  director  of 
our  party  caused  the  most  friendly  inten- 
tions to  be  misunderstood,  and  might  have 
led  to  fatal  results. 

“ I must  confess  that  I should  have  con- 
sidered any  injury  sustained  on  our  side  to 
have  been  most  richly  merited.  Moreover, 
I am  convinced  that  some  at  least  of  the 
collisions  which  have  taken  place  in  Au- 
stralia between  the  first  European  visitors 
and  the  natives  of  any  given  district  have 
originated  in  causes  of  offence  brought  on 
by  the  indiscretion  of  one  or  more  of  the 
party,  and  revenged  on  others  who  were 
innocent.” 

Mr.  McGillivray  then  proceeds  to  mention 
the  well-known  case  of  the  night  attack  on 
Mr.  Leichhardt’s  expedition.  For  no  ap- 
parent reason,  a violent  assault  was  made 
on  the  camp,  and  Mr.  Gilbert  was  killed. 
The  reason  of  this  attack  did  not  transpire 
until  long  afterward,  when  a native  at- 
tached to  the  expedition  divulged,  in  a 


INFANTICIDE. 


757 


state  of  intoxication,  the  fact  that  he  and 
a fellow-countryman  had  grossly  insulted  a 
native  woman. 

Yet,  in  spite  of  this  brutal  treatment,  the 
women  often  show  a depth  of  affectionate 
feeling  which  raises  them  far  above  the 
brutai  savages  that  enslave  them.  One  re- 
markable instance  of  this  feeling  is  men- 
tioned by  Mr.  Bennett.  She  had  formed 
an  attachment  to  an  escaped  convict,  who 
became  a bushranger,  and  enabled  him,  by 
her  industry  and  courage,  to  prolong  the 
always  precarious  life  of  a bushranger  be- 
yond the  ordinary  limits. 

The  chief  dangers  that  beset  these  ruf- 
fians are  the  necessity  for  procuring  food, 
and  the  watch  which  is  always  kept  by  the 
police.  Her  native  skill  enabled  her  to  sup- 
ply him  with  food,  and,  while  he  was  lying 
concealed,  she  used  to  fish,  hunt,  dig  roots, 
and  then  to  cook  them  for  him.  Her  native 
quickness  of  eye  and  ear  enabled  her  to 
detect  the  approach  of  the  police,  and,  by 
the  instinctive  cunning  with  which  these 
blacks  are  gifted,  she  repeatedly  threw  the 
pursuers  off  the  scent.  He  was  utterly  un- 
worthy of  the  affection  which  she  bestowed 
on  him,  and  used  to  beat  her  unmercifully, 
but,  undeterred  by  his  cruelty,  she  never 
flagged  in  her  exertions  for  his  welfare; 
and  on  one  occasion,  while  he  was  actually 
engaged  in  ill-treating  her,  the  police  came 
upon  his  place  of  refuge,  and  must  have 
captured  him,  had  she  not  again  misled 
them,  and  sent  them  to  a spot  far  from  the 
place  where  he  was  hidden.  At  last,  he 
ventured  out  too  boldly,  during  her  acci- 
dental absence,  was  captured,  tried  and 
hanged.  But  up  to  the  last  this  faithful 
creature  never  deserted  him,  and,  even 
when  he  was  imprisoned,  she  tried  to  fol- 
low him,  but  was  reclaimed  by  her  tribe. 

When  a native  woman  is  about  to  become 
a mother  she  retires  into  the  bush,  some- 
times alone,  but  generally  accompanied  by 
a female  friend,  and,  owing  to  the  strong 
constitution  of  these  women,  seldom  re- 
mains in  her  retirement  more  than  a day 
or  so.  Among  the  natives  of  Victoria,  the 
ceremony  attending  the  birth  of  a child  is 
rather  curious,  and  is  amusingly  described 
by  Mr.  Lloyd:  “ While  upon  the  subject  of 
the  Australian  aborigines,  I must  not  omit 
to  describe  the  very  original  modus  operandi 
of  the  indigenous  sage  femme. 

“ The  unhappy  loobra  (native  woman) 
retired  with  her  wise  woman  into  some  lone 
secluded  dell,  abounding  with  light  sea-sand. 
A fire  was  kindled,  and  the  wretched  miam- 
miam  speedily  constructed.  Then  came  the 
slender  repast,  comprising  a spare  morsel  of 
kangaroo  or  other  meat,  supplied  with  a 
sparing  hand  by  her  stoical  coolie  (male  na- 
tive), grilled,  and  graced  with  the  tendrils 
of  green  opiate  cow-thistles,  or  the  succulent 
roots  of  the  bulbous  leaf  ‘ mernong.’ 

“ The  sable  attendant  soon  entered  upon 


her  interesting  duties.  One  of  the  first  was, 
to  light  a second  fire  over  a quantity  of  pre- 
pared sand,  that  had  been  carefully  divested 
of  all  fibrous  roots,  pebbles,  or  coarser  mat- 
ter. The  burning  coals  and  faggots  were 
removed  from  thence,  upon  some  nice  cal- 
culation as  to  the  period  of  the  unfortunate 
little  nigger’s  arrival.  When  the  miniature 
representative  of  his  sable  father  beheld  the 
light  of  day,  a hole  was  scratched  in  the 
heated  sand,  and  the  wee  russet-brown  thing 
safely  deposited  therein,  in  a state  of  per- 
fect nudity,  and  buried  to  the  very  chin,  so 
effectually  covered  up  as  to  render  any 
objectionable  movement  on  his  or  her  part 
utterly  impossible. 

“ So  far  as  any  infantine  ebullitions  of 
feeling  are  concerned,  the  learned  sages 
femmes  appeared  to  have  a thorough  knowl- 
edge as  to  the  world-wide  method  of  treat- 
ing the  mewling  and  puking  importunities 
of  unreasoning  nurslings.  They  knew  well 
that  a two-hours’  sojourn  in  the  desert  sand, 
warm  as  it  might  be,  would  do  much  to  cool 
the  new  comer,  and  temper  it  into  compli- 
ance. At  the  expiration  of  that  time,  hav- 
ing acquired  so  much  knowledge  of  earthly 
troubles,  the  well-baked  juvenile  was  con- 
sidered to  be  thoroughly  done,  and  there- 
upon introduced  to  his  delighted  loobra 
mamma.” 

Following  the  custom  of  many  savage  na- 
tions, the  Australians  too  often  destroy  their 
children  in  their  first  infancy.  Among  the 
Muralug  tribes  the  practice  is  very  common. 
It  has  already  been  mentioned  that  the  girls 
live  very  unrestrainedly  before  marriage, 
and  the  result  is,  that  a young  woman  will 
sometimes  have  several  children  before  her 
marriage.  As  a general  rule,  these  children 
are  at  once  killed,  unless  the  father  be  desir- 
ous of  preserving  them.  This,  however,  is 
seldom  the  case,  and  he  usually  gives  the 
order  “ Marana  teio,”  i.  e.  Throw  it  into  the 
hole,  when  the  poor  little  thing  is  at  once 
buried  alive.  Even  those  children  which 
are  born  after  marriage  are  not  always  pre- 
served. In  the  first  place,  a woman  will 
scarcely  ever  take  charge  of  more  than 
three  children,  and  many  a female  child  is 
destroyed  where  a male  would  be  allowed  to 
live. 

All  children  who  have  any  bodily  defect 
are  sure  to  be  killed,  and,  as  a general  rule, 
half-caste  children  are  seldom  allowed  to  live. 
The  mothers  are  usually  ashamed  to  acknowl- 
edge these  murders,  but  in  one  case  the 
unnatural  parent  openly  avowed  the  deed, 
saying  that  the  infant  was  like  a waragul, 
i.  e.  the  native  dog  or  dingo.  The  fact  was  that 
its  father  was  a sailor  who  had  fiery  red  hair, 
and  his  offspring  partook  of  the  same  rufous 
complexion.  Of  course  there  are  excep- 
tions to  the  rule,  one  of  which  may  be 
found  in  the  case  of  the  poor  woman  who 
was  so  faithful  to  her  convict  mate.  She 
had  a male  child,  which  was  brought  up  by 


758 


AUSTEALIA. 


the  tribe  to  which  she  belonged,  and  they 
were  so  fond  of  him  that  they  refused  to 
give  him  up  when  some  benevolent  persons 
tried  to  obtain  possession  of  him  in  order  to 
educate  him  in  civilization. 

If,  however,  the  child  is  allowed  to  live, 
the  Australian  mother  is  a very  atfectionate 
one,  tending  her  oflspring  with  the  greatest 
care,  and  in  her  own  wild  way  being  as  lov- 
ing a parent  as  can  be  found  in  any  part  of 
the  world.  The  engraving  No.  2,  on  the 
next  i>age,  illustrates  this  devotion  of  Au- 
stralian mothers  to  their  children. 

In  nothing  is  this  affection  better  shown 
than  in  the  case  of  a child’s  death.  Al- 
though she  might  have  consigned  it  when 
an  infant  to  a living  grave  without  a pang 
of  remorse,  yet,  when  it  dies  after  having 
been  nurtured  by  her,  she  exhibits  a steady 
sorrow  that  exhibits  the  depth  of  affection 
with  which  she  regarded  the  child.  When 
it  dies,  she  swathes  the  body  in  many  wrap- 
pers, places  it  in  her  net-bul,  or  native  wallet, 


and  carries  it  about  with  her  as  if  it  were 
alive,  ^he  never  parts  with  it  for  a mo- 
ment. When  she  eats  she  offers  food  to  the 
dead  corpse,  as  if  it  were  still  alive,  and 
when  she  lies  down  to  sleep,  she  lays  her 
head  upon  the  wallet,  which  serves  her  as  a 
pillow.  The  progress  of  decay  has  no  effect 
upon  her,  and  though  the  body  becomes  so 
offensive  that  no  one  can  come  near  her, 
she  seems  unconscious  of  it,  and  never 
dreams  of  abandoning  the  dreadful  burden. 
In  process  of  time  nothing  is  left  but  the 
mere  bones,  but  even  these  are  tended  in 
the  same  loving  manner,  and  even  after  the 
lapse  of  years  the  mother  has  been  known 
to  bear,  in  addition  to  her  other  bur- 
dens, the  remains  of  her  dead  child.  Even 
when  the  child  has  been  from  six  to  seven 
years  old  she  will  treat  it  in  the  same  man- 
ner, and,  with  this  burden  on  her  back,  will 
continue  to  discharge  her  heavy  domestic 
duties. 


(1.)  AN  AUSTRALIAN  FEAST.  (See  page  763.) 


(2.)  AUSTRALIAN  MOTHERS. 
(See  page  758.) 


(769) 


m THs: 


-•.'  <<i 


.'  .}»i 


CHAPTER  LXXy. 


AUSTRALIA — Continued, 

FROM  CHILDHOOD  TO  MANHOOD. 


AUSTRALIAN  CHILDREN  — CEREMONIES  ATTENDANT  ON  BECOMING  MEN  — ADMKSION  TO  THE  RANK  OP 
HUNTER  — CEREMONY  OF  THE  KANGAROO  — THE  KORADJEES  AND  THEIR  DUTIES — KNOCKING 
OUT  THE  TOOTH  — TRIAL  BY  ENDURANCE  — TEST  OP  DETERMINATION  — THE  MAGIC  CRYSTAL  — 
THE  FINAL  FEAST  — INITIATION  AMONG  THE  MOORUNDI  AND  PARNKALLA  TRIBE  — THE  WITARNA, 
AND  ITS  DREADED  SOUND  — THE  WHISPERERS  — TAKING  THE  SECOND  DEGREE  — THE  APRON  AND 
HEAD-NET — THE  THIRD  AND  LAST  CEREMONY — ENDURANCE  OF  PAIN  — A NAUO  MAN  — STORY  OP 
Gl’OM  — MAKING  KOTAIGA  OR  BROTHERHOOD. 


AusTRALiA]sr  children,  while  they  remain 
children,  and  as  such  are  under  the  domin- 
ion of  their  mothers,  are  rather  engaging 
little  creatures.  They  cannot  be  called 
pretty,  partly  owing  to  the  total  neglect,  or 
rather  ignorance,  of  personal  cleanliness,  and 
partly  on  account  of  the  diet  with  which 
they  are  fed.  Their  eyes  are  soft,  and  pos- 
sess the  half-wistful,  half-wild  expression 
that  so  peculiarly  distinguishes  the  young 
savage.  But  they  are  never  washed  except 
by  accident,  their  profuse  black  hair  wan- 
ders in  unkempt  masses  over  their  heads, 
and  their  stomachs  protrude  exactly  like 
those  of  the  young  African  savage. 

In  process  of  time  they  lose  all  these 
characteristics.  The  wistful  expression  dies 
out  of  their  eyes,  while  the  restless,  suspi- 
cious glance  of  the  savage  takes  its  place. 
They  become  quarrelsome,  headstrong,  and 
insubordinate,  and,  after  exhibiting  these 
qualifications  for  a higher  rank  in  life,  they 
become  candidates  for  admission  into  the 
rights  and  privileges  of  manhood.  Among 
civilized  nations,  attaining  legal  majority  is 
a simple  process  enough,  merely  consisting 
of  waiting  until  the  candidate  is  old  enough; 
but  with  many  savage  nations,  and  specially 
with  the  Australians,  the  process  of  becom- 
ing men  is  a long,  intricate,  and  singularly 
painful  series  of  ceremonies. 

These  rites  vary  according  to  the  locality 
in  which  they  are  celebrated,  but  they  all 


agree  in  one  point,  namely,  — in  causing 
very  severe  pain  to  the  initiates,  and  testing 
to  the  utmost  their  endurance  of  pain.  As 
many  of  these  rites  are  almost  identical  in 
different  tribes,  I shall  not  repeat  any  of 
them,  but  only  mention  those  points  in 
W'hich  the  ceremonies  differ  from  each 
other. 

One  of  these  customs,  which  seems  to 
belong  to  almost  every  variety  of  savage 
life,  namely,  the  loss  of  certain  teeth,  flour- 
ishes among  the  Australians.  The  mode  of  ^ 
extracting  the  teeth  is  simple  enough.  The 
men  who  conduct  the  ceremony  pretend  to 
be  very  ill,  swoon,  and  writhe  on  the  ground, 
and  are  treated  after  the  usual  method  of 
healing  the  sick,  i.  e.  their  friends  make  a 
great  howling  and  shouting,  dance  round 
them,  and  hit  them  on  the  back,  until  each 
sick  man  produces  a piece  of  sharp  bone. 

This  ceremony  being  intended  to  give  the 
initiates  power  over  the  various  animals,  a 
series  of  appropriate  ceremonies  are  per- 
formed. On  the  morning  after  the  sharp 
bones  have  been  mysteriously  produced,  the 
Koradjees,  or  operators,  dress  themselves 
up  with  bits  of  fur  and  other  decorations, 
which  are  conventionally  accepted  as  repre- 
senting the  dingo,  or  native  dog.  The 
wooden  sword,  which  is  thrust  into  a belt, 
sticks  up  over  the  back,  and  takes  the  place 
of  the  tail.  The  boys  are  then  made  to  sit 
on  the  ground,  while  the  koradjees  run 


7G2 


AUSTRALIA. 


round  and  round  them  on  all  fours,  thus 
representing  dogs,  and  giving  the  lads  to 
understand  that  the  succeeding  ceremony 
will  give  them  power  over  dogs.  In  token 
of  this  power,  each  time  that  they  paas  the 
boys  they  throw  sand  and  dust  over  them. 

Here  it  must  be  remarked  that  the  Au- 
stralian natives  are  great  dog-fanciers,  the 
dog  being  to  them  what  the  pig  is  to  the 
Sandwich  Islanders.  There  is  scarcely  a 
lad  who  does  not  possess  at  least  one  dog, 
and  many  have  several,  of  which  they  take 
charge  from  earliest  puppyhood,  and  which 
accompany  their  masters  wherever  they  go. 
Besides  their  value  as  companions,  these 
dogs  are  useful  for  another  reason.  They 
are  a safeguard  against  famine;  for  when  a 
man  is  in  danger  of  starving,  he  is  sure  to 
rescue  himself  by  killing  and  cooking  his 
faithful  dog.  The  animal  has  never  cost 
him  any  trouble.  It  forages  for  itself  as  it 
best  can,  and  always  adheres  to  its  owner, 
and  is  always  at  hand  when  wanted.  The 
object,  therefore,  of  the  first  part  of  the  cer- 
emony is  to  intimate  to  the  lads  that  they 
are  not  only  to  have  dominion  over  the 
dogs,  but  that  they  ought  to  possess  its 
excellent  cpialities. 

The  next  part  of  the  ceremony  is  intended 
to  give  them  power  over  the  kangaroos. 

Accordingly,  a stout  native  now  appears 
on  the  scene,  bearing  on  his  shoulders  the 
rude  effigy  of  a kangaroo,  made  of  grass; 
and  after  him  walks  another  man  with  a 
load  of  brushwood.  The  men  move  with 
measured  steps,  in  time  to  the  strokes  of 
clubs  upon  shields,  wherewith  the  specta- 
tors accompany  the  songs  which  the}^  sing. 
At  the  end  of  the  dance,  the  men  lay  their 
burdens  at  the  feet  of  the  youths,  the  grass 
effigy  signifying  the  kangaroo,  and  the 
brushwood  being  accepted  as  a sign  of  its 
haunts. 

The  koradjees  now  take  upon  themselves 
the  character  of  the  kangaroo,  as  thej^  for- 
merly personated  the  dog.  They  make  long 
ropes  of  grass  in  imitation  of  the  kangaroo’s 
tail,  and  fasten  them  at  the  back  of  their 
girdles.  They  then  imitate  the  various 
movements  of  the  kangaroo,  such  as  leap- 
ing, feeding,  rising  on  their  feet  and  looking 
about  them,  or  lying  down  cn  their  sides 
and  scratching  themselves,  as  kangaroos  do 
when  basking  in  the  sun.  As  they  go 
through  these  performances,  several  men 
enact  the  part  of  hunters,  and  follow  them 
with  their  spears,  pretending  to  steal  upon 
them  unobserved,  and  so  to  kill  them. 

After  a few  more  ceremonies,  the  men  lie 
on  the  ground,  and  the  boys  are  led  over 
their  prostrate  bodies,  the  men  groaning 
and  writhing,  and  pretending  to  suffer  horri- 
ble agony  from  the  contact  with  uninitiates. 
At  last  the  boys  are  drawn  up  in  a row,  and 
opposite  to  them  stands  the  principal  korad- 
jee,  holding  his  shield  and  waddy,  with 
which  he  keeps  up  a series  of  regular 


strokes,  the  whole  party  poising  their  spears 
at  him,  and  at  every  third  stroke  touching 
his  shield. 

The  operators  now  proceed  to  the  actual 
removaUof  the  tooth.  The  initiates  are 
placed  on  the  shoulders  of  men  seated  on 
the  ground,  and  the  operator  then  lances 
the  gums  freely  with  the  sharp  bone.  One 
end  of  a wummerah,  or  throw-stick,  is  next 
placed  on  the  tooth,  and  a sharp  blow  is 
struck  with  the  stone,  knocking  out  the 
tooth,  and  often  a piece  of  gum  also  if  the 
lancing  has  not  been  properly  done. 

Among  another  tribe,  the  initiate  is  seated 
opposite  a tree.  A stick  is  then  placed 
against  the  trunk  of  the  tree,  with  its  other 
end  resting  on  the  tooth.  The  operator 
suddenly  pushes  the  lad’s  head  forward, 
when,  as  a matter  of  course,  the  tooth  comes 
out.  The  blood  is  allowed  to  flow  over  the 
spot,  and,  as  it  is  a sign  of  manhood,  is 
never  washed  off. 

The  tooth  being  finally  extracted,  the  boy 
is  led  to  a distance,  and  his  friends  press  the 
wounded  gum  together,  and  dress  him  in 
the  emblems  of  his  rank  as  a man.  The 
opossum  fur  belt,  or  kumeel,  is  fastened 
round  his  waist,  and  in  it  is  thrust  the 
wooden  sword,  which  he,  as  a warrior,  is 
now  expected  to  use.  A bandage  is  tied 
round  his  forehead,  in  which  are  stuck  a 
number  of  grass-tree  leaves;  his  left  hand 
is  placed  over  his  mouth,  and  for  the  rest  of 
the  day  he  is  not  allowed  to  eat. 

In  some  parts  of  the  country  there  is  a 
curious  addition  to  the  mere  loss  of  the 
tooth.  The  warriors  stand  over  the  lad, 
exhorting  him  to  patience,  and  threatening, 
him  with  instant  death  if  he  should  flinch, 
cry  out,  or  show  any  signs  of  pain.  The 
operators  then  deliberately  cut  long  gashes 
all  down  his  back,  and  others  upon  his 
shoulders.  Should  he  groan,  or  display  any 
S3unptoms  of  suffering,  the  operators  give 
three  long  and  piercing  5"ells,  as  a sign  that 
the  3muth  is  unwortli3'  to  be  a warrior.  The 
women  are  summoned,  and  the  recreant  is 
handed  over  to  them,  ever  after  to  be  ranked 
with  the  women,  and  share  in  their  menial 
and  despised  tasks. 

Even  after  passing  the  bodily  ordeal,  he 
has  to  undergo  a mental  trial.  There  is  a 
certain  mysterious  piece  of  ciystal  to  which 
various  magic  powers  are  attributed,  and 
which  is  onU  allowed  to  be  seen  b3^  men, 
who  wear  it  in  their  hair,  tied  up  in  a little 
packet.  This  crystal,  and  the  use  to  which 
it  is  put,  will  be  described  when  we  come  to 
treat  of  medicine  among  the  Australians. 

The  youth  having  been  formall3^  admitted 
as  a huntsman,  another  ring  is  formed 
round  him,  in  order  to  see  whether  his  firm- 
ness of  mind  corresponds  with  his  endurance 
of  body.  Into  the  hands  of  the  maimed  and 
bleeding  candidate  the  mysterious  crystal  is 
placed.  As  soon  as  he  has  taken  it,  the  old 
men  endeavor  by  all  their  arts  to  persuade 


COMmG  OF  AGE. 


763 


him  to  give  it  up  again.  Should  he  be  weak- 
minded  enough  to  yield,  he  is  rejected  as  a 
warrior;  and  not  until  he  has  successfully 
resisted  all  their  threats  and  cajoleries  is  he 
finally  admitted  into  the  rank  of  men. 

The  ceremony  being  over,  a piercing  yell 
is  set  up  as  a signal  for  the  women  to  return 
to  the  camp,  and  the  newly-admitted  man 
follows  them,  accompanied  by  their  friends, 
all  chanting  a song  of  joy,  called  the  Icorinda 
hraia.  They  then  separate  to  their  respec- 
tive fires,  where  they  hold  great  feastings 
and  rejoicings  (see  engraving  No.  1,  page 
759);  and  the  ceremonies  are  concluded 
with  the  dances  in  which  the  Australians  so 
much  delight. 

As  may  be  gathered  from  the  account  of 
these  ceremonies,  the  lad  who  is  admitted 
into  the  society  of  hunters  thinks  very  much 
of  himself,  and  addresses  himself  to  the 
largest  game  of  Australia;  namely,  the  emu 
and  the  dingo.  When  he  has  succeeded  in 
killing  either  of  these  creatures,  he  makes 
a trophy,  which  he  carries  about  for  some 
time,  as  a proof  that  he  is  doing  credit  to  his 
profession.  This  trophy  consists  of  a stick, 
a yard  or  so  in  length,  to  one  end  of  which 
is  tied  the  tail  of  the  first  dingo  he  kills,  or 
a huge  tuft  of  feathers  from  the  first  emu. 
These  trophies  he  displays  everywhere,  and 
is  as  proud  of  them  as  an  English  lad  of  his 
first  brush,  or  of  his  first  pheasant’s  tail. 

Among  the  Moorundi  natives,  who  live  on 
the  great  Murray  River,  another  ceremony  is 
practised.  When  the  lads  are  about  sixteen 
years  old,  and  begin  to  grow  the  beard  and 
moustache  which  become  so  luxuriant  in 
their  after-life,  preparations  are  quietly 
made  by  sending  for  some  men  from  a 
friendly  tribe,  who  are  called,  from  their 
office,  the  iveearoos,  or  pluckers.  When  they 
have  arrived,  the  lads  who  have  been  se- 
lected are  suddenly  pounced  upon  by  some 
one  of  their  own  tidbe,  and  conducted  to  the 
place  of  initiation,  which  is  marked  by  two 
spears  set  in  the  ground,  inclining  to  each 
other,  and  being  decorated  with  bunches  of 
emu  feathers.  They  are  then  smeared  over 
with  red  ochre  and  grease,  and  the  women 
flock  round  them,  crying  bitterly,  and  cut- 
ting their  own  legs  with  mussel-shells,  until 
they  inflict  horrible  gashes,  ,and  cause  the 
blood  to  flow  abundantly.  In  fact,  a stranger 
would  think  that  the  women,  and  not  Rie 
lads,  were  the  initiates. 

The  boys  lie  down,  with  their  heads  to  the 
spears,  surrounded  by  their  anxious  friends, 
who  watch  them  attentively  to  see  if  they 
display  any  indications  of  flinching  from 
pain.  The  w^eearoos  now  advance,  and 
pluck  off  every  hair  from  their  bodies,  thus 
causing  a long  and  irritating  torture.  When 
they  have  endured  this  process,  green 
branches  are  produced,  and  fastened  to 
the  bodies  of  the  lads,  one  being  worn  as  an 
apron,  and  the  others  under  the  arms.  Two 
kangaroo  teeth  are  then  fastened  in  the 


hair,  and  the  young  men,  as  they  are  now 
termed,  are  entitled  to  wear  a bunch  of  emu 
feathers  in  their  hair. 

With  another  tribe  there  is  a curious 
variation.  The  initiate  is  brought  to  the 
selected  spot  by  an  old  man,  and  laid  on  his 
back  in  the  midst  of  five  fires,  each  fire  con- 
sisting of  three  pieces  of  wood  laid  across 
each  other  so  as  to  form  a triangle.  An 
opossum-skin  bag  is  laid  on  his  face,  and  the 
various  operations  are  then  performed. 

Among  the  Parnkallas,  and  other  western 
tribes,  there  are  no  less  than  three  distinct 
ceremonies  before  the  boys  are  acknowl- 
edged as  men. 

The  first  ceremony  is  a very  simple  one. 
When  the  boys  are  twelve  or  fifteen  years 
old,  they  are  carried  away  from  the  women, 
and  are  blindfolded.  The  operators  then 
begin  to  shout  the  words  “ Herri,  herri  ” 
with  the  full  force  of  their  lungs,  swinging 
at  the  same  time  the  mysterious  instrument 
called  the  witarna. 

This  mysterious  implement  is  a small 
shuttle-shaped  piece  of  wood,  covered  with 
carved  ornaments,  and  being  suspended,  by 
a hole  cut  at  one  end,  from  a string  made  of 
plaited  human  hair.  When  swung  rapidly 
in  the  air,  it  makes  a loud  humming  or 
booming  sound.  The  witarna  is  kept  by  the 
old  men  of  the  tribe,  and  is  invested  with 
sundry  and  somewhat  contradictory  attri- 
butes. Its  sound  is  supposed  to  drive  away 
evil  spirits,  and  at  the  same  time  to  be  very 
injurious  to  vmmen  and  children,  no  unini- 
tiated being  allowed  to  hear  it.  Conse- 
quently the  women  are  horribly  afraid  of  it, 
and  take  care  to  remove  themselves  and 
their  children  so  far  from  the  place  of  initia- 
tion that  there  is  no  chance  of  being  reached 
by  the  dreaded  sound. 

When  the  witarna  has  been  duly  swung, 
and  the  blindfolded  boys  have  for  the  first 
time  heard  its  booming  sound,  the  operators 
advance,  and  blacken  the  faces  of  the  boys, 
ordering  them  at  the  same  time  to  cease 
from  using  their  natural  voices,  and  not  to 
speak  above  a whisper  until  they  are  re- 
leased from  their  bondage.  They  remain 
whisperers  for  several  months,  and,  when 
they  resume  their  voices,  assume  the  title  of 
warrara. 

They  remain  in  the  condition  of  warrara 
for  at  least  two,  and  sometimes  three  years, 
when  they  undergo  a ceremony  resembling 
the  circumcision  of  the  Jews.  Their  hair  is 
tied  in  a bunch  on  the  top  of  the  head,  is  not 
allowed  to  be  cut,  and  is  secured  by  a net. 

The  net  used  for  this  purpose  is  made  out 
of  the  tendons  drawn  from  the  tails  of  kan- 
garoos. When  they  kill  one  of  these  ani- 
mals, the  natives  always  reserve  the  tendons, 
dry  them  carefully  in  the  sun;  and  keep 
them  in  reserve  for  the  many  uses  to  which 
they  are  put.  The  sinews  taken  from  the 
leg  of  the  emu  are  dried  and  prepared  in  the 
same  manner.  In  order  to  convert  the  sinew 


764 


AUSTRALIA. 


into  thread,  two  of  the  fibres  are  taken  and 
rolled  upon  the  thigh,  just  as  is  done  with 
the  fibre  of  the  bulrush  root.  A thread  of 
many  yards  long  is  thus  spun,  and  is  formed 
into  a net  with  meshes  made  exactly  after 
the  European  fashion.  Sometimes  it  is  left 
plain,  but  usually  it  is  colored  with  red  ochre, 
or  white  with  pipe-clay,  according  to  the 
taste  of  the  wearer.  These  tendons,  by  the 
way,  are  valued  by  the  white  colonists,  who 
use  them  chiefly  for  whip-lashes,  and  say 
that  the  tendon  is  more  durable  than  any 
other  material. 

The  initiates  of  the  second  degree  are 
also  distinguished  by  wearing  a bell-shaped 
apron,  made  of  opossum  fur  spun  together, 
and  called  “ mal3birringe.”  This  is  worn 
until  the  third  and  last  ceremony.  The 
young  men  are  now  distinguished  by  the 
name  of  Partnapas,  and  are  permitted  to 
marry,  though  they  are  not  as  yet  considered 
as  belonging  to  the  caste,  if  we  may  so  call  it, 
of  warriors. 

Even  now,  the  young  meii  have  not  suf- 
fered sufficient  pain  to  take  their  full  rank, 
and  in  course  of  time  a ceremony  takes 
place  ill  which  they  become,  so  to  speak,  dif- 
ferent beings,  and  change,  not  only  their 
appearance,  but  their  names.  Up  to  this 
time,  they  have  borne  the  names  given  to 
them  by  their  mothers  in  childhood^,  names 
which  are  always  of  a trivial  character,  and 
which  are  mostly  numerical.  For  example, 
if  the  first  child  be  a boy,  it  is  called  Peri 
(i  e.  Primus);  if  a girl,  Kartanya  (i.  e. 
Prima).  The  second  boy  is  Wari  (or  Se- 
cundus),  the  second  girl  Waruyau,  and  so 
on.  Sometimes  the  name  is  taken  from  the 
place  where  the  child  was  born,  or  from 
some  accidental  circumstance,  such  as  the 
appearance  of  a bird  or  insect,  or  the  falling 
of  a shower  of  rain.  But,  when  the  youth 
becomes  a man,  he  puts  away  this  childish 
name,  and  chooses  another  for  himself, 
which  marks  him  out  as  a man  and  a war- 
rior. The  process  of  converting  a lad  into 
a man  is  admirably  told  by  Mr.  Gr.  F. 
Angas : — 

“ In  the  third  and  last  ceremony  the  young 
men  are  styled  Wilyalkanye,  when  the  most 
important  rites  take  place.  Each  individual 
has  a sponsor  chosen  for  him,  who  is  laid  on 
his  back  upon  another  man’s  lap,  and  sur- 
rounded by  the  operators,  who  enjoin  him 
to  discharge  his  duties  aright.  The  young 
men  are  then  led  away  from  the  camp,  and 
blindfolded;  the  women  lamenting  and  cry- 
ing, and  pretending  to  object  to  their  re- 
moval. 

“They  are  taken  to  a retired  spot,  laid 
upon  their  stomachs,  and  entirely  covered 
over  with  kangaroo  skins;  the  men  uttering 
the  most  dismal  wail  imaginable,  at  inter- 
vals of  from  three  to  five  minutes.  After 
lying  thus  for  some  time,  the  lads  are  raised, 
and,  whilst  still  blindfolded,  two  men  throw 
green  boughs  at  them,  while  the  others  stand 


in  a semicircle  around,  making  a noise  with 
their  wirris  and  voices  combined,  which  is 
so  horrible  that  the  wild  dogs  swell  the  hid- 
eous chorus  with  their  howlings.  Suddenly 
one  of  the  party  drops  a bough,  others  fol- 
low; and  a platform  of  boughs  is  made,  on 
which  the  lads  are  laid  out.  The  sponsors 
then  turn  to  and  sharpen  their  pieces  of 
quartz,  choosing  a new  name  for  each  lad, 
which  is  retained  by  him  during  life.  These 
names  all  end  either  in  alta,  ilti,  or  uUa. 
Previous  to  this  day  they  have  borne  the 
names  of  .their  birth-places,  &c. ; which  is 
always  the  case  amongst  the  women,  who 
never  change  them  afterward.  The  spon- 
sors now  open  the  veins  of  their  own  arms, 
and,  raising  the  lads,  open  their  mouths,  and 
make  them  swallow  the  first  quantity  of 
blood. 

“ The  lads  are  then  placed  on  their  hands 
and  knees,  and  the  blood  caused  to  run  over 
their  backs,  so  as  to  form  one  coagulated 
mass;  and  when  this  is  sufficiently  cohesive, 
one  man  marks  the  places  for  the  tattooing 
by  removing  the  blood  with  his  thumb  nail. 
The  sponsor  now  commences  with  his 
quartz,  forming  a deep  incision  in  the  nape 
of  the  neck,  and  then  cutting  broad  gashes 
from  the  shoulder  to  the  hip  down  each 
side,  about  an  inch  apart.  These  gashes 
are  pulled  open  by  the  fingers  as  far  as  pos- 
sible ; the  men  all  the  while  reiDeating  very 
rapidly,  in  a low  voice,  the  following  incan- 
tation : — 

“ ‘Kanya,  marra,  marra, 

Kano,  marra,  marra, 

Pilbirri,  marra,  marra.’ 

When  the  cutting  is  over,  two  men  take  the 
witarnas,  and  swing  them  rapidly  round 
their  heads,  advancing  all  the  time  toward 
the  young  men.  The  whole  body  of  opera- 
tors now  draw  round  them,  singing  and 
beating  their  wirris,  and,  as  they  reach  the 
the  lads,  each  man  puts  the  string  of  the 
witarna  over  the  neck  of  every  lad  in  suc- 
cession. A bunch  of  green  leaves  is  tied 
round  the  waist,  above  which  is  a girdle 
of  human  hair;  a tight  string  is  fastened 
round  each  arm  just  above  the  elbow,  with 
another  about  the  neck,  which  descends 
down  the  back,  and  is  fixed  to  the  girdle 
of  hair;  and  their  faces  and  the  upper  part  of 
their  bodies,  as  far  as  the  waist,  are  bladt- 
ened  with  charcoal. 

“ The  ceremony  concludes  by  the  men  all 
clustering  round  the  initiated  ones,  enjoin- 
ing them  again  to  whisper  for  some  months, 
and  bestowing  upon  them  their  advice  as 
regards  hunting,  fighting  and  contempt  of 
pain.  All  these  ceremonies  are  carefully 
kept  from  the  sight  of  the  women  and  chil- 
dren; who,  when  they  hear  the  sound  of  the 
witarna,  hide  their  heads,  and  exhibit  every 
outward  sign  of  terror.” 

The  illustration  N^o.  1,  on  page  765,  is  given 
in  order  to  show  the  curious  appearance 


(765) 


*• 


I 


:> 


is-.' 

y. 


m TH' 


MAKING  KOTAIGA. 


767 


■which  is  sometimes  presented  by  the  men 
when  they  have  successfally  passed  through 
their  various  ordeals.  The  name  of  the  man 
was  Mintalta,  and  he  belonged  to  the  Nauo 
tribe,  which  lives  near  Coffin’s  Bay.  In  his 
hand  he  holds  the  waddy,  and,  by  way  of 
apron,  he  wears  a bunch  of  emu  feathers. 
Across  his  breast  are  seen  the  bold  ridges 
which  mark  his  rank  as  a man,  and  others 
are  seen  upon  his  arms.  His  beard  is  gath- 
ered into  a long  pointed  tuft,  and  decorated 
with  a little  bunch  of  white  cockatoo  feathers 
at  the  tip.  In  his  hair  he  wears  two  curious 
ornaments.  These  are  not  feather  plumes, 
as  they  seem  to  be  in  the  illustration,  but 
are  simply  slender  sticks  of  white  wood, 
scraped  so  as  to  let  the  shavings  adhere  by 
one  end.  Indeed,  they  are  made  exactly  like 
those  little  wooden  brooms  that  are  some- 
times hawked  by  German  girls  about  the 
streets,  or,  to  use  a more  familiar  simile,  like 
the  curly-branched  trees  in  children’s  toy- 
boxes. 

Many  of  the  particulars  which  have  been 
and  will  be  related  of  the  domestic  life  of  the 
Australians  were  obtained  in  a very  curious 
manner.  In  the  autumn  of  1849  some  per- 
sons belonging  to  H.M.S.  Battlesnake  were 
out  shooting,  when  they  came  across  a na- 
tive woman,  or  gin,  dressed  rather  better  than 
the  generality  of  native  women,  as  she  wore 
a narrow  apron  of  leaves.  To  their  astonish- 
ment, the  supposed  gin  addressed  them  in 
English,  saying  that  she  was  a white  woman, 
and  desired  their  help.  They  immediately 
furnished  her  with  some  clothing,  and 
brought  her  on  board  the  Battlesnake^  where 
she  contrived  to  make  known  her  sad  story. 
Her  name  was  Thomson,  and  she  was  the 
widow  of  the  owner  of  a small  vessel.  Cruis- 
ing one  day  in  search  of  a wreck,  the  pilot 
missed  his  way,  a gale  of  wind  came  on,  and 
the  vessel  was  dashed  on  a reef  on  the  East- 
ern Prince  of  Wales  Island.  The  men  tried 
to  swim  on  shore  through  the  surf,  but  were 
drowned,  while  the  woman  was  saved  by  a 
party  of  natives,  who  came  on  board  the 
wreck  after  the  gale  had  subsided,  and  took 
her  ashore. 

The  tribe  into  whose  hands  she  had  fallen 
was  the  Kowrarega,  which  inhabits  Mura- 
lug,  on  the  Western  Prince  of  Wales  Island. 
When  she  got  ashore,  one  of  the  principal 
men,  who  fully  held  the  popular  idea  that 
the  white  men  are  the  ghosts  of  dead  na- 
tives, recognized  in  Mrs.  Thomson  a daugh- 
ter named  Gi’om,  who  had  long  ago  died. 
He  accordingly  took  her  home  as  his  daugh- 
ter, she  was  acknowledged  by  the  tribe  as 
one  of  themselves,  and  was  forced  to  become 
the  wife  of  one  of  the  natives,  called  Bo- 
roto. 

For  nearly  five  years  she  was  kept  pris- 
oner by  the  blacks,  and,  although  she  could 
see  many  English  ships  pass  within  a few 
miles,  she  was  so  closely  watched  that  escape 
"was  hopeless.  At  last,  when  the  smoke  sig- 


nals told  the  tribe  that  another  vessel  was 
approaching,  Gi’om  cleverly  worked  on  the 
cupidity  of  the  aborigines,  and  persuaded 
them  to  take  her  to  the  mainland,  promising 
them  to  procure  plenty  of  axes,  knives,  to- 
bacco, and  other  things  which  an  Australian 
savage  values  above  all  things,  and  saying 
that  she  had  lived  so  long  with  the  natives 
that  she  could -not  think  of  leaving  them. 
When  she  was  safely  lodged  on  board,  many 
of  her  friends  came  to  see  her,  bringing 
presents  of  fish  and  turtle,  but  always  ex- 
pecting an  equivalent.  Boroto  was  one  of 
the  visitors,  and  in  vain  tried  to  persuade 
her  to  return.  When  she  definitely  refused, 
he  became  very  angry,  and  left  the  ship  in  a 
passion,  declaring  that,  if  he  or  any  of 
his  friends  could  catch  her  ashore,  they 
would  take  .off  her  head  and  carry  it  to  Mu- 
ral ug.  Not  feeling  the  least  doubt  that  the 
threat  would  be  fulfilled,  she  never  ventured 
on  shore  near  those  parts  of  the  coast  which 
the  Kowraregas  seemed  likely  to  visit. 

Being  a woman  of  no  education,  she  had 
in  the  course  of  her  sojourn  among  the  na- 
tives almost  forgotten  how  to  express  her- 
self in  her  native  tongue,  and  for  some  time 
mixed  Kowrarega  words  and  phrases  with 
English  in  a very  curious  manner.  A vast 
amount  of  valuable  information  was  ob- 
tained from  her,  but,  when  she  was  restored 
to  civilization,  she  forgot  the  language  and 
customs  of  savage  life  with  singular  rapid- 
ity, her  untrained  mind  being  unable  to 
comprehend  the  mutual  relationship  of  ideas, 
and  utterly  incapable  of  generalization. 

From  her  was  learned  the  curious  but 
dreadful  fact  that  many  of  the  really  unpro- 
voked assaults  on  ships’  crews  while  unsus- 
pectingly visiting  the  shore  were  instigated 
by  white  men,  who  had  degraded  them- 
selves into  companionship  with  native  tribes, 
and,  by  reason  of  their  superior  knowledge, 
had  gained  a supremacy  over  them.  One  of 
these  men  had  lived  with  the  Badu  tribe 
many  years,  and,  having  heard  of  a white 
woman  among  the  Kowraregas,  visited  Mu- 
ralug,  and  tried  to  induce  Gi’dm  to  leave 
Boroto  and  share  his  fortunes.  Who  he 
was  is  not  known.  He  goes  by  the  name  of 
Wini,  and  is  supposed  to  be  an  escaped  con- 
vict, who  repels  the  visits  of  English  ships, 
lest  he  should  be  captured  and  sent  back  to 
prison.  By  means  of  his  instigations,  the 
Badu  people  became  so  violently  opposed  to 
all  white  men  that  an}'-  European  who  vis- 
ited that  part  of  the  country  would  do  so  at 
the  imminent  hazard  of  his  life. 

Among  many  of  these  tribes,  there  is  a 
custom  which  is  common  also  to  many  sav- 
ages in  all  parts  of  the  world.  This  is  the 
custom  of  making  “ kotaiga,”  or  brother- 
hood, with  strangers.  When  Europeans 
visit  their  districts,  and  behave  as  they 
ought  to  do,  the  natives  generally  unite 
themselves  in  bonds  of  fellowship  with  the 
strangers,  each  selecting  one  of  them  as 


768 


AUSTRALIA. 


his  kotaiga.  The  new  relations  are  then 
considered  as  having  mutual  responsibili- 
ties, each  being  bound  to  forward  the  wel- 
fare of  the  other. 

The  memory  of  the  natives  is  wonderful, 
and,  even  if  a ship  does  not  repeat  a visit 
until  after  a lapse  of  several  years,  no  sooner 
does  she  arrive  than  the  natives  swarm  on 
board,  and  at  once  pick  out  their  kotaigas. 
They  bring  presents  to  their  guests  while 
on  board;  they  accompany  them  joyfully  to 
the  shore;  they  carry  their  bags  and  haver- 
sacks for  them;  they  take  them  on  hunting, 


shooting,  and  fishing  excursions,  point  out 
the  game,  retrieve  it,  no  matter  where  it 
may  have  fallen,  and  carry  it  home  on  their 
shoulders  rejoicing.  Of  course  they  expect 
biscuit  and  tobacco  in  return  for  their  kind 
offices,  but  the  wages  are  very  cheap,  and  their 
services  are  simply  invaluable.  The  rescue 
of  Mr.  McGillivray  and  his  party  from  the 
threatened  attack  of  the  natives  was  owing 
to  the  fact  that  one  of  them,  the  friendly 
native  who  gave  him  warning,  and  saw  him 
and  his  party  safely  off  in  their  boats,  was 
his  kotaiga,  and  bound  in  honor  to  save  him. 


CHAPTER  LXXVI. 


AUSTKALIA  — Continued, 


MEDICINE,  SURGERY,  AND  THE  DISPOSAL  OF  THE  DEAD. 


BILBOS,  OR  NATIVE  DOCTORS  — WOUNDS  AND  BRUISES  — A STRANGE  CURE  — TREATMENT  OF  THE  HEAD- 
ACHE— A DREAM  AND  ITS  RESULTS — THE  MAGIC  CRYSTAL,  OR  DOCTOR-STONE  — ITS  EFFECTS  ON 
WOMEN  AND  CHILDREN — THE  DOCTOR-HOUSE  — SUCTION  AS  A MEANS  OF  CURE  — BELIEF  IN 
CHARMS  — THE  PARENT’S  SKULL  — CEREMONIES  OF  MOURNING  — CUTTING  THE  HEAD  AND  BODY' 
AS  A SIGN  OF  WOE — DRIVING  AWAY  THE  EVIL  SPIRITS — FEAR  OF  GHOSTS  — BURIAL  AMONG  THE 
PARNKALLAS  AND  NAUOS  — THE  TOMB  OF  SKULLS — A SUMMARY  MODE  OF  BURIAL — FUNERAL 
OF  BOYS  — THE  TREE-TOMBS SMOKING  THE  WARRIORS  — INCONSISTENT  BEHAVIOR  — BURLYL 
OF  OLD  WOMEN  — THE  WIDOWS’  CAPS  — RELIGIOUS  IDEAS  OF  THE  ABORIGINES  — THE  VARIOUS 
EVIL  SPIRITS  — THE  BUN  YIP  — ROCK  AND  CAVE  PAINTINGS — THEORY  OF  TRANSMIGRATION. 


We  will  now  see  how  the  Australian  na- 
tives treat  sickness  of  various  kinds.  Among 
them  are  certain  personages  called  bilbos, 
Or  doctors,  to  whom  the  sick  usually  appeal 
in  cases  of  illness  or  pain.  It  is  not  known, 
however,  whether  the  mere  fact  of  age  gives  a 
man  the  rank  of  bilbo,  or  whether  it  is  at- 
tained by  sundry  ceremonials,  as  is  the  case 
with  the  Africans  and  other  savages. 

The  most  usual  mode  of  treating  any 
local  disease  or  pain  is  by  pressing  the 
hands  upon  the  affected  pa,rt,  and  kneading 
it,  a remedy  Avhich  is  found  in  every  part  of 
the  Avorld,  and  Avhich  is  really  efficacious  in 
many  complaints,  especially  in  rheumatic 
affections,  or  in  sprained  or  over-exerted 
muscles.  If  a limb  be  wounded,  bruised,  or 
sore,  the  native  practitioners  tie  a fillet 
tightly  above  it,  for  the  purpose,  as  they  say, 
of  preventing  the  malady  from  reaching  the 
body.  Headaches  are  treated  by  tying  a 
bandage  firmly  round  the  temples,  and,  if 
the  pain  be  obstinate,  the  doctors  bleed  the 
patient  under  the  arm,  using  a sharp  piece  of 
quartz  as  a lancet.  The  fiowing  blood  is 
never  allowed  to  be  Avasted,  but  is  received 
on  the  body  of  the  operator,  and  diligently 
rubbed  into  the  skin,  under  the  notion  that 
by  this  process  both  parties  are  strength- 
ened. This  depends,  however,  on  the  sex 
of  the  patient,  women  being  never  bled, 
nor  alloAved  to  have  the  blood  of  any  other 
person  sprinkled  upon  them. 

About  1832,  a curious  disease  broke  out 
among  the  natives  of  Wellington  Valley, 
38 


resembling  the  small-pox  in  many  things, 
and  yet  displaying  symptoms  Avhich  scarcely 
belong  to  that  dread  disease,  the  one  fatal 
scourge  of  savage  tribes.  It  Avas  preceded 
by  headache,  fever,  sore-throat,  &c.,  and 
accompanied  by  pustules  very  much  resem- 
bling those  of  the  small-pox.  It  was,  how- 
ever, scarcely  virulent  enough  for  the  real 
disease,  though  it  Avas  probably  a milder 
form  of  it^  and  was  subject  to  the  poAver  of 
vaccine  matter.  It  Avas  not  limited  to  the 
natives,  but  attacked  many  Europeans  just 
like  the  genuine  small-pox,  and  in  one  case 
Avas  fatal. 

It  is  here  mentioned  on  account  of  the 
mode  of  cure  adopted  by  the  native  doctors. 
They  punctured  the  pustules  with  sharp 
fish-bones,  and  squeezed  them  Avell  Avith 
the  blunt  end  of  their  rude  lancets,  and  it 
is  a noteworthy  fact  that  the  rate  of  mortal- 
ity Avas  very  much  reduced.  Of  course  the 
doctors  used  other  modes,  whereby  they 
gave  their  patients  confidence  in  their 
powers.  The  chief  of  these  Avas  performed 
by  means  of  a number  of  slender  rods,  six 
to  nine  feet  in  length,  which  were  stuck  in 
the  ground  in  the  form  of  a crescent,  and 
addressed  with  long  speeches  and  many 
mysterious  gestures.  Among  the  Austra- 
lians, this  disease,  whatever  it  may  be,  does 
not  strike  the  abject  terror  Avith  Avhich  it  is 
usually  accompanied.  Although  they  know 
that  it  is  infectious,  they  do  not  abandon 
the  sick  person,  unless  perhaps  the  doctor 
pronounces  the  patient  incurable;  in  Avhich 


(769) 


770 


AUSTRALIA. 


case  they  save  him  prolonged  pain,  and 
themselves  useless  trouble,  by  burying  him 
alive.  The  native  term  for  this  disease  is 
“ thunna-thunna,”  and  it  is  known  to  have 
existed  when  the  country  was  first  discov- 
ered, so  that  it  is  not  imported  from  civilized 
countries. 

Another  remarkable  kind  of  cure  for  the 
headache  is  mentioned  by  Mr.  Angas.  The 
patient  being  seated  on  the  ground,  a string 
is  tied  round  his  head,  the  knot  being  care- 
fully adjusted  to  the  middle  of  the  forehead. 
The  operator,  who  is  always  a woman,  seats 
herself  opposite  the  patient,  places  the  line 
between  her  lips,  and  frets  them  with  it 
until  they  bleed  freely.  The  idea  is  that 
the  disease,  attracted  by  the  blood,  passes 
along  the  line  from  the  patient’s  head,  and 
is  cast  out  together  with  the  blood. 

A very  remarkable  instance  of  this  mode 
of  cure  is  related  in  Tyerman  and  Bennett’s 
“Voyage  round  the  World.”  A man  had 
dreamed  that  he  had  been  speared  in  the 
side,  and  had  died  in  consequence  of  the 
wound.  Although,  when  he  woke,  he  knew 
it  was  but  a dream,  he  was  so  frightened 
that  he  became  very  ill,  retired  to  his  hut, 
chose  the  place  of  his  burial,  and  lay  down  to 
die. 

Nearly  a v/eek  elapsed,  during  which  he 
could  take  no  food,  grew  worse  and  worse, 
and  it  was  plain  that  nature  would  not  hold 
out  much  longer.  The  priests  — or  rather 
sorcerers,  for  it  cannot  be  ascertained  that 
the  New  Hollanders  have  any  other  kind  of 
j)riests,  having,  in  fact,  no  religious  worship 
— came  to  do  what  they  could  for  him  with 
their  enchantments.  By  their  order  he  was 
carried  down  to  the  side  of  a running  water, 
and  tumbled  into  the  stream,  where  it  was 
pretty  deep,  head  foremost.  When  taken 
out,  he  was  rolled  in  the  sand  till  his  body 
was  quite  encased  with  it.  This  again  was 
washed  off  by  pouring  water  over  him. 

“ Meanwhile  a young  woman  of  the  com- 
pany was  perceived  plaiting  a cord  of  kan- 
garoo’s hair,  which,  when  completed,  was 
bound  round  his  chest,  and  a knot,  very 
cunningly  implicated  by  one  of  the  opera- 
tors, was  placed  over  that  part  of  his  side 
into  which  the  spear  of  his  dream  had  en- 
tered. From  this  knot  a line  was  passed 
to  the  young  w'oman  who  had  prepared  the 
bandage.  This  she  drew  through  her  mouth 
backward  and  forward  (as  children  some- 
times do  with  a piece  of  packthread)  until 
she  began  to  spit  blood,  which  was  said  to 
be  sucked  by  that  process  from  the  v/ound 
in  the  sick  man’s  side.  There  it  was  now 
perceptible  that,  from  whatever  cause,  a 
considerable  swelling  had  arisen  under  the 
knot.  Toward  this  one  of  the  sorcerers 
began  to  stroke  the  man’s  flesh  from  all  the 
adjacent  regions  of  the  back,  belly,  and  chest, 
as  though  to  force  the  blood  thither.  He 
then  applied  his  mouth  to  the  swelling,  and, 
with  hideous  noises,  sometimes  sucked  it 


with  his  lips,  sometimes  pressed  it  violently 
with  his  hands,  till  forth  came  the  point  of  a 
spear,  four  inches  in  length,  which  he  pre- 
sented to  the  astonished  spectators  and  the 
expecting  sufferer,  as  verily  extracted  from 
the  man’s  side. 

“ Then  he  applied  his  mouth  again  to  the 
swollen  part,  from  which,  although  there 
was  no  visible  wound,  he  appeared  to  draw 
blood  and  corrupt  matter,  stains  of  both 
being  soon  seen  on  the  swarthy  skin.  At 
length,  with  distended  cheeks,  as  though  he 
had  filled  his  mouth  with  the  abominable 
matter,  he  ran  about,  anxiously  looking  for 
a fit  place  to  discharge  it  upon;  but,  affect- 
ing to  find  none,  he  crossed  the  water,  and 
deposited  the  nauseous  extract  behind  a 
bush.  The  poor  man’s  hopes  revived,  and 
he  now  believed  that  he  should  get  well 
again.  Mr.  Dunlop  thereupon  sent  him 
some  tea,  which,  however,  he  would  not 
drink,  but  requested  that  it  might  be  given 
to  the  sorcerer,  and,  if  he  drank  it,  then  it 
would  do  himself  (the  patient)  good.  He 
was  deceived,  disappointed,  and  died.” 

The  Australians  are  tolerably  good  sur- 
geons in  a rough-and-ready  sort  of  way,  and 
are  clever  at  setting  broken  limbs.  After 
bringing  the  broken  ends  of  the  bone  to- 
gether, they  support  the  limb  by  several 
pieces  of  wood  which  act  as  splints,  and  then 
make  the  whole  secure  by  bandages,  which 
they  often  strengthen  with  gum,  exactly  as 
is  done  in  modern  surgery. 

One  of  the  most  powerful  remedies  em- 
ployed by  the  native  practitioners  is  the 
“ doctor-stone.”  This  is  nothing  but  a com- 
mon quartz  cr}'Stal;  but  the  doctors  aver 
that  they  manufacture  it  themselves,  and 
that  the  ingredients  are  kept  secret.  Like 
the  witarna,  mentioned  on  page  747,  women 
are  never  allowed  even  to  look  upon  the 
doctor-stone,  and  are  impressed  with  the 
belief  that,  if  they  dared  to  set  their  eyes 
upon  the  forbidden  object,  they  would  be 
immediately  killed  by  its  radiant  powers. 
The  larger  the  crystal,  the  more  valuable  is 
it;  and  a tolerably  large  one  can  scarcely  be 
procured  from  the  natives  at  any  price. 

The  doctors  say  that  this  stone  is  not  only 
fatal  to  women,  but  also  destroys  men  if 
flung  at  them  with  certain  incantations.  An 
European  settler  once  challenged  a native 
doctor  to  say  as  many  charms  as  he  liked, 
and  throw  the  magic  stone  as  much  as  he 
pleased.  This  offer,  however,  he  declined, 
giving  the  usual  excuse  of  savages,  that  the 
white  man  belonged  to  a totally  different 
order  of  beings,  and,  although  the  poor  black 
fellow  would  die  from  the  effects  of  the 
doctor-stone,  the  white  man  was  much  too 
powerful  to  be  hurt  by  it. 

The  mode  in  which  the  crystal  is  used  is 
very  curious,  and  has  been  described  by  an 
eye-witness. 

A native  of  the  Tumat  country,  named 
Golong,  was  sufiering  from  a spear  wound 


THE  DOCTOE-STOXE. 


771 


received  in  a skirmish  with  a hostile  tribe, 
and  was  brought  to  a bilbo,  named  Bara- 
mumbup,  to  be  healed.  The  patient  being 
laid  on  the  ground  outside  the  encamp- 
ment so  that  women  could  not  run  the 
risk  of  death  through  the  accidental  sight 
of  the  crystal,  the  doctor  began  a close  ex- 
amination of  the  wound,  and  sucked  it. 
He  then  retired  to  a distance  from  the 
patient,  muttered  some  magic  words  for  a 
minute  or  so,  and  placed  the  crystal  in  his 
mouth.  Having  retained  it  there  for  a short 
time,  he  removed  it,  spat  on  the  ground,  and 
with  his  feet  trampled  on  the  saliva,  press- 
ing it  deepl}^  into  the  ground.  This  was 
repeated  several  times,  and  the  doctor  took 
his  leave. 

For  several  successive  evenings  the  whole 
of  the  process  was  gone  through,  and  the 
recovery  of  the  patient,  which  was  really 
rapid,  was  attributed  by  all  parties  to  the 
wonderful  efficacy  of  the  doctor-stone.  “ On 
making  inquiry,”  writes  Dr.  Bennett,  “ why 
the  physician  is  so  careful  in  trampling  the 
saliva  discharged  from  his  mouth  into  the 
ground,  no  satisfactory  reason  could  be  ob- 
; tained,  a vague  answer  only  being  returned 
to  the  query.  But  it  is  not  improbable  that 
they  consider,  by  this  practice,  that  they 
finally  destroy  the  power  of  the  evil  spirit, 
extracted  by  the  operation  through  the  vir- 
tues of  the  stone.  Some  such  reason  for 
this  proceeding  may  be  inferred  from  an 
observation  made  to  any  European  who 
maybe  present  at  this  part  of  the  ceremony, 
Hhat  he  (i.  e.  the  disease)  may  not  come  up 
again.’  ” 

It  is  remarkable  that  a ceremony  almost 
exactly  identical  in  principle  is  employed  by 
the  Guaycura  tribe  of  Brazil.  Among  them 
the  doctors,  or  payes,  cure  local  ailments, 
whether  wounds  or  otherwise,  by  sucking 
the  part  affected,  spitting  into  a hole  dug  in 
the  ground,  and  then  filling  in  the  earth,  as 
if  to  bury  the  complaint. 

The  Australian  doctors  make  great  use  of 
the  principle  of  suction,  and  employ  it  in 
all  kinds  of  cases.  If,  for  example,  a patient 
has  a bad  pain  in  his  stomach  from  over- 
eating, or  suffers  more  than  he  thinks  right 
from  the  blow  of  a waddy,  the  doctor  sucks 
at  the  afflicted  part  vigorously,  and  at  last 
produces  from  his  mouth  a piece  of  bone,  or 
some  other  hard  substance,  which  he  asserts 
to  be  the  concentrated  essence  of  the  pain, 
or  other  ailment.  The  reader  may  remark 
that  the  bones  with  which  the  gums  of 
youths  are  lanced  in  the  ceremonies  of  initi- 
ation are  supposed  to  be  produced  from  the 
bodies  of  the  operators  by  means  of  suction. 

A very  remarkable  curative  agent  is 
shown  in  the  illustration  Xo.  3,  page  765, 
which  is  taken  from  a sketch  by  Mr.  Baines. 
It  consists  of  a stone  building,  which  at 
first  sight  looks  so  like  an  ordinary  Druid- 
ical  remain  that  it  might  be  taken  for 
one,  except  for  its  dimensions.  Instead, 


however,  of  being  composed  of  huge  stones, 
each  weighing  several  tons,  it  is  quite  a 
tiny  edifice,  scarcely  larger  tlian  the  grotto 
which  children  erect  with  oyster-shells.  The 
patient  lies  in,  or  rather  under  it,  the  aper- 
ture being  just  wide  enough  to  admit  his 
body,  and  the  small  roof  only  covering  a 
very  small  portion  of  the  inmate.  Sundry 
superstitious  rites  are  employed  at  the  same 
time,  and  the  remedy  is  efficacious,  like  the 
crystal  already  mentioned,  in  consequence 
of  enlisting  the  imagination  of  the  sufferer. 

These  little  buildings  are  found  along  the 
Victoria  Elver,  and  for  a considerable  time 
the  object  for  which  they  were  built  greatly 
puzzled  the  discoverers. 

A medicine  scarcely  less  efficacious  than 
the  doctor’s  stone  is  human  fat,  which  is 
carefully  preserved,  and  administered  by 
being  rubbed  in  and  around  the  affected 
part.  As,  however,  it  is  highly  valued  by 
the  warriors  it  is  not  easily  procured,  and, 
had  it  to  be  taken  solely  from  the  bodies  of 
slain  enemies,  would  in  all  probability  never 
be  used  at  all.  The  efficacy  of  this  repulsive 
remedy  does  not  depend  on  the  individual 
from  whom  it  is  taken,  that  of  a child  or 
woman  being  quite  as  useful  as  that  of  a 
warrior. 

According  to  Mr.  G.  T.  Lloyd,  the  prac- 
tice of  deserting  the  helpless  is  found  in 
Australia  as  well  as  in  other  countries,  and 
is  practised  exactly  as  is  the  case  in  Africa. 
When  a person  is  ill  the  relations,  as  a rule, 
do  not  trouble  themselves  to  visit  the  sick 
person,  and,  when  there  is  no  apparent  hope 
of  recovery,  a supply  of  food  and  firing 
enough  to  last  them  for  several  days  is  left 
near  them,  and  they  are  then  abandoned  to 
their  fate.  Even  in  the  case  of  poor  old 
Tarmeenia,  mentioned  on  page  747,  the  son, 
although  he  carried  his  wounded  father 
more  than  four  miles  in  order  to  place  him 
in  safety,  never  once  came  to  see  him. 

Seeing  that  the  natives  place  such  implicit 
fiiitli  in  the  healing  power  of  the  doctor’s 
stone,  it  is  natural  that  they  should  also 
believe  in  sundry  charms  as  preservatives 
against  disease  and  misfortune.  One  of 
these  charms  is  a sort  of  girdle,  several 
inches  wide  in  the  middle,  and  tapering  to  a 
mere  thong  at  each  end.  If  it  be  made  of 
string  prepared  from  the  bulrush  root,  it  is 
called  Taara  or  Kuretti;  and  if  made  of 
human  hair,  it  goes  by  the  name  Godlotti. 
It  is  used  more  as  a curative  than  a preven- 
tive, and  is  mostly  found  among  the  tribes 
of  the  lower  Murray  Eiver.  The  hair,  when 
twisted  into  thread,  is  wound  upon  a curious 
spindle,  consisting  of  two  slender  pieces  of 
wood  placed  across  each  other  at  right 
angles. 

Another  charm  is  shown  in  the  illustra- 
tion Xo.  2,  on  the  765th  page,  slung  round 
the  neck  of  the  boy.  It  is  the  beak  of  the 
black  swan,  which,  from  its  scarlet  color, 
contrasts  well  with  the  black  skin  of  the 


772 


AUSTRALIA. 


wearer.  The  little  boy’s  name  is  Rimmilli- 
peringery,  and  Mr.  Gr.  F.  Angas  remarks 
that  he  was  an  engaging  little  fellow,  and 
had  the  largest  and  sottest  pair  of  dark  eyes 
that  could  be  imagined.  The  elder  figure  is 
that  of  a young  man  named  Tyilkilli,  belong- 
ing to  the  Parnkalla  tribe  of  Port  Lincoln. 
He  has  been  selected  as  a favorable  exam- 
ple of  the  Australian  young  man  in  good 
circumstances,  well-fed,  careless,  and  gay 
with  the  unthinking  happiness  of  mere  ani- 
mal life,  which  finds  a joy  in  the  very  fact  of 
existence. 

Among  many  of  the  tribes  may  be  seen  a 
strange  sort  of  ornament,  or  rather  utensil; 
namely,  a drinking-cup  made  of  a human 
skull.  It  is  slung  on  cords  and  carried  by 
them,  and  the  owner  takes  it  wherever  he 
or  she  goes.  These  ghastly  utensils  are 
made  from  the  skulls  of  the  nearest  and 
dearest  relatives;  and  wdien  an  Australian 
mother  dies,  it  is  thought  right  that  her 
daughter  should  form  the  skull  of  her 
motlier  into  a drinking-vessel.  The  prepa- 
ration is  simple  enough.  The  lower  jaw  is 
removed,  the  brains  are  extracted,  and  the 
whole  of  the  skull  thoroughly  cleaned.  A 
rope  handle  made  of  bulrush  fibre  is  then 
attached  to  it,  and  it  is  considered  fit  for 
use.  It  is  filled  with  water  through  the  ver- 
tebral aperture,  into  which  a wisp  of  grass 
is  always  stuffed,  so  as  to  prevent  the  water 
from  being  spilled. 

Inconsistency  is  ever  the  attribute  of  sav- 
age minds.  Although  they  consider  that  to 
convert  the  skull  of  a parent  into  a drink- 
ing vessel,  and  to  carry  it  about  with  them, 
is  an  important  branch  of  filial  duty,  they 
seem  to  have  no  very  deep  feelings  on  the 
subject.  In  fact,  a native  named  Wooloo 
sold  his  mother’s  skull  for  a small  piece  of 
tobacco.  His  mind  was  evidently  not  com- 
prehensive enough  to  admit  two  ideas  to- 
gether, and  the  objective  idea  of  present 
tobacco  was  evidently  more  powerful  than 
the  comparative  abstraction  of  filial  rever- 
ence. 

Mr.  Angas  saw  one  which  was  carried  by 
a little  girl  ten  years  of  age.  Like  “ Little 
Nell,”  she  Avas  in  attendance  upon  an  old 
and  infirm  grandfather,  and  devoted  her 
little  life  to  him.  In  nothing  Avas  the  differ- 
ence of  human  customs  shoAvn  more  plainly 
than  in  the  use  of  the  mother’s  skull  as  a 
drinking  vessel  — an  act  AAdiich  we  should 
consider  as  the  acme  of  heathen  brutality, 
but  Avith  these  aborigines  is  held  to  be  a 
duty  OAved  by  the  child  to  the  parent. 

Perhaps  my  classical  readers  Avill  remem- 
ber a chapter  in  Herodotus  Avhich  bears  on 
this  A^ery  subject.  He  finds  fault  Avith  Cam- 
byses  for  breaking  into  the  temples  of  the 
Cabeiri,  burning  their  idols,  and  so  hurting 
the  religious  feelings  of  the  people-,  and 
remarks  that  he  Avas  Avary  in  offending 
against  any  religious  sentiment,  hoAvever 
absurd  it  might  appear  to  himself.  He  then 


proceeds  to  tell  an  anecdote  of  Darius,  \\dio 
had  at  his  court  some  Indians  called  Calla- 
tians,”  and  some  Greeks.  He  asked  the 
Greeks  (who  always  burned  their  dead,  as 
the  Hindoos  do  now),  what  bribe  would 
induce  them  to  eat  the  bodies  of  their  dead 
parents,  and  they  naturally  replied  that  for 
no  bribe  could  they  perform  so  horrible  a 
deed.  Then,  in  the  presence  of  the  Greeks, 
he  asked  the  Callatians,  who  ate  their  dead 
(as  several  savage  nations  do  now),  for 
Avhat  sum  they  would  consent  to  burn  the 
bodies  of  their  dead.  They,  as  it  aiDpears 
from  the  style  of  their  answer,  were  even 
more  shocked  than  the  Greeks  at  the  idea  of 
such  horrible  sacrilege,  and  would  not  deign 
to  give  a direct  answer,  but  begged  Darius 
to  “ speak  words  of  good  omen.”  (See 
Thalia,  xxxvii.  8.) 

A somewhat  similar  proceeding  is  narrated 
in  the  life  of  Nussir-er-deen,  the  la,te  king  of 
Oude.  His  native  ministers,  jealous  of  the 
influence  exercised  over  him  by  some  of  his 
European  friends,  complained  that  the  Eng- 
lish guests  treated  the  monarch  Avith  dis- 
respect, by  retaining  their  shoes  in  his  roj’al 
presence.  The  king,  AAdio,  ener\Med  as  he 
Avas  by  vanity,  dissipation,  self-indulgence, 
and  flattery,  Avas  no  fool,  immediately  pro- 
posed a compromise.  “ Listen  to  me,  naAvab ; 
and  you,  general,  listen  to  me.  The  King  of 
Englrnd  is  my  master,  and  these  gentlemen 
Avould  go  into  his  presence  Avith  their  shoes 
on.  Shall  they  not  come  into  mine,  then? 
Do  they  come  before  me  Avith  their  hats  on? 
AnsAver  me,  your  excellency.” 

“ They  do  not,  your  majesty.” 

“ No,  that  is  their  Avay  of  shoAving  respect. 
They  take  oft'  their  hats,  and  you  take  off 
your  shoes.  But  come  noAV,  let  us  haA^e  a 
bargain.  Wallah  ! but  I will  get  them  to 
take  off  their  shoes  and  leave  them  Avithout, 
as  you  do,  if  you  will  take  oft'  your  turban 
and  leave  it  without,  as  the}'^  do.”  (See 
Knighton’s  “Private  Life  of  an  Eastern 
King.”) 

We  now  come  naturally  to  the  burial  of 
the  dead,  and  the  A^arious  ceremonies  Avhich 
accompany  the  time  of  mourning.  Although 
the  relatives  seem  so  careless  about  the  sick 
person,  they  really  keep  a Avatch,  and,  as 
soon  as  death  actually  takes  place,  they  an- 
nounce the  fact  by  loud  cries.  The  Avomen 
are  the  principal  mourners,  and  tliey  con- 
tinue to  sob  and  shriek  and  moan  until  theA' 
are  forced  to  cease  from  absolute  exhaustion. 
They  cut  their  bodies  until  the  blood  streams 
freely  from  their  Avounds,  and  some  of  them 
chop  their  OAvn  heads  Avith  their  tomahawks 
until  their  shoulders  and  bodies  are  covered 
Avith  blood. 

The  reader  AAdll  probably  have  noticed  hoAv 
AA'idely  s})read  is  this  custom  of  Avounding  the 
body  as  a sign  of  mourning,  and  especiall}'  as 
a lamentation  for  the  dead.  We  have  seen 
that  it  exists  in  Africa,  and  Ave  shall  see  that 
it  is  practised  in  many  oth  er  countries.  That 


BUEIAL  OF  THE  DEAD. 


773 


it  was  practised  in  ancient  days  by  the  peo- 
ple among  wliom  the  Jews  lived,  we  see  from 
several  passages  of  Scripture.  See  for  ex- 
ample Deut.  xiv.  1:  “ Ye  shall  not  cut  your- 
selves, nor  make  any  baldness  between  your 
eyes  for  the  dead.”  Also  Jer.  xvi.  6:  “They 
shall  not  be  buried,  neither  shall  men  lament 
for  them,  nor  cut  themselves,  nor  make  them- 
selves bald  for  them.”  There  is  also  the 
well-known  passage  concerning  the  sacrifice 
that  the  priests  of  Baal  oftered,  in  the  course 
of  whicli  they  “ cut  themselves  after  their 
manner  with  knives  and  lancets,  till  the  blood 
gushed  out  upon  them.” 

The  body  is  not  disposed  of  at  once,  but  is 
suffered  to  remain  for  a considerable  time, 
during  which  decomposition  takes  place,  and 
is  allowed  to  work  its  course  until  the  flesh  is 
separated  from  the  bones.  The  body  is 
watched  carefully  during  tlie  night;  and  if  a 
passing  meteor  should  appear  in  the  sky,  the 
people  shout  and  wave  firebrands  in  order 
to  drive  away  a certain  evil  spirit  named 
Yiimhurhar,  which  is  thought  to  be  the  real 
though  invisible  cause  of  death  and  all  calami- 
ties, and  to  haunt  the  spot  where  a dead  body 
lies  for  the  purpose  of  feeding  upon  it. 

When  decomposition  has  done  its  work,  the 
bones  are  carefully  collected,  cleaned,  and 
painted  red,  after  which  they  are  wrapped 
up  in  bark,  and  carried  about  with  the  tribe 
for  a time.  This  term  being  fulfilled,  they 
are  finally  disposed  of  in  various  ways,  ac- 
cording to  the  customs  of  the  tribe  to  which 
they  belonged.  Some  tribes  scoop  holes  in 
soft  rocks,  and  place  the  remains  therein, 
while  others  prefer  hollow  trees  for  that  pur- 
pose. Sometimes  the  body  is  placed  in  the 
cave  without  being  reduced  to  a skeleton, 
and  in  some  places  the  soil  is  of  such  a na- 
ture that  the  body  becomes  dried  before 
decomposition  can  proceed  very  far.  During 
the  Exhibition  of  1862  one  of  these  desic- 
cated bodies  was  exhibited  in  England,  and 
called  the  “ petrified  ” man.  It  w^as,  how^- 
ever,  nothing  but  a shrivelled  and  dried-up 
body,  such  as  is  often  found  in  very  dry  soils. 

Near  the  Murrumbidgee  Eiver,  in  the 
Wellington  Valley,  there  is  a remarkable  sta- 
lactitic  cavern,  divided  into  several  “ halls.” 
This  cavern  is,  or  has  been,  a favorite  bury- 
ing-place  of  the  aborigines,  who  seem  fo  have 
employed  it  for  the  same  purpose  that  Abra- 
ham purchased  the  cave  of  Machpelah.  In 
consequence  of  the  use  of  the  cavern  as  a 
burial  place,  the  natives  are  rather  nervous 
about  entering  it,  and  they  flatly  refuse  to 
venture  into  the  darker  recesses,  for  fear  of 
the  “ dibbil-dibbil.”  When  Dr.  Bennett 
visited  it  in  1832,  he  found  in  a small  side 
cave  the  skeleton  of  a woman.  The  bones 
had  been  placed  there  nearly  tw^enty  years 
before. 

The  Parnkalla  and  Nauo  tribes  have  an- 
other mode  of  burial,  which  somewhat  re- 
sembles that  which  is  employed  by  the  Be- 
chuanas.  The  body  is  placed  in  a crouching 


or  squatting  position,  such  as  is  employed  by 
the  natives  when  sitting,  the  knees  being 
drawm  up  to  the  chin,  tlie  legs  close  to  the 
body,  and  the  hands  clasped  over  the  legs. 
Examples  of  this  attitude  imiy  be  seen  in 
many  of  the  illustrations.  A circular  jnt  or 
grave,  about  five  feet  in  depth,  is  then  dug, 
and  after  the  body  is  lowered  into  the  pit  a 
number  of  sticks  arc  laid  over  the  grave, 
nearly  touching  one  another.  A thick  layer 
of  leaves  and  another  of  grass  are  then  placed 
on  the  sticks,  and  over  all  is  heaped  the  earth 
which  has  been  dug  out  of  the  pit,  so  that 
the  grave  looks  something  like  a huge 
anthill. 

In  Northern  Australia  the  natives  have  a 
curious  method  of  disposing  of  the  dead. 
They  gather  the  skulls  together,  and  heap 
them  into  a circular  mound,  placing  stones 
round  them  to  keep  them  in  their  places. 
They  do  not  cover  the  skulls,  but  make  the 
tomb  in  an  open  and  conspicuous  place. 
Such  a tomb  is  illustrated  on  page  765. 

The  blacks  of  the  Clarence  Eiver  build 
monuments  which  are  somewdiat  similar  in 
appearance,  but  are  made  of  difierent  ma- 
terials. They  place  a number  of  stones  in  a 
circle,  and  in  the  centre  they  erect  an  up- 
right slab  of  stone.  They  can  give  no  reason 
for  this  custom,  but  only  say  that  “ black- 
fella  make  it  so,”  or  “ it  belong  to  black-fella.” 
The  former  reply  signifies  that  the  custom 
has  ahvays  prevailed  among  the  natives;  and 
the  second,  that  the  tomb  shows  that  a native 
lies  buried  beneath  the  upright  stone. 

Some  of  the  tribes  along  the  Clarence 
Eiver  have  a curious  mode  of  disposing  of  the 
dead  — a mode  which  certainly  has  its  advan- 
tages in  its  great  economy  of  trouble.  When 
an  old  man  feels  that  the  hand  of  death  is  on 
him,  he  looks  out  for  a hollow  tree,  climbs  it, 
lets  himself  downi  to  the  bottom  of  the  hol- 
low, and  so  dies  in  his  tomb. 

In  New^  South  Wales  the  young  people 
are  buried  beneath  small  tumuli,  but  the 
adults  are  buried  in  a rather  curious  fashion. 
A pile  of  dry  wood,  leaves,  &c.  is  built,  about 
three  feet  in  height  and  six  or  seven  in  length. 
On  the  pile  the  body  is  laid  on  its  back,  hav- 
ing the  face  directed  tow^ard  the  rising  sun. 
The  fishing  apparatus,  spears,  and  other  w^ea- 
pons  and  implements  of  the  dead  man  are 
next  laid  on  the  pile,  and  the  body  is  then 
covered  over  with  large  logs  of  wood.  The 
pile  is  fired  by  the  nearest  relative,  and  on  the 
following  day,  when  the  place  is  cool,  the 
ashes  of  the  dead  are  collected,  and  carefully 
buried. 

Should  a woman  die,  leaving  an  unweaned 
child,  the  poor  little  creature  is  buried 
together  with  the  ashes  of  its  mother.  The 
natives  defend  this  practice  as  a humane 
one,  saying,  with  savage  justice,  that  it  is 
better  to  kill  the  child  speedily  than  to  allow 
it  to  pine  to  death  from  starvation. 

As  is  the  case  with  many  tribes  in  difier- 
ent parts  of  the  world,  as  soon  as  any  one 


774 


AUSTRALIA. 


dies  the  name  borne  by  the  deceased  is  no 
more  mentioned.  So  strictly  is  this  rule 
observed,  that  if  another  member  of  the  tribe 
should  happen  to  bear  the  same  name,  it 
must  be  abandoned,  and  a new  name  taken, 
by  which  the  bearer  will  ever  afterward  be 
known. 

Mr.  x\ngas,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for 
so  much  of  our  knowledge  of  the  Austra- 
lians, gives  an  interesting  account  of  the 
burial  of  a bo}",  as  described  to  him  by  an 
eye-witness  : 

“ Previously  to  burying  the  corpse  of  the 
boy,  a contest  with  clubs  and  spears  took 
place,  out  no  injury  was  done  to  the  parties 
engaged.  The  body  was  placed  in  a bark 
canoe,  cut  to  the  proper  length,  a spear,  a 
fishing-spear,  and  a throwing-stick,  with 
several  other  articles,  being  placed  besides 
the  corpse.  The  women  and  children  made 
great  lamentations  during  the  ceremony, 
and  the  father  stood  apart,  a picture  of  silent 
grief. 

“ The  canoe  was  placed  on  the  heads  of 
two  natives,  who  proceeded  with  it  slowly 
toward  the  grave;  some  of  the  attendants 
waving  tufts  of  dried  grass  backward  and 
forward  under  the  canoe  and  amongst  the 
bushes  as  they  passed  along.  The  grave 
being  dug,  a native  strewed  it  with  grass, 
and  stretched  himself  at  full  length  in  the 
grave,  first  on  his  back  and  then  on  his  side. 
As  they  were  about  to  let  down  the  child 
into  the  grave,  they  first  pointed  to  the  de- 
ceased and  then  to  the  skies,  as  though  they 
had  a vague  idea  that  the  spirit  had  ascended 
to  another  world. 

“The  body  was  then  laid  in  the  grave, 
with  the  face  looking  toward  the  rising  sun, 
and,  in  order  that  the  sunshine  might  fall 
upon  the  spot,  care  was  taken  to  cut  down 
all  shrubs  around  that  could  in  any  way 
obstruct  its  beams.  Branches  were  placed 
over  the  grave,  grass  and  boughs  on  them, 
and  the  whole  was  crowned  with  a log  of 
wood,  on  which  a native  extended  himself 
for  some  minutes,  with  his  face  to  the  sky.” 

At  the  beginning  of  this  description  is 
mentioned  a sham  fight.  This  is  held  in 
consequence  of  a curious  notion  prevalent 
among  the  aborigines,  that  death  from  na- 
tural causes  must  be  ransomed  with  blood. 
It  suffices  if  blood  be  drawn  even  from  a 
friend,  and  the  mode  by  which  they  make 
the  required  offering,  and  at  the  same  time 
gratify  their  combative  nature,  is  by  get- 
ting up  a sham  fight,  in  which  some  one  is 
nearly  sure  to  be  wounded  more  or  less 
severely. 

Sometimes  the  body  of  the  dead  man  is 
disposed  of  rather  oddly.  In  some  parts  of 
Australia  the* natives,  instead  of  consuming 
the  body  by  fire,  or  hiding  it  in  caves  or  in 
graves,  make  it  a peculiarly  conspicuous 
object.  Should  a tree  grow  favorabh^  for 
their  purpose,  they  will  employ  it  as  the" final 
resting-place  of  the  dead  body.  Lying  in  its 


canoe  coffin,  and  so  covered  over  with  leaves 
and  grass  that  its  shape  is  quite  disguised, 
the  body  is  lifted  into  a convenient  fork  of 
the  tree,  and  lashed  to  the  boughs  by  native 
ropes.  1^0  further  care  is  taken  of  it,  and  if, 
in  process  of  time,  it  should  be  blown  out  of 
the  tree,  no  one  will  take  the  trouble  of  re- 
placing it. 

Should  no  tree  be  growing  in  the  selected 
spot,  an  artificial  platform  is  made  for  the 
body,  by  fixing  the  ends  of  stout  branches  in 
the  ground,  and  connecting  them  at  their 
tops  by  smaller  horizontal  branches.  Such 
are  the  curious  tombs  which  are  represented 
in  the  illustration  No.  3,  on  page  775.  These 
strange  tombs  are  mostl}^  placed  among  the 
reeds,  so  that  nothing  can  be  more  mourn- 
ful than  the  sound  of  the  wind  as  it  shakes 
the  reeds  below  the  branch  in  which  the 
corpse  is  lying.  The  object  of  this  aerial 
tomb  is  evident  enough,  namely,  to  protect 
the  corpse  from  the  dingo,  or  native  dog. 
That  the  ravens  and  other  carrion-eating 
birds  should  make  a banquet  upon  the  body 
of  the  dead  man  does  not  seem  to  trouble 
the  survivors  in  the  least,  and  it  often 
happens  that  the  traveller  is  told  by  the 
croak  of  the  disturbed  ravens  that  the  body  of 
a dead  Australian  is  lying  in  the  branches 
over  his  head. 

The  aerial  tombs  are  mostl}^  erected  for 
the  bodies  of  old  men  who  have  died  a 
natural  death;  but  when  a young  warrior 
has  fallen  in  battle  the  body  is  treated  in  a 
very  different  manner.  A moderately  high 
platform  is  erected,  and  ux)on  this  is  seated 
the  body  of  the  dead  warrior,  with  the  face 
toward  the  rising  sun.  The  legs  are  crossed, 
and  the  arms  kept  extended  by  means  of 
sticks.  The  fat  is  then  removed,  and,  after 
being  mixed  with  red  ochre,  is  rubbed  over 
the  body,  which  has  previously-  been  carefully 
denuded  of  hair,  as  is  done  in  the  ceremiony 
of  initiation.  The  legs  and  arms  are  cov- 
ered with  zebra-like  stripes  of  Ted,  white, 
and  yellow,  and  the  weapons  of  the  dead  man 
are  laid  across  his  lap. 

The  body  being  thus  arranged,  fires  are 
lighted  under  the  platform,  and  kept  up  for 
ten  days  or  more,  during  the  whole  of  which 
time  the  friends  and  mourners  remain  by 
the  body,  and  are  not  permitted  to  speak. 
Sentinels  relieve  each  other  at  appointed 
intervals,  their  duty  being  to  see  that  the 
fires  are  not  suffered  to  go  out,  and  to  keep 
the  flies  away  by  waving  leafy^  boughs  or 
bunches  of  emu  feathers.  When  a body  has 
been  treated  in  this  manner,  it  becomes 
hard  and  mummy-like,  and  the  strangest 
point  is,  that  the  wild  dogs  will  not  touch  it 
after  it  has  been  ^ long  smoked.  It  re- 
mains sitting  on  the  platfoimi  for  two 
months  or  so,  and  is  then  taken  down  and 
buried,  with  the  exception  of  the  skull, 
which  is  made  into  a drinking-cup  for  the 
nearest  relative,  as  has  already  been  men- 
tioned. 


(1.)  CARVED  FEATHER  BOX,  NEW  ZEALAND.  (See  page  813.) 


(2.)  SMOKING  THE  BODIES  OF  SLAIN  WARRIORS.  (See  page  777.) 


(3.)  TREE  TOMBS  OF  AUSTRALIA.  (See  page  774.) 


(775) 


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w.: 

‘i  V <f- 


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m 


SMOKING  THE  WAKPvIORS. 


777 


Considering  the  trouble  which  is  taken  in 
the  preparation  of  these  bodies,  and  the 
evident  respect  which  is  felt  for  a brave 
warrior  in  death  as  well  as  in  life,  the  after 
treatment  of  them  is  very  remarkable. 
1711011  a friend,  or  even  an  individual  of  the 
same  tribe,  sees  one  of  these  mummified 
bodies  for  the  first  time,  he  pays  no  honor  to 
it,  but  loads  it  with  reproaches^  abusing  the 
dead  man  for  dying  when  the  tribe  stood  in 
such  need  of  brave  and  skilful  men,  and  say- 
ing that  he  ought  to  have  known  better  than 
to  die  when  there  was  plenty  of  food  in  the 
country.  Then,  after  contemplating  the 
body  for  some  time,  he  hurls  his  spear  and 
club  at  it,  crying  out  at  the  same  time, 
“Why  did  you  die?  Take  that  for  dying.” 

In  the  illustration  No.  2,  on  page  775, 
two  of  these  bodies  are  seen  seated  on  the 
platform,  supported  by  being  tied  to  the  up- 
rights by  their  hands  and  heads,  and  having 
their  weapons  in  their  laps.  On  one  side  is 
one  of  the  sentinels  engaged  in  driving  away 
the  flies  with  his  flapper,  and  on  the  other 
is  a second  sentinel  bringing  fuel  for  the  fire. 
The  seated  figures  belong  to  the  same  tribe. 

Around  Portland  Bay,  and  toward  the 
south-eastern  parts  of  the  continent,  the  na- 
tives have  a curious  combination  of  entomb- 
ment and  burning.  They  let  the  dead  body 
down  into  one  of  the  hollow  trees,  where  it 
is  supported  in  an  upright  position.  A quan- 
tity of  dry  leaves  and  grass  is  then  heaped 
upon  the  tree,  and  the  whole  consumed  by 
fire,  amid  the  dismal  screams  and  cries  of 
tlie  women. 

It  is  rather  curious  that  funeral  ceremonies 
are  only  employed  in  the  case  of  those  whose 
death  is  supposed  to  be  a loss  to  the  tribe. 
Men,' and  even  boys,  are  therefore  honored 
with  funeral  rites,  because  the  younger  men 
are  warriors,  the  boys  would  have  been  war- 
riors, and  the  old  men  have  done  service  by 
arms,  and  are  still  useful  for  their  wisdom. 
Even  young  women  are  buried  with  some 
amount  of  show,  because  they  produce  chil- 
dren for  the  tribe. 

But  of  all  beings  an  old  woman  is  most  ut- 
terly despised.  She  can  render  no  service; 
she  has  never  been  considered  as  anything 
but  a mere  domesticated  animal,  and  even 
for  domestic  purposes  she  has  ceased  to  be 
useful.  When  she  dies,  therefore,  no  one 
regrets  her.  She  is  nothing  but  a useless 
burden  on  her  people,  consuming  food  which 
she  does  not  earn,  and  sitting-  by  the  fire 
when  the  younger  women  are  engaged  in 
work.  It  is  nothing  to  tfiem  that  she  has 
worn  hergelf  out  in  the  hard,  thankless,  and 
never  ceasing  labor  which  constitutes  the 
liffe  of  an  Austoalian  woman,  and  so  when 
she  dies  her  body  is  drawn  away  out  of  the 
camp  by  the  heels,  and  stuffed  away  hastily 
in  some  hollow  tree  or  eavo  that  may  be 
most  convenient,  Sometimes  the  body  is 
laid  on  a bough,  as  has  already  been  de- 
BQrihed;  hut  even  in  Buch  a case  it  is.  merely 


laid  on  the  branch,  without  being  placed  in 
a canoe,  or  covered  with  matting,  boughs, 
and  leaves,  as  is  the  case  with  the  bodies  of 
men.  The  corpse  is  allowed  to  remain  on 
the  branch  until  it  falls  to  pieces;  and  when 
any  of  her  relatives  choose  to  take  the  trou- 
ble, they  will  scrape  a hole  in  the  sand  and 
bury  the  scattered  bones. 

The  shee-oak,  or  casuarina,  is  the  tree 
which  is  generally  selected  for  this  purpose, 
partly  because  it  is  one  of  the  commonest 
trees  of  Australia,  and  partly  because  the 
peculiar  growth  of  its  boughs  affords  a firm 
platform  for  the  corpse. 

The  time  of  mourning  does  not  cease  with 
the  funeral,  nor,  in  case  of  a tree-tomb,  with 
the  subsequent  interment  of  the  bones.  At 
stated  times  the  women,  by  whom  the  mourn- 
ing is  chiefly  performed,  visit  the  tomb,  and 
with  their  kattas,  or  digging-sticks,  peck  up 
the  earth  around  them,  and  make  the  place 
look  neat.  This  done  they  sit  down  and  ut- 
ter their  most  doleful  cries  and  lamentations. 
In  some  places  they  content  themselves  with 
vocal  lamentations,  but  in  others  the  women 
think  it  necessary  to  show  their  grief  by 
repeating  the  head  chopping,"  limb  scarring, 
and  other  marks  of  blood-letting  which  ac- 
company that  portion  of  the  funeral  cere- 
monies. 

In  one  part  of  Australia,  near  the  north- 
west bend  of  the  Murray,  a most  remarkable 
custom  prevails.  Widows  attend  upon  the 
tombs  of  their  dead  husbands,  and,  after 
shaving  their  heads,  cover  them  with  pipe- 
clay kneaded  into  a paste.  The  head  is  first 
covered  with  a net,  to  prevent  the  pipe-clay 
from  sticking  too  tightly  to  the  skin,  a mis- 
fortune which  is  partly  averted  by  the 
amount  of  grease  with  which  every  Austra- 
lian is  anointed. 

A layer  of  this  clay  more  than  an  inch  in 
thickness  is  plastered  over  the  head,  and 
when  dry  it  forms  a skull-cap  exactly  fitting 
the  head  on  which  it  was  moulded,  and  on 
account  of  its  weight,  which  is  several 
pounds,  must  be  very  uncomfortable  to  the 
wearer.  These  badges  of  mourning  may  be 
found  lying  about  near  the  tumuli,  and,  until 
their  real  use  was  discovered,  they  were  very 
mysterious  objects  to  U’avellers.’  In  the  il- 
lustration No.  1,  on  the  781st  page,  is  seen  a 
burying  place  near  the  river.  Several  of  the 
mound  tombs  of  the  natives  are  shown,  and 
in  the  foreground  are  two  widows,  seated  in 
the  peculiar  attitude  of  Australian  women, 
and  wearing  the  widow’s  cap  of  pipe-clay. 
Several  other  caps  are  lying  near  the  tombs, 
having  been  already  employed  in  the  cere- 
monies of  mourning. 

So  eareful  are  the  natives  of  the  marks^of 
respect  duo  from  the  survivors  to  the  dead,, 
that  a widow  belonging  to  one  of  the  tribea. 
on  the  Clarence  Eiver  was  put  to  death;  be- 
cause she  neglected  to  keep  in  order  the  tombi 
of  her  late  husband,  and  to  dig  up  periodic 
gaily  the  earth  around  it.  \ 


778 


AUSTKALIA. 


From  the  disposal  of  the  dead,  we  are  nat- 
urally led  to  the  religious  belief  of  the  Au- 
stralians. Like  all  savages,  they  are  very 
reticent  about  their  religious  feelings,  con- 
cealing as  far  as  possible  their  outward  ob- 
servances from  the  white  people,  and  avow- 
ing ignorance,  if  questioned  respecting  the 
meaning  of  those  which  have  become  known 
to  the  strangers.  Some  observances,  how- 
ever, have  been  explained  by  Gi’om,  the  un- 
fortunate Scotch  woman  who  had  to  reside 
so  long  among  the  Kowraregas,  and  others 
by  native  converts  to  Christianity.  Even 
these  latter  have  not  been  able  to  shake 
off  the  superstitious  ideas  which  they  had 
contracted  through  the  whole  of  their  pre- 
vious lives,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that 
they  concealed  much  from  their  interro- 
gators, and,  if  pressed  too  closely,  wilfully 
misled  them. 

The  following  short  account  will,  however, 
give  an  idea  of  the  state  of  religious  feeling 
among  the  aborigines,  as  far  as  can  be  ascer- 
tained. And,  in  consequence  of  the  rapid 
and  steady  decrease  of  the  native  tribes,  it  is 
possible  that  our  knowledge  of  this  subject 
will  never  be  greater  than  it  is  at  present. 

In  the  first  place,  there  are  no  grounds  for 
thinking  that  the  aborigines  believe  in  any 
one  Supreme  Deity,  nor,  in  fact,  in  a deity 
of  any  kind  whatever.  As  is  usual  with  most 
savage  nations,  their  belief  in  supernatural 
beings  is  limited  to  those  who  are  capable  of 
doing  mischief,  and,  although  the  conception 
of  a beneficent  spirit  which  will  do  good 
never  seems  to  enter  an  Australian’s  mind, 
he  believes  fully,  in  his  misty  fashion,  in  the 
existence  of  many  evil  spirits  which  will  do 
harm. 

Of  these  there  are  many.  One  of  them  is 
the  Arlak^  a being  which  takes  the’ shape  of 
a man.  It  is  only  seen  at  night,  and  is  in 
the  habit  of  watching  for  stragglers  in  the 
dark,  seizing  them  and  carrying  them  otf. 
Several  natives  told  Mr.  McGillivray  that 
they  had  seen  the  arlak;  and  one  man,  who 
had  summoned  enough  courage  to  fight  it 
when  it  attacked  him,  showed  the  marks  of 
the  demon’s  teeth  upon  his  body.  For- 
tunately, the  arlak  cannot  endure  light,  and 
tlierefore  the  natives,  if  they  have  to  go  the 
smallest  distance  in  the  dark,  take  afire-stick 
in  one  hand  and  a weapon  of  some  sort  in 
the  other. 

One  kind  of  evil  spirit,  which  is  very  much 
dreaded  by  the  aborigines,  is  the  one  in 
whom  death  is  personified.  He  is  short, 
thick,  very  ugly,  and  has  a disagreeable 
smell.  The  natives  of  the  Moorundi  dis- 
trict believe  in  a native  spirit,  wonderfully 
similar  in  attributes  to  the  Necker  of  Ger- 
man mythology.  Although,  according  to 
their  accounts,  it  is  very  common,  thej^  have 
great  difficulty  in  describing  it,  and,  as  far 
as  can  be  ascertained  from  their  statements, 
it  is  like  a huge  star-fish.  This  demon  in- 
habits the  fresh  water,  or  there  might  have 


been  grounds  for  believing  it  to  be  merely 
an  exaggeration  of  the  cuttle-fish. 

Throughout  the  greater  part  of  Australia 
is  found  the  belief  in  the  Ilunyip,  a demon 
which  infests  woods,  and  which  has  been 
seen,  as  is  said,  not  only  by  natives  but  by 
white  men.  The  ditferent  accounts  of  the 
animal  vary  extremely.  Some  who  have 
seen  it  aver  it  to  be  as  large  as  a horse,  to 
have  a pair  of  eyes  as  big  as  saucers,  and  a 
pair  of  enormous  horns. 

Others  give  a very  different  account  of  it, 
and  one  of  the  Barrabool  Hill  natives  gave  a 
very  animated  description  of  the  dreaded 
bunyip.  He  illustrated  his  lecture  by  a 
spirited  drawing,  in  which  the  bunyip  was 
represented  as  having  a long  neck  and  head, 
something  like  that  of  the  girafie,  a thick 
flowing  mane,  and  two  short  and  massive 
fore-legs,  each  of  which  Avas  armed  Avilh 
four  poAverful  talons.  The  entire  body  Avas 
covered  Avith  strong  scales,  overlapping  each 
other  like  those  of  the  haAvksbill  turtle. 
This  creature  he  represented  as  half  beast, 
half  demon,  and  A^aimted  the  superior  cour- 
age of  Ids  ancestors,  Avho  ventured  to  oppose 
this  terrible  creature  as  it  lay  in  wait  for 
their  Avives  and  children,  and  drove  it  out  of 
the  reeds  and  bush  into  the  water  Avhence  it 
came. 

Thinking  that  some  large  and  noAv  extinct 
beast  might  have  lived  in  Australia,  Avhich 
might  have  been  traditionally  known  to  the 
aborigines,  scientific  men  have  taken  par- 
ticular pains  to  ransack  those  portions  of  the 
country  Avhich  they  could  reach,  in  hopes  of 
finding  remains  which  might  be  to  Australia 
Avhat  those  of  the  megatherium  and  other 
huge  monsters  are  to  the  Old  World.  iMoth- 
ing  of  the  kind  has,  lioAveAxr,  been  found. 
Solne  very  large  bones  Avere  once  discovered 
on  the  banks  of  a shalloAV  salt  lagoon  (just 
the  place  for  the  bunyip),  but  AA'hen  sent  to 
the  British  Museum  they  Avere  at  once  found 
to  be  the  remains  of  a gigantic  kangaroo.  At 
present,  the  legend  of  the  bunyip  stands  on 
a leA'el  Avith  that  of  the  kraken  — e\"ery  na- 
tive belieA^es  it,  some  aver  that  they  have 
seen  it,  but  no  one  has  ever  discovered  the 
least  tangible  proof  of  its  existence. 

To  these  evil  spirits  the  natives  attribute 
every  illness  or  misfortune,  and  in  conse- 
quence are  anxious  to  aAmicl  or  drive  them 
aAvay.  All  meteors  are  reckoned  by  them 
among  the  evil  spirits,  and  are  fancifully 
thought  to  be  ghosts  AAdiich  multiply  by  self- 
division. The  aborigines  think,  lioAveA’er, 
that  by  breathing  as  loudly  as  they  can,  and 
repeating  some  cabalistic  Avords,  they  disarm 
the  demons  of  their  poAver. 

They  have  one  very  curious  belief, — 
namely,  that  any  one  aa'Iio  ventured  to  sleep 
on  the  grave  of  a deceased  person,  he  Avould 
ever  afterAA^ard  be  freed  from  the  poAver  of 
evil  spirits.  The  ordeal  is,  hoAvever,  so  ter- 
rible that  very  feAv  summon  up  sufficient 
courage  to  face  it.  “ During  that  awful 


ROCK  CARVINGS. 


779 


sleep  the  spirit  of  the  deceased  would  visit 
him,  seize  him  by  the  throat,  and,  opening 
him,  take  out  his  bowels,  which  it  would 
afterward  replace,  and  close  up  the  wound! 
Such  as  are  hardy  enough  to  go  through  this 
terrible  ordeal  — encounter  the  darkness  of 
the  night  and  the  solemnity  of  the  grave  — 
are  thenceforth  ‘koradjee’  men,  or  priests, 
and  practise  sorcery  and  incantations  upon 
the  others  of  their  tribe.” 

In  Southern  Australia,  the  natives  believe 
that  the  sun  and  moon  are  human  beings, 
who  once  inhabited  the  earth.  The  planets 
are  dogs  belonging  to  the  moon,  who  run 
about  her;  and  the  various  constellations  are 
groups  of  children.  An  eclipse  of  either  the 
sun  or  moon  is  looked  upon  as  a terrible 
calamity,  being  sure  to  be  the  forerunner  of 
disease  and  death. 

All  burial-places  of  the  dead  are  held  as 
liable  to  be  haunted  by  evil  spirits,  and  are 
therefore  avoided.  Promontories,  especially 
those  which  have  rocky  headlands,  are  also 
considered  as  sacred ; and  it  is  probably  on 
account  of  that  idea  that  the  skull  monu- 
ments, mentioned  on  page  773,  are  raised. 

Some  of  those  places  are  rendered  inter- 
esting by  specimens  of  native  drawings, 
showing  that  the  aborigines  of  Australia 
really  possess  the  undeveloped  elements  of 
artistic  power.  Owing  to  the  superstition 
which  prevails,  the  natives  can  scarcely  be 
induced  to  visit  such  spots,  giving  as  their 
reason  for  refusing  that  “ too  much  dibbil- 
dibbil  walk  there.”  Mr.  Angas  was  fortu- 
nate enough,  however,  to  discover  a con- 
siderable number  of  these  drawings  and 
carvings,  and  succeeded  in  impressing  into 
his  service  an  old  native  woman.  His  de- 
scription is  so  vivid,  that  it  must  be  given  in 
his  own  words:  — 

“ The  most  important  result  of  our  ram- 
bles around  the  bays  and  rocky  promontories 
of  Port  Jackson  was  the  discovery  of  a new 
and  remarkable  feature  connected  with  the 
history  of  the  natives  formerly  inhabiting 
this  portion  of  New  South  Wales. 

“ I refer  to  their  carvings  in  outline,  cut 
into  the  surface  of  flat  rocks  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  especially  on  the  summits  of  the 
various  promontories  about  the  harbors  of 
the  coast.  Although  these  carvings  exist  in 
considerable  numbers,  covering  all  the  flat 
rocks  upon  many  of  the  headlands  overlook- 
ing the  water,  it  is  a singular  fact  that  up  to 
the  present  time  they  appear  to  have  re- 
mained unobserved;  and  it  was  not  until  my 
friend  Mr.  Miles  first  noticed  the  rude  figure 
of  a kangaroo  cut  upon  the  surface  of  a flat 
rock  near  Camp  Cove,  that  we  were  led  to 
make  a careful  search  for  these  singular  and 
interesting  remains  of  a people  who  are  now 
nearly  extinct. 

“ About  a dozen  natives  of  the  Sydney  and 
Broken  Bay  tribes  were  encamped  amongst 
the  bushes  on  the  margin  of  a small  fresh- 
water lake,  close  to  Camp  Cove;  and  from 


amongst  them  wo  selected  ‘ Old  Queen 
Gooseberry’  (as  she  is  generally  styled  by 
the  colonists)  to  be  our  guide,  promising 
her  a reward  of  flour  and  tobacco  if  she 
would  tell  us  what  she  knew  about  these 
carvings,  and  conduct  us  to  all  the  rocks  and 
headlands  in  the  neighborhood  where  like 
figures  existed.  At  first  the  old  woman 
objected,  saying  that  such  places  were  all 
koradjee  ground,  or  ‘ priest’s  ground,’  and 
that  she  must  not  visit  them;  but  at  length, 
becoming  more  communicative,  she  told  us 
all  she  knew,  and  all  that  she  had  heard  her 
father  say,  respecting  them.  She  likewise 
consented  at  last  to  guide  us  to  several  spots 
near  the  North  Land,  where  she  said  the 
carvings  existed  in  greater  numbers;  as  also 
the  impressions  of  hands  upon  the  sides  of 
high  rocks. 

“ With  some  difficulty  we  prevailed  upon 
the  haggard  old  creature  to  venture  with  us 
into  a whale-boat;  so,  with  Queen  Goose- 
berry for  our  guide,  we  crossed  to  the  North 
Land.  After  examining  the  flat  rocks  in 
every  direction,  we  found  sufficient  ex- 
amples of  these  singular  outlines  to  confirm 
at  once  the  opinion  that  they  were  executed 
by  the  aboriginal  inhabitants;  but  at  what 
period  is  quite  uncertain.  From  the  half- 
obliterated  state  of  many  of  them  (although 
the  lines  are  cut  nearly  an  inch  deep  into 
the  hard  rock),  and  from  the  fact  that  from 
several  of  them  we  were  compelled  to  clear 
away  soil  and  shrubs  of  long-continued 
growth,  it  is  evident  that  they  have  been 
executed  a very  long  time. 

“ At  first  we  could  not  bring  ourselves  to 
believe  that  these  carvings  were  the  work  of 
savages,  and  we  conjectured  that  the  figure 
of  the  kangaroo  might  have  been  the  work 
of  some  European;  but  when,  pursuing  our 
researches  further,  we  found  all  the  most 
out-of-the-way  and  least  accessible  head- 
lands adorned  with  similar  carvings,  and 
also  that  the  whole  of  the  subjects  repre- 
sented indigenous  objects  — such  as  kanga- 
roos, opossums,  sharks,  the  heileman  or 
shield,  the  boomerang,  and,  above  all,  the 
human  figure  in  the  attitudes  of  the  corrob- 
horee  dances  — we  could  come  to  no  other 
conclusion  than  that  they  were  of  native 
origin.  Europeans  would  have  drawn  ships, 
and  horses,  and  men  with  hats  upon  their 
heads,  had  they  attempted  such  a laborious 
and  tedious  occupation. 

“An  old  writer  on  New  South  Wales, 
about  the  year  1803,  remarks,  when  refer- 
ring to  the  natives,  ‘ They  have  some  taste 
for  sculpture,  most  of  their  instruments  being 
carved  with  rude  work,  effected  with  pieces 
of  broken  shell;  and  on  the  rocks  are  fre- 
quently to  be  seen  various  figures  of  Jis/i, 
clubs,  sivords,  animals,  &c.,  not  contempti- 
bly represented.’ 

“ Some  of  the  figures  of  fish  measured 
twenty-five  feet  in  length;  and  it  is  curious 
that  the  representations  of  the  shield  ex- 


780 


AUSTEALIA. 


actly  corresponded  with  that  used  by  the 
natives  of  Port  Stephens  at  the  present  day. 
These  sculptured  forms  prove  that  the  New 
Hollanders  exercised  the  art  of  design, 
which  has  been  questioned,  and  they  also 
serve  to  corroborate  Captain  Grey’s  discov- 
eries of  native  delineations  in  caves  upon  the 
north-west  coast  of  Australia,  during  his 
expedition  of  discovery.  At  Lane  Cove,  at 
Port  Aiken,  and  at  Point  Piper,  we  also 
met  with  similar  carvings.  Whilst  on  a 
visit  at  the  latter  place,  it  occurred  to  me 
that  on  the  Hat  rocks  at  the  extremity  of  the 
grounds  belonging  to  the  estate  where  I was 
staying,  there  might  be  carvings  similar  to 
those  at  the  Heads;  and  on  searching  care- 
fully I found  considerable  numbers  of  them 
in  a tolerably  perfect  state  of  preservation. 
Of  all  these  I took  measurements,  and 
made  careful  fac-simile  drawings  on  the 
spot.” 

In  the  appendix  to  his  work,  Mr.  Angas 
gives  reduced  copies  of  these  figures,  some 
of  which  are  executed  with  wonderful  spirit 
and  fidelity.  Even  the  human  figures, 
which  are  shown  with  extended  arms  and 
spread  legs,  as  in  the  dance,  are  far  better 
than  those  usually  drawn  by  savages,  infi- 
nitely superior  to  those  produced  by  the 
artists  of  Western  Africa,  while  some  of  the 
animals  are  marvellously  accurate,  remind- 
ing the  observer  of  the  outline  drawings 
Uf)on  Egyptian  monuments.  The  best  are, 
perhaps,  a shark  and  a kangaroo.  The  lat- 
ter is  represented  in  the  attitude  of  feeding. 

In  some  parts  of  Australia,  the  carvings 
and  paintings  are  usually  in  caves  by  the 
water’s  edge,  and  of  such  a character  is 
the  cave  which  is  shown  in  the  illustra- 
tion No.  2,  on  the  following  page.  These 
caves  are  in  sandstone  rock,  and  the  figures 
upon  them -are  mostly  those  of  men  and 
kangaroos,  and  it  is  a remarkable  fact  that 
in  the  human  figures,  although  their  eyes, 
noses,  and  even  the  joints  of  the  knees,  are 
boldly  marked,  the  mouth  is  invariably 
absent. 

Human  hands  and  arms  are  often  carved 
on  rocks.  One  very  remarkable  example 
was  discovered  by  Captain  Grey  in  N orth- 
W est  Australia.  When  penetrating  into  a 
large  cave,  out  of  which  ran  a number  of 
smaller  caves,  the  explorers  were  struck  by 
a really  astonishing  trick  of  native  art.  The 
sculptor  had  selected  a rock  at  the  side  of 
the  cavity,  and  had  drawn  upon  it  the  figure 
of  a hand  and  arm.  This  had  then  been 
painted  black,  and  the  rock  around  it  col- 
ored white  with  pipe-clay,  so  that  on  enter- 
ing the  cave  it  appeared  exactly  as  if  the 
hand  and  arm  of  a black  man  were  project- 
ing through  some  crevice  which  admitted 
light. 

Their  belief  in  ghosts  implies  a knowledge 
that  the  spirit  of  man  is  immortal.  Yet 
their  ideas  on  this  subject  are  singularly 
misty,  not  to  say  inconsistent,  one  part  of 


their  belief  entirely  contradicting  the  other. 
They  believe,  for  example,  that  when  the 
spirit  leaves  the  body,  it  wanders  about  for 
some  time  in  darkness,  until  at  last  it  finds 
a cord,  by  means  of  which  a “ big  black-fella 
spirit  ” named  Oomudoo  pulls  it  up  from  the 
earth.  Y et  they  ap])ropriate  certain  parts  of 
the  earth  as  the  future  residence  of  the  differ- 
ent tribes,  the  spirits  of  the  departed  Nauos 
being  thought  to  dwell  in  the  islands  of 
Spencer’s  Gulf,  while  those  of  the  Parnkal- 
las  go  to  other  islands  toward  the  west.  As 
if  to  contradict  both  ideas,  we  have  already 
seen  that  throughout  the  whole  of  Australia 
the  spirits  of  the  dead  are  supposed  to 
haunt  the  spots  where  their  bodies  lie 
buried. 

And,  to  make  confusion  worse  confounded, 
the  aborigines  believe  very  firmly  in  trans- 
migration, some  fancying  that  the  spirits  of 
the  departed  take  up  their  abode  in  ani- 
mals, but  by  far  the  greater  number  be- 
lieving that  they  are  transformed  into  white 
men.  This  latter  belief  was  put  very  suc- 
cinctly by  a native,  who  stated  in  the  odd  jar- 
gon employed  by  them,  that  “ when  black- 
fella  tumble  down,  he  jump  up  all  same 
white-fella.” 

This  idea  of  transmigration  into  the  forms 
of  white  men  is  very  remarkable,  as  it  is 
shared  by  the  negro  of  Africa,  who  could 
not  have  had  any  communication  with  the 
black  native  of  Australia.  And,  still  more 
strangely,  like  the  Africans,  they  have  the 
same  word  for  a white  man  and  for  a spirit 
The  reader  may  remember  that  when  Mrs. 
Thompson  was  captured  by  the  natives,  one 
of  them  declared  that  she  was  his  daughter 
Gi’om,  who  had  become  a white  woman, 
and  the  rest  of  the  tribe  coincided  in  the 
belief.  Yet,  though  she  became  for  the 
second  time  a member  of  the  tribe,  they 
always  seemed  to  feel  a sort  of  mistrust, 
and  often,  when  the  children  were  jeering  at 
her  on  account  of  her  light  complexion  and 
ignorance  of  Australian  accomplishments, 
some  elderly  person  would  check  them,  and 
tell  them  to  leave  her  in  peace,  as,  poor  thing, 
she  w^as  nothing  but  a ghost. 

It  has  been  found,  also,  that  numbers  of 
white  persons  have  been  recognized  by  the 
blacks  as  being  the  spirits  of  their  lost  rela- 
tives, and  have  in  consequence  been  digni- 
fied with  the  names  of  those  whom  they 
represented.  Mr.  M’Gillivray  mentions  that 
the  natives  of  Port  Essington  have  a slight 
modification  of  this  theory,  believing  that 
after  death  they  become  Malays. 

Of  their  belief  in  the  metempsychosis,  or 
transmigration  into  animal  forms,  there  are 
but  few  examples.  Dr.  Bennett  mentions 
that  on  one  occasion,  at  Berana  Plains,  when 
an  European  was  chasing  one  of  the  native 
animals,  a native  who  was  with  him  begged 
him  not  to  kill  it,  but  to  take  it  alive,  as  it 
was  “him  brother.”  When  it  was  killed, 
he  was  very  angry,  and,  as  a proof  his  sia^ 


(1.)  AUSTRALIAN  WIDOWS  AND  THEIR  CAPS. 
(See  page  777.) 


(2.)  CAVE  WITH  NATIVE  DRAWINGS. 
(See  page  780.) 


(781) 


immY 
CF  TF* 
riVERSm'  Of 


TIIEOKY  OF  TRAiq-SMIGKATIO^^. 


783 


cerity,  refused  to  cat  any  of  it,  continually 
grumbling  and  complaining  of  the  “ tum- 
bling down  him  brother.” 

The  Nano  tribe  preserve  a tradition  which 
involves  this  metempsychosis.  Once  upon 
a time,  a certain  great  warrior,  named 
Willoo,  fought  their  tribe,  and  carried  off  all 
the  women,  and  killed  all  the  men  except 
two.  The  survivors  climbed  up  a great  tree, 
followed  by  Willoo.  They,  however,  broke 
off  the  branch  on  which  he  was  climbing, 
so  that  he  fell  to  the  ground,  and  was  seized 
by  a dingo  below,  when  he  immediately  died, 
and  was  changed  into  an  eagle  hawk,  which 
has  ever  afterward  been  called  by  the  name 
of  Willoo. 

The  same  tribe  think  that  a small  lizard 
was  the  originator  of  the  sexes,  and  in  con- 
sequence call  it  by  different  names;  the  men 
using  the  term  ibirri,  and  the  women  waka. 
Following  up  the  idea,  the  men  kill  every 
male  lizard  that  they  can  find,  while  the 
women  do  the  same  by  the  females. 

Connected  with  this  subject  is  their  idea 
of  creation.  Of  a single  Creator  of  all  things 
they  have  not  the  least  notion,  but  they  pos- 
sess some  traditions  as  to  the  origin  of  men 


or  natural  objects.  The  Kowrslrega  tribe 
say  that  the  first  created  man  was  a huge 
giant  named  Adi.  One  day,  while  he  was 
fishing  off  Hammond  Island,  he  was  caught 
by  the  tide  and  drowned,  a great  rock  start- 
ing up  to  mark  the  spot.  This  is  now  called 
Hammond’s  Rock.  His  wives  saw  his  fate, 
committed  suicide  by  flinging  themselves 
into  the  sea,  and  were  immediately  changed 
into  a series  of  dry  rocks  on  a neighboring 
reef.  These  rocks  are  still  called  by  the  na- 
tives Ipile^  i.  e.  the  Wives. 

The  natives  of  the  Lower  Murray  have  a 
curious  tradition  respecting  the  origin  of 
the  river,  and  the  Alexandrina  and  Albert 
Lakes.  The  river  was  made  by  Oomudoo, 
the  “big  black-fella  spirit,”  already  men- 
tioned. He  came  down  from  the  sky  in  his 
canoe,  and  ordered  the  water  to  rise  and 
form  the  river,  which  he  then  clothed  with 
bulrushes  and  populated  with  fish.  He 
brought  two  wives  with  him,  but  they  unfor- 
tunately proved  intractable,  and  ran  away 
from  him,  whereupon  Oomudoo  made  the 
two  lakes  in  question,  one  of  which  drowned 
each  wife. 


CHAPTER  LXXVn. 


AU  STRALI A — Concluded 
AUCHITECTURE  AND  BOAT-BUILDING. 


PARALLEL  BETWEEN  THE  BOSJESMAN  AND  THE  AUSTRALIAN — MODES  OF  BUILDING  HUTS  — A SUMMER 
ENCAMPMENT— RUDE  NATURE  OF  THE  HUTS  — RETREATS  OF  THE  WOMEN  — BONE  HUTS  OF 
jENCOUNTER  BAY  — WINTER  HOUSES  — HUTS  NEAR  THE  COORUNG  — FIRE-MAKING  — BIRD-SNARING 
— A SELF-ACTING  SNARE -BOAT-BUILDING  — USES  OF  THE  STRINGY  BARK  — A FRAIL  VESSEL  — 
CANOE  FOR  GENERAL  USE  — THE  REED  CANOE — GRADUAL  EXTINCTION  OF  NATIVE  TRIBES. 


In  many  points  the  Australian  savage  bears 
a curious  resemblance  to  the  Bosjesman  of 
Southern  Africa,  of  whom  a full  account  has 
already  been  given  at  242-268  page. 

So  similar,  indeed,  are  they,  that  the  col- 
onists use  the  word  Bushman  to  designate 
the  native  savage,  just  as  they  call  the  spot- 
ted dasyure  by  the  name  of  cat,  and  the 
wombat  by  that  of  badger.  Much  confusion 
has  consequently  arisen;  and  there  is  now 
before  me  a book  descriptive  of  savage  life, 
in  which  the  author  has  mixed  up  the  Bos- 
jesman of  Africa  and  the  Bushman  of  Au- 
stralia in  the  most  amusing  manner,  actually 
transplanting  a quotation  from  a book  of 
African  travels  into  the  account  .of  Au- 
stralia. 

Like  the  Bosjesman,  the  Australian  de- 
pends upon  his  weapons  for  the  greater  part 
of  his  food,  living  almost  entirely  upon  the 
game  which  he  kills,  and  being  skilled  in 
the  art  of  destroying  the  wariest  and  most 
active  of  animals  with  the  simplest  of 
weapons.  He  lives  in  a state  of  perpetual 
feud,  his  quarrels  not  being  worthy  of  the 
name  of  warfare ; and  his  heau  ideal  of  a war- 
I'ior  is  a man  who  steals  upon  his  enemy  by 
craft,  and  kills  his  foe  without  danger  to 
himself. 

He  cultivates  no  land,  neither  has  he  the 
least  notion  of  improving  his  social  condi- 
tion. He  cares  nothing  for  clothes,  except, 
perhaps,  as  a partial  shelter  from  the  ele- 
ments, and  utterly  ridicules  the  notion  that 
there  is  any  connexion  between  clothing  and 
modesty. 

Indeed,  on  one  occasion,  when  a girl  had 
been  presented  with  a petticoat  by  a white 
lady,  and  returned  to  her  people,  displaying 
with  pride  her.  newly  acquired  property,  her 
companions  instead  of  displaying  envy  at 
her  finery,  only  jeered  at  her,  inquiring 
whether  she  thought  herself  so  much  better 


than  her  forefathers,'  that  she  should  want 
to  wear  clothes  like  the  white  strangers. 
The  consequence  was,  that  in  a day  or  two 
the  solitary  garment  was  thrown  aside,  and 
she  walked  about  as  before,  in  the  primitive 
accoutrements  of  her  tribe. 

Like  the  African  Bosjesman,  the  Austra- 
lian native  has  no  settled  home,  although 
he  considers  himself  as  having  a right  to  the 
district  in  which  his  tribe  have  taken  up 
their  abode.  Contrary  to  the  usage  of  civil- 
ized life,  he  is  sensitive  on  the  general  ques- 
tion, and  careless  in  detail.  W ith  civilized 
beings  the  hearth  and  home  take  the  fii  st 
place  in  the  affections,  the  love  of  country 
being  merely  an  extension  of  the  love  of 
home.  With  the  Australian,  however,  as 
well  as  the  Bosjesman,  the  case  is  just  re- 
versed. He  has  no  home,  and  cares  not  for 
any  one  spot  more  than  another,  except  that 
som'e  spots  are  sheltered  and  others  ex- 
posed. He  passes  a semi-nomad  existence, 
not  unlike  that  of  the  Arab,  save  that  in- 
stead of  pitching  his  tent  on  a convenient 
spot,  and  taking  it  away  when  he  leaves  it, 
he  does  not  trouble  himself  even  to  carry 
the  simple  materials  of  a tent,  but  builds  a 
rude  hut  in  any  spot  which  he  may  happen 
to  fancy,  and  leaves  it  to  decay  when  he  for- 
sakes the  spot. 

The  chief  object  of  the  ordinary  hut 
made  by  an  Australian  savage  is  to  de- 
fend the  inmates  from  the  cold  south-west 
breezes.  Consequently,  the  entrances  of  the 
huts  may  be  found,  as  a rule,  turned  toward 
the  north-east,  whence  come  the  warm  winds 
that  have  passed  over  the  equator. 

The  summer  encampment  (see  page  787) 
of  an  Australian  family  is  very  simple.  A 
number  of  leafy  boughs  are  stuck  in  the 
ground  in  a semicircular  form,  the  size  of 
tlie  enclosed  space  varying  with  the  number 
of  the  family.  These  boughs  are  seldom 


MODES  OF  BUILDING  HUTS. 


785 


more  than  four  feet  in  height,  and  often 
scarcely  exceed  a yard,  their  only  object 
being  to  keep  off  the  wind  from  the  fire, 
and  Irom  the  bodies  of  the  natives  as  they 
squat  round  the  flame  or  lie  asleep.  That 
any  one  should  expect  a shelter  while  he 
is  standing  never  seems  to  enter  the  imagi- 
nation of  an  Australian  savage,  who,  like 
other  savages,  never  dreams  of  standing 
when  he  can  sit,  or,  indeed,  of  taking  any 
trouble  that  is  not  absolutely  necessary. 

All  the  stories  that  are  told  of  the  indus- 
try of  savage  life  are  pure  inventions,  and 
if  labor  be^  as  we  are  often  told,  the  truest 
nobility,  we  ought  to  hear  no  more  of  the 
“ noble  savage.”  Consistently  with  this  idea, 
the  native  Australian’s  only  idea  of  the  hut  is 
a place  where  he  can  sit  and  gorge  himself 
with  food,  and  lie  down  to  sleep  after  his 
enormous  meal.  A fence  a yard  in  height 
is  therefore  quite  good  enough  for  him, 
and,  as  long  as  no  rain  falls,  he  thinks  a 
roof  to  be  a needless  expenditure  of  labor. 

In  the  illustration  referred  to  we  have  an 
example  of  an  encampment  on  which  the 
natives  have  bestowed  rather  more  care  than 
usual,  and  have  actually  taken  the  pains  to 
form  the  branches  into  rude  huts.  The 
spears,  shields,  and  other  weapons  of  the 
natives  are  seen  scattered  about,  while 
round  the  fire  sit  or  lie  the  men  who  have 
satisfied  their  hunger.  The  reader  will 
perceive  that  from  a little  distance  such 
an  encampment  would  be  almost  invisible; 
and,  indeed,  except  by  the  thin  smoke  of 
the  fire,  the  most  practised  eye  can 
scarcely  detect  the  spot  where  natives 
are  encamping.  Even  the  spears  which 
project  above  the  bush  huts  look  at  a little 
distance  merely  like  dried  sticks;  and,  if 
the  inhabitants  be  very  anxious  to  escape 
observation,  they  establish  their  encamp- 
ment in  a retired  spot,  where  the  surround- 
ing objects  harmonize  as  closely  as  possible 
with  the  rude  shelter  which  answers  all 
their  needs. 

In  many  places  the  natives  construct  a 
habitation  similar  in  principle,  but  differing 
in  structure.  Should  the  locality  abound  in 
the  eucalypytus,  or  stringy-bark  tree,  the 
natives  make  a hut  altogether  different  in 
appearance.  With  wonderful  dexterity,  they 
strip  off  the  bark  of  the  tree  in  large  flakes, 
six  or  seven  feet  in  length.  A few  large 
branches  of  trees  are  then  laid  on  the 
ground,  so  that  they  form  a rough  sort  of 
framework,  and  upon  these  branches  the 
flakes  of  bark  are  laid.  An  hour’s  labor 
will  make  one  of  these  huts,  so  that  the  na- 
tives have  really  no  inducement  to  take 
any  care  of  them.  Even  the  very  best  hut 
which  a native  Australian  ever  made  would 
be  inferior  to  the  handiwork  of  an  English 
boy  of  ten  years  old.  For  my  own  part, 

I remember  building  far  better  huts  than 
those  of  the  Australians,  though  I was  at 
the  time  much  below  ten  years  of  age,  and 


had  gained  all  my  knowledge  of  practical 
architecture  from  “ Sandford  and  Merton.” 

There  is,  however,  one  great  advantage  in 
these  bark  huts  — namely,  the  rapidity  with 
which  they  can  be  made,  and  the  shelter 
which  they  really  do  give  from  the  travel- 
ler’s great  enemy,  the  night  wind.  Even 
European  travellers  have  been  glad  to  avail 
themselves  of  these  simple  structures,  and 
have  appreciated  the  invaluable  aid  of  a 
few  sheets  of  bark  propped  against  a fallen 
branch.  Those  who  have  been  forced  to 
travel  without  tents  through  a houseless 
country  have  learned  by  experience  that 
the  very  best  shelter  from  the  night  winds  is 
not  height,  but  width.  A tree,  for  example, 
forms  but  a very  poor  shelter,  while  a low 
wall  barely  eighteen  inches  high  and  six 
feet  in  length  keeps  off  the  wind,  and  ena- 
bles the  wearied  traveller  to  rest  in  compar- 
ative comfort.  Such  a shelter  is  easily  made 
from  the  sheets  of  stringy  bark,  one  or  two 
of  which  will  form  a shelter  for  several 
sleepers. 

Perhaps  the  simplest  huts  that  human 
beings  ever  dignified  by  the  name  of  habita- 
tion are  those  which  are  made  by  the  women 
of  a tribe  when  the  men  are  away.  It  some- 
times happens  that  the  whole  of  the  adult 
males  go  off  on  an  expedition  which  will 
last  for  a considerable  time  — such,  for  ex- 
ample, as  a raid  upon  a neighboring  tribe 
— leaving  the  women  and  children  to  take 
care  of  themselves.  These,  knowing  that 
they  might  be  pounced  upon  b}’’  enemies 
who  would  take  advantage  of  the  absence 
of  their  defenders,  retire  into  the  recesses 
of  the  woods,  where  they  build  the  oddest 
houses  imaginable,  half  burrows  scraped 
among  the  roots  of  trees,  and  half  huts 
made  of  bark  and  decayed  wood.  These 
habitations  are  so  inconspicuous  that  even 
the  practised  eye  of  the  native  can  scarcely 
discover  them. 

On  the  shores  of  Encounter  Bay  may  be 
seen  some  very  curious  habitations.  Every 
now  and  then  a whale  is  thrown  ashore  by 
a tempest;  and  in  such  a case  the  tribes  of 
the  neighborhood  flock  round  it  with  great 
rejoicings,  seeing  in  it  an  unlimited  supply 
of  food.  Huge  as  the  animal  may  be,  it  is 
ere  long  consumed,  and  nothing  left  but  the 
skeleton.  Of  the  bones  the  natives  make 
the  framework  of  their  huts,  the  ends  of 
the  ribs  being  fixed  in  the  ground,  so  that 
the  bones  form  the  supports  of  the  arched 
roof,  which  is  nothing  more  than  boughs, 
grass,  and  matting  thrown  almost  at  random 
upon  the  bony  framework. 

During  the  winter  time  the  native  huts 
are  of  better  construction,  although  the 
best  hut  that  an  Australian  ever  made  is 
but  a very  rude  and  primitive  specimen  of 
architecture.  These  winter  huts  are  made 
on  the  same  principle  as  those  employed  in 
summer,  but  the  materials  are  more  closely 
put  together.  The  framework  of  these  huts 


786 


AUSTRALIA. 


is  made  by  sticking  a number  of  saplings 
in  the  ground,  and  tying  them  together. 
Smaller  branches  and  twigs  are  then  passed 
in  and  out  of  the  uprights,  and  pressed  down 
to  make  a tolerably  firm  wall.  Over  the 
wall  comes  a layer  of  large  leaves,  and  an 
outer  covering  of  tea-tree  bark  is  placed 
over  the  trees,  and  held  in  its  place  by  a 
lashing  of  rattan.  These  houses  are  about 
five  feet  in  height,  and  have  an  arched  open- 
ing just  large  enough  for  a man  to  enter  on 
his  hands  and  knees. 

Such  huts  as  these,  hov/ever,  are  but  sel- 
dom seen,  the  ordinary  winter  dwellings 
being  made  of  bushes,  as  seen  in  an  illus- 
tration on  the  next  page.  N'ear  the  en- 
trance, but  not  within  it,  the  fire  is  kindled, 
and  at  night  the  natives  crowd  into  the  hut, 
filling  it  so  completely  that  a view  of  the 
interior  displays  nothing  but  a confused 
mass  of  human  limbs.  The  reader  will  per- 
ceive that  the  luxury  of  a door  has  not  been 
contemplated  by  the  native  architects  — an 
omission  which  is  perhaps  rather  fortunate, 
considering  the  crowded  state  of  the  in- 
terior. 

Along  the  shores  of  the  Coorung  a rather 
peculiar  kind  of  habitation  is  used.  It  must 
first  be  mentioned  that  the  Coorung  is  a 
back-water  inlet  of  the  sea,  running  parallel 
to  it  for  some  ninety  miles  or  so,  never  more 
than  a mile  and  a half  from  the  sea,  and 
divided  from  it  only  by  a range  of  enormous 
sandhills.  It  is  a wild  and  desolate  jDlace, 
but  is  inhabited  by  the  Milmendura  tribe, 
who  made  themselves  so  notorious  for  the 
massacre  of  the  passengers  and  men  of  the 
ship  Maria.  The  natives  probably  like  the 
spot,  because  in  the  Coorung,  which  is  pro- 
tected from  the  ocean  waves  by  the  sand- 
hills,, they  can  take  fish  without  danger,  and 
because  the  sandhills  furnish  a fruit  called 
the  monterry,  or  native  apple,  as,  although 
a berry  growing  upon  a creeping  plant,  it 
looks  and  tastes  like  a miniature  apple. 

The  situation  is  much  exposed  in  the 
winter  time  to  the  cold  south-west  blasts, 
and  the  natives  accordingly  make  compara- 
tively strong  huts.  Their  dwellings  are 
formed  of  a framework  of  sticks,  over  which 
is  plastered  a thick  layer  of  turf  and  mud. 
In  addition  to  this  they  heap  over  the  hut 
a great  quantity  of  the  sand  and  shells  of 
which  the  ground  is  chiefly  composed,  so 
that  the  houses  of  the  Milmendura  look  like 
mere  mounds  or  hillocks  rising  from  the 
sandy  soil. 

The  fire  which  is  found  in  every  Austra- 
lian encampment  is  generally  procured  by 
friction  from  two  pieces  of  wood,  one  being 
twirled  rapidly  between  the  hands  and  the 
other  held  firmly  by  the  feet.  Indeed,  the 
Australian  savage  produces  fire  exactly  as 
does  the  South  African  (see  page  100).  This 
accomplishment,  however,  is  not  universal, 
some  tribes  being  unable  to  produce  fire,  and 
being  dependent  on  the  “ fire-sticks  ” which 


the  women  carry  with  them.  It  has  occa- 
sionally happened  that  the  women  have  been 
careless  enough  to  allow  all  their  fire-sticks 
to  expire,  and  in  such  a case  they  are  obliged 
to  go  to  the  nearest  friendly  tribe,  and  beg  a 
light  from  them,  in  order  to  procure  fire 
wherewith  to  cook  the  game  that  their  hus- 
bands have  brought  home. 

Before  leaving  this  part  of  the  subject,  it 
will  be  as  well  to  mention  briefly  a few  of 
the  devices  used  by  the  Australian  natives 
in  taking  their  game. 

One  of  these  devices  is  remarkably  in- 
genious, and  is  principally  employed  in 
duck  catching.  The  natives  find  out  a spot 
where  the  ducks  resort  in  order  to  feed,  and 
arrange  their  nets  so  that  they  may  inter- 
cept birds  that  fly  down  upon  them.  When 
the  ducks  are  all  busy  feeding,  the  native 
hunter,  who  has  concealed  himself  near  the 
place,  alarms  the  birds  by  suddenly  imitat- 
ing the  cry  of  the  fish-hawk,  one  of  their 
deadliest  foes.  The  terrified  ducks  rise  in  a 
body;  but,  just  as  they  ascend,  the  wily  na- 
tive flings  into  the  air  a triangular  piece  of 
bark,  imitating  again  the  cry  of  the  hawk. 
The  birds,  fancying  that  the  hawk  is  sweep- 
ing down  upon  them,  try  to  escape  by  dart- 
ing into  the  reeds,  and  are  caught  in  the  nets. 

Another  ingenious  plan  is  used  for  cap- 
turing birds  singly.  The  native  makes  a 
sort  of  screen  of  branches,  and  conceals 
himself  within  it.  In  his  hand  he  carries  a 
long  and  slender  rod,  at  the  end  of  which 
there  is  a noose,  and  within  the  noose  a bait. 
Under  cover  of  the  screen  he  comes  close  to 
the  bird,  and  irently  places  the  treacherous 
noose  near  it. ' By  degrees  the  bird  comes 
closer  and  closer  to  the  bait,  and,  as  soon 
aa  its  head  is  fairly  within  the  noose,  it  is 
secured  by  a dexterous  twist  of  the  hand. 
Sometimes  the  native  does  not  employ  a 
bait.  He  builds  his  simple  shelter  by  some 
spot  where  birds  are  accustomed  to  drink, 
and  calls  them  by  imitating  their  note. 
They  come  to  the  spot,  and,  not  seeing  their 
companions,  perch  upon  the  sticks  under 
which  the  hunter  is  concealed,  a large  bunch 
of  grass  being  generally  used  to  prevent  the 
birVls  from  seeing  him.  As  soon  as  the  bird 
perches,  he  slips  the  noose  over  its  head, 
draws  it  inside  the  shelter,  kills  it,  and  waits 
for  another. 

In  some  parts  of  the  country  the  natives 
make  a self-acting  snare,  very  much  on  the 
principle  of  the  nets  used  in  snaring  rabbits. 
It  consists  of  a sort  of  bag,  and  has  its  open- 
ing encircled  by  a running  string,  the  other 
end  of  which  is  fastened  to  some  fixed  ob- 
ject, such  as  a tree-stump.  The  bag  is  made 
of  split  rattans,  so  that  it  remains  open,  and, 
as  the  meshes  are  very  wide,  the  bait  which 
is  placed  within  it  can  easily  be  seen. 

If  a bird  or  animal  should  come  to  the 
bait,  which  is  fixed  at  the  verj'-  extremity  of 
the  bag,  it  naturally  forces  its  way  toward 
the  tempting  object,  and  in  so  doing  pulls 


(1.)  WINTER  HUTS. 
(See  page  786.) 


(2.)  A SUMMER  ENCAMPMENT. 
(Seepage  784.) 


(787) 


■ tl'T 


USES  OF  THE  STRINGY  BARK. 


789 


upon  the  string  and  closes  the  mouth  of  the 
bag  behind  it.  The  more  it  struggles,  the 
firmer  is  it  held;  and  so  it  remains  until  it  is 
taken  out,  and  the  trap  set  again.  This  very 
ingenious  snare  is  used  mostly  for  bandi- 
coots and  similar  animals,  though  birds  are 
sometimes  caught  in  it. 

The  natives  have  another  self-acting  trap, 
which  is  identical  in  principle  with  the  eel 
baskets  and  lobster  pots  of  our  own  country. 
A number  of  these  traps  were  found  by 
Mr.  Carron  in  some  huts  near  Princess 
Charlotte’s  Bay.  They  were  made  of  strips 
of  cane,  and  were  about  five  feet  in  length 
by  eight  or  nine  inches  in  diameter  at  the 
mouth.  From  the  opening  they  gradually 
tapered  for  some  four  feet,  and  then  sud- 
denly enlarged  into  a large  round  basket  or 
130cket,  the  lower  ends  of  the  neck  projecting 
into  the  basket  so  as  to  hinder  any  animal 
from  returning  through  the  passage  by 
which  it  entered.  This  trap  was  used  in- 
diiferently  for  catching  fish  and  small  ani- 
mals. For  the  latter  purpose  it  was  laid  in 
their  track,  and  for  the  former  it  was  placed 
in  a narrow  channel,  through  which  the  fish 
were  forced  to  pass  by  being  driven  by  a 
party  of  natives  in  the  water. 

The  reader  will  remember  that  on  page 
785  there  is  a reference  to  the  “ stringy- 
bark,”  and  its  use  in  architecture.  The 
same  bark  is  used  for  a great  number  of 
purposes,  among  which  that  of  boat-building 
is  perhaps  the  most  conspicuous.  Should  a 
native  come  to  the  side  of  a river  which  he 
does  not  wish  to  swim,  he  supplies  himself 
with  a boat  in  a very  expeditious  manner. 
Going  to  the  nearest  stringy-bark  trees,  and 
choosing  one  which  has  the  lines  of  the 
bark  straight  and  not  gnarled,  he  chops  a 
circle  round  the  tree  so  as  to  sever  the  bark, 
and  about  seven  or  eight  feet  higher  he 
chops  a second  circle.  His  next  proceeding 
is  to  make  a longitudinal  cut  down  one  side 
of  the  tree,  and  a corresponding  one  on  the 
other  side.  He  then  inserts  the  handle  of 
his  tomahawk,  his  digging-stick,  or  any  such 
implement,  between  the  bark  and  the  wood, 
and,  by  judicious  handling,  strips  off*  the 
bark  in  two  semi-cylindrical,  trough-like 
pieces  each  of  which  is  capable  of  being  made 
into  a boat. 

Should  he  be  alone,  he  seldom  troubles 
himself  to  do  more  than  tie  the  bark  to- 
gether at  each  end  of  the  trough,  and  in 
this  frail  vesssel  he  will  commit  himself  to 
the  river.  But  if  his  wife,  or  any  second 
person,  should  be  with  him,  he  makes  the 
simple  boat  more  trustworthy  by  digging  a 
quantity  of  clay  out  of  the  river  bank,  knead- 
ing it  into  each  end  of  the  trough,  and  tying 
the  bark  over  the  clay.  As  soon  as  he 
reaches  the  opposite  shore,  he  lands,  pushes 
the  canoe  back  into  the  river  and  abandons 
it,  knowing  that  to  make  a second  canoe  will 
not  be  nearly  so  troublesome  as  to  take  care 
of  the  first. 


If,  however,  he  wants  a canoe  in  which  he 
goes  fishing,  and  which,  in  consequence, 
must  be  of  a stronger  make,  he  still  adheres 
to  the  stringy  bark  as  his  material,  though 
he  takes  more  care  in  the  manufacture. 
The  bark  is  bent,  like  the  birch  bark  of  the 
North  American  Indians,  by  moisture  and 
heat;  and  even  with  this  better  kind  of 
boat  clay  is  required  at  each  end,  and  is  also 
used  for  stopping  up  any  leakage. 

He  also  exhibits  a still  better  use  of  the 
stringy-bark.  The  bark  is  not  only  formed 
into  a boat-like  shape,  but  it  is  kept  in  its 
form  by  cross-pieces  of  wood.  The  edges 
are  also  strengthened:  and  altogether  this 
canoe  shows  a wonderful  advance  in  boat- 
building. The  vessel  is  propelled  with  a 
regular  paddle  instead  of  the  fish  spear:  and 
altogether  the  boat  and  the  accompanying 
implements  remind  the  observer  of  the 
birch-bark  canoes  and  vessels  of  America. 

Another  simple  form  of  boat  is  made  on  a 
totally  dilierent  principle  from  those  which 
have  already  been  described,  and,  instead  of 
being  a hollow  trough  of  bark,  is  a solid 
bundle  of  reeds  and  sticks  tied  together  in 
a very  ingenious  manner,  and  giving  sup- 
port to  one  or  more  persons,  according  to  its 
size. 

Such  is  the  history  of  the  aboriginal 
tribes  of  Australia,  whose  remarkable  man- 
ners and  customs  are  fast. disappearing,  to- 
gether with  the  natives  themselves.  The 
poor  creatures  are  aware  of  the  fact,  and 
seem  to  have  lost  all  pleasure  in  the  games 
and  dances  that  formerly  enlivened  their 
existence.  Many  of  the  tribes  are  alto- 
gether extinct,  and  others  are  disappearing 
so  fast  that  the  people  have  lost  all  heart 
and  spirit,  and  succumb  almost  without 
complaint  to  the  fate  which  awaits  them. 
In  one  tribe,  for  example,  the  Barrabool, 
which  numbered  upwvard  of  three  hundred, 
the  births  during  seventeen  years  were 
only  twenty-four,  being  scarcely  two  births 
in  three  years;  while  the  deaths  had  been 
between  eighteen  and  nineteen  per  annum. 

Mr.  Lloyd  gives  a touching  account  of 
the  survivors  of  this  once  flourishing 
tribe  : — 

When  I first  landed  in  Geelong,  in  1837, 
the  Barrabool  tribe  numbered  upward  of 
three  hundred  sleek  and  healthy-looking 
blacks.  A few  months  previous  to  my  leav- 
ing that  town,  in  May  1853,  on  casually 
strolling  up  to  a couple  of  miam-miams,  or 
native  huts,  that  were  erected  upon  the 
banks  of  the  Burwan  River,  I observed 
seated  there  nine  loobras  (women)  and  one 
sickly  child. 

“ Seeing  so  few  natives,  I was  induced  to 
ask  after  numbers  of  my  old  dark  friends  of 
early  days  — Ballyyang,  the  chief  of  the  Bar- 
rabool tribe,  the  great  Jaga-jaga,  Panige- 
rong,  and  many  others,  wdien  I received 
the  following  pathetic  reply : ‘ Aha,  Mitter 


790 


AUSTRALIA. 


Looyed,  B<allyyang  dedac  (dead),  Jaga-jaga 
dedac;  Panigerong  dedac,’  &c.,  naming 
many  others ; and,  continuing  their  sorrowful 
tale,  they  chanted,  in  minor  and  funereal 
tones,  in  their  own  soft  language,  to  the  fol- 
lowing effect: 

“ ‘ The  stranger  white  man  came  in  his 
great  swimming  corong  (vessel),  and  landed 
at  Oorayio  with  his  dedabul  boulganas 
(large  animals),  and  his  anaki  boulganas 
(little  animals).  He  came  with  his  boom- 
booms  (double  guns),  his  white  miam- 
miams  (tents),  blankets,  and  tomahawks; 
and  the  dedabul  ummageet  (great  white 
stranger)  took  away  the  long-inherited  hunt- 
ing-grounds of  the  poor  Barrabool  coolies 
and  their  children,’  &c.,  &c. 

“ Having  worked  themselves  into  a fit  of 
passionate  and  excited  grief,  weeping,  shak- 
ing their  heads,  and  holding  up  their  hands 
in  bitter  sorrow,  they  exclaimed,  in  wild 
and  frenzied  tones:  ‘Coolie!  coolie!  coolie! 
where  are  our  coolies  now!  Where  are 
our  fathers  — mothers  — brothers  — sistersV 
Dead  ! — all  gone ! dead ! ’ Then,  in  broken 
English,  they  said,  ‘Nebber  mind,  Mitter 
Looyed,  tir;  by  ’m  by  all  dem  black  fella 
come  back  wdiite  fella  like  it  you.’  Such  is 
the  belief  of  the  poor  aborigines  of  Victoria; 
hence  we  may  firmly  infer  that  they  possess 
a latent  spark  of  hope  in  their  minds  as  to 
another  and  better  world. 

“ Then,  with  outstretched  finger,  they 
showed  me  the  unhappy  state  of  the  aborig- 
inal population.  From  their  statement  it 
appeared  that  there  existed  of  the  tribe  at 
that  moment  only  nine  women,  seven  men, 
and  one  child.  Their  rapid  diminution  in 
numbers  may  be  traced  to  a variety  of 
causes.  First,  the  chances  of  obtaining 
their  natural  food  were  considerably  les- 
sened by  the  entire  occupation  of  the  best 
grassed  parts  of  the  country,  which  origin- 
ally abounded  in  kangaroo  and  other  ani- 
mals upon  which  they  subsisted.  The 
greater  number  of  these  valuable  creatures, 
as  an  irresistible  consequence,  retired  into 
the  wild  uninhabitable  countries,  far  from 
the  haunts  of  the  white  man  and  his  destruc- 
tive dogs. 

“ Having  refused  the  aid  of  the  Govern- 
ment and  the  Missionary  Societies’  establish- 
ments at  the  River  Burwan  and  Mount 
Rouse,  the  natives  were  to  a serious  extent 
deprived  of  animal  food,  so  essential  to  a 
people  who  were  ever  exposed  to  the  inclem- 
encies of  winter  and  the  exhausting  heats  of 
summer.  Influenza  was  one  of  the  greatest 
scourges  under  which  they  suffered.  Then, 
among  other  evils  attending  their  associ- 
ation with  the  colonists,  the  brandy,  rum,  and 
tobacco  told  fearfully  upon  their  already 
weakened  constitutions.” 

This  one  tribe  is  but  an  example  of  the 
others,  all  of  whom  are  surely,  and  some  not 
slowl}”,  approaching  the  end  of  their  ex- 
istence. For  many  reasons  we  cannot  but 


regret  that  entire  races  of  men,  possessing 
many  fine  qualities,  should  be  thus  passing 
away;  but  it  is  impossible  not  to  perceive 
that  they  are  but  following  the  order  of  the 
world,  the  lower  race  preparing  a home  for 
the  higher. 

In  the  present  instance,  for  example,  the 
aborigines  performed  barely  half  of  their 
duties  as  men.  They  partially  exercised 
their  dominion  over  the  beasts  and  the  birds 
— killing,  but  not  otherwise  utilizing  them. 
But,  although  they  inherited  the  earth,  they 
did  not  subdue  it,  nor  replenish  it.  They 
cleared  away  no  useless  bush  or  forest,  to  re- 
place them  with  fruits;  and  they  tilled  no 
land,  leaving  the  earth  exactly  in  the  same 
condition  that  they  found  it.  Living  almost 
entirely  by  the  chase,  it  required  a very 
large  hunting-ground  to  support  each  man, 
and  a single  tribe  gained  a scanty  and  pre- 
carious living  on  a tract  of  land  sufficient, 
when  cultivated,  to  feed  a thousand  times 
their  number.  In  fact,  they  occupied  pre- 
cisely the  same  relative  position  toward  the 
human  race  as  do  the  lion,  tiger,  and  leopard 
toward  the  lower  animals,  and  suffered  in 
consequence  from  the  same  law  of  extinction. 

In  process  of  time  white  men  came  to  in- 
troduce new  arts  into  their  country,  clear- 
ing away  useless  forest,  and  covering  the 
rescued  earth  with  luxuriant  wheat  crops, 
sufficient  to  feed  the  whole  of  the  aborigines 
of  the  country ; bringing  also  with  them  herds 
of  sheep  and  horned  cattle  to  feed  upon  the 
vast  plains  which  formerly  nourished  but  a 
few  kangaroo,  and  to  multiply  in  such  num- 
bers that  they  not  only  supplied  the  whole 
of  their  adopted  land  with  .food,  but  their 
flesh  was  exported  to  the  mother  country. 

The  superior  knowledge  of  the  white  man 
thus  gave  to  the  aborigines  the  means  of  se- 
curing their  supplies  of  food;  and  therefore 
his  advent  was  not  a curse,  but  a benefit  to 
them.  But  they  could  not  take  advantage 
of  the  opportunities  thus  offered  to  them, 
and,  instead  of  seizing  upon  these  new  means 
of  procuring  the  three  great  necessaries  of 
human  life,  food,  clothing,  and  lodging,  they 
not  only  refused  to  employ  them,  but  did 
their  best  to  drive  them  out  of  the  countiy, 
murdering  the  colonists,  killing  their  cattle, 
destroying  their  crops,  and  b^urning  their 
houses. 

The  means  were  offered  to  them  of  in- 
finitely bettering  their  social  condition,  and 
the  opportunity  given  them,  by  substituting 
peaceful  labor  for  perpetual  feuds,  and  of 
turning  professional  murderers  into  food- 
producers,  of  replenishing  the  land  which 
their  everlasting  quarrels,  irregular  mode  of 
existence,  and  carelessness  of  human  life  had 
well-nigh  depopulated.  These  means  they 
could  not  appreciate,  and,  as  a natural  con- 
sequence, had  to  make  way  for  those  who 
could.  The  inferior  must  always  make  way 
for  the  superior,  and  such  has  ever  been  the 
case  with  the  savage.  I am  persuaded  that 


EXTINCTION  OF  NATIVE  TRIBES. 


the  coming  of  the  white  man  is  not  the  sole, 
nor  even  the  chief,  cause  of  the  decadence 
of  savage  tribes.  I have  already  shown  that 
we  can  introduce  no  vice  in  which  the  savage 
is  not  profoundly  versed,  and  feel  sure  that 


the  cause  of  extinction  lies  within  the  savage 
himself,  and  ought  not  to  be  attributed  to 
the  white  man,  who  comes  to  take  the  place 
which  the  savage  has  practically  vacated 


CHAPTER  LXXVm. 


NEW  ZEALAND. 
GENERAL  REMARKS. 


IX)CALITY  OF  NEW  ZEALAND  — GENERAL  APPEARANCE  OF  THE  PEOPLE  — THE  TWO  CASTES,  AND  THEIR 
SUPPOSED  ORIGIN  — CONTRAST  BETWEEN  THE  SEXES —LAXNESS  OF  MORALS  — NUMBER  OF  THE 
POPULATION,  AND  THE  DIFFERENT  TRIBES  — MODE  OF  GOVERNMENT  — DISTINCTION  BETWEEN 
RANKS— FORMATION  OF  THE  CLANS,  OR  SUB-TRIBES  — THE  SLAVES,  THEIR  VALUE  AND  TREAT- 
MENT— THE  TENURE  OF  LAND  — A COMPLEX  ARRANGEMENT  AND  CONSEQUENT  DIFFICULTIES  — 
ESTABLISHING  A CLAIM  — NATIVE  LAW  — THE  “ LEX  TALIONIS  ” — SENSITIVENESS  TO  DISGRACE  — 
THE  PREVALENCE  OF  SUICIDE — STRANGE  CONDUCT  OF  A MAORI  CHIEF  — THE  SISTER’ S VEN- 
GEANCE. 


Southward  and  eastward  of  Australia  we 
come  to  the  group  of  islands  known  collec- 
tively as  New  Zealand.  Like  Australia, 
New  Zealand  possesses  many  peculiarities 
of  climate  and  natural  production,  and  is  in- 
habited by  a number  of  tribes  which  are  gen- 
erally hostile  to  each  other,  but  which  are 
almost  identical  in  appearance  and  habits. 
We  shall  therefore  be  enabled  to  treat  of  this 
important  portion  of  the  globe  with  much 
more  brevity  than  could  be  the  case  if,  as  in 
'Africa,  the  tribes  differed  from  each  other 
in  hue,  dress,  and  customs. 

Taken  as  a whole,  the  New  Zealanders  are 
a singularly  fine  race  of  people  — tall,  power- 
ful, and  well  made.  Though  varying  some- 
what in  shade,  the  color  is  always  a brown 
of  some  kind,  the  complexion  being  some- 
times as  light  as  that  of  a Spaniard,  and  some- 
times of  a dark  umber.  It  is,  however, 
always  of  a clear  tint  and  never  approaches 
to  the  deep  black  of  the  Australian.  The 
nose  is  straight  and  well  formed,  in  many 
cases  being  boldly  aquiline;  and  the  mouth 
is  rather  large,  and  the  lips  moderately  full, 
though  not  resembling  those  of  the  negro. 
The  cheekbones  are  rather  high,  but  not 
much  more  prominent  than  those  of  a 
genuine  Scotchman;  and  the.  eyes  are  large, 
dark,  and  vivacious. 

The  teeth  are  remarkably  white  and  even, 
and  the  feet  and  hands  small  and  well  pro- 
portioned, The  foot  is  very  well  developed, 
the  native  never  having  spoiled  its  beautiful 
mechanism  with  shoes  or  boots,  and  being 
accustomed  to  use  the  toes  in  many  tasks 
wherein  a civilized  European  requires  his 
fingers.  The  toes  are,  for  example,  contin- 

(792) 


ually  employed  in  holding  one  end  of  a rope, 
while  the  fingers  are  engaged  in  twisting  or 
plaiting  it;  and  the  consequence  is  that  the 
natives  are  able  to  ridicule  with  justice  the 
misshapen  feet  and  toes  of  the  European. 

The  men  have  naturally  a full  beard;  but 
they  always  remove  every  vestige  of  hair  on 
the  face,  in  order  to  show  the  patterns  which 
are  tattooed  upon  it.  Now  and  then  a very 
old  and  powerful  chief  will  dare  to  allow  his 
beard  to  grow;  but,  as  a rule,  the  face  is  di- 
vested of  all  covering:  so  that  the  absence 
of  the  beard,  together  with  the  profuse  tattoo, 
destroys  all  evidences  of  age,  and  makes  the 
countenance  of  a young  man  of  twenty  look 
nearly  as  old  as  that  of  his  grandfather  aged 
sixty. 

The  hair  is  plentiful,  and  mostly  straight, 
being  twisted  and  curled  by  art  into  the 
various  fashionable  forms.  In  some  cases  it 
is  light,  or  even  reddish,  in  color;  and  in 
such  instances  accompanies  a complexion  of 
peculiar  fairness.  Albinism  exists  among 
the  New  Zealanders,  but  is  not  agreeable 
in  appearance,  the  eyes  being  always  weak, 
and  the  skin  looking  as  if  it  had  been  artifi- 
cially whitened.  In  fact,  such  an  albino 
looks  among  his  dark  fellows  like  a plant 
that  has  been  bleached  by  growing  in  the 
dark. 

There  seems  to  be  two  castes  of  men 
among  the  New  Zealanders.  The  upper 
caste  is  distinguished  by  the  above  char- 
acteristics ; but  the  lower  is  shorter  in  stat- 
ure, and  has  coarse  and  curly,  though  not 
woolly  hair,  more  prominent  cheekbones, 
and  a much  blacker  skin.  This  second  race, 
according  to  Dr.  Dielfenbach,  “ is  mixed  in 
insensible  gradations  with  the  former,  and  is 


r< 


NEW  ZEALANDER  FROM  CHILDHOOD  TO  AGE. 
(See  page  795.) 


(794) 


COXTRAST  BETWEEN  THE  SEXES. 


705 


far  less  numerous;  it  does  not  prcvdomiiiate 
ill  any  one  part  of  the  island,  nor  does  it 
occupy  any  particular  station  in  a tribe;  and 
there  is  no  difference  made  between  the  two 
races  among  themselves. 

“ But  I must  observe  that  I never  met 
any  man  of  consequence  belonging  to  this 
tribe,  and  that,  although  freemen,  they  occu- 
pied the  lower  grades:  from  this  we  may, 
perhaps,  infer  the  relation  in  which  they 
stood  to  the  earliest  immigrants  into  the 
country,  although  their  traditions  and  leg- 
ends are  silent  on  the  subject. 

“From  the  existence  of  two  races  in  New 
Zealand  the  conclusion  might  be  drawn  that 
the  darker  were  the  original  proprietors  of 
the  soil,  anterior  to  the  arrival  of  a stock 
of  true  Polynesian  origin;  that  they  were 
conquered  by  the  latter,  and  nearly  exter- 
minated. This  opinion  has  been  entertained 
regarding  all  Polynesian  islands;  but  I must 
observe  that  it  is  very  doubtful  whether 
those  ditferences  which  we  observe  among 
the  natives  of  New  Zealand  are  really  due 
to  such  a source.  We  find  similar  varieties 
in  all  Polynesian  islands,  and  it  is  probable 
that  they  are  a consequence  of  the  differ- 
ence of  castes  so  extensively  spread  among 
the  inhabitants  of  the  tribes  of  the  great 
ocean. 

‘‘If  one  part  of  the  population  of  New 
Zealand  are  a distinct  race  — a fact  which 
cannot  be  denied  as  regards  other  islands  — 
it  is  very  curious  that  there  should  be  no 
traces  of  such  a blending  in  the  language, 
where  they  would  have  been  most  durable, 
or  in  the  traditions,  which  certainly  would 
have  mentioned  the  conquest  of  one  race 
by  the  other,  if  it  had  happened.  Captain 
Crozet,  a Frenchman,  v/ho  early  visited  New 
Zealand,  says  that  he  found  a tribe  at  the 
North  Cape  darker  than  the  rest.  I could 
observe  nothing  of  the  kind  there,  though 
I visited  all  the  natives.  Non  are  those 
darker-colored  individuals  more  common 
in  the  interior;  I should  say,  even  less  so. 

“ There  is  undoubtedly  a greater  variety 
of  color  and  countenance  among  the  natives 
of  New  Zealand  than  one  would  expect — a 
circumstance  which  might  prove  either  an 
early  blending  of  different  races,  or  a differ- 
ence of  social  conditions,  which  latter  sup- 
position would  go  far  to  explain  the  fact. 
All  the  New  Zealanders  speak  of  the  Man- 
go-Mango, or  Blacks  of  New  South  Wales, 
as  unconnected  with  and  inferior  to  them- 
selves; but  they  never  make  such  a distinc- 
tion regarding  their  own  tribes.” 

As  is  often  the  case  with  uncivilized  peo- 
ple, the  women  are  decidedly  inferior  to 
the  men,  being  much  shorter,  and  not  nearly 
so  well  made.  They  are  not  treated  wdtii 
the  harshness  which  is  the  usual  character- 
istic of  married  life  among  savages,  and  are 
even  taken  into  their  husbands’  counsels, 
and  have  great  influence  in  political  affairs. 
Still,  the  heavy  work  of  the  houlehold  falls 


upon  their  shoulders,  and  tlic  lot  of  an  ordi- 
nary New  Zealand  wife  is  rather  a sevci’c 
one.  Slie  has  to  cultivate  the  ground,  fo 
carry  the  ])roduce  of  the  distant  fields  to  the 
house,  and,  when  the  family  is  travelling, 
the  women  have  to  carry  all  the  heavy  loads. 
It  is  no  wonder,  therefore,  that  a life  of  such 
drudgery  should  tell  upon  the  women,  Imth 
in  preventing  the  proper  development  of 
their  frame  and  in  causing  their  beauty  to 
decay.  Those  who  preserve  tluur  beauty 
longest  are  the  daugliters  of  wealthy  chiefs, 
who  can  afford  slaves  by  whom  all  the  hard 
work  is  done,  and  who  therefore  free  their 
mistresses  from  one  of  the  causes  of  deteri- 
oration. 

There  is,  however,  another  cause,  Avhieh 
is  perhaps  equally  effective,  but  not  so  ])al- 
pable.  This  is  the  very  lax  code  of  morality 
which  prevails  among  them,  a young  giii 
being  permitted  the  utmost  freedom  until 
she  is  married,  although  afteinvard  she  is  a 
model  of  constancy.  This  license  is  exer- 
cised at  a very  early  age,  and  the  natural 
consequence  is  that  the  due  development  of 
the  frame  is  checked.  This  vicious  system 
is  so  much  a matter  of  course,  that  it  cai  - 
ries  no  reproach  wdth  it,  and  the  young  girls 
are  remarkable  for  their  modest  and  child- 
like demeanor. 

Of  course  they  become  aged  much  earlier 
than  those  whose  development  takes  place 
at  a later  period  of  life;  but  they  compeii- 
sate  for . their  deteriorated  appearance  by 
their  peculiar  kindliness  of  demeanor.  The 
engraving  No.  1,  illustrates  the  countenance 
and  dress  of  a New  Zealand  wmman  and 
her  boy. 

Unlike  the  men,  the  women  do  not  dis- 
figure tlieir  faces  b}^  the  tattoo,  winch  gives 
to  them  the  stern  and  fixed  expression  so 
characteristic  of  a New  Zealand  warrior; 
and  they  thus  allow  the  really  flexible  and 
intelligent  features  to  have  full  play.  The 
only  portions  of  the  face  that  are  'marked 
with  the  tattoo  are  the  lips,  which  are  ren- 
dered blue  by  the  process,  as  it  is  considered 
disgraceful  for  a woman  to  have  red  lips. 
The  tattooing  is  always  performed  when  the 
child  is  allowed  to  take  her  place  among 
women;  and,  as  may  be  imagined,  it  gives  a 
livid  and  altogether  unpleasant  appearance 
to  the  mouth. 

The  children  are  very  pleasing  and  inter- 
esting little  creatures.  The}'’  are  full  of 
intelligence,  and  unusually  free  and  open  in 
their  manner.  Unlike  the  children  of  most 
savage  nations,  they  live  as  much  with  the 
men  as  with  the  wmmen,  and  partake  even 
in  the  councils  of  their  parents,  thus  having 
their  faculties  sharpened  at  a very  early  age. 
The  illustration  opposite  gives  typical  ex- 
amples of  the  New  Zealander  from  child- 
hood to  age,  and  the  reader  will  notice  the 
contrast  between  the  soft  and  rounded  out- 
lines of  the  youth,  and  the  harsh,  rigid  coun- 
tenances of  the  old  man  and  his  consort. 


796 


NEW  ZEALAN1>. 


In’  proportion  to  the  dimensions  of  New 
Zealand,  the  population  is  very  small;  and, 
even  in  the  earliest  days  of  our  acquain- 
tance with  it,  the  land  seems  to  have  been 
but  thinly  inhabited.  That  such  should  be 
the  case  is  veiy  remarkable,  as  a very  thin 
population  is  generally  found  in  those  coun- 
tries wliere,  as  in  Australia,  the  inhabitants 
live  principall}^  by  the  chase,  and  therefore 
require  a very  large  tract  of  land  to  support 
them.  The  New  Zealanders,  however,  do 
not  live  by  the  chase,  for  the  simple  reason 
that  there  are  no  animals  which  are  worth 
the  trouble  of  hunting;  so  that  a family  of 
twenty  or  so,  even  if  they  had  the  entire 
country  as  a hunting-ground,  would  find 
themselves  in  very  great  straits  were  they 
obliged  to  procure  tiieir  food  by  the  chase. 
The  reasons  for  this  thin  population  will  be 
presently  seen. 

According  to  Dieffenbach’s calculation, the 
native  poioulation  of  the  entire  country  may 
be  reckoned  rather  below  one  hundred  and 
fifteen  thousand.  These  are  divided  into 
twelve  great  tribes,  which  are  again  subdi- 
vided into  sub-tribes,  or  clans,  each  of  which 
has  its  separate  name,  and  is  supposed  to 
l)elong  to  a certain  district.  The  fighting 
men,  or  warriors,  form  about  one-fourth  of 
the  whole  population;  the  remaining  three- 
fourths  being  made  up  of  old  men,  women,  and 
children.  Since  this  calculation  the  numbers 
of  the  aborigines  have  considerably  lessened. 
The  most  important  of  the  tribes  seems  fe 
Ije  the  Waikato,  which  is  divided  intq_,^i^- 
teen^ll%an^Js^^  large 

proportion  of  the  country.  This  tribe  alone 
can  bring  into  the  field  six  thousand  fight- 
ing men;  so  that  the  entire  number  of  the 
tribe  may  be  calculated  at  twenty-four  thou- 
sand or  so. 

The  Waikato  clans  have  managed  to  pre- 
serve their  individuality  better  than  the 
others,  and,  though  brought  much  in  con- 
tact with  civilization,  and  having  adopted 
some  of  the  habits  of  their  white  visitors, 
they  have  still  retained  many  of  their 
ancient  customs,  and,  as  Dieffenbach  re- 
marks, have  preserved  much  of  their  ancient 
vigor  and  original  virtues. 

The  tribe  that  is  strongest  in  mere  num- 
])ers  is  the  Nga-te-kahuhuna,  which  inhab- 
its the  east  coast,  and  may  be  reckoned  at 
thirty-six  thousand  strong.  In  fact,  these 
two  tribes  alone  outnumber  the  whole  of 
the  others  taken  collectively.  One  tribe, 
the  Eangitani,  is  interesting  from  the  fact 
that  it  was  described  by  Captain  Cook.  In 
his  days  it  was  evidently  a large  and  flour- 
ishing tribe,  but  some  few  years  ago  it  could 
scarcely  muster  three  hundred  warriors, 
representing  a total  number  of  twelve  hun- 
dred. The  decadence  of  this  tribe  is  prob- 
ably owing  to  the  destructive  wars  in  which 
the  New  Zealanders  engage,  and  which  are 
often  so  fierce  as  to  erase  a tribe  entirely. 

The  government  of  the  New  Zealanders 


is  a curious  mixture  of  simplicity  and  corn- 
plication.  Monarchy  is  unknown,  each  tribe 
having  its  own  great  chief,  while  an  inferior 
chief  presides  over  each  clan,  or  sub-tribe. 
The  whole  of  the  population  may  be  roughly 
divided  into  three  ranks.  Eirst  come  the 
nobility,  then  the  free  men,  and  lastly  the 
slaves.  The  nobility  go  by  the  general  name 
of  Kangatira  — a title  which  is  always  given 
to  officers,  missionaries,  and  other  white  men 
who  are  placed  in  command  over  others. 

In  each  tribe  one  of  the  Kangatira  is  the 
Ariki,  or  principal  chief;  but,  as  he  is  neces- 
sarily a Kangatira,  he  is  always  addressed 
by  that  title,  and,  in  consequence,  a stran- 
ger finds  some  difficulty,  even  after  a pro- 
longed visit,  in  ascertaining  who  is  the  Ariki. 
Among  the  New  Zealanders  there  is  no  Salic 
law,  so  that  the  Ariki  need  not  be  a warrior, 
and  may  be  a woman.  The  office  is  hered- 
itary, and  the  existing  Ariki  is  always  held 
in  the  highest  veneration  in  virtue  of  his 
descent.  Even  the  hostile  tribes  respect  an 
Ariki,  and  in  most  cases,  if  he  should  be 
captured  in  battle,  the  victors  will  s]Dare 
his  life.  One  or  tw^o  of  the  most  powerful 
chiefs  living  have  been  captured  and  after- 
ward released,  whereas,  had  they  been  com- 
mon men,  or  even  ordinary  Kangatiras, 
they  would  have  been  killed,  their  bodies 
eaten,  and  their  heads  dried  and  fixed  as 
trophies  on  the  houses  of  their  conquerors. 

A sort  of  tax,-  or  tribute,  is  paid  by  the 
oifibrent  families,  though  the  tax  is  entirely 
a voluntary  one,  and  may  be  great  or  small, 
or  withheld  altogether,  at  pleasure.  Mostly 
the  Ariki  is  a man  of  considerable  mental 
powers,  and,  in  such  a case,  he  exercises 
great  authority  over  the  tribe,  either  as  a 
priest  or  a warrior.  There  is  nothing  to 
prevent  the  Ariki  from  assuming  the  office 
of  priest,  and  in  many  instances  he  has 
been  able  to  exercise  a far  greater  influence 
by  spiritual  than  by  physical  means. 

The  Kangatira  are  the  great  men,  or 
nobles,  of  the  land,  and  with  them,  as  with 
the  Ariki,  the  rank  is  hereditary.  The  law 
of  succession  is  very  remarkable,  the  eldest 
son  being  the  heir  to  his  father’s  rank;  but 
if  the  child  dies,  the  youngest,  and  not  the 
next  eldest,  becomes  the  lawfiil  successor. 
These  two  heirs,  the  eldest  and  the  young- 
est sons,  are  called  by  a name  which  signifies 
the  fat  of  the  earth. 

Each  Kangatira  is  independent  of  his 
fellows,  though  they  collectively  form  a sort 
of  body  which  we  may  compare  with  the 
House  of  Peers  in  England.  Any  Kanga- 
tira who  has  sufficient  influence  may  gather 
together  the  members  of  his  clan,  build  a 
fortified  village,  or  pah,  and  become  a petty 
sovereign  in  his  own  dominions.  It  is  in 
this  way  that  the  various  clans,  or  sub- 
tribes, are  formed,  each  gathering  round  a 
noble  of  more  than  usual  ability,  and  adopt- 
ing a name  by  which  the  members  will  ever 
afterward  be  known. 


THE  LAND  QUESTION. 


707 


The  free  men  form  the  great  body  of  the 
warriors;  some  of  them  being  the  sons  of 
llangatira,  and  others  merely  having  the 
privilege  of  free  birth;  which  carries  with 
it  the  right  of  tattooing  the  face.  Some- 
times a free  man  who  is  remarkable  for  his 
generalship  and  courage  will  take  the  com- 
mand of  an  expedition,  even  though  men  of 
higher  rank  than  himself  should  be  engaged 
in  it. 

Last  come  the  slaves.  These  are  always 
procured  from  two  sources:  they  are  either 
captives  taken  in  battle,  or  are  the  children 
of  such  captives.  The  value  of  such  slaves 
is  very  great.  All  savages  are  idle,  but  the 
New  Zealander  is  one  of  the  laziest  of  mor- 
tals in  time  of  peace.  In  war  he  is  all  fire 
and  spirit;  but  in  peace  he  lounges  listlessly 
about,  and  will  not  do  a stroke  of  work  that 
can  possibly  be  avoided. 

He  may,  perhaps,  condescend  to  carve  the 
posts  of  his  house  into  some  fantastical  sem- 
blance of  the  human  form,  or  he  may,  per- 
chance, employ  himself  in  slowly  rubbing  a 
stone  club  into  shape,  or  in  polishing  or 
adorning  his  weapons.  Whatever  real  work 
is  to  be  done  is  left  to  the  women  or  the 
slaves,  and  a man  who  values  his  wife  or 
daughter  will  endeavor  to  procure  slaves  who 
will  relieve  her  of  the  drudgery. 

There  are  slaves  of  both  sexes,  to  whom 
the  appropriate  work  is  allotted.  They  are 
considered  the  absolute  property  of  their 
owner,  who  may  treat  them  as  he  pleases, 
and,  if  he  prefers  to  kill  them,  may  do  so 
without  attracting  any  attention.  Of  course 
he  would  not  do  so  except  for  very  good 
reasons,  as  he  would  deprive  himself  of  a 
valuable  article  of  property.  There  have 
been  cases,  as  we  shall  presently  see,  when 
the  owner  of  slaves  has  deliberately  mur- 
dered them  for  the  sake  of  selling  their 
heads. 

Once  a slave,  always  a slave.  Should  one 
of  these  unfortunates  manage  to  escape  and 
get  back  to  his  own  tribe,  his  owner  would 
apply  for  him,  and  he  would  be  given  up, 
the  right  of  the  master  to  his  slave  being 
universally  recognized.  Still,  as  a rule,  the 
slaves  are  treated  well,  and  some  of  them, 
who  have  attained  excellence'  in  certain 
arts,  often  become  richer  men  than  their 
owners.  So  great  is  the  value  of  slaves,  that 
many  a war  has  been  undertaken  for  the 
mere  purpose  of  slave  hunting,  and  some  of 
the  most  disastrous  and  obstinate  feuds  have 
originated  in  the  slave  hunt. 

Connected  with  the  government  of  the 
New  Zealanders  is  the  land  question.  This 
is  a strangely  complicated  business,  as  every 
inch  of  ground  has  an  actual  owner,  while 
there  are  usually  several  claimants  who  al- 
low their  rights,  real  or  imagined,  to  lie  in 
abeyance  as  long  as  the  land  is  owned  by 
one  who  can  hold  his  own,  while  they  will 
all  prefer  their  claims  at  his  death,  or  even 
during  a lengthened  absence. 


So  it  has  often  happened  that  the  white 
inen,  while  desiring  to  act  according  to  law 
and  honor,  have  involved  themselves  in  a 
very  net  of  difficulties.  A chief,  for  ex- 
ample, may  agree  to  sell  a portion  of  terri- 
tory, will  receive  the  price,  and  will  sign  a 
deed,  which  will  be  witnessed  by  natives  as 
well  as  by  Europeans.  No  sooner  has  he 
done  so,  than  a claimant  comes  forward, 
declaring  that  the  chief  in  question  had  no 
real  right  to  the  land,  and  therefore  had  no 
right  to  sell  it. 

Ilis  claim  will  be  inquired  into,  and,  if  it 
seems  to  be  tolerably  consistent  with  likeli- 
hood, the  man  will  be  paid  an  additional 
sum  for  his  consent  to  the  sale.  The  mat- 
ter, however,  is  not  at  an  end,  for  such  is 
the  jealousy  with  which  the  natives  regard 
land,  that,  as  long  as  a foreigner  holds  an 
inch  of  ground,  so  long  will  there  be  a na- 
tive who  prefers  a claim  to  it.  Strange  as  it 
may  seem,  the  white  man  would  incur  less 
odium  by  taking  the  land  by  force,  and  seizing 
it  by  right  of  conquest,  than  by  trying  to  act 
according  to  justice  and  equity. 

War  is  a fertile  source  of  misunderstand- 
ing about  land.  A tribe  may  be  driven  out 
of  a district,  and  their  land  given  to  others, 
who  hold  it  as  long  as  they  can  keep  it,  the 
original  possessors  being  sure  to  reconquer 
it  if  possible.  It  has  sometimes  happened 
that  a chief  to  whom  such  lands  have  been 
presented  has  transferred  them  to  another 
chief,  and  he,  in  his  turn,  has  sold  them  to 
European  settlers,  the  bargain  being  ratified 
by  his  own  followers,  who  are  considered  as 
having  a share  in  such  property. 

The  colonists  take  the  land,  clear  it,  culti- 
vate it,  and  when  the  crops  are  fairly  in  the 
ground,  the  dispossessed  tribe  will  come  for- 
ward and  prefer  their  claim  to  it.  Those  to 
whom  it  was  sold  have  already  received 
their  price,  and  do  not  trouble  themselves 
to  oppose  the  claim;  and  the  consequence 
is,  that  the  colonists  are  obliged  either  to 
make  a second  payment  or  to  run  the  risk  of 
war. 

As  to  the  claims  themselves,  they  are  of 
the  most  curious  and  unexpected  character, 
such  as  no  European  would  be  likely  to  an- 
ticipate. According  to  Dieffenbach,  “ There 
exists  a very  distinct  notion  of  the  rights  of 
landed  property  among  the  natives,  and  every 
inch  of  land  in  New  Zealand  has  its  proprie- 
tor. Sometimes  land  is  given  to  a strange 
tribe,  either  as  pay,  or  from  other  consider- 
ations, but  the  proprietor  reserves  certain 
rights,  some  of  which  are  what  we  should 
term  manorial. 

“ It  was  formerly  very  common  that  the 
fat  of  the  native  rats  (Kiore)  killed  on  such 
lands  should  be  given  to  the  principal  pro- 
prietor, and  in  many  cases  a title  to  land 
seems  to  have  been  derived  from  the  fact  of 
having  killed  rats  on  it.  Thus  a chief  will 
say,  ‘This  or  that  piece  of  land  is  mine;  I 
have  killed  rats  on  it.’  Generally,  how- 


798 


NEW  ZEALAND. 


ever,  land  descends,  as  with  us,  by  inheri- 
tance.” 

Such  being  the  complicated  tenure  on 
which  land  is  held  — a tenure  which  is  often 
puzzling  to  the  natives  themselves  — it  is 
no  matter  of  wonder  that  English  settlers 
should  have  found  themselves  in  difficulties. 
It  is  said  that  the  colonists  tried  to  make 
Ihemselves  masters  of  the  land  by  unfair 
means,  i.  e.  either  by  forcibly  taking  posse.s- 
sion  of  it,  or  by  inveigling  the  ignorant  na- 
tives into  signing  documents  which  they  did 
not  understand,  and  thus  selling  their  pater- 
nal estates  for  rum,  tobacco,  and  a few  blan- 
kets. 

This  may  to  some  extent  have  been  the 
case  when  the  colonists  first  came  to  settle 
in  the  countiy.  But  the  natives  are  far  too 
intelligent  to  remain  long  ignorant  of  the 
power  of  pen,  ink,  and  paper,  and  there  is 
no  doubt  that  in  many  cases  they  intention- 
ally outwitted  the  purchaser,  either  by  put- 
ting forward  a sham  owner  of  the  ground, 
who  had  no  right  to  sell  it,  and  who  van- 
ished with  his  share  of  the  prize  as  soon  as 
the  bargain  was  concluded,  or  by  asserting 
ignorance  of  the  meaning  of  the  document 
which  had  been  signed,  and  refusing  to 
carry  out  its  conditions.  That  the  white 
men  succeeded  too  often  in  cheating  the 
natives  is  unfortunately  true,  but  it  is  no  less 
true  that  the  natives  as  often  cheated  the  col- 
onists. 

Law  among  the  New  Zealanders  seems  to 
be  of  the  simplest  kind,  and,  as  far  as  we 
know,  is  not  so  well  developed  as  among 
some  of  the  tribes  of  Southern  Africa.  The 
Ihree  offences  of  which  the  law  takes  cog- 
nizance are  murder,  theft,  and  adultery. 
For  the  first  of  these  offences  a sort  of  Tex 
toUonis  holds  good,  the  relatives  of  the  slain 
man  being  sure,  sooner  or  later,  to  kill  the 
inurderer,  unless  he  manages  to  compromise 
with  them.  Even  theft  is  punished  in  a 
similiar  fashion,  the  thief  being  robbed  in 
his  turn. 

As  to  the  third  offence,  it  is  punishable  in 
various  ways;  but  both  the  offending  parties 
are  supposed  to  have  forfeited  their  lives  to 
the  husband.  If,  therefore,  the  fact  be  dis- 
covered, and  the  culprit  be  a person  of  low 
rank,  he  seeks  safety  in  flight,  while,  if  he 
be  a man  of  rank,  he  expects  that  the  of- 
fended husband  will  make  war  upon  him. 
Sometimes,  if  a wife  discovers  that  her  hus- 
band has  been  unfaithful  to  her,  she  will  kill 
Ids  paramour,  or,  at  all  events,  disgrace  her 
after  the  native  custom,  by  stripping  off  all 
h(‘r  clothes,  and  exposing  her  in  public, 
l^lven  the  husband  is  sometimes  subjected 
to  this  punishment  by  the  wife’s  relations; 
and  so  much  dreaded  is  this  disgrace  that 
men  have  been  known  to  commit  suicide 
when  their  offence  has  been  discovered. 

Suicide,  by  the  way,  is  not  at  all  uncommon 
among  the  New  Zealanders,  who  always 
think  that  death  is  better  than  disgrace,  and 


sometimes  destroy  themselves  under  the 
most  trivial  provocation.  One  such  case  is 
mentioned  by  Mr.  Angas.  “ On  arriving 
at  the  village  or  kainga  of  Ko  Nghahokowitu, 
we  found  all  the  natives  in  a state  of  ex- 
traordinary excitement.  We  had  observed 
numbers  of  people  running  in  that  direc- 
tion, along  the  margin  of  the  river,  from  the 
different  plantations,  and,  on  inquiry,  we 
learned  that  an  hour  previously  to  our  ar- 
rival the  son  of  an  influential  chief  had  com- 
mitted suicide  by  shooting  himself  wdth  a 
musket. 

“ Our  fellow-travellers,  wdth  Wisihona 
their  chief,  were  all  assembled,  and  we  fol- 
lowed them  to  the  shed  where  the  act  had 
been  perpetrated,  and  where  the  body  still 
lay  as  it  fell,  but  covered  with  a blanket. 
The  mourners  were  gathered  round,  and  the 
women  commenced  crying  most  dolefully, 
wringing  their  hands,  and  bending  their 
bodies  to  the  earth.  We  approached  the 
body,  and  were  permitted  to  remove  the 
blanket  from  the  face  and  breast.  The 
countenance  was  perfectly  placid,  and  the 
yellow  tint  of  the  skin,  combined  with  the 
tattooing,  gave  the  corpse  almost  the  appear- 
ance of  a wax  model.  The  deceased  was  a 
fine  and  well-made  young  man.  He  had 
placed  the  musket  to  his  breast,  and  delib- 
erately pushed  the  trigger  with  his  toes,  the 
bullet  passing  right  through  his  lungs. 
Blood  was  still  oozing  from  the  orifice  made 
by  the  bullet,  and  also  from  the  mouth,  and 
the  body  was  still  warm.” 

The  cause  of  this  suicide  was  that  which 
has  already  been  mentioned.*  The  }"Oung 
man  had  been  detected  in  an  illicit  corre- 
spondence Avith  the  wife  of  another  man  in 
the  same  Aullage.  The  woman  had  been 
sent  away  to  a distant  settlement,  a pro- 
ceeding which  had  already  made  her  lover 
sullen  and  gloomy;  and,  on  the  day  Avheii 
Mr.  Angas  visited  the  place,  he  had  become 
so  angry  at  the  reproaches  which  Avere  lev- 
elled at  him  b}^  some  of  his  relations,  that 
he  stepped  aside  and  shot  himself. 

The  determined  manner  in  which  the  Ncav 
Zealanders  AAdll  semetimes  commit  suicide 
AA'as  exemplified  by  the  conduct  of  another 
man,  Avho  deliberately  Avrapped  himself  up  in 
his  blanket,  and  strangled  himself  with  liis 
OAvn  hands.  The  crime  Avas perpetrated  in  the 
common  sleeping-house,  and  Avas  achicA^ed 
Avith  so  much  boldness  that  it  was  not  dis- 
covered until  the  man  had  been  dead  for 
some  time. 

A remarkable  instance  of  this  phase  of 
Ncav  Zealand  laAv  took  place  Avhen  Mr. 
Dieftenbach  visited  the  Waipa  district.  He 
Avas  accompanied  by  a chief,  avIio  called  a 
girl  to  him,  and  handed  her  over  to  the 
police  magistrate  as  a murderess.  The  fact 
Avas,  that  her  brother,  a married  man,  had 
formed  an  intimacy  Avith  a slave  girl,  and, 
fearing  the  vengeance  of  his  Avife’s  relatives, 
had  killed  himself.  His  sister,  in  order  to 


THE  SISTER’S  VENGEANCE. 


799 


avenge  the  death  of  her  brother,  found  out 
the  slave  girl  in  the  bush,  and  killed  her. 
The  strangest  part  of  the  business  was,  that 
the  accused  girl  was  the  daughter  of  the 
chief  who  denounced  her. 

The  girl  pleaded  her  own  cause  well,  say- 
ing, what  was  perfectly  true,  that  she  had 
acted  according  to  the  law  of  the  land  in 
avenging  the  death  of  her  brother,  and  was 


not  amenable  to  the  laws  of  the  white  man, 
which  had  not  yet  been  introduced  into  her 
country.  As  might  be  imagined,  her  plea 
was  received,  and  the  girl  was  set  at  liberty; 
but  her  father  was  so  earnest  in  his  wish  to 
check  the  system  of  retaliatory  murder,  that 
he  actually  offered  himself  in  the  place  of 
his  daughter,  as  being  her  nearest  rela- 
tion. 


CHAPTER  LXXIX, 


NEW  ZEALAND  — Continued. 
DRESS. 


DRESS  Am>  ORNAMENTS  OF  THE  NEW  ZEALANDER  — THE  TATTOO  OR  THE  MOKO  — ITS  FORMIDABLH 
CHARACTER  — THE  TATTOO  A MARK  OF  FREEDOM  — THE  TATTOO  OF  THE  FACE,  AND  ITS  DIFFER- 
ENT PORTIONS  — COST  OF  THE  OPERATION  — THE  IMPLEMENTS,  AND  MODE  OF  USING  THEM  — 
TIME  OCCUPIED  IN  COMPLETING  IT  — PAYMENT  OF  THE  OPERATOR,  AND  THE  TATTOO  SONG 
— SOURCE  WHENCE  THE  PIGMENT  IS  OBTAINED  — SCARLET  PAINT,  AND  MODE  OF  MAKING  IT  — 
THE  NEW  ZEALAND  BELT  — SYMBOLISM  OF  THE  TATTOO  — PRESERVING  THE  HEADS  OF  WAR- 
RIORS— THE  TRAFFIC  IN  HEADS  — A COOL  BARGAINER. 


We  will  now  proceed  to  the  appearance  and 
dress  of  the  natives  of  New  Zealand,  or 
Maories,  as  they  term  themselves.  As  the 
most  conspicuous  part  of  the  New  Zea- 
lander’s adornment  is  the  tattooing  with 
which  the  face  and  some  other  portions  of 
the  body  are  decorated,  we  will  begin  our 
account  with  a description  of  the  moko,  as 
it  is  called  by  the  natives. 

There  are  many  parts  of  the  world  where 
the  tattoo  is  employed,  but  in  none  is  it  of 
so  formidable  a descri])tion  as  among  the 
New  Zealanders.  As  the  reader  is  probably 
aware,  the  tattoo  consists  of  patterns  made 
by  introducing  certain  coloring  matters 
under  the  skin;  charcoal,  variously  pre- 
pared, being  the  usual  material  for  the 
purpose.  We  have  already  seen  among  the 
Kaffirs  examples  of  ornamenting  the  skin  by 
cutting  it  deeply  so  as  to  form  scars,  and  in 
Australia  a similar  but  more  cruel  custom 
})re vails.  In  neither  of  these  countries,  how- 
ever, is  there  any  attempt  at  producing  an 
artistic  effect,  while  in  New  Zealand  beauty 
of  design  is  the  very  object  of  the  tattoo. 

There  is  a distinction  between  the  tattoo 
of  the  New  Zealanders  and  the  Polynesians; 
that  of  the  latter  people  being  formed  by 
rows  of  little  dots,  and  that  of  the  former  by 
lines  cut  completely  through  the  skin.  On 
account  of  this  distinction,  though  a New 
Zealander  and  a Polynesian  be  covered  from 
head  to  foot  with  tattoo  marks,  there  is  no 
possibility  of  mistaking  the  one  for  the  other. 

The  moko  of  the  New  Zealander  is  a mark 
of  rank,  none  but  slaves  being  without  a 
more  or  less  complete  tattooing  of  the  face. 
In  the  present  day,  even  the  chiefs  have 
begun  to  discontinue  the  ancient  custom, 
chietly  owing  to  the  exertions  of  the  mis- 


sionaries, wdio  objected  to  the  practice  as  a 
mark  of  heathendom.  Consequently,  several 
of  the  most  powerful  convert  chiefs  present 
a very  curious,  not  to  say  ludicrous,  aspect, 
which  can  hardly  have  a good  effect  in 
recommending  Christianity  to  the  people. 
Having  been  converted  before  the  moko 
was  completed,  and  being  unwilling  to  con- 
tinue the  process  and  unable  to  obliterate 
those  portions  which  were  already  drawn, 
they  appear  with  one  half  of  their  faces  tat- 
tooed and  the  other  half  plain,  or  perhaps 
with  a solitary  ring  round  one  eye,  and  a 
couple  of  curves  round  one  side  of  the 
mouth. 

As,  however,  the  present  work  treats  only 
of  the  native  customs,  and  not  of  modern 
civilization,  the  New  Zealanders  will  be 
described  as  they  were  before  they  had 
learned  to  abandon  the  once-prized  tattoo, 
to  exchange  the  native  mat  for  the  English 
blanket,  the  picturesque  war  canoe  for  tlie 
commonplace  whaling  boat,  and  the  spear 
and  club  for  the  rifle  and  bayonet. 

The  principal  tattoo  is  that  of  the  face  and 
upper  part  of  the  head,  which,  wdien  com- 
pleted, leaves  scarcely  an  untouched  spot 
on  which  the  finger  can  be  placed.  "When 
finished,  the  whole  face  is  covered  with 
spiral  scrolls,  circles,  and  curved  lines;  and 
it  is  remarkable,  that  though  a certain  order 
is  observed,  and  the  position  of  the  principal 
marks  is  the  same  in  every  case,  no  two  per- 
sons are  tattooed  in  precisely  the  same  man- 
ner, the  artists  being  able  to  produce  an 
infinite  variety  with  the  few  materials  at 
his  command. 

For  example,  the  first  portion  of  the  tat- 
too is  always  a series  of  curved  lines,  reach- 
ing from  the  corners  of  the  nose  to  the  chin, 


THE  TATTOO,  OR  THE  MOKO. 


801 


and  passing  round  the  mouth.  This  portion 
of  the  tattoo  goes  by  the  name  of  rerepi. 
Next  comes  a spiral  scroll  on  the  cheek- 
bone; and  below  it  is  another  spiral,  reach- 
ing as  low  as  the  jaw-bone.  These  are 
called  respectively  kakoti  and  korohaha. 
Next  come  four  lines  on  the  middle  of  the 
forehead,  called  titi;  and  besides  these  there 
are  several  lines  which  run  up  the  centre  of 
the  nose  and  cover  its  sides,  some  which 
spread  over  the  forehead,  others  which  oc- 
cupy the  chin;  and  even  the  lips,  eyelids, 
and  ears  are  adorned  with  this  singular 
ornament. 

Besides  possessing  these  marks,  a great 
chief  is  seldom  content  unless  he  can  cover 
his  hips  with  similar  lines,  each  of  which 
has,  like  those  of  the  face,  its  proper  name.  • 

Although  the  moko  was  considered  as  a 
mark  of  rank,  there  were  no  sumptuary 
laws  which  forbade  its  use.  Any  one,  pro- 
vided he  were  not  a slave,  might  be  tattooed 
as  much  as  he  pleased;  but  the  expense  of 
the  operation  was  so  great,  that  none  but 
men  of  position  could  afford  a complete  suit 
of  moko.  No  man  could  tattoo  himself,  and 
the  delicacy  of  touch  and  certainty  of  line 
was  so  difficult  of  attainment,  that  tattooing 
became  an  art  or  science,  which  was  left  in 
the  hands  of  a few  practitioners,  who  derived 
a good  income  from  their  business.  Some 
of  those  who  had  attained  much  reputation 
for  their  skill  used  to  command  very  high 
fees  when  called  in  to  decorate  a client,  and 
their  services  could  therefore  only  be  se- 
cured by  the  men  of  high  position.  It  is 
rather  remarkable  that  some  of  the  most 
celebrated  operators  were  slaves,  men  who 
were  forbidden  to  wear  the  tattoo  on  their 
own  persons. 

The  mode  of  operation  is  as  follows.  The 
patient  lies  on  his  back,  and  places  his  head 
between  the  knees  of  the  operator,  who 
squats  on  the  ground  after  the  usual  native 
fashion.  The  latter  then  takes  a little  of  the 
black  pigment,  and  draws  on  the  face  the 
line  of  the  pattern  which  he  intends  to  fol- 
low; and  in  some  cases  he  slightly  scratches 
them  with  a sharp  instrument,  so  as  to  make 
a sketch  or  outline  drawing.  The  object  of 
this  scratching  is  to  prevent  the  pattern 
from  being  obliterated  by  the  flowing  blood 
and  the  black  pigment  which  is  rubbed  into 
tlie  wounds. 

Next,  he  takes  his  instrument  or  chisel, 
which  is  usually  made  of  teeth,  or  the  bone 
of  a bird,  and  with  it  follows  the  pattern, 
cutting  completely  through  the  skin.  Some- 
times, when  engaged  in  tattooing  the  face,  a 
careless  operator  has  been  known  to  cut 
completely  through  the  cheek,  so  as  to  put  a 
temporary  check  to  smoking,  the  suferer 
experiencing  some  difficulty  in  getting  the 
smoke  into  his  mouth  at  all,  and  then  find- 
ing it  escape  through  the  holes  in  his  cheek. 
On  page  722  the  reader  may  find  an  illustra- 
tion which  gives  a good  idea  of  the  different 


forms  of  the  tattooing  chisel.  As  the  opera- 
tor proceeds,  he  continually  dips  the  edge  of 
his  chisel  in  the  black  pigment,  and,  when  he 
has  cut  a line  of  a few  inches  in  length,  he 
rubs  more  of  the  pigment  into  the  wound, 
using  a little  bunch  of  fibre  by  way  of  a brush 
or  sponge. 

The  cutting  is  not  done  as  with  a knife, 
but  by  placing  the  edge  of  the  chisel  on  the 
skin,  and  driving  it  along  the  lines  of  the 
pattern  by  repeated  blows  with  a small 
mallet.  As  may  be  imagined,  the  pain 
caused  by  this  operation  is  excruciating. 
It  is  painful  enough  to  have  the  skin  cut  at 
all,  even  with  the  keenest  blade,  as  any  one 
can  testify  who  has  been  unfortunate  enough 
to  come  under  the  surgeon’s  knife.  But 
when  the  instrument  employed  is  a shark’s 
tooth,  or  a piece  of  bone,  when  it  is  driven 
slowly  through  the  skin  by  repeated  blows, 
and  when  the  wound  is  at  once  filled  with 
an  irritating  pigment,  it  may  be  imagined 
that  the  torture  must  be  dreadful.  It  is, 
however,  reckoned  a point  of  honor  to 
endure  it  without  giving  any  signs  of  suffer- 
ing. 

Owing  to  the  character  of  the  tattoo,  the 
destruction  of  the  skin,  and  the  consequent 
derangement  of  its  functions,  only  a small 
portion  can  be  executed  at  a time,  a com- 
plete moko  taking  from  two  to  three  years, 
according  to  the  constitution  of  the  individ- 
ual. Dreadful  swellings  are  always  caused 
by  it,  especially  of  the  glands  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  wounds,  and  the  effects  are 
so  severe  that  men  have  died  when  too  large 
a portion  has  been  executed  at  one  time. 

Every  stroke  of  the  chisel  or  uki  leaving 
an  indelible  mark,  it  is  of  the  greatest  con- 
sequence that  the  operator  should  be  a man 
of  skill,  and  devote  all  his  energies  to  trac- 
ing a clear,  though  elaborate  pattern,  in 
which  the  lines  are  set  closely  together, 
sweep  in  regular  curves,  and  never  interfere 
with  each  other. 

While  a man  is  being  tattooed,  his  friends 
and  those  of  the  operator  sing  songs  to  him, 
in  which  he  is  encouraged  to  endure  the 
pain  bravely,  and  to  bear  in  mind  the  lasting 
beauty  which  will  be  conferred  upon  him 
when  the  pattern  is  completed.  The  songs 
of  the  operator’s  friends  contain  some  very 
broad  hints  as  to  the  scale  of  payment  which 
is  expected.  Although,  as  has  been  stated, 
the  best  of  tattooers  are  paid  very  highly, 
there  is  no  definite  fee,  neither  is  any  bar- 
gain made,  the  operator  trusting  to  the 
liberality  of  his  client.  But,  as  a m"an  would 
be  contemned  as  a skulking  fellow  if  he  were 
to  ask  the  services  of  a good  operator  and 
then  pay  him  badly,  the  practical  result  is 
that  a good  tattooer  always  secures  good 
pay. 

Moreover,  he  has  always  the  opportunity 
of  avenging  himself.  As  only  a small  por- 
tion of  the  moko  can  be  executed  at  a time 
— say,  for  example,  the  spiral  curve  on  one 


802 


NEW  ZEALAND. 


choek  — if  the  operator  be  badly  paid  for  the 
first  portion  of  bis  work,  he  will  take  care  to 
let  the  chisel  slip  out  of  its  course  when  he 
proceeds  to  the  second  part,  or  will  cut  his 
lines  coarsely  and  irregularly,  thus  disfigur- 
ing the  stingy  man  for  life. 

Mr.  Taylor  gives  a translation  of  one  of 
these  tattooing  songs : 

“ He  who  pays  well,  let  him  be  beautifully  orna- 
mented ; 

But  he  who  forgets  the  operator,  let  him  be  done 
carelessly. 

Be  the  lines  wide  apart. 

O hiki  Tangaroa! 

O hiki  Tangaroa! 

Strike  that  the  chisel  as  it  cuts  along  may  sound. 

O hiki  Tangaroa! 

Men  do  not  know  the  skill  of  the  operator  in 
driving  his  sounding  chisel  along. 

O hiki  Tangaroa! 

The  reader  will  see  that  the  song  is  a very 
ingenious  one,  magnifying  the  skill  of  the 
operator,  promising  a handsome  moko  to  the 
liberal  man,  and  threatening  to  disfigure 
him  if  he  be  niggardly  in  his  payments. 

While  the  operation  of  tattooing  is  going 
on,  all  persons  in  the  pah,  or  enclosure,  are 
under  the  tabu,  or  tapu,  lest  any  harm  should 
happen  to  them ; the  work  of  tattooing  being 
looked  upon  with  a kind  of  superstitious 
reverence.  The  meaning  of  the  word  ‘ tapu  ’ 
will  be  explained  when  we  come  to  treat  of 
the  religious  system  of  the  New  Zealander. 

The  effect  of  the  moko  on  the  face  is  well 
shown  in  illustration  No.  2,  on  the  next 
page,  which  represents  a chief  and  his  wife. 
The  reader  will  probably  observe  that  on 
the  face  of  the  Avoman  there  are  marks 
which  resemble  the  tattoo.  They  are,  how- 
ever, the  scars  left  by  mourning  over  the 
body  of  some  relative,  a ceremony  in  which 
the  women  cut  themselves  unmercifully. 
The  dress  worn  by  both  persons  Avill  be 
presently  described. 

The  pigment  used  in  tattooing  is  made 
from  the  resin  of  the  kauri  pine,  and  the 
greater  part  of  it  is  made  at  one  spot,  where 
the  tree  grows  plentifully.  There  is  a rocky 
precipice,  and  a little  distance  from  its  edge 
a deep  and  narrow  pit  is  sunk.  A channel 
is  cut  through  the  foce  of  the  cliff  into  the 
pit,  and  the  apparatus  is  complete.  When  a 
native  wishes  to  make  a supply  of  tattooing 
pigment,  he  cuts  a quantity  of  kauri  wood, 
places  it  in  the  pit,  and  sets  fire  to  it,  thus 
causing  the  burnt  resin  to  fall  to  the  bottom 
of  the  pit,  whence  it  is  scraped  out  through 
the  channel. 

Scarlet  paint  is  much  employed  by  the  na- 
tives, especially  Avhen  they  decorate  them- 
selves for  battle.  It  is  obtained  from  an 
ochreous  substance  which  is  deposited  in 
many  places  where  Avater  has  been  alloAved 
to  become  stagnant.  Some  spots  are  cele- 
brated for  the  excellence  of  the  ochre,  and 
the  natives  come  from  great  distances  to  pro- 
cure it  When  they  AAUsh  to  make  their 


scarlet  paint,  they  first  carefully  dry  and. 
then  burn  the  ochre;  the  result  of  Avhich 
operation  is,  that  a really  fine  vermilion  is 
obtained. 

This  paint  is  used  for  many  purposes,  and 
before  being  used  it  is  mixed  with  oil  ob- 
tained from  the  shark.  The  natives  are  fond 
of  decorating  flieir  houses  with  it,  and  by 
means  of  the  scarlet  lines  increase,  according 
to  their  OAvn  ideas,  the  beauty  of  the  carved 
work  with  which  every  available  point  is 
adorned.  Even  their  household  goods  are 
painted  after  a similar  manner,  the  fash- 
ionable mode  being  to  paint  all  the  hollows 
scarlet,  and  the  projecting  portions  black. 
Their  canoes  and  wooden  ornaments  are  pro- 
fusely adorned  with  red  paint.  But  the  most 
valued  use  of  this  pigment  is  the  part  which 
it  plays  in  the  decoration  of  a warrior  when 
he  goes  to  battle. 

In  such  cases  paint  constitutes  the  whole 
of  his  costume,  the  mats  in  which  he  takes 
so  great  a pride  in  time  of  peace  being  laid 
aside,  many  Avarriors  being  perfectly  naked, 
and  with  the  others  the  only  covering  of  any 
kind  being  a belt  made  of  plaited  leaves. 

One  of  these  belts  in  my  collection  is  seven 
feet  in  length,  and  only  three  and  a half  in- 
ches wide  in  the  broadest  part;  while  at 
either  end  it  diminishes  to  a mere  plaited 
thong.  It  is  folded  fourfold,  and  on  opening 
it  the  mode  of  construction  is  plainly  seen; 
all  the  loose  ends  being  tucked  inside. 

The  material  is  phormium  leaf  cut  into 
strips  an  inch  in  width,  each  alternate  strip 
being  dyed  black.  Each  strip  is  then  divided 
into  eight  little  strips  or  thongs,  and  they 
are  so  plaited  as  to  produce  an  artistic  check- 
ered pattern  of  black  and  white.  The  in- 
genuity in  forming  so  elaborate  a pattern 
Avith  so  simple  a material  is  extreme ; and, 
as  if  to  add  to  the  difficulty  of  his  task,  the 
dusky  artist  has  entirely  changed  the  pattern 
at  either  end  of  the  belt,  making  it  run  at 
right^  angles  to  the  rest  of  the  fabric.  The 
belt  is  also  used  in  lieu  of  clothing  when  the 
men  are  engaged  in  paddling  a canoe. 

The  paint,  therefore,  becomes  the  charac- 
teristic portion  of  the  NeAv  Zealander’s  war 
dress,  and  is  applied  for  the  purpose  of  mak- 
ing himself  look  as  terrible  as  possible,  and 
of  striking  terror  into  his  enemies.  It  is, 
however,  used  in  peace  as  well  as  in  war, 
being  regarded  as  a good  preservative  against 
the  bites  and  stings  of  insects,  especially  the 
sandflies  and  mosquitoes.  It  is  also  used  in 
mourning,  being  rubbed  on  the  body  as  a 
sign  of  grief,  precisely  as  ashes  are  used 
among  some  of  the  Oriental  nations.  Some 
travellers  haA"e  thought  that  the  continual 
use  of  this  pigment  gives  to  the  NeAV  Zea- 
landers the  peculiar  softness  and  sleekness 
of  skin  for  Avhich  they  are  remarkable,  and 
which  distinguishes  them  from  the  Fijians, 
Avhose  skin  feels  as  if  it  had  been  roughened 
Avith  a file.  This  theory,  however,  is  scarcely 
tenable,  the  soft  texture  of  the  skin  being 


(1.)  NEW  ZEALAND  WOMAN  AND  HEE  BOY.  (2.)  TATTOOED  CHIEF  AND  HIS  WIFE. 

(See  page  795.)  (See  page  802.) 


(803) 


.■i  . >.r^ 

■ 


UBR''«Y 

OF  THS 

WJElSrTs'  0f  'M!?’"’" 


PRESERVIKG  THE  HEADS  OF  WARRIORS. 


80o 


evidently  due  to  physical  and  not  to  external 
causes. 

A warrior  adorned  in  all  the  pride  of  the 
tattoo  and  scarlet  paint  is  certainly  a terrific 
object,  and  is  well  calculated  to  strike  terror 
into  those  who  have  been  accustomed  to 
regard  the  Maori  warriors  with  awe.  When, 
however,  the  natives  found  that  all  the  paint- 
ing in  the  world  had  no  effect  u])on  the  dis- 
ciplined soldiers  of  the  foreigner,  they  aban- 
doned it,  and  contented  themselves  with  the 
weapons  that  none  are  more  able  to  wield 
Ilian  themselves. 

Moreover,  the  paint  and  tattoo,  however 
well  it  might  look  on  a warrior  armed  after 
tlie  primitive  fashion,  has  rather  a ludicrous 
effect  when  contrasted  with  the  weapons  of 
civilization.  There  is  now  before  me  a por- 
trait of  a Maori  chief  in  full  battle  array. 
Except  a bunch  of  feathers  in  his  hair,  and 
a checked  handkerchief  tied  round  his  loins, 
evidently  at  the  request  of  the  photographer, 
li3  has  no  dress  whatever.  He  is  tall,  splen- 
didly made,  stern,  and  soldierlike  of  aspect. 
But  instead  of  the  club,  his  proper  weapon, 
he  bears  in  his  hand  a Belgian  rifle,  with 
fixed  bayon^,  and  has  a cartouche-box  fas- 
tened by  a belt  round  his  naked  body. 

His  face  is  tattooed,  and  so  are  his  hips, 
which  are  covered  with  a most  elaborate 
pattern,  that  contrasts  boldly  with  his  really 
fair  skin.  Had  he  his  club  and  chiefs  staff 
in  his  hands,  he  would  look  magnificent; 
having  a rifle  and  a cartouche-box,  he  looks 
absurd.  Even  a sword  would  become  him 
better  than  a rifle,  for  we  are  so  accustomed 
to  associate  a ride  with  a private  soldier,  that 
it  is  difficult  to  understand  that  a powerful 
chief  would  carry  such  a weapon. 

The  curious  mixture  of  native  and  Euro- 
pean dress  which  the  Maories  are  fond  of 
wearing  is  well  described  by  Mr.  Angas. 
“ Raupahara’s  wife  is  an  exceedingly  stout 
woman,  and  wears  her  hair,  which  is  very 
stiff  and  wiry,  combed  up  into  an  erect  mass 
upon  her  head  about  a foot  in  height,  some- 
what after  the  fashion  of  the  Tonga  islanders, 
which,  when  combined  with  her  size,  gives 
her  a remarkable  appearance. 

“ She  was  well  dressed  in  a flax  mat  of 
native  manufocture,  thickly  ornamented  with 
tufts  of  cotton  wool;  and  one  of  her  nieces 
wore  silk  stockings  and  slippers  of  patent 
leather.  This  gay  damsel  was,  moreover,  a 
very  pretty  girl,  and  knew  how  to  set  off 
her  charms  to  advantage;  for  over  an  Eu- 
ropean dress  she  had  retained  her  native 
ornaments,  and  had  wrapped  herself  coquet- 
tislily  in  a beautiful,  ‘ kaitaka,’  displaying  her 
large  hazel  eyes  above  its  silky  folds.” 

It  has  often  been  thought  that  the  warrior 
regarded  his  moko,  or  tattoo,  as  his  name, 
permanently  inscribed  on  his  face;  and  this 
notion  was  strengthened  by  two  facts:  the 
one,  that  in  the  earlier  times  of  the  colo- 
nists the  natives  signed  documents  by  ap- 
pending a copy  of  their  moko;  and  the 


other,  that  each  man  knows  every  line  of 
his  tattoo,  and  sometimes  carves  a wooden 
bust  on  which  he  co])ies  with  admirable 
fidelity  every  line  which  appears  on  his  own 
head  or  face.  Such  a work  of  art  is  greatly 
valued  by  the  Maories,  and  a man  who  has 
carved  one  of  them  can  scarcely  be  induced 
by  any  bribe  to  part  with  it. 

Moreover,  the  moko  of  a warrior  is  often 
accepted  as  the  conventional  representation 
of  himself.  For  example,  on  the  pillars  of 
a very  celebrated  house,  which  we  shall 
presently  describe,  are  numerous  human 
figures  which  represent  certain  great  chiefs, 
while  men  of  lesser  mark  are  indicated  by 
their  moko  carved  on  the  posts.  Thus  it 
will  be  seen  that  the  moko  of  a chief  is  as 
well  known  to  others  as  to  himself,  and 
that  the  practised  eye  of  the  native  discerns 
among  the  various  curves  and  spirals,  which 
are  common  to  all  free  men,  the  characteris- 
tic lines  which  denote  a man’s  individuality, 
and  in  producing  which  the  tattooers’  skill 
is  often  sorely  tried. 

It  has  already  been  mentioned,  that  when 
a warrior  falls  in  battle,  and  his  body  can  be 
carried  off  by  the  enemy,  the  head  is  pre- 
served, and  fixed  on  the  dwelling  of  the  con- 
queror. Ko  dishonor  attaches  itself  to  sucli 
an  end;  and,  indeed,  a Maori  warrior  would 
feel  himself  direfully  insulted  if  he  were 
told  that  in  case  of  his  death  in  the  field  his 
body  would  be  allowed  to  remain  untouched. 

In  fact,  he  regards  his  moko  precisely  in 
the  same  light  that  an  American  Indian 
looks  upon  his  scalp-lock;  and,  indeed,  there 
are  many  traits  in  the  character  of  the 
Maori  warrior  in  which  he  strangely  resem- 
bles the  best  examples  of  North  American 
savages. 

In  order  to  preserve  the  head  of  a slain 
warrior,  some  process  of  embalming  must 
evidently  be  pursued,  and  that  which  is 
commonly  followed  is  simple  enough. 

The  head  being  cut  off,  the  hair  is  re- 
moved, and  so  are  the  eyes;  the  places  of 
which  are  filled  up  with  pledgets  of  tow, 
over  which  the  eyelids  are  sewed.  Pieces 
of  stick  are  then  placed  in  the  nostrils  in 
order  to  keep  them  properly  distended,  and 
the  head  is  hung  in  the  smoke  of  the  wood 
fire  until  it  is  thoroughly  saturated  with  the 
pyroligneous  acid.  The  result  of  this  mode 
of  preparation  is,  that  the  flesh  shrinks  up, 
and  the  features  become  much  distorted; 
though,  as  the  Maori  warrior  always  distorts 
his  countenance  as  much  as  possible  before 
battle,  this  effect  is  rather  realistic  than 
otherwise. 

It  is  often  said  that  heads  prepared  in  this 
fashion  are  proof  against  the  attacks  of  in- 
sects. This  is  certainly  not  the  case,  as  I 
have  seen  several  specimens  completely 
riddled  by  the  ptilinus  and  similar  crea- 
tures, and  have  been  obliged  to  destroy  the 
little  pests  by  injecting  a solution  of  corro- 
sive sublimate.  In  spite  of  the  shrivelling 


80G 


NEW  ZEALAND. 


to  which  the  flesh  and  skin  are  subject,  the 
tiittooing  retains  its  form;  and  it  is  most 
curious  to  observe  how  the  finest  lines  com- 
pletely retain  their  relative  position  to  each 
other. 

Not  only  are  the  heads  of  enemies 
treated  in  this  fashion,  but  those  of  friends 
are  also  preserved.  The  diflerence  is  easily 
perceptible  by  looking  at  the  mouth,  which, 
if  the  head  be  that  of  a friend,  is  closed, 
and  if  of  an  enemy,  is  widely  opened. 

Some  years  ago,  a considerable  number  of 
these  preserved  heads  were  brought  into 
Europe,  having  been  purchased  from  the 
natives.  Of  late  years,  however,  the  trade 
in  them  has  been  strictly  forbidden,  and  on 
very  good  grounds.  In  the  first  place,  no 
man  who  was  well  tattooed  was  safe  for  an 
hour,  unless  he  were  a great  chief,  for  he 
might  at  any  time  be  watched  until  he  was 
off*  his  guard,  and  then  knocked  down, 
killed,  and  his  head  sold  to  the  traders. 
Then,  when  the  natives  became  too  cautious 
to  render  head  hunting  a profitable  trade,  a 
new  expedient  was  discovered. 

It  was  found  that  a newly  tattooed  head 


looked  as  well  when  preserved  as  one  which 
had  been  tattooed  for  years.  The  chiefs 
were  not  slow  in  taking  advantage  of  this 
discovery,  and  immediately  set  to  work  at 
killing  the  least  valuable  of  their  slaves, 
tattooing  their  heads  as  though  they  had 
belonged  to  men  of  high  rank,  drying,  and 
then  selling  them. 

One  of  my  friends  lately  gave  me  a cu- 
rious illustration  of  the  trade  in  heads.  His 
father  wanted  to  purchase  one  of  the  dried 
heads,  but  did  not  approve  of  any  that  were 
brought  for  sale,  on  the  ground  that  the  tat- 
too was  poor,  and  was  not  a good  example 
of  the  skill  of  the  native  artists.  The  chief 
allowed  the  force  of  the  argument,  and, 
pointing  to  a number  of  his  people  who  had 
come  on  board,  he  turned  to  the  intending 
purchaser,  saying,  “ Choose  which  of  these 
heads  you  like  best,  and  when  you  come 
back  I will  take  care  to  have  it  dried  and 
ready  for  your  acceptance.”  As  may  be 
imagined,  this  speech  put  an  abrupt  end  to 
all  head  purchasing,  and  gave  an  unexpected 
insight  into  the  mysteries  of  trading  as  con- 
ducted by  savage  nations. 


CHAPTER  LXXX. 


KEW  ZEALAND  — Continued, 


DRESS  AND  ORNAMENTS. 


THE  “mats”  op  the  NEW  ZEALANDERS  — THE  MATERIAL  OF  WHICH  THEY  ARE  MADE  — THE  NEW 
ZEALAND  FLAX,  OR  PHORMIUM  — MODE  OF  MAKING  THE  MATS  — VARIOUS  KINDS  OF  MATS — THE 
RAIN  MAT  AND  ITS  USES — THE  OPEN-WORKED  MAT — THE  DIFFERENT  ORNAMENTS  OF  THE  MAT: 
STRINGS  AND  TAGS,  SCARLET  TUFTS  AND  BORDERS  — WAR  CLOAKS  OF  THE  CHIEFS  — THE  DOGS’- 
HAIR  MAT  — THE  CHIEF  PARAtENE  IN  HIS  CLOAK  — MODE  OF  MAKING  THE  WAR  CLOAKS  — BRIEF 
ACCOUNT  OF  THE  CHIEF  — AMUSING  INSTANCE  OF  VANITY  IN  A CHIEF  — SUBSTITUTION  OF 
THE  BLANKET  AND  ITS  ATTENDANT  EVILS  — ORNAMENTS  Of’  THE  NEW  ZEALANDER’S  HEAD — 
FEATHERS,  AND  FEATHER  BOXES  — VARIOUS  DECORATIONS  OF  GREEN  JADE — TIKIS  AND  EAR- 
RINGS— A REMARKABLE  AMULET  — THE  SHARK’S  TOOTH  — MODES  OF  DRESSING  THE  HAIR  — 
HAIR-CUTTING  AND  SHAVING  — A PRIMITIVE  RAZOR. 


We  now  come  to  the  costume  of  the  New 
Zealanders.  This  is  of  a rather  remarkable 
character,  and  may  he  characterized  by  the 
generic  title  of  mat,  with  the  exception  of 
the  belt  which  has  just  been  described.  The 
costume  of  the  New  Zealander  consists  of  a 
square  or  oblong  mat,  varying  considerably 
in  size,  though  always  made  on  the  same 
principle.  In  this  mat  the  natives  envelop 
themselves  after  a very  curious  fashion, 
generally  muffling  themselves  up  to  the 
neck,  and  often  throwing  the  folds  round 
them  after  the  fashion  of  a conventional 
stage  villain. 

These  mats  are  of  various  textures,  and 
differ  as  much  in  excellence  and  value  as  do 
the  fabrics  of  more  civilized  lands.  The 
material  is,  however,  the  same  in  all  cases, 
and  even  the  mode  of  wearing  the  garment, 
the  value  being  estimated  by  the  fineness  of 
the  material,  the  amount  of  labor  bestowed 
upon  it,  and  the  ornaments  introduced  into 
it. 

The  material  of  which  the  mats  are  made 
is  the  so-called  New  Zealand  “ flax,”  scien- 
tifically known  by  the  name  of  Phormium 
tenax.  It  belongs  to  the  natural  family  of 
the  Liliaceae  and  the  tribe  Asparagaceee. 
The  plant  has  a number  of  showy  yellow 
flowers  arranged  on  a tall  branch-panicle, 
and  a number  of  straightish  leaves,  all  start- 
ing from  the  root,  and  being  five  or  six  feet 
long,  and  not  more  than  two  inches  wide  at 
the  broadest  part. 

The  fibres  which  run  along  these  leaves 
are  very  strong  and  fine,  and,  when  properly 
dressed  and  combed,  have  a beautiful  silky 


look  about  them.  At  one  time  great  quan- 
tities of  New  Zealand  flax,  as  it  was  called, 
were  imported  into  Europe,  and  the  plant 
was  cultivated  in  some  of  the  southern  parts 
of  the  Continent.  Strong,  however,  as  it 
may  be,  it  has  the  curious  fault  of  snapping 
easily  when  tied  in  a knot,  and  on  this 
account  is  not  valued  so  much  in  Europe  as 
in  its  own  country.  I have  before  me  a 
large  roll  of  string  made  by  natives  from 
the  phormium.  It  is  very  strong  in  propor- 
tion to  its  thickness,  and  much  of  it  has 
been  used  in  suspending  various  curiosities 
in  my  collection;  but  it  cannot  endure  being 
made  into  a knot.  It  is  useful  enough  in 
hitches,  especially  the  “ clove-hitch ; ” but 
as  soon  as  it  is  tied  into  a knot,  it  will  hardly 
bear  the  least  strain. 

The  principle  on  which  the  mats  are 
made  is  very  simple.  A weaving  frame  is 
erected  on  sticks  a foot  or  so  from  the 
ground,  and  upon  it  is  arranged  the  weft, 
made  of  strings  or  yarns,  placed  as  closely 
together  as  possible,  and  drawn  quite  tight 
The  weft  is  double,  and  is  passed  under  and 
over  each  yarn,  and  the  upper  one  is  always 
passed  between  the  ends  of  the  under  weft 
before  it  is  drawn  tight.  The  mat  is  there- 
fore nothing  more 'than  a number  of  parallel 
strings  laid  side  by  side,  and  connected,  at 
intervals  of  an  inch  or  so,  by  others  that 
pass  across  them.  More  care  is  taken  of 
the  edges,  which  are  turned  over,  and  the 
yarns  are  so  interwoven  as  to  make  a thick 
and  strong  border. 

When  the  wefts  are  hauled  tight,  they  are 
beaten  into  their  place  by  means  of  a bone 


808 


KEW  ZEALAND. 


instrument,  very  much  like  a paper  knife  in 
shape;  and  in  every  respect  the  weaving  of 
a New  Zealander  most  strongly  reminds  the 
spectator  of  the  process  of  making  the  Gobe- 
lin tapestries.  In  both  cases  there  is  a fixed 
warp  on  which  the  weft  is  laboriously  woven 
by  hand,  and  is  kept  straight  and  regular  by 
being  struck  with  an  instrument  that  passes 
between  the  threads  of  the  warp.  Although 
at  the  present  day  the  warp  of  the  Gobelin 
tapestry  is  stretched  perpendicularly,  in 
former  times  it  was  stretched  longitudinally 
in  a low  frame,  exactly  similar  in  principle 
to  that  which  is  employed  by  the  New  Zea- 
lander. 

The  reader  will  perceive  that  the  process 
of  weaving  one  of  these  rfiats  must  be  a 
work  of  considerable  time,  and  an  industri- 
ous woman  can  scarcely  complete  even  a 
common  mat  under  eighteen  months,  while 
one  of  the  more  elaborate  robes  will  occupy 
twice  that  time. 

The  illustration  No.  1 on  the  next  page,  is 
drav/n  from  a sketch  of  a house  belonging 
to  one  of  the  great  chiefs,  and  in  it  are  seen 
some  wnmen  busily  employed  in  making 
mats.  One  of  them  is  scraping  the  leaves 
with  a shell  or  stone,  wiiile  another  is 
engaged  at  the  primitive  loom.  The  mat  is 
represented  as  nearly  completed,  and  the 
woman  is  seen  with  the  four  ends  of  the 
double  w^eft  in  her  hand,  passing  them 
across  each  other  before  she  draws  them 
tight.  A heap  of  dressed  leaves  of  the 
piiormium  is  seen  in  the  background,  and 
a bundle  of  the  long  swordlike  leaves  is 
strewn  on  the  lloor.  Various  baskets  and 
other  implements,  made  of  the  same  mate- 
rial, are  liung  from  the  rafters;  and  in  front 
is  one  of  the  curiously  carved  poles  which 
support  the  roof. 

It  has  been  mentioned  that  there  is  but 
one  principle  on  wiiicli  all  the  mats  are 
made,  but  that  there  is  a very  great  variety 
in  making  them.  There  is,  for  example, 
the  rain  mat,  wiiich  is  used  in  wet  weather. 
As  the  structure  proceeds,  the  manufacturer 
inserts  into  each  knot  of  the  weft  an  un- 
dressed blade  of*  the  phormium  upon  wdiich 
the  epidermis  has  been  allowed  to  remain. 
When  wrnpped  round  the  body,  the  leaves 
all  fall  over  each  other,  so  as  to  make  a sort 
of  ]ienthouse,  and  to  allow'  the  rain  to  run 
over  their  smooth  and  polished  surfaces  until 
it  falls  to  the  ground. 

When  rain  comes  on,  and  a number  of 
natives  are  seen  squatting  on  tlie  ground, 
each  wearing  his  rain  mat,  they  have  a 
most  absurd  appearance,  and  look  like  a 
number  of  human  beings  who  had  hidden 
themselves  in  haycocks.  On  page  803  may 
be  seen  the  figure  of  a chief  wearing  one  of 
these  dresses.  The  name  of  the  mat  is  E 
mangaika. 

I have  seen  another  kind  of  mat,  wLich 
is  made  in  a kind  of  open-work  pattern,  pro- 
duced by  crossing  every  fifth  strand  of  the  I 


warp.  This  mat  is  of  the  very  best  quality, 
and,  considering  the  nature  of  the  material 
of  which  it  is  made,  is  wonderfully  light,  soft, 
and  pliant. 

Another  kind  is  the  woman’s  mat,  of 
wLich  there  are  several  varieties.  It  is  of 
larger  size  than  that  employed  by  the  men, 
and  is  capable  of  enveloping  the  entire 
figure  from  head  to  foot.  It  is  of  ratlu^r 
lighter  material  than  the  rain  mat,  and  is 
decorated  on  the  exterior  with  a number 
of  strings,  varying  in  length  from  a few^ 
inches  to  three  feet  or  so.  A variety  of  this 
mat  is  distinguished  by  having  the  strings 
wdiite  instead  of  black.  Specimens  of  both 
these  mats  are  in  my  collection,  and  the  gen- 
eral efiect  of  them  can  be  seen  by  reference 
to  any  of  the  illustrations  which  represent 
the  native  women. 

Strings  or  tags  are  undoubtedly  the  most 
characteristic  portion  of  the  dress,  and  there 
is  scarcely  a mat  of  any  description  that  is 
not  ornamented  wdth  them.  One  variety  of 
mat,  which  is  called  E w'akaiwa,  is  covered 
with  long  cylindrical  ornaments  that  look 
very  much  as  if  they  w'cre  made  of  porcu- 
pine quills,  being  hard,  and  colored  alter- 
nately black  and  3'ellow.  The  ornaments 
are,  however,  made  of  the  phormium  leaf  in 
a very  ingenious  manner.  The  epidermis 
is  carefully  scraped  off  the  under  side  of  the 
leaf  with  a sharp-edged  shell,  and  the  leaf  is 
then  turned  over.  On  the  upper  side  the 
epidermis  is  removed  at  regular  intervals,  so 
as  to  expose  the  fibres. 

The  next  process  is  to  put  the  scraped 
leaf  into  a dye  made  of  a decoction  of  kinan 
bark,  and  to  let  it  remain  for  a definite  time. 
When  it  is  taken  o'ut,  the  dye  has  stained 
the  exposed  fibres  a deep  glossy'  black,  while 
it  has  not  been  able  to  touch  the  polished 
yellow  epidermis  that  is  allow'ed  to  remain. 
The  dyed  leaves  are  next  rolled  up  until 
they  form  cjdinders  as  large  as  goose  quills, 
and  are  thenw'oven  in  regular  row's  into  the 
material  of  a mat.  As  the  w^earer  moves 
about,  the  cylinders  rustle  and  clatter  against 
each  other,  producing  a sound  which  seems 
to  be  peculiarly  grateful  to  the  ears  of  the 
natives.  Such  a mat  or  cloak  is  highly 
prized.  Several  of  these  mats  are  in  my  col- 
lection, and  verj'  curious  examples  of  native 
art  they  are.  ^ 

One  of  these  has  cost  the  w^eaver  an  infin- 
ity of  trouble.  It  is  nearly  five  feet  w'ide 
and  three  in  depth.  The  w^arp  has  been 
dyed  black,  wdiile  the  weft  is  white;  and  the 
effect  of  the  w^eft  passing  in  reverse  lines 
across  the  W’-arp  is  very  good.  Every  other 
line  of  weft  is  decorated  wntii  the  cylindri- 
cal tassels  each  of  Avhich  is  nine  inches  in 
length,  and  is  divided  into  four  parts  b}'  the 
removal  of  the  epidermis.  These  tassels 
begin  at  the  fourth  line  of  warp,  and  are 
regularl}"  continued  to  the  lower  edge, 
wiience  they  hang  so  as  to  form  a fringe. 
On  account  of  their  number,  they  w^ould 


(1.)  WOMEN  MAKING  MATS. 
(See  pag-e  808.) 


(2.)  THE  TANGI. 
(See  page  824.) 


(809) 


THE  WAR  CLOAK. 


811 


qualify  the  garment  as  a rain  mat  on  an 
emergency;  and  the  rattling  they  make  as 
the  mat  is  moved  is  very  much  like  that 
which  is  produced  by  a peacock  when  it  rus- 
tles its  train. 

Along  the  upper  edge,  which  passes  over 
the  shoulders,  the  strings  have  been  rolled 
together  into  ropes  as  thick  as  the  finger, 
and  then  plaited  so  as  to  form  a thick  and 
soft  border  which  will  not  hurt  the  neck. 
The  portion  of  the  mat  which  comes  between 
the  edge  and  the  first  row  of  tassels  is  orna- 
mented with  scraps  of  scarlet  wool  plaited 
into  the  weft.  This  wool  is  a favorite  though 
costly  ornament  to  the  natives,  being  pro- 
cured from  seamen’s  woollen  caps,  which 
they  unpick,  and  the  yarns  used  to  ornament 
the  dress. 

One  of  these  mantles  brought  from  Kew 
Zealand  by  Stiverd  Yores,  Esq.,  is  adorned 
very  largely  with  scarlet  wool.  It  is  com- 
pletely bordered  with  the  precious  material, 
a narrow  line  of  scarlet  running  under  the 
upper  edge,  a broader  under  the  lower,  while 
the  two  sides  are  decorated  with  a band 
nearly  four  inches  in  width.  In  this  case 
the  wool  has  been  arranged  in  a series  of 
loops ; but  in  another  specimen  the  loops  are 
cut  so  as  to  form  a fringe. 

In  this  latter  mantle  the  tags,  instead  of 
being  cylindrical  and  alternately  black  and 
ellow,  are  entirely  black,  each  rolled  leaf 
eing  wholly  divested  of  its  epidermis,  and 
the  fibres  radiating  from  each  other  in  tas- 
sel fashion.  I rather  think  that  the  object 
of  this  mode  of  treatment  is  to  prevent  the 
eye  from  being  distracted  by  the  jangling 
yellow  tags,  and  so  to  permit  the  scarlet  bor- 
der to  exhibit  its  beauties  to  the  best  ad- 
vantage. 

Scarlet  worsted  is,  of  course,  a compara- 
tively late  invention,  and  has  only  been 
introduced  since  the  visits  of  Europeans. 
In  former  days  the  natives  were  equally 
fond  of  ornamenting  their  cloaks,  and  were 
obliged  to  use  the  plumage  of  birds  for  the 
purpose.  The  feathers  taken  from  the 
breast  of  the  kaka  (a  species  of  nestor)  were 
mostly  used  for  this  purpose.  Although  the 
colored  ornaments  are  generally  disposed  in 
lines,  they  are  sometimes  arranged  in  tufts, 
which  are  disposed  in  regular  intervals  over 
the  whole  of  the  dress.  Examples  of  this 
kind  of  decoration  may  be  seen  in  several 
of  the  costumes  which  are  drawn  in  this 
work. 

The  yarns  or  strings  of  which  the  warp  is 
made  are  not  twisted  or  plaited,  but  consist 
merely  of  the  phormium  fibres  as  they  lie  in 
the  leaf.  The  leaves  are  prepared  for  this 
purpose  by  scraping  off  the  epidermis  on 
both  sides,  and  then  beating  them  on  a flat 
stone  with  a pestle  made  of  the  hard  volcanic 
stone  employed  in  the  manufacture  of  adzes 
and  other  tools. 

The  most  valuable  of  all  the  dresses  are 
the  war  cloaks  of  the  great  chiefs.  They  are 


very  large,  being  sometimes  nearly  six  feet 
in  depth,  and  wide  enough  to  be  wrapped 
over  the  entire  body  and  limbs.  Their  na- 
tive name  is  Parawai. 

Before  making  one  of  these  great  war 
mats,  the  weaver  collects  a large  quantity  of 
dog’s  hair,  which  she  assorts  into  parcels  of 
different  colors.  She  then  sets  up  her  sim- 
ple loom,  and  fixes  the  warp  as  usual.  13ut 
with  every  knot  or  mesh  which  she  makes 
with  the  weft  she  introduces  a tuft  of  hair, 
taking  care  to  make  each  tuft  long  enough 
to  overlap  and  conceal  the  insertion  of  the 
tufts  in  the  next  row.  She  is  also  careful 
about  the  regular  arrangement  of  the  hues, 
so  that  when  a complete  mat  is  made  by  a 
skilful  weaver,  it  looks  exactly  as  if  it  was 
composed  of  the  skin  of  some  large  animal, 
the  vegetable  fibres  which  form  the  fabric 
itself  being  entirely  concealed  by  the  tufts 
of  hair. 

One  of  these  mats  is  the  result  of  some 
four  years’  constant  labor,  aiAl  causes  some 
surprise  that  a people  so  naturally  indolent  as 
the  Maories  should  prove  themselves  capa- 
ble of  such  long  and  steady  industry.  But 
the  fact  is,  the  mat  maker  is  a wmman  and 
not  a man,  and  in  consequence  is  obliged  to 
work,  whether  she  likes  it  or  not. 

In  the  next  place,  mat  weaving  scarcely 
comes  under  the  denomination  of  labor. 
The  woman  is  not  tied  to  time,  nor  even 
bound  to  produce  a given  number  of  mats 
within  a given  period.  Her  living,  too,  does 
not  depend  upon  the  rate  of  her  work,  and 
whether  she  takes  eighteen  months  or  two 
years  to  produce  a garment  is  a matter  of 
total  indifference  to  all  parties.  Besides,  she 
never  works  alone,  but  is  always  accompa- 
nied by  friends,  one  of  whom,  perhaps,  may 
be  occupied  in  a similar  manner,  another 
may  be  employed  in  scraping  the  phormium 
leaves,  and  another  is  engaged  in  pounding 
and  softening  the  fibres,  or  drying  those  that 
have  just  been  dyed  black. 

But,  whatever  their  hands  may  be  doing, 
the  weavers’  tongues  are  never  still.  A 
continual  stream  of  talk  flows  round  the 
looms,  and  the  duty  of  mat  making  is  thus 
changed  into  an  agreeable  mode  of  enjoy- 
ing the  pleasures  of  conversation  while  the 
hands  are  employed  in  a light  and  easy 
labor. 

Very  great  ingenuity  is  displayed  by  the 
woman  to  whom  is  entrusted  the  onerous 
task  of  making  a war  mat.  Ko  two  are 
alike,  the  weaver  exercising  her  discretion 
respecting  the  colors  and  their  arrangement. 
Some  of  them  are  made  on  the  same  princi- 
ple as  the  Bechuana  kaross, — namely,  dark- 
est in  the  centre,  and  fading  into  the  lightest 
hues  round  the  edges.  Others  are  white  or 
pale  in  the  middle,  and  edged  with  a broad 
band  of  black  or  dark  brown  hair.  Some- 
times the  colors  are  arranged  in  a zigzag 
pattern,  and  several  mats  are  striped  like 
tiger  skins.  They  always  have  a sort  of 


812 


KEW  ZEALAND. 


collar,  composed  of  strips  of  fur,  which  hang 
about  six  inches  over  the  shoulders. 

In  New  Zealand  there  are  one  or  two 
dresses  which  are  made  almost  entirely  of 
fur,  the  skins  being  dressed  with  the  hair 
adhering  to  them,  and  then  sewed  together. 
A very  remarkable  mat  is  possessed  by  a 
powerful  chief  named  Paratene  Maioha.  It 
is  made  of  strips  of  dogs’  fur  sewed  over  a 
large  flaxen  mat.  Of  this  garment  he  is 
very  proud,  and  reserves  it  to  be  worn  on 
grand  occasions.  A portrait  of  this  cele- 
brated chief  is  given  in  the  illustration  No. 
1,  on  the  820th  page,  partly  to  show  the 
aspect  of  a Maori  chief  in  time  of  peace, 
and  partly  to  give  the  reader  an  idea  of  the 
peculiar  look  of  the  war  cloak. 

There  is  also  before  me  a photographic 
portrait  of  Paratene,  authenticated  by  his 
autograph,  in  which  he  is  represented  as 
clad  in  a different  manner.  He  wears  two 
mats  or  cloaks,  the  lower  being  of  the  finest 
flax,  and  called  by  the  natives  kaitaka.  A 
description  of  this  kind  of  cloak  will  be  pre- 
sently given.  Over  the  kaitaka  he  wears  a 
very  remarkable  war  cloak,  which  is  made 
of  dogs’  fur  sewed  upon  a flax  mat.  It 
reaches  a little  below  the  knees,  and  is  made 
in  perpendicular  stripes  alternately  dark  and 
pale,  and  is  furnished  with  a thick  collar  or 
cape  of  the  same  material.  This  cape,  by 
the  way,  bears  a curious  resemblance  to  the 
ornament  which  is  worn  by  the  Abyssinian 
chiefs. 

Unfortunately  for  the  general  effect  of  the 
picture,  Paratene  has  combed,  divided,  and 
brushed  his  hair  in  European  fashion;  and 
muffled  up  as  he  is  to  the  chin,  it  is  too  evi- 
dent that  he  is  wearing  a complete  European 
suit  under  his  mats.  The  cape  has  fallen  off 
a little  on  the  right  side,  and  we  have  the 
absurd  anomaly  of  a face  profusely  tattooed 
surmounted  with  hair  that  has  just  been 
brushed  and  combed,  a dog-skin  war  mat, 
from  which  protrudes  a bare  right  arm,  a 
jade  earring  six  inches  long,  and  a black 
cravat  and  turn-down  collar.  In  his  right 
hand  he  grasps  his  cherished  merai;  his 
staff  of  office,  or  E’hani,  rests  against  his 
shoulder;  and  by  his  side  is  his  long  battle- 
axe,  adorned  with  a tuft  of  feathers  and  dog- 
skin. This  same  Paratene  is  a man  of  great 
mark  among  the  Maories. 

As  is  the  case  with  natives  of  rank  W'ho 
have  associated  with  Europeans,  he  is  known 
by  several  names.  The  following  account 
of  him  is  given  by  Mr.  G.  F.  Angas : 

“ Paratene  (Broughton),  whose  native 
name  was  Te  Maihoa,  is  a cousin  of  Te 
Whero-whero,  and  one  of  the  leading  men 
of  the  Ngatimahuta  branch  of  the  W aikato 
tribes.  He  generally  resides  in  a village 
(or  kainga)  on  the  northern  bank  of  the 
picturesque  little  harbor  of  Waingaroa,  on 
the  west  coast  of  the  Northern  Island;  and 
the  correctness  of  his  general  conduct,  and 
the  gravity  of  his  demeanor,  have  obtained 


for  him  a marked  ascendancy  over  many  of 
his  equals  in  rank. 

“ Eccentricity  is  the  principal  feature  in 
the  character  of  this  chief;  and  the  scrupu- 
lous attention  which  he  invariably  pays  to 
those  trifling  circumstances  which  constitute 
his  notions  of  etiquette  often  renders  his 
conduct  highly  curious.  He  has  gained,  by 
unwearied  application,  a smattering  of  arith- 
metic, and  one  of  his  most  self-satisfactory 
exploits  is  the  correct  solution  of  some  such 
important  problem  as  the  value  of  a pig  of 
a certain  weight,  at  a given  price  per  pound, 
making  the  usual  deduction  for  the  offal. 
His  erudite  quality  and  the  dignified  gravity 
of  his  carriage  have  commanded  the  defer- 
ential respect  of  his  people,  and  encouraged 
them  to  consider  him  quite  an  oracle. 

“ One  little  incident  will  place  the  harm- 
less foible  of  this  chiei’s  character  in  a strik- 
ing light.  When  the  author  was  about  to 
employ  his  pencil  in  the  delineation  of  his 
figure,  Paratene  desired  to  be  excused  for  a 
few  moments.  Having  gained  his  point,  he 
sought  an  interview  with  Mrs.  W’^ells,  the 
missionary’s  wife  (under  whose  hospitable 
roof  his  portrait  was  taken),  and,  preferring 
his  request  with  some  solemn  intimations  of 
its  paramount  importance,  begged  ‘Mother’ 
to  lend  him  a looking-glass,  that  he  might 
compose  his  features  in  a manner  suitable 
to  his  own  idea  of  propriety  ere  he  took  his 
stand  before  the  easel  of  the  artist.” 

It  may  be  observed,  by  the  way,  that 
“ Mother  ” is  the  term  always  employed  by 
the  natives  when  addressing  the  wife  of  a 
missionary.  The  autograph  of  Paratene,  to 
which  allusion  has  already  been  made,  is 
written  with  pencil,  and  is  perfectly  intel- 
ligible, though  the  characters  are  shaky, 
large,  and  sprawling,  and  look  as  if  they  had 
been  made  by  fingers  more  accustomed  to 
handle  the  club  than  the  pencil. 

The  last  kind  of  mat  which  will  be  men- 
tioned is  the  kaitaka.  This  garment  is  made 
of  a peculiar  kind  of  flax,  cultivated  for  the 
express  purpose,  and  furnishing  a fibre  which 
is  soft  and  fine  as  silk.  The  whole  of  the 
mat  is  plain,  except  the  border,  which  is  in 
some  cases  two  feet  in  depth,  and  which  is 
most  elaborately  woven  into  a vandyked 
pattern  of  black,  red,  and  white.  At  the 
present  day  a good  kaitaka  is  scarcely  any- 
where to  be  seen,  the  skill  required  in  mak- 
ing them  being  so  great  that  only  a few 
weavers  can  produce  them,  and  European 
blankets  being  so  easily  procured  that  the 
natives  will  not  take  the  trouble  of  weav- 
ing garments  that  take  so  much  time  and 
trouble. 

Handsome  as  are  these  native  garments, 
they  are  not  very  pleasant  to  wear.  As  the 
threads  are  only  laid  parallel  to  each  other, 
and  are  not  crossed,  as  in  fabrics  W'oven  in 
the  loom,  they  form  scarcely  any  protection 
"against  the  wind,  although  they  may  serve 
to  keep  out  the  rain.  The  mats  are  very 


OKX  AMENTS. 


813 


heavy,  my  own  small  specimen  of  the 
waikawa  cloak  weighing  live  pounds  and 
a half,  and  so  stiff  that  they  cannot  be  con- 
veniently rolled  up  and  packed  away  when 
out  of  use.  An  English  blanket,  on  the 
contrary,  is  close-textured,  resists  the  wind, 
is  very  light,  and  can  be  rolled  up  into  a 
small  compass;  so  that  it  is  no  wonder  that 
the  natives  prefer  it. 

Unfortunately  for  them,  it  is  not  nearly  so 
healthy  a garment  as  that  which  is  made  by 
themselves,  as  it  is  worn  for  a long  time 
without  being  washed,  and  so  becomes  satu- 
rated with  the  grease  and  paint  with  which 
the  natives  are  fond  of  adorning  their  bodies. 
In  consequence,  it  fosters  several  diseases 
of  the  skin  to  which  the  Maories  are  subject, 
and  it  has  been  found  that  those  who  wep 
blankets  are  much  more  subject  to  such  ail- 
ments than  those  who  adhere  to  the  native 
raiment. 

In  some  parts  of  the  country,  where  the 
ground  is  hard  and  stony,  the  natives  plait 
for  themselves  sandals  or  slippers,  which 
very  much  resemble  those  which  are  used  by 
the  Japanese.  They  consist  of  the  ever-use- 
ful  phormium  fibres,  which  are  twisted  into 
cords,  and  then  plaited  firmly  into  the  shape 
of  a shoe  sole. 

We  now  proceed  from  the  dress  to  the 
ornaments  worn  by  the  New  Zealanders. 

In  some  respects  they  resemble  those 
which  are  in  use  among  other  dark  tribes. 
Feathers  are  much  valued  by  them,  and 
among  the  commonest  of  these  adornments 
is  a bunch  of  white  feathers  taken  from  the 
pelican,  and  fastened  to  the  ears  so  as  to  fall 
on  the  shoulder.  An  example  of  this  may 
be  seen  in  the  portrait  of  the  old  warrior  on 
page  794.  Sometimes  the  skin  of  a small 
bird  is  rudely  stuffed,  and  then  suspended 
as  an  earring,  and  sometimes  one  wing  will 
be  placed  at  each  side  of  the  head,  the  tips 
nearly  meeting  above. 

The  most  prized  of  these  adornments  are 
the  tail  feathers  of  the  bird  called  by  the 
natives  E Elia,  or  E Huia  {Neomorplia  Goul- 
dii).  It  is  allied  to  the  hoopoos,  and  is  ro^ 
markable  for  the  fact  that  the  beak  of  the 
male  is  straight  and  stout,  while  that  of  the 
female  is  long,  slender,  and  sickle-shaped. 
The  color  of  the  bird  is  a dark  glossy  green 
of  so  deep  a hue  that  in  some  lights  it  seems 
to  be  black.  The  tail  feathers,  however,  are 
tipped  with  snowy  white,  so  that  when  the 
bird  spreads  its  plumage  for  flight,  the  tail 
looks  at  a little  distance  as  if  it  were  black, 
edged  with  white. 

The  bird  is  only  found  in  the  hills  near 
Port  Nicholson,  and,  as  it  is  very  wary,  can 
scarcely  be  obtained  except  by  the  help  of 
a native,  who  imitates  its  cry  with  wonderful 
perfection.  The  name  E Elia  is  said  to  be 
merely  an  imitation  of  the  long  shrill  whistle 
of  the  bird.  The  birds  are  so  valued  by  the 
Maories  that  in  all  probability  the  species 
40 


would  have  been  extinct  by  this  time,  but 
for  the  introduction  of  European  customs, 
which  to  a certain  degree  have  driven  out 
the  ancient  customs. 

The  feathers  of  the  tail  are  the  parts  of  the 
bird  that  are  most  valued  by  the  chiefs,  who 
place  them  in  their  hair  on  great  occasions. 
So  much  do  they  prize  these  feathers,  that 
they  take  the  trouble  to  make  boxes  in  which 
they  are  kept  with  the  greatest  care.  These 
boxes  are  made  by  the  chiefs  themselves, 
and  are  covered  with  the  most  elal)orate 
carvings,  some  of  them  being  the  finest  spec- 
imens of  art  that  can  be  found  in  New  Zea- 
land. They  are  of  various  shapes,  but  a very 
good  idea  of  their  usual  form  may  be  obtained 
from  the  illustration  No.  3,  on  page  775.  The 
usual  forms  are  similar  to  that  of  the  illus- 
tration, but  in  some  cases  the  boxes  are 
oblong.  There  is  now  before  me  a drawing 
of  one  of  these  boxes,  which  is  covered  with 
an  equally  elaborate  pattern,  in  which  the 
lines  are  mostly  straight  instead  of  curved, 
the  pattern  being  of  a vandyked  character, 
similar  to  that  upon  the  kaitaka  cloak. 
There  is  a projecting  handle  upon  the  lid, 
and  an  almost  similar  handle  upon  each  end. 

The  natives  do  not,  however,  confine  them- 
selves to  wearing  the  tail  feathers,  but,  when 
they  can  obtain  so  valuable  a bird,  are  sure 
to  use  every  portion  of  it.  The  head  seems 
to  be  thought  of  next  importance  to  the  tail, 
and  is  suspended  to  the  ear  by  a thong. 

Perhaps  the  most  characteristic  ornaments 
that  are  worn  by  the  New  Zealanders  are 
those  which  are  made  of  green  jade.  This 
mineral,  called  by  the  natives  Poonamu,  is 
mostly  found  near  the  lakes  in  the  Middle 
Island,  and  is  valued  by  them  with  almost  a 
superstitious  reverence.  If  a very  large  piece 
be  found,  it  is  taken  by  some  chief,  who  sets  to 
work  to  make  a club  from  it.  This  club, 
called  a merai,  will  be  described  when  we 
come  to  treat  of  war  as  conducted  by  the 
Maories. 

In  the  illustration  No.  1,  on  page  841,  are 
represented  some  of  the  most  characteristic 
jade  ornaments. 

Fig.  1 is  a flat  image  bearing  the  rude  sem- 
blance of  a human  being,  and  made  of  various 
sizes.  That  which  is  here  given  is  rather 
smaller  than  the  usual  dimensions.  It  is 
called  by  the  natives  Tiki,  and  is  at  the  same 
time  one  of  the  commonest  and  the  highest 
prized  articles  among  the  New  Zealanders. 
A new  one  can  be  purchased  for  a sum  which, 
though  it  would  be  considered  absurdly  high 
in  England  for  such  an  object,  is  in  New 
Zealand  really  a low  price,  and  scarcely 
repays  the  trouble  of  carving  it. 

Jade  is  an  extremely  hard  mineral,  rank- 
ing next  to  the  ruby  in  that  respect,  and,  in 
consequence  of  its  extreme  hardness,  taking 
a peculiar  glossy  polish  that  is  seen  on  no 
other  substance.  The  time  which  is  oc- 
cupied in  carving  one  of  these  ornaments  is 
necessarily  very  great,  as  the  native  does 


814 


NEW  ZEALAND. 


not  possess  the  mechanical  means  which 
render  its  manipulation  a comparatively  easy 
task  to  the  European  engraver,  and  can  only 
shape  his  ornaments  by  laboriously  rubbing 
one  piece  of  stone  upon  another. 

That  ornaments  made  of  such  a material 
should  be  highly  prized  is  not  a matter  of 
surprise,  and  it  is  found  that  a wealthy  chief 
will  give  an  extraordinarily  high  price  for  a 
handsome  jade  ornament.  There  is  in  my 
collection  a very  ancient  Buddhist  amulet, 
made  of  the  purest  green  jade,  and  beauti- 
fully carved,  the  remarkable  portion  of  it 
being  a revolving  Avheel  with  spiral  spokes, 
the  wheel  being  cut  out  of  the  solid  jade. 
The  amulet  was  found  in  the  apartments  of 
the  Queen  of  Oude,  and  had  evidently  been 
imported  from  China,  where  it  was  en- 
graved, the  whole  character  of  the  work 
belonging  to  a very  ancient  epoch  of  Chi- 
nese art.  It  was  shown  to  a Maori  chief, 
who  was  then  visiting  England,  and  who 
was  intensely  pleased  with  it,  saying  that, 
if  it  were  sent  to  New  Zealand  and  offered 
for  sale  to  one  of  the  great  chiefs,  it  would 
be  purchased  for  £20  or  <£25  of  English 
money. 

It  has  been  just  mentioned  that,  in  spite 
of  the  labor  bestowed  on  the  ornament,  a 
new  tiki  can  be  purchased  for  a moderate 
sum.  Such,  however,  wouM  not  be  the  case 
were  the  tiki  an  old  one.  These  ornaments 
are  handed  down  from  father  to  son,  and  in 
process  of  time  are  looked  upon  with  the 
greatest  reverence,  and  treated  as  heirlooms 
which  no  money  can  buy. 

One  of  these  tikis  was  seen  by  Mr.  Angas 
lying  on  the  tomb  of  a child,  where  it  had 
been  placed  as  an  offering  by  the  parents. 
It  had  lain  there  for  a long  time;  but,  in 
spite  of  the  value  of  the  ornament,  no  one 
had  ventured  to  touch  it.  It  was  a very 
small  one,  even  less  in  size  than  the  draw- 
ing in  the  illustration,  and  had  in  all  proba- 
bility been  worn  by  the  child  on  whose 
tomb  it  lay. 

Most  of  these  tikis  are  plain,  but  some  of 
them  have  their  beauty  increased  by  two 
patches  of  scarlet  cement  with  which  the 
sockets  of  the  eyes  are  filled. 

The  tikis  are  worn  on  the  breast,  sus- 
pended by  a cord  round  the  neck;  and 
almost  every  person  of  rank,  whether  man 
or  woman,  possesses  one.  They  are  popu- 
larly supposed  to  be  idols,  and  are  labelled 
as  such  in  many  museums;  but  there  is  not 
the  least  reason  for  believing  them  to  fulfil 
any  office  except  that  of  personal  decora- 
tion. The  Maories  are  fond  of  carving  the 
human  figure  upon  everything  that  can  be 
carved.  Their  houses  are  covered  with  hu- 
man figures,  their  canoes  are  decorated  with 
grotesque  human  faces,  and  there  is  not  an  im- 
plement or  utensil  which  will  not  have  upon 
it  some  conventional  representation  of  the 
human  form.  It  is  therefore  not  remarkable 
that  when  a New  Zealander  finds  a piece  of 


jade  which  is  too  small  to  be  converted  into  a 
weapon,  and  too  flat  to  be  carved  into  one 
of  the  cylindrical  earrings  which  are  so 
much  valued,  he  should  trace  upon  it  the 
same  figure  as  that  which  surrounds  him  on 
every  side. 

The  most  common  forms  of  earring  are 
those  which  are  shown  at  figs.  4 and  5,  the 
latter  being  most  usually  seen.  It  is  so 
strangely  shaped  that  no  one  who  did  not 
know  its  use  would  be  likely  to  imagine 
that  it  was  ever  intended  to  be  worn  in  the 
ear.  Two  rather  remarkable  earrings  are 
worn  in  New  Zealand  as  marks  of  rank; 
one  being  a natural  object,  and  the  other  an 
imitation  of  it.  This  earring  is  called  mako 
tamina,  and  is  nothing  but  a tooth  of  the 
tiger  shark.  Simple  though  it  be,  it  is 
greatly  prized,  as  being  a mark  of  high 
rank,  and  is  valued  as  much  as  a plain  red 
button  by  a Chinese  mandarin,  or,  to  come 
nearer  home,  the  privilege  of  wearing  a 
piece  of  blue  ribbon  among  ourselves. 

Still  more  prized  than  the  tooth  itself  is 
an  imitation  of  it  in  pellucid  jade.  The 
native  carver  contrives  to  imitate  his  model 
wonderfully  well,  giving  the  peculiar  curves 
of  a shark’s  tooth  with  singular  exactness. 
Such  an  ornament  as  this  is  exceedingly 
scarce,  and  is  only  to  be  seen  in  the  ears  of 
the  very  greatest  chiefs.  Anything  seems 
to  serve  as  an  earring,  and  it  is  not  uncom- 
mon to  see  natives  of  either  sex  wearing  in 
their  ears  a brass  button,  a key,  a button- 
hook, or  even  a pipe. 

There  is  very  little  variety  in  the  mode  of 
dressing  the  hair,  especially  among  women. 
Men  generally  keep  it  rather  short,  having  it 
cut  at  regular  intervals,  while  some  of  the 
elders  adhere  to  the  ancient  custom  of  wear- 
ing it  long,  turning  it  up  in  a bunch  on  the 
top  of  the  head,  and  fastening  it  with  combs. 

These  are  formed  after  a fashion  common 
to  all  Polynesia,  and  extending  even  to 
W estern  Africa.  The  teeth  are  not  cut  out 
of  a single  piece  of  wood,  but  each  is  made 
separately,  and  fastened  to  its  neighbor  by 
a strong  cross-lashing.  The  teeth,  although 
slight,  are  strong  and  elastic,  and  are  well 
capable  of  enduring  the  rather  rough  hand- 
ling to  which  they  are  subjected. 

Children  of  both  sexes  always  wear  the 
hair  short  like  the  men;  but  as  the  girls 
grow  up,  they  allow  the  hair  to  grow,  and 
permit  it  to  flow  over  their  shoulders  on 
either  side  of  the  face.  They  do  not  part 
it,  but  bring  it  down  over  the  forehead,  and 
cut  it  in  a straight  line  just  above  the  eye- 
brows. When  they  marry,  they  allow  the 
whole  of  the  hair  to  grow,  and  part  it  in 
the  middle.  They  do  not  plait  or  otherwise 
dress  it,  but  merel}'^  allow  it  to  hang  loosely 
in  its  natural  curls. 

Hair-cutting  is  with  the  New  Zealanders 
a long  and  tedious  operation,  and  is  con- 
ducted after  the  fashion  which  prevails  in  so 
many  parts  of  the  world.  Not  knowing  the 


A PEIMITIYE  KAZOR. 


815 


use  of  scissors,  and  being  incapable  of  pro- 
ducing any  cutting  instrument  with  an  edge 
keen  enough  to  shave,  they  use  a couple  of 
shells  for  the  operation,  placing  the  edge  of 
one  under  the  hair  that  is  to  be  cut,  and 
scraping  it  with  the  edge  of  the  other. 

Although  this  plan  is  necessarily  a very 
slow  one,  it  is  much  more  efficacious  than 
might  be  imagined,  and  is  able  not  only  to 
cut  the  hair  of  the  head,  but  to  shave  the 
stiff  beards  of  the  men.  In  performing  the 


latter  operation,  the  barber  lays  the  edge  of 
the  lower  shell  upon  the  skin,  and  presses 
it  well  downward,  so  as  to  enable  the  upper 
shell  to  scrape  off  the  hair  close  to  the  skin. 
Beard-shaving  is  necessarily  a longer  pro- 
cess than  hair-cutting,  because  it  is  not 
possible  to  cut  more  than  one  or  two  hairs 
at  a time,  and  each  of  them  takes  some  little 
time  in  being  rubbed  asunder  between  the 
edges  of  the  shells. 


CHAPTEE  LXXXI. 


NEW  ZEALAND— Contact. 


DOMESTIC  LIFE. 


CEREMONIES  ATTENDANT  ON  BIRTH  — PREVALENCE  AND  CAUSES  OF  INFANTICIDE  — A CURIOUS  IN- 
STANCE OF  SUPERSTITION  — NAMES  AND  THEIR  SIGNIFICATION  — THE  CEREMONY  OF  SPRINKLING 
— THE  RECITATIONS  — CHANGES  OF  NAME  — MARRIAGE  — COURTSHIP  AND  WIFE-SNATCHING  — 
AMUSEMENTS  OF  THE  NEW  ZEALANDERS  — THE  SWING,  OR  GIANT  STRIDE  — DRAUGHTS  AND 
OTHER  SEDENTARY  GAMES — CHILDREN’S  StORTS  — TOP-SPINNING,  KITE-FLYING — AND  CAT’S- 
CRADLE  — SWIMMING  AND  DIVING  — CURIOUS  PETS:  DOGS,  PIGS,  AND  PARROTS  — BALL-PLAYING 
— MUSIC  and  singing  — CHARACTER  OF  THE  SONGS  — MUSICAL  INSTRUMENTS  — THE  FIFE,  THE 
WAR  TRUMPET,  AND  THE  WAR  BELL  — CURIOUS  MODE  OF  SALUTATION — THE  “tANGI,”  AND  ITS 
LUDICROUS  APPEARANCE  — ITS  WEARISOME  EFFECT  ON  A FOREIGNER  — UNCERTAIN  TEMPER  OF 
THE  MAORIES  — STRENGTH  OF  MEMORY,  AND  CURIOSITY, 


We  will  now  examine  the  domestic  life  of 
the  New  Zealander,  and  begin  at  the  begin- 
ning, i.  e.  with  his  birth. 

As  is  mostly  the  case  in  those  nations 
which  do  not  lead  the  artificial  life  of  civili- 
zation, there  is  very  little  trouble  or  cere- 
mony about  the  introduction  of  a new  mem- 
ber of  society.  The  mother  does  not  trouble 
herself  about  medical  attendants  or  nurses, 
but  simply  goes  off  into  some  retired  place 
near  a stream,  and  seldom  takes  with  her 
even  a companion  of  her  own  sex.  When 
the  baby  is  born,  the  mother  bathes  her 
child  and  then  herself  in  the  stream,  ties 
the  infant  on  her  back,  and  in  a short  time 
resumes  the  business  in  which  slie  was 
engaged.  Until  the  child  is  named  the 
mother  is  sacred,  or  “tapu,”  and  may  not 
be  touched  by  any  one. 

The  New  Zealand  women  are  too  often 
guilty  of  the  crime  of  infanticide,  as  indeed 
might  be  imagined  to  be  the  case  in  a land 
where  human  life  is  held  at  so  cheap  a rate. 
Various  causes  combine  to  produce  this 
result.  If,  for  example,  the  child  is  de- 
formed or  seems  sickly,  it  is  sacrificed  as 
an  act  of  mercy  toward  itself,  the  Maories 
thinking  that  it  is. better  for  the  scarcely 
conscious  child  to  be  destroyed  at  once  than 
to  die  slowly  under  disease,  or  to  live  a 
despised  life  as  a cripple. 

Kevenge,  the  leading  characteristic  of  the 
Maori  mind,  has  caused  the  death  of  many 
an  infant,  the  mother  being  jealous  of  her 
husband,  or  being  separated  from  him  longer 
than  she  thinks  to  be  necessary.  Even  a 
sudden  quarrel  will  sometimes  cause  the 


woman,  maddened  by  anger,  to  destroy  her 
child  in  the  hope  of  avenging  herself  upon 
her  husband.  Slave  women  often  syste- 
matically destroy  their  children,  from  a 
desire  to  save  them  from  the  life  of  servi- 
tude to  which  they  are  born.  In  many 
cases  the  life  of  the  child  is  sacrificed 
through  superstitious  terror. 

A very  curious  example  of  such  a case  is 
given  by  Dr.  Diefienbach.  A recently  mar- 
ried wife  of  a j'oung  chief  was  sitting  near  a 
pah  or  village,  on  the  fence  of  which  an  old 
priestess  had  hung  her  blanket.  As  is  gen- 
erally the  case  with  New  Zealand  garments, 
the  blanket  was  infested  with  vermin.  The 
young  woman  saw  one  of  these  loathsome 
insects  crawling  on  the  blanket,  caught  it, 
and,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  country, 
ate  it.  The  old  woman  to  whom  the  gar- 
ment belonged  flew  into  a violent  passion, 
poured  a volley  of  curses  on  the  girl  for 
meddling  with  the  sacred  garment  of  a 
priestess,  and  finished  by  prophesying  that 
the  delinquent  would  kill  and  eat  the  child 
which  she  was  expecting. 

The  spirit  of  revenge  was  strong  in  the 
old  hag,  who  renewed  her  imprecations 
whenever  she  met  the  young  woman,  and  ^ 
succeeded  in  terrifying  her  to  such  a degree 
that  she  was  alniost  driven  mad.  Immedi-  ■ 
ately  after  the  child  was  born  the  old  woman  ; 
found  out  her  victim,  and  renewed  her 
threats,  until  the  young  mother’s  mind  was  ' 
so  completely  unhinged,  that  she  hastily 
dug  a hole,  threw  her  child  into  it,  and 
buried  it  alive.  She  was,  however,  filled 
with  remorse  for  the  crime  that  she  had 


THE  CEREMONY  OF  SPRINKLING. 


817 


committed;  and  before  very  long  both  she 
and  her  husband  had  emancipated  them- 
selves from  their  superstitious  thraldom, 
and  had  become  converts  to  Christianity. 

It  is  seldom,  however,  that  a mother  kills 
her  child  after  it  has  lived  a day;  and,  as  a 
general  rule,  if  an  infant  survives  its  birth 
but  for  a few  hours,  its  life  may  be  consid- 
ered as  _safe  from  violence.  Both  parents 
seem  equally  fond  of  infants,  the  father 
nursing  them  quite  as  tenderly  as  the 
mother,  lulling  it  to  sleep  by  simple  songs, 
and  wrapping  its  little  naked  body  in  the 
folds  of  his  mat. 

Soon  after  its  birth  the  child  is  named, 
either  by  its  parents  or  other  relatives,  the 
name  always  having  some  definite  significa- 
tion, and  mostly  alluding  to  some  supposed 
quality,  or  to  some  accidental  circumstance 
which  may  have  happened  at  the  time  of 
birth.  Much  ingenuity  is  shown  in  the 
invention  of  these  names,  and  it  is  very 
seldom  found  that  the  son  is  named  after 
his  father  or  other  relative.  All  the  names 
are  harmonious  in  sound,  and  end  with  a 
vowel;  and  even  in  the  European  names 
that  are  given  by  the  missionaries  at  bap- 
tism the  terminal  syllable  is  always  changed 
into  a vowel,  in  order  to  suit  the  native 
ideas  of  euphony. 

When  the  child  is  about  two  or  three 
months  old,  a ceremony  is  performed  which 
is  remarkable  for  its  resemblance  to  Chris- 
tian baptism.  The  origin  of  the  ceremony 
is  not  known,  and  even  the  signification  of 
the  words  which  are  employed  is  very  ob- 
scure. Very  few  persons  are  present  at  the 
ceremony,  which  is  carried  on  with  much 
mystery,  and  is  performed  by  the  priest. 

The  three  principal  parts  of  the  rite  are 
that  the  child  should  be  laid  on  a mat,  that 
it  should  be  sprinkled  with  water  by  the 
priest,  and  that  certain  words  should  be 
used.  As  far  as  has  been  ascertained,  the 
mode  of  conducting  the  ceremony  is  as 
follows:  The  women  and  girls  bring  the 
child  and  lay  it  on  a mat,  while  the  priest 
stands  by  with  a green  branch  dipped  in  a 
calabash  of  water.  A sort  of  incantation  is 
then  said,  after  which  the  priest  sprinkles 
the  child  with  water.  The  incantation  dif- 
fers according  to  the  sex  of  the  child,  but 
the  sense  of  it  is  very  obscure.  Indeed, 
even  the  natives  cannot  explain  the  mean- 
ing of  the  greater  part  of  the  incantation: 
so  that  in  all  probability  it  consists  of  obso- 
lete words,  the  sounds  of  which  have  been 
retained,  while  their  sense  has  been  lost. 

As  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  the  incanta- 
tion consists  of  a sort  of  dialogue  between 
the  priest  and  the  women  who  lay  the  child 
on  the  mat.  The  following  lines  are  given 
by  pieffenbach,  as  the  translation  of  the 
beginning  of  the  incantation  said  over 
female  children.  He  does  not,  however, 
guarantee  its  entire  accuracy,  and  remarks 
that  the  true  sense  of  several  of  the  words 


is  very  doubtful.  The  translation  runs  as 
follows : 

Girls.  “We  wish  this  child  to  be  im- 
mersed.” — Priest.  “ Let  it  be  sprinkled.” 

Girls.  “We  wish  the  child  to  live  to 
womanhood.”  — Priest.  “ Dance  for  Atua.” 

Girls.  “ Me  ta  nganahau.”  (These  words 
are  unintelligible.)  — Priest.  “ It  is  spnnkled 
in  the  waters  of  Atua.” 

Girls.  “ The  mat  is  spread.”  — Priest. 
“ Dance  in  a circle.” 

“ Thread  the  dance.” 

The  reader  must  here  be  told  that  the 
word  “ Atua  ” signifies  a god,  and  that  the 
word  which  is  translated  as  “ womanhood  ” 
is  a term  that  signifies  the  tattooing  of 
the  lips,  which  is  performed  when  girls  are 
admitted  into  the  ranks  of  women.  The 
above  sentences  form  only  the  commence- 
ment of  the  incantation,  the  remainder  of 
which  is  wholly  unintelligible. 

When  the  child  is  old  enough  to  under- 
take a journey  to  the  priest’s  house,  another 
ceremony  takes  place,  in  which  the  baby 
name  that  the  parents  have  given  to  the 
infant  is  exclianged  for  another.  Accord- 
ing to  Mr.  Taylor’s  interesting  account, 
when  the  child  has  arrived  at  the  house  of 
the  priest,  the  latter  plants  a sapling  as  a 
sign  of  vigorous  life,  and  holds  a w^ooden 
idol  to  the  ear  of  the  child,  wdiile  he  enu- 
merates a long  string  of  names  which  had 
belonged  to  its  ancestors.  As  soon  as  the 
child  sneezes,  the  priest  stops,  the  name 
which  he  last  uttered  being  that  which  is 
assumed  by  the  child.  W e are  left  to  infer 
that  some  artificial  means  must  be  used  to 
produce  sneezing,  as  otherwise  the  task  of 
the  priest  would  be  rather  a tedious  one. 

After  the  requisite  sign  has  been  given, 
and  the  child  has  signified  its  assent  to  the 
name,  the  priest  delivers  a metrical  address, 
differing  according  to  the  sex.  Boys  are 
told  to  clear  the  land  and  be  strong  to  work; 
to  be  bold  and  courageous  in  battle,  and 
comport  themselves  like  men.  Girls  are 
enjoined  to  “ seek  food  for  themselves  with 
panting  of  breath,”  to  weave  garments,  and 
to  perform  the  other  duties  which  belong  to 
their  sex. 

Even  this  second  name  is  not  retained 
through  life,  but  may  be  changed  in  after 
life  in  consequence  of  any  feat  in  war,  or  of 
any  important  circumstance.  Such  names, 
like  the  titles  of  the  peerage  among  ourselves, 
supersede  the  original  name  in  such  a man- 
ner that  the  same  person  may  be  known  by 
several  totally  distinct  names  at  different 
periods  of  his  life. 

There  seems  to  be  no  definite  ceremony 
by  which  the  young  New  Zealand  lad  is 
admitted  into  the  ranks  of  men.  The  tat- 
too is  certainly  a sign  that  his  manhood  is 
acknowledged;  but  this  is  a long  process, 
extending  over  several  years,  and  cannot  be 
considered  as  an  initiatory  rite  like  those 
which  are  performed  by  the  Australians. 


818 


NEW  ZEALAND. 


When  a young  man  finds  himself  able  to 
maintain  a wife,  he  thinks  about  getting 
married,  and  sets  about  it  very  deliberately. 
Usually  there  is  a long  courtship,  and,  as  a 
general  fact,  when  a young  man  fixes  his 
afiections  on  a girl,  he  is  sure  to  marry  her 
in  the  end,  however  much  she  or  her  friends 
may  object  to  the  match.  He  thinks  his 
honor  involved  in  success,  and  it  is  but  sel- 
dom that  he  fails. 

Sometimes  a girl  is  sought  by  two  men  of 
tolerably  equal  pretensions;  and  when  this 
is  the  case,  they  are  told  by  the  father  to 
settle  the  matter  by  a pulling  match.  This 
is  a very  simple  process,  each  suitor  taking 
oue  of  the  girl’s  arms,  and  trying  to  drag 
her  away  to  his  own  house.  This  is  a very 
exciting  business  for  the  rivals  as  well  as  for 
the  friends  and  spectators,  and  indeed  to 
every  one  except  the  girl  herself,  who  is  al- 
ways much  injured  by  the  contest,  her  arms 
being  sometimes  dislocated,  and  always  so 
much  strained  as  to  be  useless  for  some 
time. 

In  former  times  the  struggle  for  a wife  as- 
sumed a more  formidable  aspect,  and  sev- 
eral modern  travellers  have  related  in- 
stances where  the  result  has  been  a tragic 
one.  If  a young  man  has  asked  for  a girl 
and  been  refused,  his  011I3"  plan  is  to  take  her 
by  force.  For  this  purpose  he  assembles  his 
male  friends,  and  makes  up  his  mind  to 
carry  the  lady  ofi'  forcibly  if  he  cannot  obtain 
her  peacefully.  Her  friends  in  the  mean- 
time know  well  what  to  expect,  and  in  their 
turn  assemble  to  protect  her.  A fierce  fight 
then  ensues,  clubs,  and  even  more  danger- 
ous weapons  being  freely  used;  and  in  more 
than  one  case  the  intended  bride  has  been 
killed  by  one  of  the  losing  side.  Sometimes, 
though  not  very  often,  a girl  is  betrothed 
when  she  is  quite  a child.  In  that  case  she 
is  as  strictly  sacred  as  if  she  were  actually  a 
married  woman,  and  the  extreme  laxity  of 
morals  which  has  been  mentioned  cannot 
be  imputed  to  such  betrothed  maidens. 
Should  one  of  them  err,  she  is  liable  to  the 
same  penalties  as  if  she  were  actually  mar- 
ried. 

The  New  Zealanders  seldom  have  more 
than  one  wife.  Examples  are  known  where 
a chief  has  possessed  two  and  even  more 
wives;  but,  as  a general  rule,  a man  has  but 
one  wife.  Among  the  Maories  the  wife  has 
very  much  more  acknowledged  influence 
than  is  usually  the  case  among  uncivilized 
people,  and  the  wife  always  expects  to  be 
consulted  by  her  husband  in  every  impor- 
tant undertaking.  Marriage  usually  takes 
place  about  the  age  of  seventeen  or  eighteen, 
sometimes  at  an  earlier  age  in  the  case  of 
the  woman  and  a later  in  the  case  of  the 
man. 

As  to  the  amusements  of  the  New  Zea- 
landers, they  are  tolerably  varied,  and  are 
far  superior  to  the  mere  succession  of  sing- 
ing and  dancing,  in  which  are  summed  up 


the  amusements  of  many  uncivilized  races. 
Songs  and  dances  form  part  of  the  amuse- 
ments of  this  people,  but  only  a part,  and 
they  are  suplemented  by  many  others. 

One  of  the  most  curious  was  seen  by  Mr. 
Angas  in  the  interior  of  the  country,  but 
never  on  the  coasts.  A tall  and  stout  pole, 
generally  the  trunk  of  a pine,  is  firmly  set  in 
the  ground  on  the  top  of  a steep  bank,  and 
from  the  upper  part  of  the  pole  are  sus- 
pended a number  of  ropes  made  of  phor- 
mium  fibre.  The  game  consists  in  seizing 
one  of  the  ropes,  running  down  the  bank, 
and  swinging  as  far  as  possible  into  the  air. 
Sometimes  they  even  run  round  and  round 
the  pole  as  if  they  were  exercising  on  the 
giant  stride;  but  as  they  have  not  learned  to 
make  a revolving  top  to  the  pole  or  swivels 
for  the  ropes,  they  cannot  keep  up  this 
amusement  for  any  long  time. 

They  have  a game  which  is  very  similar 
to  our  draughts,  and  is  played  on  a check- 
ered board  with  pebbles  or  similar  objects 
as  men.  Indeed,  the  game  bears  so  close  a 
resemblance  to  draughts,  that  it  may  proba- 
bly be  a mere  variation  of  that  game,  which 
some  New  Zealander  has  learned  from  an 
European,  and  imported  into  his  country. 

There  is  also  a game  which  much  re- 
sembles the  almost  universal  “ inorro,”  and 
which  consists  in  opening  and  closing  the 
hand  and  bending  the  elbow,  performing 
both  actions  very  sharply,  and  accompany- 
ing them  with  a sort  of  doggrel  recitation, 
rvliich  has  to  be  said  in  one  breath. 

The  children  have  man}^  games  which  are 
very  similar  to  those  in  use  among  our- 
selves. They  spin  to]:s,  for  example,  and 
lly  kites,  the  latter  toy  being  cleverly  made 
of  the  flat  leaves  of  a kind  of  sedge.  It  is 
triangular  in  form,  and  the  cord  is  made 
of  the  universal  flax  fibre.  Kite-flying  is 
alwaj^s  accompanied  by  a song;  and  when 
the  kites  are  seen  flying  near  a village,  they 
are  a sign  that  the  village  is  at  peace,  and 
may  be  approached  with  safety. 

Perhaps  the  chief  amusement  of  the  chil- 
dren is  the  game  called  Maui,  which  is  in 
fact  a sort  of  “ cat’s-cradle.”  The  Maori 
children,  however,  are  wonderful  proficients 
at  the  game,  and  would  look  with  contempt 
on  the  few  and  simple  forms  which  English 
children  produce.  Instead  of  limiting  them- 
selves to  the  “ cradle,”  the  “ pound  of  can- 
dles,” the  “ net,”  and  the  “ purse,”  the  New 
Zealander  produces  figures  of  houses,  canoes, 
men  and  women,  and  various  other  patterns. 
They  say  that  this  game  was  left  to  them  as 
an  inheritance  by  Maui,  the  Adam  of  New 
Zealand,  and  it  appears  to  be  intimately 
connected  with  their  early  traditions. 

The  elder  children  amuse  themselves  with 
spear-throwing,  making  their  mimic  w^eapons 
of  fern-stems  bound  at  the  end.  These  they 
throw  with  great  dexterity,  and  emulate 
each  other  in  aiming  at  a small  target. 

Swimming  is  one  of  the  favorite  amuse' 


,■  ' / ''  ■ ■ ■'  / . 


(820) 


AMUSEMENTS. 


821 


mcnts  of  the  New  Zealanders,  who  can  swim 
almost  as  soon  as  they  can  walk,  and  never 
have  an  idea  that  the  water  is  an  unfriendly 
element.  Both  sexes  swim  alike  well,  and 
in  the  same  manner,  L e.  after  the  fashion 
which  we  call  swimming  like  a dog,”  pad- 
dling the  water  with  each  arm  alternately. 
Being  constantly  in  the  water,  they  can  keep 
up  the  exertion  for  a long  time,  and  in  their 
bathing  parties  sport  about  as  if  they  were 
amphibious  beings.  They  dive  as  well  as 
they  swim,  and  the  women  spend  much  of 
their  time  in  diving  for  crayfish. 

Ill  those  parts  of  the  country  where  hot 
springs  are  found  the  natives  are  fond  of  bath- 
ing in  the  heated  water.  Mr.  Angas  makes 
the  following  observations  on  this  custom : — 
“ Upon  the  beach  of  the  lake,  near  Te  Rapa, 
there  is  a charming  natural  hot  bath,  in 
which  the  natives,  especially  the  young 
folks,  luxuriate  daily.  Sunset  is  the  favorite 
time  for  bathing,  and  I have  frequently  seen 
of  an  evening  at  least  twenty  persons  squat- 
ting together  in  the  water,  with  only  their 
heads  above  the  surface. 

“ Boiling  springs  burst  out  of  the  ground, 
close  to  a large  circular  basin  in  the  volcanic 
rock,  which,  by  the  assistance  of  a little  art, 
had  been  rendered  a capacious  bath.  The 
boiling  stream  is  conducted  into  this  reser- 
voir gradually,  and  the  temperature  of  the 
water  is  kept  up  or  decreased  by  stopping 
out  the  boiling  stream  with  stones,  through 
which  it  trickles  slowly,  whilst  the  main 
body  runs  steaming  into  the  lake. 

“The  medicinal  properties  of  these  hot 
mineral  springs  preserve  the  natives  in  a 
healthy  state,  and  render  their  skins  beauti- 
fully smooth  and  clear.  Indeed,  some  of  the 
finest  people  in  the  island  are  to  be  observed 
about  Taupo,  and  the  beauty  and  symmetry 
of  the  limbs  of  many  of  the  youtli  would 
render  them  admirable  studies  for  the  sculp- 
tor.” 

Perhaps  the  oddest  amusement  with  which 
the  New  Zealanders  have  ever  recreated 
themselves  is  one  that  only  occurred  some 
sixty  years  ago,  and  is  not  likely  to  be  re- 
produced. About  that  date  Captain  King 
took  away  two  New  Zealanders  to  Norfolk 
Island  for  the  purpose  of  teaching  the  set- 
tlers the  art  of  flax-dressing.  When  he 
came  back  to  restore  them  to  their  homes, 
he  planted  a quantity  of  maize,  which  was 
then  new  in  the  country,  and  presented  the 
natives  with  three  pigs.  Most  of  them  had 
never  seen  any  animal  larger  than  a cat,  and 
the  others,  who  had  a vague  recollection  of 
seeing  horses  on  board  Captain  Cook’s  ves- 
sel, naturally  mistook  them  for  those  animals. 
Thinking  them  to  be  horses,  they  treated 
them  as  horses,  and  speedily  rode  two  of 
them  to  death.  The  third  did  not  come  to  a 
better  end,  for  it  strayed  into  a burial-ground, 
and  was  killed  by  the  indignant  natives. 

Nowadays  the  Maories  understand  pigs 
far  too  well  to  ride  them.  Pigs  have  be- 


come quite  an  institution  in  New  Zealand. 
Every  village  is  plentifully  populated  with 
pigs,  and,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  illustration 
of  a village  which  will  be  given  on  a future 
page,  one  of  the  commonest  objects  is  a sow 
with  a litter  of  pigs. 

Little  pigs  may  be  seen  tottering  about 
the  houses,  and  the  natives,  e^^cially  the 
women,  pet  pigs  exactly  as  women 

pet  dogs  and  cats.  Tliey  c?/vry  their 

arms,  fondle  and  pet  th.fm;  and  not^i!^» 
more  common  than  to  see  a youmr 
fold  her  mantle  and  discover  a pj^ 
under  its  folds.  Such  a girl,  brexaii]  ^^ 
the  one  who  is  represented  i*  the  'ij! 
tion  No.  2,  on  the  preceding  pi;-g  be 

very  likely  indeed  to  have  a pig  .^'mer  arms 
under  the  shelter  of  her  mantle.*"^ 

The  figure  in  question  is  tBe  portrait 
of  the  daughter  of  a chief.  Her  name  is 
Tienga,  and  she  is  the  daughter  3f  a very 
powerful  and  celebrated  chief.  H^r  costume 
is,  like  her  character,  an  odd  mixture  of  civ- 
ilization and  nature.  Her  mantl^,  is  the 
native  flax  mat,  under  which  she  may  prob- 
ably wear  a muslin,  or  even  silken,  garment, 
articles  of  dress  of  which  the  young  la<ly  in 
question  was,  when  her  portrait  was  hiken, 
exceedingly  proud.  On  her  head  she  v ears 
a common  straw  hat,  purchased  from  the 
trader  at  some  five  hundred  per  cent.  ( r so 
above  its  value,  and  round  it  she  has  twiteted 
a bunch  of  a species  of  clematis,  which  gr  ows 
with  great  luxuriance  in  the  forests. 

It  is  a curious  study  to  note  the  differ- 
ent characteristics  of  the  human  mind.  An 
Oriental  would  turn  with  unspeakable  dis- 
gust from  the  very  touch  of  a pig,  and  is 
scarceh/  less  fastidious  concerning  "the  dog. 
Yet  the  inhabitants  of  that  wonderful  group 
of  islands  which  stretches  from  Asia  to 
America  have  a wonderful  affinity  for  both 
these  animals,  and  especially  for  pigs,  dis- 
playing, as  we  shall  find  on  a future  page, 
their  affection  in  a manner  that  seems  to 
our  minds  extremely  ludicrous. 

Pigs  are  now  fast  becoming  acclimatized 
to  the  country,  just  like  the  mustang  horses 
of  America.  When  a tribe  has  suffered  ex- 
tinction, as  too  often  happens  in  the  san- 
guinary and  ferocious  wars  in  which  the 
people  engage,  the  pigs  escape  as  well  as 
they  can;  and  those  that  evade  the  enemy 
have  to  shift  for  themselves,  and  soon 
resume  all  the  habits  of  the  wild  swine 
from  which  they  were  originally  descended. 
Those  which  now  inhabit  the  country  are 
easily  to  be  distinguished  from  their  imme- 
diate ancestors,  having  short  heads  and  legs 
and  round  compact  bodies. 

The  native  name  for  the  pig  is  “ poaka,”  a 
word  which  some  have  thought  to  be  derived 
from  the  English  word  “ pork.”  Dr.  Dieffen- 
bach,  however,  differs  from  this  theory,  and 
thinks  that  the  native  word,  although  of 
European  origin,  is  derived  from  a source 
common  both  to  England  and  New  Zealand. 


822 


NEW  ZEALAND. 


He  thinks  that  the  New  Zealanders  had  some 
knowledge  of  the  pig  previous  to  its  introduc- 
tion by  England,  and  that  they  derived  their 
knowledge  from  Spanish  voyagers.  He  is 
strengthened  in  this  opinion  by  the  fact  that 
the  name  for  dog,  “ perro,”  is  likewise  Span- 
ish. 

Pigs  and  dogs  are  not  the  only  pets,  the 
natives  /being  in  the  habit  of  catching  the 
kaka  i^^rrot,  which  has  already  been  men- 
tioned, and  keei^vig  it  tame  about  their 
hou^s.  They  mr.i?:e  a very  etfective  and  pic- 
turesque perch  for  the  bird,  covering  it  with 
U;  sloping  roo/  as  a protection  against  the 
suijt^  and  secuving  it  to  the  perch  by  a string 
round  its  leg.  Mr.  Angas  mentions  that  he 
has  brought  these  birds  to  England,  but  that 
the  climate  did  not  agree  with  them,  and  they 
all  died. 

Many  of  the  New  Zealanders,  especially 
the  women,  are  dexterous  ball-players,  throw- 
ing four  balls  in  various  waysso  as  always  to 
keep  them  in  the  air.  Some  few  of  them  are 
so  skilful  that  they  surpass  our  best  jugglers, 
playing  with  five  balls  at  a time,  and  throw- 
ing them  over  the  head,  round  the  neck,  and 
in  various  other  ingenious  modes  of  increas- 
ing the  difficulty  of  the  performance. 

M^ost  of  their  sports  are  accompanied  with 
songs,  which,  indeed,  seem  to  be  suited  to  all 
pha  ses  of  a New  Zealander’s  life.  In  pad- 
dling canoes,  for  example,  the  best  songster 
takes  his  stand  in  the  head  of  a vessel  and 
begins  a song,  the  chorus  of  which  is  taken 
up  by  the  crew,  who  paddle  in  exact  time  to 
the  melody. 

Kespecting  the  general  character  of  these 
songs  Dieffenbach  writes  as  follows:  “ Some 
songs  are  lyric,  and  are  sung  to  a low,  plain- 
tive, uniform,  but  not  at  all  disagreeable  tune. 
. . . E ’ Waiata  is  a song  of  a joyful  nature; 
E ’ Haka  one  accompanied  by  gestures  of 
mimicry  E ’ Karakia  is  a praj’er  or  an  incan- 
tation used  on  certain  occasions.  In  saying 
this  prayer  there  is  generally  no  modulation 
of  the  voice,  but  syllables  are  lengthened  and 
shortened,  and  it  produces  the  same  effect  as 
reading  the  Talmud  in  synagogues.  Most 
of  these  songs  live  in  the  memory  of  all,  but 
rvith  numerous  variations.  Certain  Karakia, 
or  invocations,  however,  are  less  generally 
known,  and  a stranger  obtains  them  with 
difficulty,  as  they  are  oply  handed  down 
among  the  tohunga,  or  priests,  from  father  to 
son. 

“ To  adapt  words  to  a certain  tune,  and 
thus  to  commemorate  a passing  event,  is  com- 
mon in  New  Zealand,  and  has  been  the  begin- 
ning of  all  national  poetry.  Many  of  these 
children  of  the  moment  have  along  exist- 
ence, and  are  transmitted  through  several 
generations;  but  their  allusions  become  unin- 
telligible, and 'foreign  names,  having  under- 
gone a thorough  change,  cannot  be  recog- 
nized.” 

All  these  songs  are  accompanied  hy  gestic- 
ulations more  or  less  violent  and  in  that 


which  is  known  as  E ’ Haka  the  bodily  ex- 
ertion is  extreme.  The  singers  sit  down  in 
a circle,  throw  off  their  upper  mats,  and  sing 
in  concert,  accompanying  the  song  with  the 
wildest  imaginable  gestures,  squinting  and . 
turning  up  their  eyes  so  as  to  show  nothing 
but  the  whites. 

Of  musical  instruments  they  have  bui  very 
vague  and  faint  ideas.  Even  the  drum, 
which  is  perhaps  the  instrument  that  has  the 
widest  range  through  the  world,  is  unknown 
to  the  native  New  Zealander.  Drums  re- 
sound in  all  the  islands  of  the  Pacific,  but  the 
New  Zealander  never  indulges  himself  in  a 
drumming.  The  sole  really  musical  instru- 
ment which  he  possesses  is  a sort  of  fife  made 
out  of  human  bone.  Generally,  the  flute  is 
formed  from  the  thigh-bone  of  a slain  enemy; 
and  when  this  is  the  case,  the  Maori  warrior 
prizes  the  instrument  inordinately,  and  car- 
ries it  suspended  to  the  tiki  v/hich  he  wears 
slung  on  his  breast. 

There  are  certainly  two  noise-producing 
instruments,  wdiich  have  no  right  to  be 
honored  with  the  title  of  musical  instru- 
ments. These  are  the  war  bell  and  the  war 
trumpet. 

The  former  is  called  the  war  bell  in  default 
of  a better  word.  It  consists  of  a block  of 
hard  wood  about  six  feet  long  and  two  thick, 
with  a deep  groove  in  the  centre.  This 
“ bell  ” is  suspended  horizontally  by  cords, 
and  struck  by  a man  who  squats  on  a scaf- 
fold under  it.  With  a stick  made  of  heavy 
wood  he  delivers  slow  and  regular  strokes  in 
the  groove,  the  effect  being  to  produce  a 
most  melancholy  sound,  dully  booming  in 
the  stillness  of  the  night.  The  war  bell  is 
never  sounded  by  day,  the  object  being  to 
tell  the  people  inside  the  pah,  or  village,  that 
the  sentinel  is  awnke,  and  to  tell  aii}^  ap- 
proaching enemy  that  it  would  be  useless  for 
him  to  attempt  an  attack  by  surprise.  Its 
native  name  is  Palm. 

The  war  trumpet  is  called  Putara-putara. 
It  is  a most  unwieldly  instrument,  at  least 
seven  feet  in  length.  It  is  hollowed  out  of  a 
suitably-shaped  piece  of  hard  wood,  and  an 
expanding  mouth  is  given  to  it  by  means  of 
several  pieces  of  wood  lashed  together  with 
flaxen  fibre,  and  fitted  to  each  other  like  the 
staves  of  a cask.  Tovmrd  the  mouth-piece 
it  is  covered  with  the  grotesque  carvings  of 
which  the  New  Zealanders  are  so  fond.  It 
is  only  used  on  occasions  of  alarm,  when  it 
is  laid  over  the  fence  of  the  pah,  and  sounded 
by  a strong-lunged  native.  The  note  which 
the  trumpet  produces  is  a loud  roaring  sound, 
which,  as  the  natives  aver,  can  be  heard,  on 
a calm  night,  the  distance  of  several  miles. 
In  fact,  the  sound  appears  to  be  very  much 
the  same  as  that  which  is  produced  by  the 
celebrated  Blowing  Stone  of  Wiltshire. 

In  some  places  a smaller  trumpet  is  used 
in  time  of  war.  The  body  of  this  trumpet 
is  always  made  of  a largb  shell,  generally 
that  of  a triton,  and  the  mode  of  blowing  it 


THE  TxiNGI. 


823 


differs  according  to  the  locality.  The  sim- 
plest kind  of  shell-trumpet  is  that  which  is  in 
use  throughout  the  whole  of  the  Pacific  Isl- 
ands. It  is  made  by  taking  a large  empty 
slJiell,  and  boring  a round  hole  on  one  side 
near  the  point.  The  shell  is  blown  like  a 
flute,  being  placed  horizontally  to  the  lips, 
and  the  air  directed  across  the  aperture.  In 
fact,  it  exactly  resembles  in  principle  the 
horn  and  ivory  trumpets  of  Africa,  which  are 
shown  on  a preceding  page. 

There  is,  however,  in  the  British  Museum 
a much  more  elaborate  form  of  trumpet, 
which  is  blown  with  a mouth-piece.  In  this 
case  the  point  of  the  shell  has  been  removed 
and  a wooden  mouth-piece  substituted  for  it, 
so  that  it  is  blown  at  the  end,  like  trumpets 
in  our  own  country. 

The  dances  of  the  New  Zealander  are 
almost  entirely  connected  with  war  and  will 
therefore  be  mentioned  when  we  come  to 
treat  of  that  subject. 

The  mode  of  salutation  at  parting  and 
meeting  is  very  curious,  and  to  an  European 
sufficiently  ludicrous.  When  two  persons 
meet  who  have  not  seen  each  other  for  some 
time,  it  is  considered  a necessary  point  of 
etiquette  to  go  through  the  ceremony  called 
tangi.  The  “ g,”  by  the  way,  is  pronounced 
hard,  as  in  the  word  “ begin.”  They  envelope 
themselves  in  their  mats,  covering  even  their 
faces,  except  one  eye,  squat  on  the  ground 
opposite  each  other,  and  begin  to  weep  co- 
piously. They  seem  to  have  tears  at  com- 
mand, and  they  never  fail  to  go  through  the 
whole  of  the  ceremony  as  often  as  etiquette 
demands  it.  Having  finished  their  cry,  they 
approach  each  other,  press  their  noses  to- 
gether for  some  time,  uttering  the  while  a 
series  of  short  grunts!  Etiquette  is  now 
satisfied  and  both  parties  become  very  cheer- 
ful and  lively,  chatting  and  laughing  as  if 
there  had  never  been  such  a thing  as  a tear 
^ in  existence. 

Mr.  Angas  tells  a ludicrous  story  of  a tangi 
which  he  once  witnessed.  A woman  w^as 
paddling  a very  small  canoe,  and  fell  in  with 
the  exploring  party,  who  were  in  two  large 
canoes.  Seeing  some  friends  on  board  of 
the  large  canoes,  she  ran  her  little  vessel 
between  them,  and  began  a vigorous  tangi. 

Time  being  pressing,  she  could  not  stop 
to  wrap  herself  up  in  the  orthodox  style, 
but  burst  into  a flood  of  tears  in  the  most 
approved  fashion,  and  paddled  and  howled 
with  equal  vigor.  Still  crying,  she  put  on 
board  a basket  of  potatoes  as  a present,  and 
received  in  return  a fig  of  tobacco.  The 
tangi  being  by  this  time  complete,  the  old 
woman  burst  into  a loud  laugh,  had  a 
lively  talk  with  her  friends,  turned  her  little 
canoe  round,  and  paddled  briskly  out  of 
sight. 

In  one  instance  this  force  of  habit  was 
rather  ludicrously  exemplified.  The  writer 
shall  tell  his  own  story. 

“At  Hopeton  we  met  with  a sister  of 


Karake,  or  Clark,  the  chief  of  Waikato 
Heads,  whose  portrait  I had  painted  when 
at  Auckland.  This  j)ortrait  I showed  to  the 
old  woman,  who  had  not  seen  her  brother 
for  some  time,  when,  to  my  surprise  and 
amusement,  she  at  once  commenced  a most 
aflectionate  tangi  before  the  sketch;  waving 
her  hands  in  the  usual  manner,  and  uttering 
successively  low  whining  sounds  expressive 
of  her  joy. 

“After  she  had,  as  I imagined,  satisfied 
herself  with  seeing  the  representation  of  her 
brother,  I was  about  to  replace  the  sketch 
in  my  portfolio,  when  she  begged  of  For- 
saith  that  she  might  be  permitted  to  tangi 
over  it  in  good  earnest,  saying,  ‘ It  was  her 
brother  — her  brother;  and  she  must. tan Gi 
till  the  tears  come.’  And  sure  enough, 
presently  the  tears  did  come,  and  the  old 
woman  wept  and  moaned,  and  waved  her 
hands  before  the  picture,  with  as  much 
apparent  feeling  as  if  her  brother  himself 
had  thus  suddenly  appeared  to  her.  I could 
not  prevail  upon  the  old  creature  to  desist, 
and  was  at  length  compelled  to  leave  the 
portrait  in  Forsaith’s  care,  whilst  I was 
employed  in  sketching  elsewhere.  In  future 
I shall  be  more  cautious  how  I show  my 
sketches  to  the  old  women,  finding  that 
they  are  liable  to  produce  such  melancholy 
results.” 

Mr.  A.  Christie,  to  whom  I am  indebted 
for  much  information  about  the  country, 
told  me  an  anecdote  of  a tangi  performed  in 
England  by  a party  of  Maories  who  had 
visited  this  country.  They  were  about  to 
bid  farewell  to  one  of  their  friends,  and  vis- 
ited his  house  for  that  purpose,  desiring  to 
be  allowed  to  perform  the  tangi. 

Knowing  their  customs,  their  host  took 
them  into  an  empty  room,  previously  cau- 
tioning his  family  not  to  be  surprised  at  the 
ceremony.  The  whole  party  then  sat  down 
on  the  floor,  and  raised  a most  dismal  howl, 
wailing,  waving  their  hands,  shedding  floods 
of  tears,  and,  in  fact,  enjoying  themselves 
in  their  own  queer  way.  The  tangi  being 
over,  they  all  became  lively  and  chatty,  and 
finally  took  leave  after  the  undemonstrative 
English  fashion. 

To  a stranger  the  performance  of  the 
tangi  is  very  amusing  for  the  first  few  times 
of  witnessing  it;  but  he  soon  becomes  tired 
of  it,  and  at  last  looks  upon  it  as  an  unmiti- 
gated nuisance,  wasting  time,  and  subject- 
ing him  to  a series  of  doleful  howls  from 
which  he  has  no  mode  of  escape.  Mr. 
Angas  describes  a tangi  to  which  he  was 
subjected. 

“ At  sunset  we  reached  a small  fortified 
port,  on  the  summit  of  a hill  overlooking 
the  lake.  There  were  but  few  natives  resid- 
ing in  it,  to  whom  the  sight  of  a pakeha 
(white  man)  was  indeed  astonishing;  and, 
after  the  salutation  of  welcome,  they  com- 
menced a tangi  at  my  guides  and  myself. 

“The  man  who  introduced  us  uttered  a 


824 


KEW  ZEALA^TD. 


faint  sound  in  his  throat,  like  that  of  a per- 
son crying  at  a distance,  and  continued  to 
look  mournfully  on  the  ground.  The  wel- 
come of  the  men  was  voluble  and  loud: 
they  howled  dismally,  and  their  tears  fell 
fast  for  some  time. 

“ Another  female  soon  arrived,  who, 
squatting  on  the  ground,  commenced  a 
tangi  with  her  friends,  so  loud  and  doleful  — 
now  muttering  and  anon  howling  like  a 
hyena  — that  it  made  me  feel  quite  dismal. 
There  she  sat,  yelling  horribly,  to  my  great 
annoyance,  but  Maori  etiquette  compelled 
me  to  look  grave  and  not  to  disturb  her. 
There  seemed  to  be  no  end  to  this  woman’s 
wailings  of  welcome.  The  night  was  cold, 
and  she  still  continued  to  sit  by  the  fire 
prolonging  her  lugubrious  and  discordant 
strains.  Sometimes  she  would  pitch  a 
higher  key,  going  upward  with  a scream, 
shaking  her  voice,  and  muttering  between 
every  howl;  then  it  would  be  a squall  with 
variations,  like  ‘ housetop  cats  on  moonlight 
nights.’ 

“ Then  blowing  her  nose  with  her  fingers, 
she  made  some  remarks  to  the  woman  next 
her,  and  recommenced  howling  in  the  most 
systematic  way.  Once  again  she  became 
furious;  then,  during  an  interval,  she  spoke 
about  the  pakeha,  joined  in  a hearty  laugh 
with  all  the  rest,  and  at  last,  after  one  long 
continued  howl,  all  was  silent,  to  my  great 
relief.” 

The  manner  in  which  the  natives  can 
produce  such  torrents  of  tears  is  really 
marvellous;  and  they  exhibit  such  apparent 
agony  of  grief,  acting  the  part  to  such  per- 
fection, that  for  some  time  a stranger  can 
hardly  believe  that  the  profusely  weeping 
natives  are  simply  acting  a conventional 
part. 

In  the  illustration  No.  2,  on  the  809th 
l^age,  is  shown  the  sort  of  scene  which  takes 
place  at  a pah  when  some  of  the  inhabitants 
return  after  a long  absence  — a scene  which 
would  be  very  pathetic  did  it  not  trench 
upon  the  ludicrous. 

'When  a party  of  strangers  arrive  at  a 
pah,  the  preliminary  part  of  the  tangi,  i.  e. 
the  sitting  down  and  weeping,  is  omitted, 
another  ceremony  being  subsUtuted  for  it. 
The  visitors  are  introduced  into  the  interior 
of  the  pah,  where  a large  space  has  been 
kept  clear.  The  principal  chief  of  the  vil- 
lage then  advances,  clad  as  if  for  war,  L e. 
wearing  nothing  but  his  moko  and  plenty 
of  scarlet  paint,  and  bearing  a spear  in  his 
hand.  He  brandishes  and  aims  the  spear 
as  if  he  meant  to  pierce  the  chief  of  the  op- 
posite party,  and  then  throws  it  toward,  but 
not  at,  the  stranger.  The  visitors  then 
squat  silently  on  the  ground,  according  to 
Maori  etiquette,  and  presently  each  stranger 
is  faced  by  one  of  the  receiving  tribe,  who 
goes  through  the  ceremony  of  ongi,  or  press- 
ing noses,  which  is  the  last  part  of  the  tangi. 
This  lasts  for  some  time,  and,  when  it  is  com- 


pleted, the  provisions  are  brought  out  and  a 
great  feasting  ensues. 

As  to  the  general  character  of  the  natives, 
it  presents  a curious  mixture  of  wildness  and 
ferocity,  affection  and  fickleness,  benevo- 
lence and  vengefulness,  hospitality  and  cov- 
etousness. The  leading  characteristic  of 
the  Maori  mind  is  self-esteem,  which  some- 
times takes  the  form  of  a lofty  and  even 
chivalrous  pride,  and  at  other  times  degen- 
erates into  childish  vanity.  It  is  this  feel- 
ing which  leads  a New  Zealander  to  kill 
himself  rather  than  live  to  suffer  disgrace, 
and  which  causes  him  to  behave  with  the 
politeness  for  which  the  well-bred  New  Zea- 
lander is  so  conspicuous.  Degenerating 
into  vanity,  it  is  easily  wounded;  and  hence 
the  accidentally  hurt  feelings  of  a Maori, 
added  to  the  vengefulness  which  forms  so 
large  a portion  of  his  nature,  have  occasioned 
long  and  desolating  wars,  in  which  whole 
tribes  have  been  extinguished. 

The  temper  of  the  Maories  is,  as  is  often 
the  case  with  uncultivated  natures,  quick, 
tetchy,  and,  though  pleasing  enough  as  a 
general  rule,  is  apt  to  change  suddenly  with- 
out the  least  provocation;  a lively,  agreea- 
ble person  becoming  suddenly  dull,  sullen, 
and  ill-tempered.  This  fickleness  of  de- 
meanor is  very  troublesome  to  Europeans, 
and,  indeed,  is  sometimes  assumed  by  the 
natives,  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  how  much 
their  white  companion  will  endure.  When 
they  find  that  he  meets  them  with  firmness, 
they  lay  aside  their  unpleasant  manner,  and 
become  quite  gay  and  sociable. 

Often,  however,  an  European  hurts  their 
feelings  quite  unintentionally,  through  sheer 
ignorance  of  the  minute  code  of  etiquette 
which  they  observe.  If,  for  example  two 
Europeans  meet  and  wish  to  discuss  a sub- 
ject, they  stand  still  and  have  their  talk,  or 
perhaps  they  walk  backward  and  forward. 
Two  New  Zealanders,  on  the  contrary,  would 
always  sit  down,  as  it  is  thought  a mark  of 
inattention  to  stand  while  addressed  by 
another.  Again,  when  a New  ZealandeV 
enters  a house,  he  makes  his  salutation  and 
then  squats  down  in  silence  for  some  time, 
the  omission  of  this  ceremony  being  looked 
upon  as  great  a mark  of  ill-breeding  as  to  go 
into  a drawing-room  with  the  hat  on  is  con- 
sidered among  ourselves. 

One  curious  trait  of  the  Maori  character  is 
the  inability  to  keep  a secret.  This  curious 
disposition  sometimes  subjects  the  natives 
to  very  unpleasant  consequences.  Those, 
for  example,  who  have  adopted  the  laws  of 
the  white  man,  have  discovered  that  there  are 
many  delinquencies  which  can  be  done  with 
impunity,  provided  that  they  are  commit- 
ted in  secret.  But  according  to  Diefienbach, 

“ with  the  art  of  keeping  a secret  the  New 
Zealander  is  little  acquainted.  Although  he  ! 
possesses  in  many  other  respects  great  self- 
control,  the  secret  must  come  out,  even  if  his  j 
death  should  be  the  immediate  consequence.” 


STKEKGTII  OF  MEMORY. 


82o 


They  have  a strong  and  tenacious  mem- 
ory, easily  acquiring  knowledge,  and  re- 
taining it  with  wonderful  accuracy.  The 
strength  of  their  memory  is  well  exempli- 
fied by  the  native  converts  to  Christianity, 
who  will  repeat  long  passages  of  the  Bible 
and  many  hymns  with  absolute  exactness. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  examples  of 
this  characteristic  is  afforded  by  an  old  chief 
named  Horomana  Marahau,  who  is  popu- 
larly known  as  Blind  Solomon.  He  has  led 
a most  exciting  and  varied  life,  having  been 
engaged  in  war  ever  since  he  was  a boy,  and 
once  actually  taken  prisoner  by  the  ferocious 
chief  E’  Hongi,  or  Shongi,  as  he  is  generally 
called.  He  has  captured  many  a pah,  and 
assisted  in  eating  many  a slain  enemy,  and 
had  he  not  escaped  when  he  himself  was 
made  prisoner,  he  would  have  shared  the 
same  fate. 

His  last  exploit  was  an  attack  on  Poverty 
Bay  where  he  and  his  followers  took  the 
pah,  and  killed  and  afterw^ard  ate  six  hun- 
dred of  the  enemy.  Shortly  after  this  feat 
he  became  blind,  at  Otawaho,  where  he  first 
met  with  the  missionary.  In  process  of 
time  he  became  a convert,  and  afterward 
labored  as  a teacher,  displaying  the  same 
earnest  energy  which  distinguished  his  mil- 
itary career,  and,  though  an  old  man,  under- 
taking long  and  toilsome  journeys  for  the 
purpose  of  instructing  his  fellow-country- 
men. Mr.  Angas  once  heard  him  deliver  a 
funeral  oration  over  the  body  of  a child, 
which  he  describes  as  one  of  the  finest  and 
most  impassioned  bursts  of  eloquence  he 
ever  heard. 


Horomana  was  peculiarly  suited  for  the 
office  of  instructor  in  consequence  of  his 
exceptionally  retentive  memory.  He  knows 
the  whole  of  the  Church  Service  by  heart, 
together  with  many  hymns  and  long  pas- 
sages of  the  Bible,  and  when  he  was  exam- 
ined in  the  Catechism,  it  was  found  that  he 
knew  every  word  correctly.  This  strength 
of  memory,  by  the  way,  useful  as  it  is  when 
rightly  employed,  is  sometimes  abused  by 
becoming  an  instrument  of  revenge,  a Maori 
never  forgetting  an  insult,  whether  real  or 
imaginary,  nor  the  face  of  the  person  by 
whom  he  was  insulted. 

The  curiosity  of  the  people  is  insatiable, 
and  they  always  want  to  hear  all  about 
everything  they  see.  This  spirit  of  curiosity 
has  naturally  led  them  to  take  the  greatest 
interest  in  the  various  arts  and  sciences 
possessed  by  the  white  man,  and  in  order 
to  gratify  it  they  will  often  hire  themselves 
as  sailors  in  European  ships.  Accustomed 
to  the  water  all  their  lives,  and  being  ad- 
mirable canoe  men,  they  make  excellent 
sailors,  and  soon  learn  to  manage  boats  after 
the  European  fashion,  which  differs  essen- 
tially from  their  own.  Some  of  them  pene- 
trate into  the  higher  mysteries  of  navigation, 
and  in  1843  a New  Zealander  was  captain  of 
a whaler. 

They  take  quite  as  much  interest  in  the 
familiar  objects  of  their  own  country  as  in 
those  which  are  brought  to  them  by  for- 
eigners. They  have  names  for  all  their 
animal,  vegetable,  and  even  mineral  pro- 
ductions, pointing  out  and  remarking  upon 
any  peculiarities  whieh  may  be  found  in  them. 


CHAPTEE  LXXXII. 


KEW  ZE^LAKD  — Continued. 
FOOD  AND  COOKERY. 


HOSPITALITY  OP  THE  HEW  ZEALANDERS —EFFECTS  OF  CIVILIZATION  — THE  CHURLISH  HOSTS  AND 
THEIR  REWARD  — A NEW  ZEALAND  FEAST  — THE  WALL  OF  PROVISIONS  — FOOD-BASKETS  — THE 
KUMARA  OR  SWEET  POTATO  — WASHING  AND  COOKING  VEGETABLES  — THE  CABBAGE  PALM  AND 
FERN  ROOT  — A NATIVE  LEGEND  — THE  PAWA  SHELL  — THE  MUSSEL  AND  OYSTER  — FISHING  — 
THE  NET,  THE  TRAP,  THE  HOOK,  AND  THE  SPEAR  — BIRD-CATCHING  — CAPTURING  THE  KIWI- 
KIWI  AND  PARROT  — PIG-CATCHHSTG  AND  COOKING  — CANNIBALISM,  ITS  SIGNIFICATION  AND  EX- 
TENT— EATING  HUMAN  FLESH  A SUPERSTITIOUS  CUSTOM  — ANECDOTES  OF  CANNIBALISM. 


The  New  Zealanders  are  the  most  hos- 
pitable and  generous  of  people;  a stranger, 
whether  native  or  European,  is  welcomed 
into  the  villages,  is  furnished  with  shelter, 
and  provided  at  once  with  food.  Should  the 
visitor  be  a relative,  or  even  an  intimate 
friend,  they  hold  all  their  property  in  com- 
mon, and  will  divide  with  him  everything 
that  they  possess.  Even  if  a Maori  has 
earned  by  long  labor  some  article  of  prop- 
erty which  he  was  very  anxious  to  possess, 
he  will  give  it  to  a relation  or  friend  who 
meets  him  after  a long  separation. 

This  generosity  of  disposition  has  unfor- 
tunately been  much  checked  by  contact  with 
the  white  man,  and  those  natives  who  have 
much  to  do  with  the  white  settlers  have  lost 
much  of  their  politeness  as  well  as  their 
hospitality.  Instead  of  welcoming  the  trav- 
eller, housing  him  in  their  best  hut,  provid- 
ing him  with  their  choicest  food,  and  tending 
him  as  if  he  were  a near  relation,  they  have 
become  covetous  and  suspicious,  and  instead 
of  offering  aid  gratuitously  will  sometimes 
refuse  it  altogether,  and  at  the  best  demand 
a high  rate  of  payment  for  their  assistance. 

The  native  converts  to  Christianity  have 
deteriorated  greatly  in  this  respect  through 
the  misjudged  zeal  of  the  missionaries, 
who  have  taught  their  pupils  to  refuse 
■ food  and  shelter  to,  or  to  perform  any  kind 
of  work  for,  a traveller  who  happens  to  ar- 
rive at  their  houses  on  a Sunday  — a circum- 

(826) 


stance  which  must  continually  occur  in  a 
country  where  the  'travellers  are  entirely 
dependent  on  the  natives.  Dr.  Diefienbach, 
who  always  speaks  in  the  highest  terms  of 
the  zeal  and  self-denial  of  the  missionaries, 
writes  as  follows  on  this  subject:  “ Highly 
as  I appreciate  the  merits  of  the  mission- 
aries, I must  say  that  they  have  omitted  to 
teach  their  converts  some  most  important 
social,  and  therefore  moral,  duties,  which 
they  will  only  acquire  by  a more  intimate 
intercourse  with  civilized  Europeans. 

“In  their  native  state  they  are  as  labo- 
rious as  their  wants  require ; but,  easily  sat- 
isfying those,  and  incapable  even  by  their 
utmost  exertions  to  compete  with  the  lowest 
of  Europeans,  they  get  lazy  and  indolent, 
prefer  begging  to  working,  and  pass  a great 
part  of  their  time  in  showing  their  acquired 
fineries  and  in  contemplating  the  restless 
doings  of  the  colonist.  As  servants  they 
are  very  independent,  and  Europeans  will 
do  well,  if  they  want  any  native  helpers,  to 
treat  them  with  attention,  and  rather  as  be- 
longing to  the  family  than  as  servants. 
They  have  this  feeling  of  independence 
very  strongly,  and  it  is  very  creditable  to 
them. 

“ There  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  in 
a short  time  the  character  of  the  New  Zea- 
landers will  be  entirely  changed,  and  any 
one  who  wishes  to  see  what  they  were  for- 
merly must  study  them  in  the  interior, 


A NEW  ZEALAND  FEAST. 


827 


where  they  are  still  little  influenced  by  in- 
tercourse with  us,  which  I must  repeat,  has 
been  little  advantageous  to  them.” 

The  same  writer  relates  an  amusing  anec- 
dote respecting  the  ancient  custom  of  hos- 
pitality. He  had  been  travelling  for  some 
distance  with  scarcely  any  provisions,,  and 
came  upon  a tribe  which  churlishly  refused 
hospitality  to  the  party,  and  would  not  even 
furnish  a guide  to  show  them  their  way. 
One  of  them  condescended  to  sell  a small 
basket  of  potatoes  in  exchange  for  some 
needles,  but  nothing  more  could  be  ob- 
tained, and,  after  spending  a day  in  vain, 
the  party  had  to  pack  up  and  resume  their 
march. 

After  they  had  left  the  pah,  they  came 
suddenly  across  a family  of  pigs.  One  of 
the  native  attendants  immediately  killed  a 
large  sow,  and  in  a few  minutes  the  animal 
was  cut  up  and  the  pieces  distributed.  Not 
liking  to  take  food  without  paying  for  it. 
Dr.  Dieffenbach  hung  the  offal  of  the  pig 
on  a bush,  together  with  an  old  pair  of  trou- 
sers and  an  iron  kettle.  His  attendants, 
however,  went  back  and  took  them  away, 
saying  that  it  was  the  custom  of  the  coun- 
try that  a stranger  should  be  supplied  with 
food,  and  that,  if  it  were  not  given  to  him, 
he  had  a right  to  take  it  when,  where, 
and  how  he  could.  They  were  very  much 
amused  at  the  whole  proceeding,  and  made 
many  jokes  on  the  disappointment  of  the 
churlish  people  who  refused  to  sell  a pig 
at  a good  price,  and  then  found  that  it  had 
been  taken  for  nothing. 

Hospitality  being  such  a universal  and 
imperative  characteristic  of  the  aboriginal 
Maori,  it  may  be  imagined  that  when  a 
chief  gives  a feast  he  does  so  with  a liberal 
hand.  Indeed,  some  of  these  banquets  are 
on  so  enormous  a scale,  that  a whole  dis- 
trict is  ransacked  to  furnish  sufficient  pro- 
visions, and  the  inhabitants  have  in  conse- 
quence to  live  ill  a state  of  semi-starvation 
for  many  months.  Mr.  Angas  mentions  that, 
when  he  visited  the  celebrated  chief  Te 
Whero-Whero,  he  saw  more  than  a thousand 
men  planting  sweet  potatoes  in  order  to  fur- 
nish provisions  for  a feast  that  the  chief 
intended  to  give  to  all  the  Waikato  tribes 
in  the  following  spring. 

These  feasts  are  continued  as  long  as  any 
food  is  left,  and  a very  liberal  chief  will 
sometimes  get  together  so  enormous  a sup- 
ply of  provisions  that  the  banquet  lasts  for 
several  weeks.  Songs  and  dances,  espe- 
cially the  war  dance,  are  performed  at  in- 
tervals throughout  the  time  of  feasting. 

The  first  illustration  on  the  831st  page 
gives  a good  idea  of  the  preliminaries  which 
are  observed  before  the  celebration  of  an 
ordinary  feast,  such  as  would  be  given 
by  a well-to-do  Rangatira.  A sort  of  scaf- 
fold is  erected,  on  the  bars  of  which  are 
hung  large  supplies  of  fish,  mostly  dried 
shark,  together  with  pieces  of  pork,  and 


similar  luxuries.  The  upper  part  of  the 
scaffold  is  formed  into  a flat  stage,  on  which 
are  placed  large  baskets  full  of  sweet  pota- 
toes and  common  potatoes.  The  gues:ts 
range  themselves  in  a circle  round  the 
sca&ld,  and  the  chief  who  gives  the  .feast 
makes  a speech  to  them,  brandishing  his 
staff’  of  office,  running  up  and  down  the 
open  space,  leaping  in  the  air,  and  working 
himself  up  by  gestures  to  an  extraordinary 
pitch  of  excitement. 

One  of  my  friends  was  distinguished  by 
having  a feast  given  in  his  honor,  and  de- 
scribed the  ceremony  in  a very  amusing 
manner.  The  generous  founder  of  the  feast 
had  built  a sort  of  wall,  the  contents  of 
which  were  potatoes,  sweet  potatoes,  pigs, 
and  fish.  By  way  of  ornament,  he  had  fixed 
a number  of  sticks  into  the  wall,  like  so 
many  flagstaff’s,  and  to  the  top  of  each  he 
had  fastened  a living  eel  by  way  of  a flag 
or  streamer,  its  contortions  giving,  accord- 
ing to  his  ideas,  a spirit  to  the  whole  pro- 
ceedings. 

He  then  marched  quickly  backward  and 
forward  between  the  wall  of  provisions 
and  his  guests,  who  were  all  seated  on  the 
ground,  and  as  he  marched  uttered  a few 
broken  sentences.  By  degrees  his  walk  be- 
came quicker  and  quicker,  and  changed  into 
a run,  diversified  with  much  leaping  into 
the  air,  brandishing  of  imaginary  weapons, 
and  utterance  of  loud  yells.  At  last  he 
worked  himself  up  into  a pitch  of  almost 
savage  fury,  and  then  suddenly  squatted 
down  silently,  and  made  way  for  another 
orator. 

The  waste  wdiich  takes  place  at  such  a feast, 
which  is  called  in  the  native  language  Tiitz, 
is  necessarily  very  great.  In  one  such  party 
mentioned  by  Mr.  Angas,  the  donor  ar- 
ranged the  provisions  and  presents  for  his 
guests  in  the  form  of  a wall,  which  was  five 
feet  high,  as  many  wide,  more  than  a mile 
in  lengthy  and  supplied  for  many  days  thou- 
sands of  natives  who  came  to  the  feast  from 
very  great  distances.  The  great  chiefs  take 
great  pleasure  in  rivalling  each  other  in  their 
expenditure,  and  it  was  for  the  purpose  of 
building  a still  larger  food  wall  that  Te 
Whero-Whero  was  so  busily  setting  his 
men  to  work  in  planting  the  kumeras,  or 
sweet  potatoes. 

Considerable  variety  is  shown  in  the  man- 
ner of  presenting  the  food  to  the  guests. 
Generally  it  is  intended  to  be  eaten  on  the 
spot,  but  sometimes  it  is  meant  to  be  given 
away  to  the  people,  to  be  consumed  when 
and  where  they  like.  In  such  a case  either 
the  scaffold  or  the  wall  is  used.  The  scaf- 
fold is  sometimes  fifty  or  sixty  feet  high,  and 
divided  into  a number  of  stories,  each  of 
which  is  loaded  with  food.  If  the  wall  be 
employed,  it  is  separated  into  a number  of 
divisions.  In  either  case,  when  the  guests 
are  seated,  a chief  who  acts  as  the  master  of 
the  ceremonies  marches  about  and  makes  a 


828 


KEW  ZEALAND. 


speech,  after  the  fashion  of  his  country ; and, 
after  having  delivered  his  oration,  he  points 
out  to  each  tribe  the  portion  which  is  in- 
tended for  it.  The  chief  man  of  each  tribe 
takes  possession  of  the  gift,  and  afterward 
subdivides  it  among  his  followers. 

It  is  rather  remarkable  that  the  baskets 
in  which  the  provisions  are  served  are  made 
for  the  express  purpose,  and,  having  fulfilled 
their  office,  are  thrown  aside  and  never  used 
again.  Should  a chief  take  one  of  these  bas- 
kets and  begin  to  eat  from  it,  not  only  the 
basket  but  any  food  which  he  may  leave  in 
it  is  thrown  away,  no  chief  ever  eating  after 
any  one,  or  allowing  any  one  to  eat  after 
him. 

So  when  a chief  takes  his  basket  of  food, 
he  withdraws  himself  from  the  rest  of  the 
company  and  consumes  his  food,  so  that 
no  one  shall  be  incommoded  by  his  rank. 
Ordinary  people,  even  the  Kangatiras,  are 
not  nearly  so  fastidious,  one  basket  of  food 
sufficing  several  of  them,  three  or  four  being 
the  usual  number  for  a basket.  Each  of 
these  baskets  contains  a complete  meal,  and 
is  usually  supplied  with  plenty  of  potatoes 
and  kumeras,  some  fish,  and  a piece  of  pork. 
The  meat  is  passed  from  one  to  another, 
each  taking  a bite,  or  tearing  off*  a portion; 
and  wdien  they  have  finished,  they  wipe  their 
hands  on  the  backs  of  the  dogs  which  are 
sure  to  thrust  themselves  among  the  revel- 
lers. 

These  feasts  naturally  lead  us  to  the  various 
kinds  of  food  used  by  the  New  Zealanders, 
and  their  modes  of  procuring  and  preparing 
them. 

W e will  begin  with  the  plant  which  is  the 
very  staff  of  life  to  the  New  Zealander, 
namely,  the  kumera,  or  sweet  potato,  as  it  is 
popularly  though  erroneously  called.  This 
plant  is  largely  cultivated  by  the  Maories, 
who  are  very  careful  in  selecting  a proper 
soil  for  it.  The  best  ground  for  the  kumera 
is  that  which  has  been  thickly  wooded,  and 
is  cleared  for  the  purpose.  The  natives  take 
but  little  trouble  about  preparing  the  land, 
merely  cutting  down  the  trees  and  burning 
the  brushwood,  but  never  attempting  to  root 
up  the  stumps. 

The  ground  is  torn  up  rather  than  dug  by 
a simple  instrument,  which  is  nothing  more 
than  a sharpened  pole  with  a cross-piece 
fastened  to  it,  on  which  the  foot  can  rest. 
As  the  New  Zealanders  do  not  wear  shoes, 
they  cannot  use  an  iron  spade  as  we  do ; and 
it  may  easily  be  imagined  that  the  unpro- 
tected foot  of  the  Maori  would  suffer  terribly 
in  performing  a task  which,  even  among  our 
stoutly-shod  laborers,  forces  them  to  wear  a 
plate  of  iron  on  the  sole  of  the  boot. 

The  kaheru,  as  this  tool  is  called,  is  more 
effective  than  an  iron  spade  could  be,  in 
consequence  of  the  peculiar  character  of  the 
soil,  which  is  thickly  interlaced  with  the 
roots  of  ferns,  brushwood,  and  shrubs.  A 
few  of  these  curious  spades  are  tipped  with 


a piece  of  green  jade,  and  are  then  highly 
valued  by  the  natives.  Such  a tool  is  called 
E Toki.  The  Maories  have  also  a kind  of 
hoe  which  is  very  useful  in  some  soils. 

The  kumeras  are  planted  in  regular  rows, 
and  the  greatest  care  is  taken  to  keep  the 
field  clear  of  weeds.  The  dark  agricultu- 
rists even  remove  every  caterpillar  that  is 
seen  upon  the  plants;  and  altogether  such 
elaborate  care  is  taken  that  the  best  man- 
aged field  in  Europe  cannot  surpass,  and 
very  few  even  equal,  a piece  of  land  culti- 
vated by  the  New  Zealander. 

Each  family  has  its  own  peculiar  field,  the 
produce  of  which  is  presumed  to  belong  to 
the  family.  But  a great  portion  of  the  labor 
performed  in  it  may  be  done  by  poor  men 
who  have  no  land  of  their  own.  In  such  a 
case,  they  acquire,  in  virtue  of  their  labor,  a 
legal  right  over  the  fruits  of  the  land  which 
they  have  helped  to  till.  Sometimes  the  head 
or  chief  of  a tribe,  considering  himself  as 
the  father  of  the  family,  institutes  a general 
sale,  and  distributes  the  proceeds  according 
to  the  amount  of  material  or  labor  which 
each  has  contributed. 

Before  the  potatoes  are  cooked,  they  are 
carefully  washed  in  a simple  and  very  effec- 
tive manner.  A woman  puts  them  into  a 
basket  with  two  handles,  popularly  called  a 
“ kit,”  wades  into  a running  stream,  puts  one 
foot  into  the  basket,  takes  hold  of  the  handles, 
and  rocks  the  basket  violently  backward 
and  forw^ard,  while  with  her  foot  she  contin- 
ually stirs  up  and  rubs  the  potatoes.  In  this 
manner  the  earth  is  washed  away  from  the 
vegetables,  and  is  carried  off*  by  the  stream 
through  the  interstices  of  the  basket. 

At  the  present  day,  the  kumera,  although 
very  highly  valued,  and  used  at  every  im- 
portant feast,  has  been  rivalled,  if  not  su- 
perseded, by  the  common  potato  which  can 
be  raised  with  less  trouble  and  cooked  more 
easily.  Both  the  kumera  and  potato  are 
cooked  in  a sort  of  oven,  made  by  heating 
stones,  and  much  resembling  the  cooking- 
place  of  the  Australians.  No  cooking  is 
allowed  to  take  place  in  the  house,  the  act 
of  preparing  food  being  looked  upon  as  a des- 
ecration of  any  building.  Through  igno- 
rance of  this  curious  superstition,  Europeans 
have  frequently  brought  upon  themselves  the 
anger  of  the  natives  by  eating,  and  even  cook- 
ing, food  within  a house  which  is  looked  upon 
as  sacred. 

In  consequence  of  this  notion,  the  oven  is 
either  constructed  in  the  open  air,  or  at 
best  in  a special  house  called  Te-kauta, 
which  is  made  of  logs  piled  loosely  upon 
each  other,  so  as  to  permit  the  smoke  to 
escape. 

The  bud,  or  “ cabbage,”  of  the  nikau-palm, 
a species  of  Areca,  is  highly  prized  by  the 
Maories,  who  fell  every  tree  which  they 
think  likely  to  produce  a young  and  tender 
bud.  This  vegetable  is  sometimes  eaten 
raw,  and  sometimes  cooked  in  the  same 


A NATIVE  LEGEND. 


820 


mode  as  the  potato.  Fortunately,  the  tree 
is  not  wasted  by  being  cut  down,  as  its 
leaves  are  used  for  many  purposes,  such  as 
making  temporary  sheds  when  travellers  are 
bsnighted  in  the  forest,  thatching  houses, 
and  "similar  uses.  Still,  the  destruction  of 
this  useful  and  graceful  palm  is  very  great, 
and  there  is  reason  to  fear  that  the  improvi- 
dent natives  will  wholly  extirpate  it,  unless 
means  be  taken  to  preserve  it  by  force  of 
law. 

The  Maories  have  one  curious  plan  of  pre- 
paring food,  which  seems  to  have  been  in- 
vented for  the  purpose  of  making  it  as  dis- 
gusting as  possible.  They  take  the  kurnera, 
the  potato,  or  the  maize,  and  steep  it  in 
fresh  water  for  several  weeks,  until  it  is 
quite  putrid.  It  is  then  made  into  cakes, 
and  eaten  with  the  greatest  zest.  To  an 
European  nothing  can  be  more  offensive, 
and  the  very  smell  of  it,  not  to  mention  the 
flavor,  is  so  utterly  disgusting  that  even  a 
starving  man  can  hardly  manage  to  eat  it. 
The  odor  is  so  powerful,  so  rancid,  and  so 
penetrating,  that  when  Europeans  have  been 
sitting  inside  a house  and  a man  has  been  sit- 
ting in  the  open  air  eating  this  putrid  bread, 
they  have  been  forced  to  send  him  away 
from  the  "vicinity  of  the  door.  By  degrees 
travellers  become  more  accustomed  to  it, 
but  at  first  the  effect  is  inexpressibly  dis- 
gusting; and  when  it  is  cooked,  the  odor  is 
enough  to  drive  every  European  out  of  the 
village. 

In  former  days  the  fern-root  (Pteris  escu- 
lenta)  was  largely  eaten  by  the  natives,  but 
the  potatoes  and  maize  have  so  completely 
superseded  it  that  fern  root  is  very  seldom 
eaten,  except  on  occasions  when  nothing 
else  can  be  obtained.  When  the  fern  root 
is  cooked,  it  is  cut  into  pieces  about  a foot 
long,  and  then  roasted.  After  it  is  suffi- 
ciently cooked,  it  is  scraped  clean  with  a 
shell.  The  fiavor  of  this  root  is  not  prepos- 
sessing, having  an  unpleasant  mixture  of  the 
earthy  and  the  medicinal  about  it. 

About  December  another  kind  of  food 
comes  into  season.  This  is  the  pulpous  stem 
of  one  of  the  tree-ferns  which  are  so  plenti- 
ful in  New  Zealand  (Cyathea  medullaris). 
It  requires  long  cooking,  and  is  generally 
placed  in  the  oven  in  the  evening,  and  eaten 
in  the  morning. 

With  regard  to  the  vegetables  used  in 
New  Zealand,  Dr.  Dieffenbach  has  the  fol- 
lowing remarks.  After  mentioning  the  na- 
tive idea  that  they  were  conquerors  of  New 
Zealand,  and  brought  with  them  the  dog 
and  the  taro  plant  {Arum  esculentum),  he 
proceeds  as  follows  : — “A  change  took  place 
in  their  food  by  the  introduction  of  the 
sweet  potato  or  kurnera  {Convolvulus  ba- 
tata)— an  introduction  which  is  gratefully 
remembered  and  recorded  in  many  of  their 
songs,  and  has  given  rise  to  certain  religious 
observances. 

“ It  may  be  asked,  What  was  the  period 


when  the  poor  natives  received  the  gift  of 
this  wholesome  food,  and  who  was  their 
benefactor?  On  the  first  point  they  know 
nothing;  their  recollection  attaches  itself  to 
events,  but  not  to  time.  The  name,  how- 
ever, of  the  donor  lives  in  their  memory.  It 
is  E’  Paui,  or  Ko  Paui,  the  wife  of  E’Tiki, 
who  brought  the  first  seeds  from  the  island 
of  Tawai.  E’Tiki  was  a native  of  the  island 
of  Tawai,  which  is  not  that  whence,  accord- 
ing to  tradition,  the  ancestors  of  the  New 
Zealanders  had  come.  He  came  to  N ew  Zea- 
land with  his  wife,  whether  in  less  frail  ves- 
sels than  they  possess  at  present,  and  whether 
purposely  or  driven  there  by  accident,  tra- 
dition is  silent. 

“He  was  well  received,  but  soon  per- 
ceived that  food  was  more  scanty  here  than 
in  the  happy  isle  whence  he  came.  He 
wished  to  confer  a benefit  upon  his  hosts, 
but  knew  not  how  to  do  it,  until  his  wife, 
E’ Paui,  offered  to  go  back  and  fetch  kurnera, 
that  the  people  who  had  received  them  kindly 
might  not  suffer  want  any  longer.  This  she 
accomplished,  and  returned  in  safety  to  the 
shores  of  New  Zealand. 

“ What  a tale  of  heroism  may  lie  hidden 
under  this  simple  tradition!  Is  it  a tale 
connected  with  the  Polynesian  race  itself?  or 
does  it  not  rather  refer  to  the  arrival  in 
New  Zealand  of  the  early  Spanish  naviga- 
tors, who  may  have  brought  this  valuable 
product  from  the  island  of  Tawai,  one  of  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  where  the  plant  is  still 
most  extensively  cultivated?  There  can  be 
scarcely  any  doubt  but  that  New  Zealand 
was  visited  by  some  people  antecedent  to 
Tasman.  Kaipuke  is  the  name  of  a ship  in 
New  Zealand  — huque  is  a Spanish  word  — 
Kai  means  to  eat,  or  live.  No  other  Poly- 
nesian nation  has  this  word  to  designate  a 
ship.  Pero  (dog)  and  poaca  (pig)  are  also 
Spanish.  Tawai,  whence  E’Paui  brought 
the  kurnera,  is  situated  to  the  east  of  New 
Zealand  according  to  tradition,  and  the  first 
discoverers  in  the  great  ocean,  Alvaro  Men- 
dana  (1595),  Quiros  (1(308),  Lemaire,  and 
others,  arrived  from  the  eastward,  as  they 
did  at  Tahiti,  according  to  the  tradition  of 
the  inhabitants.  Tasman  did  not  come  to 
New  Zealand  until  1642.” 

However  this  may  be,  the  fields  of  ku- 
mera  are  strictly  “ tapu,”  and  any  theft 
from  them  is  severely  punished.  The 
women  who  are  engaged  in  their  cultiva- 
tion are  also  tapu.  They  must  pray  to- 
gether with  the  priests  for  the  increase  of 
the  harvest.  These  women  are  ‘ never  al- 
lowed to  join  in  the  cannibal  feasts,  and  it 
is  only  after  the  kurnera  is  dug  up  that  they 
are  released  from  the  strict  observance  of 
the  tapu.  They  believe  that  kurnera  is  the 
food  consumed  in  the  “ reinga,”  the  dwell- 
ing-place of  the  departed  spirits ; and  it  is 
certainly  the  food  most  esteemed  among  the 
living. 

They  have  several  ways  of  preparing  the 


830 


NEW  ZEALAND. 


sweet  potato.  It  is  either  simply  boiled,  or 
dried  slowly  in  a “ hangi,”  when  it  has  the 
taste  of  dates,  or  ground  into  powder  and 
baked  into  cakes.  The  kumera,  like  most 
importations,  is  rather  a delicate  vegetable, 
and  while  it  is  young  it  is  sheltered  by 
fences  made  of  brushwood,  which  are  set  up 
on  the  windward  side  of  the  plantation 
when  bad  weather  is  apprehended.  Great 
stacks  of  dried  brushwood  are  seen  in  all 
well-managed  kumera  gardens,  ready  to  be 
used  when  wanted.  So  great  is  the  venera- 
tion of  the  natives  for  the  kumera,  that  the 
storehouses  wherein  it  is  kept  are  usually 
decorated  in  a superior  style  to  the  dwelling 
of  the  person  who  owns  them. 

In  illustration  No.  2,  on  the  next  page, 
several  of  these  elaborate  storehouses  are 
shown.  They  are  always  supported  on 
posts  in  such  a way  that  the  rats  cannot  get 
among  the  contents,  and  in  some  instances 
they  are  set  at  the  top  of  poles  fifteen  or 
twenty  feet  high,  which  are  climbed  by 
means  of  notches  in  them.  These,  however, 
are  almost  without  ornamentation,  whereas 
those  which  belong  specially  to  the  chief  are 
comparatively  low,  and  in  some  cases  every 
inch  of  them  is  covered  with  graceful  or 
grotesque  patterns,  in  which  the  human  face 
always  predominates. 

Some  of  these  curious  storehouses  are  not 
rectangular,  but  cylindrical,  the  cylinder 
lying  horizontally,  with  the  door  at  the  end, 
and  being  covered  with  a pointed  roof.  Even 
the  very  posts  on  which  the  storehouses 
stand  are  carved  into  the  rude  semblance  of 
the  human  form.  ' 

The  Maories  also  say  that  the  calabash,  or 
hue^  is  of  comparatively  late  introduction, 
the  seeds  having  been  obtained  from  a cala- 
bash which  was  carried  by  a whale  and 
thrown  on  their  shores.  ' 

A very  curious  article  of  vegetable  food  is 
the  cowdie  gum,  which  issues  from  a species 
of  pine.  This  gum  exudes  in  great  quanti- 
ties from  the  trees,  and  is  found  in  large 
masses  adhering  to  the  trunk,  and  also  in 
detached  pieces  on  the  ground.  It  is  a clear, 
vellowish  resin;  and  it  is  imported  into 
England,  where  it  is  converted  into  varnish. 
The  flavor  of  the  cowdie  gum  is  powerfully 
aromatic,  and  the  natives  of  the  northern 
island  chew  it  just  as  sailors  chew  tobacco. 
They  think  so  much  of  this  gum,  that  when 
a stranger  comes  to  visit  them,  the  highest 
compliment  that  can  be  paid  to  him  is  for 
the  host  to  take  a partially  chewed  piece  of 
gum  from  his  mouth,  and  offer  it  to  the  vis- 
itor. 

The  New  Zealanders  eat  great  quantities 
of  the  pawa,  a species  of  Haliotis,  from 
which  they  procure  the  pearly  shell  with 
which  they  are  so  fond  of  inlaying  their 
carvings,  especially  the  eyes  of  the  human 
figures.  Shells  belonging  to  this  group  are 
well  known  in  the  Channel  Islands  under 
the  name  of  Ormer  shells,  and  the  molluscs 


are  favorite  articles  of  diet.  Those  which 
are  found  in  New  Zealand  are  very  much 
larger  than  the  species  of  the  Channel 
Islands,  and  the  inhabitants  are  tough  and, 
to  European  taste,  very  unpalatable.  Great 
quantities  are,  however,  gathered  for  fooL 
The  putrid  potato  cakes  are  generally  eaten 
with  the  pawa;  and  the  two  together  form  a 
banquet  which  an  Englishman  could  hardly 
prevail  on  himself  to  taste,  even  though  he 
were  dying  of  hunger. 

Mussels,  too,  are  largely  used  for  food: 
and  the  natives  have  a way  of  opening  and 
taking  out  the  inmate  which  I have  often 
practised.  If  the  bases  of  two  mussels  be 
placed  together  so  that  the  projections 
interlock,  and  a sharp  twist  be  given  in 
opposite  directions,  the  weaker  of  the  two 
gives  way,  and  the  shell  is  opened.  Either 
shell  makes  an  admirable  knife,  and  scrapes 
the  mollusc  out  of  its  home  even  better  than 
a regular  oyster-knife. 

Oysters,  especially  the  Cockscomb  oyster 
(Ostrcea  cristata),  are  very  plentiful  in  many 
parts  of  the  coast,  and  afibrd  an  unfailing 
supply  of  food  to  the  natives.  They  are 
mostly  gathered  by  women,  who  are  in 
some  places  able  to  obtain  them  by  waiting 
until  low  water,  and  at  other  places  are 
forced  to  dive  at  all  states  of  the  tide. 

Eish  form  a large  portion  of  New  Zealand 
diet;  and  one  of  their  favorite  dishes  is 
shark’s  flesh  dried  and  nearly  putrescent. 
In  this  state  it  exhales  an  odor  which  is 
only  less  horrible  than  that  of  the  putrid 
cakes.  Mr.  Angas  mentions  one  instance 
where  he  was  greatly  inconvenienced  by 
the  fondness  of  the  natives  for  these  offen- 
sive articles  of  diet.  He  was  travelling 
through  the  country  with  some  native 
guides,  and  on  arriving  at  a pah  had  pro- 
cured for  breakfast  some  remarkably  fine 
kumeras.  The  natives  immediately  set  to 
work  at  cooking  the  kumeras,  among  which 
they  introduced  a quantity  of  semi-putrid 
shark’s  flesh.  This  was  not  the  worst  of  the 
business,  for  they  next  wove  some  of  the 
phormium  baskets  which  have  already  been 
described,  filled  them  with  the  newly-cooked 
provisions,  and  carried  them  until  the  even- 
ing repast,  giving  the  traveller  the  benefit 
of  the  horrible  odor  for  the  rest  of  the  day. 

Eish  are  either  taken  with  the  net,  the 
weir,  or  the  hook.  The  net  presents  noth- 
ing remarkable,  and  is  used  as  are  nets  all 
over  the  world,  the  natives  weighting  them 
at  the  bottom,  floating  them  at  the  top, 
shooting  them  in  moderately  shallow  w'ater, 
and  then  beating  the  water  with  poles  in 
order  to  frighten  the  fish  into  the  meshes. 

Traps,  called  pukoro-tuna,  are  made  of 
funnel-shaped  baskets,  just  like. the  eel-traps 
of  our  own  country;  but  the  most  ingenious 
device  is  the  weir,  which  is  built  quite 
across  the  river,  and  supported  by  poles  for 
many  yards  along  its  side.  Often,  when  the 
net  or  the  weir  is  used,  the  fish  taken  are 


(1.)  PREPARING  P"OR  A I’EAST.  (See  page  827.) 


(2.)  CHIEFS’  STOREHOUSES.  (See  page  830.) 
(831) 


♦ 


' Of,W' 


MODES  OF  FISIIIKG. 


833 


considered  as  belonging  to  the  community 
in  general,  and  are  divided  equally  by  the 
chief. 

Sometimes  a singularly  ingenious  net  is 
used,  which  has  neither  float  nor  sinkers. 
This  net  is  about  four  feet  wide,  thirty  or 
forty  feet  in  length,  and  is  tied  at  each  end 
to  a stout  stick.  Dopes  are  lashed  to  the 
stick,  and  the  net  is  then  taken  out  to  sea  in 
a canoe.  AVlien  they  have  arrived  at  a con- 
venient spot,  the  natives  throw  the  net  over 
the  side  of  the  canoe,  holding  the  ropes 
at  either  end  of  the  boat,  so  that  the  net 
forms  a large  semicircle  in  the  water  as  the 
boat  drifrs  along.  In  fact  it  is  managed 
much  as  an  English  fisherman  manages  his 
dredge. 

In  the  middle  of  the  canoe  is  posted  a 
man,  who  bears  in  his  hand  a very  long  and 
light  pole,  having  a tuft  of  feathers  tied  to 
one  end  of  it.  With  the  tufted  end  he  beats 
and  stirs  the  water,  thus  driving  into  the 
meshes  of  the  net  all  the  small  fishes  within 
the  curve  of  the  net.  Those  who  hold  the 
ropes  can  tell  by  the  strain  upon  the  cords 
whether  there  are  enough  fish  in  the  net  to 
make  a haul  advisable,  and  when  that  is  the 
case,  the  net  is  brought  to  the  side  of  the 
canoe,  emptied,  and  again  shot. 

Spearing  fish  is  sometimes,  but  not  very 
largely,  employed.  The  hooks  employed  by 
the  liew  Zealanders  present  a curious  mix- 
ture of  simplicity  and  ingenuity.  It  really 
seems  strange  that  any  fish  should  be  stupid 
enough  to  take  such  an  object  in  its  mouth. 
There  is,  however,  one  which  is  a singularly 
admirable  contrivance.  The  body  of  the 
hook  is  made  of  wood,  curved,  and  rather 
hollowed  on  the  inside.  The  hook  itself  is 
bone,  and  is  always  made  from  the  bone  of 
attain  enemy,  so  that  it  is  valued  as  a trophy, 
as  well  as  a means  of  catching  fish.  This 
bone  is  fastened  to  the  rest  of  the  hook  by 
a very  ingenious  lashing;  and,  in  some 
instances,  even  the  bone  is  in  two  pieces, 
which  are  firmly  lashed  together.  In  con- 
sonance with  the  warlike  character  of  the 
qatives,  who  seem  to  be  as  ready  to  offer  an 
insult  to  other  tribes  as  to  take  offence 
themselves,  the  use  of  the  enemy’s  bone  is 
intended  as  an  insult  and  a defiance  to  a 
hostile  tribe. 

The  body  of  the  hook  is  lined  with  the 
pawa  shell,  and  to  the  bottom  of  it  is 
attached  a tuft  of  fibres.  This  hook  is 
remarkable  for  requiring  no  bait.  It  is 
towed  astern  of  the  canoe,  and  when  pulled 
swiftly  through  the  water  it  revolves  rap- 
idly, the  pearly  lining  flashing  in  the  light 
like  the  white  belly  of  fish,  and  the  tuft  of 
fibres  representing  the  tail.  Consequently, 
the  predatorial  fish  take  it  for  the  creature 
which  it  represents,  dash  at  it  as  it  flashes 
by  them,  and  are  hooked  before  they  dis- 
cover their  mistake.  If  any  of  my  readers 
should  happen  to  be  anglers,  they  will 
see  that  this  hook  of  the  Hew  Zealander 
41 


is  exactly  similar  in  princijfle  with  the 
“ spoon-bait  ” which  is  so  efficacious  in  prac- 
tised hands.  One  of  these  hooks  in  my 
collection  is  quite  a model  of  form,  the 
curves  being  peculiarly  graceful,  and  the 
effect  being  as  artistic  as  if  the  maker  had 
been  a professor  in  the  school  of  design. 
The  length  of  my  hook  is  rather  more  than 
four  inches:  and  this  is  about  the  average 
size  of  these  implements.  The  string  ])y 
which  it  is  held  is  fastened  to  the  hook  in 
a very  ingenious  manner;  and  indeed  it 
scarcely  seems  possible  that  so  apparently 
slight  a lashing  could  hold  firmly  enough  to 
baffle  the  struggles  of  a fish  large  enough 
to  swallow  a hook  more  than  four  inches  in 
length,  and  three-quarters  of  an  inch  in 
width.  Some  of  these  hooks  are  furnished 
with  a feather  of  the  apteryx,  which  serves 
the  purpose  of  an  artificial  fly. 

Both  salt  and  fresh  water  crayfish  are  taken 
in  large  quantities.  The  latter,  which  are 
very  large,  are  almost  invariably  captured  by 
the  women,  who  have  to  dive  for  them,  and 
the  former  are  taken  in  traps  baited  with 
flesh,  much  like  our  own  lobster-pots.  Birds 
are  almost  always  caught  by  calling  them 
with  the  voice,  or  by  usin^  a decoy  bird. 
The  apteryx,  or  kiwi-kiwi,  is  taken  by  the 
first  of  these  methods.  It  is  of  nocturnal 
habits,  and  is  seldom  seen,  never  venturing 
out  of  its  haunts  by  day.  It  is  very  thinly 
scattered,  living  in  pairs,  and  each  pair  in- 
habiting a tolerably  large  district.  At  night 
it  creeps  out  of  its  dark  resting-place  among 
the  ferns,  where  it  has  been  sleeping  through- 
out the  day,  and  sets  off  in  search  of  worms, 
grubs,  and  other  creatures,  which  it  scratches 
out  of  the  ground  with  its  powerful  feet. 
During  the  night  it  occasionally  utters  its 
shrill  cry;  that  of  the  male  being  somewhat 
like  the  words  “ hoire,  hoire,  hoire,”  and  that 
of  the  female  like  “ ho,  ho,  ho.” 

When  the  natives  wish  to  catch  the  ap- 
teryx, they  go  to  the  district  where  the  bird 
lives,  and  imitate  its  cry.  As  soon  as  it 
shows  itself,  it  is  seized  by  a dog  which  the 
hunter  has  with  him,  and  which  is  trained 
for  the  purpose.  As  the  bird  is  a very  strong 
one,  there  is  generally  a fight  between  itself 
and  the  dog,  in  which  the  powerful  legs  and 
sharp  claws  of  the  bird  are  used  with  great 
effect.  Sometimes  the  hunter  has  ready  a 
torch  made  of  the  cowdie  resin,  and  by  light- 
ing it  as  soon  as  the  kiwi-kiwi  comes  in  sight 
he"^ blinds  the  bird  so  effectually  by  the  un- 
wonted light  that  it  is  quite  bewildered,  does 
not  know  in  what  direction  to  run,  and  allows 
itself  to  be  taken  alive. 

At  some  seasons  of  the  year  the  bird  is  very 
fat,  and  its  flesh  is  said  to  be  well  flavored. 
In  former  days,  when  it  was  plentiful,  it  was 
much  used  for  food,  but  at  the  present  time 
it  is  too  scarce  to  hold  any  real  place  among 
the  food-producing  animals  of  Hew  Zealand, 
its  wingless  state,  rendering  it  an  easy  pre_^ 
to  those  who  know  its  habits.  The  skin  is 


834 


NEW  ZEALAND. 


very  tough,  and,  when  dressed,  was  used  in 
the  manufacture  of  mantles. 

The  parrots  are  caught  by  means  of  a decoy 
bird.  The  fowler  takes  with  him  a parrot 
which  he  has  taught  to  call  its  companions, 
and  conceals  himself  under  a shelter  made  of 
branches.  From  the  shelter  a long  rod 
reaches  to  the  branches  of  a neighboring  tree, 
and  when  the  bird  calls,  its  companions  are 
attracted  by  its  cries,  fly  to  the  tree,  and  then 
walk  down  the  rod  in  parrot  fashion,  and  are 
captured  by  the  man  in  the  cover. 

Formerly  the  native  dog  used  to  be  much 
eaten;  but  as  the  species  has  almost  entirely 
been  transformed  by  admixture  with  the 
various  breeds  of  English  dogs,  its  use,  as  an 
article  of  food,  has  been  abandoned.  Pigs 
are  almost  the  only  mammalia  that  are  now 
eaten;  but  they  are  not  considered  as  form- 
ing an  article  of  ordinary  diet,  being  reserved 
for  festive  occasions.  The  pork  of  New  Zea- 
land pigs  is  said  to  surpass  that  of  their 
European  congeners,  and  to  bear  some  re- 
semblance to  veal.  This  superiority  of  flavor 
is  caused  by  their  constantly  feeding  on  the 
fern  roots.  In  color  they  are  mostly  black, 
and,  although  tame  and  quiet  enough  Avitli 
their  owners,  are  terribly  frightened  when 
they  see  a white  man,  erect  their  bristles  and 
dash  off  into  the  bush. 

We  now  come  to  the  question  of  canni- 
balism, a custom  which  seems  to  have  re- 
sisted civilization  longer  in  New  Zealand 
than  in  any  other  part  of  the  world.  In  some 
places  cannibalism  is  an  exception;  here,  as 
among  the  Neam-Nam  of  Africa,  it  is  a rule. 
An  illustration  on  the  next  page  represents 
a cannibal  cooking-house,  that  W'as  erected 
by  a celebrated  Maori  chief,  in  the  W aita- 
hanui  Pah.  This  was  once  a celebrated  fort, 
and  was  originally  erected  in  order  to  defend 
the  inhabitants  of  Te  Rapa  from  the  attacks 
of  the  Waikato  tribes.  Both  these  and  their 
enemies  having,  as  a rule,  embraced  Chris- 
tianity, and  laid  aside  their  feuds,  the  pah 
has  long  been  deserted,  and  will  probably 
fall  into  decay  before  many  years  have 
passed.  Mr.  Angas,  description  of  this  pah 
is  an  exceedingly  interesting  one. 

“ Waitahanui  Pah  stands  on  a neck  of  low 
swampy  land  jutting  into  the  lake,  and  a 
broad,  deep  river,  forming  a delta  called  the 
Tongariro,  and  by  some  the  Waikato  (as  that 
river  runs  out  again  at  the  other  end  of 
Tampo  Lake),  empties  itself  near  the  pah. 
The  long  facade  of  the  pah  presents  an  im- 
posing appearance  when  viewed  from  the 
lake;  aline  of  fortifications,  composed  of 
upright  poles  and  stakes,  extending  for  at 
least  half  a mile  in  a direction  parallel  to  the 
water.  On  the  top  of  many  of  the  posts  are 
carved  figures,  much  larger  than  life,  of  men 
in  the  act  of  defiance,  and  in  the  most  sav- 
age posture,  having  enormous  protruding 
tongues;  and,  like  all  the  Maori  carvings, 
these  images,  or  waikapokos,  are  colored  with 
kokowai,  or  red  ochre. 


“ The  entire  pah  is  now  in  ruins,  and  has 
been  made  tapu  by  Te  Heuheu  since  its 
desertion.  Here,  then,  all  was  forbidden 
ground;  but  I eluded  the  suspicions  of  our 
natives,  and  rambled  about  all  day  amongst 
the  decaying  memorials  of  the  past,  making 
drawings  of  the  most  striking  and  peculiar 
objects  within  the  pah;  The  cook  houses, 
where  the  father  of  Te  Heuheu  had  his 
original  establishment,  remained  in  a per- 
fect state ; the  only  entrance  to  these  build- 
ings was  a series  of  circular  apertures,  in 
and  out  of  which  the  slaves  engaged  in  pre- 
paring the  food  were  obliged  to  crawl. 

“Near  to  the  cook  houses  there  stood  a 
carved  patuka,  which  was  the  receptacle  of 
the  sacred  food  of  the  chief;  and  nothing 
could  exceed  the  richness  of  the  elaborate 
carving  that  adorned  this  storehouse.  I 
made  a careful  drawing  of  it,  as  the  frail 
material  was  falling  to  deca}^  Ruined 
houses  — many  of  them  once  beautifully 
ornamented  and  richly  carved  — numerous 
wahi-tapu,  and  other  heathen  remains  with 
images  and  carved  posts,  occur  in  various 
portions  of  this  extensive  pah;  but  in 
other  places  the  hand  of  Time  has  so  effec- 
tually destroyed  the  buildings  as  to  leave 
them  but  an  unintelligible  mass  of  ruins. 
The  situation  of  this  pah  is  admirably 
adapted  for  the  security  of  its  inmates: 
it  commands  the  lake  on  the  one  side, 
and  the  other  fronts  the  extensive  marshes 
of  Tukanu,  where  a strong  palisade  and  a 
deep  moat  afford  protection  against  any 
sudden  attack.  Water  is  conveyed  into  the 
pah  through  a sluice  or  canal  for.  the  supply 
of  the  besieged  in  times  of  war. 

“ There  was  an  air  of  solitude  and  gloomy 
desolation  about  the  whole  pah,  that  was 
heightened  by  the  screams  of  the  plover 
and  the  tern,  as  they  uttered  their  mourn- 
ful cry  through  the  deserted  courts.  I 
rambled  over  the  scenes  of  many  savage 
deeds.  Ovens,  where  human  flesh  had  been 
cooked  in  heaps,  still  remained,  with  the 
stones  used  for  heating  them  lying  scattered 
around,  blackened  by  fire;  and  here  and 
there  a dry  skull  lay  bleaching  in  the  sun 
and  wind,  a grim  memorial  of  the  past.” 

The  chief  reason  for  the  persistent  sur- 
vival of  cannibalism  is  to  be  found  in  the 
light  in  which  the  natives  regard  the  act. 
As  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  the  Maories 
do  not  eat  their  fellow-men  simply  because 
they  have  any  especial  liking  for  human 
flesii,  although,  as  might  be  expected,  there 
are  still  to  be  found  some  men  who  have 
contracted  a strong  taste  for  the  flesh  of 
man.  The  real  reason  for  the  custom  is 
based  on  the  superstitious  notion  that  any 
one  who  eats  the  flesh  of  another  becomes 
endowed  with  all  the  best  qualities  of  the 
slain  person.  For  this  reason,  a chief 
will  often  content  himself  with  the  left 
eye  of  an  adversary,  that  portion  of  the 
body  being  considered  as  the  seat  of  the 


(2.)  MAORI  PAH.  (See  page  846.) 

(835) 


ll.L 


V 


'yf' 


CANNIBALISM. 


837 


soul.  A similar  idea  prevails  regarding 
the  blood. 

When  the  dead  bodies  of  enemies  are 
brought  into  the  villages,  much  ceremony 
attends  the  cooking  and  eating  of  them. 
They  are  considered  as  tapu,  or  prohibited, 
until  the  tohunga,  or  priest,  has  done  his 
part.  This  consists  in  cutting  off  part  of 
the  flesh,  and  hanging  it  up  on  a tree  or  a 
tall  stick,  as  an  offering  to  the  deities,  ac- 
companying his  proceedings  with  certain 
mystic  prayers  and  invocations. 

Most  women  are  forbidden  to  eat  human 
flesh,  and  so  are  some  men  and  all  young 
children.  When  the  latter  reach  a certain 
age-,  they  are  permitted  to  become  eaters 
of  human  flesh,  and  are  inducted  into  their 
new  privileges  by  the  singing  of  chants  and 
songs,  the  meaning  of  which  none  of  the 
initiates  understand,  and  which,  it  is  prob- 
able, are  equally  a mystery  to  the  priest 
himself  who  chants  them. 

The  palms  of  the  hands  and  the  breast 
are  supposed  to  be  the  best  parts;  and  some 
of  the  elder  warriors,  when  they  have  over- 
come their  reluctance  to  talk  on  a subject 
which  they  know  will  shock  their  interloc- 
utors, speak  in  quite  enthusiastic  terms  of 
human  flesh  as  an  article  of  food. 

That  cannibalism  is  a custom  which  de- 
pends on  warfare  is  evident  from  many 
sources.  In  war,  as  we  shall  presently  see, 
the  New  Zealander  can  hardly  be  recog- 
nized as  the  same  being  in  a state  of  peace. 
His  whole  soul  is  filled  with  but  one  idea  — 
that  of  vengeance;  and  it  is  the  spirit  of 
revenge,  and  not  the  mere  vulgar  instinct 
of  gluttony,  that  induces  him  to  eat  the 
bodies  of  his  fellow-men.  A New  Zea- 
lander would  not  dream  of  eating  the  body 
of  a man  who  had  died  a natural  death,  and 
nothing  could  be  further  from  his  thoughts 
than  the  deliberate  and  systematic  canni- 
balism which  disgraces  several  of  the  Afri- 
can tribes. 

How  completely  this  spirit  of  vengeance 
enters  into  the  very  soul  of  the  Maories 
can  be  inferred  from  a short  anecdote  of  a 
battle.  There  is  a small  island  in  the  Bay 
of  Plenty  called  Tuhua,  or  Mayor’s  Island, 
the  inhabitants  of  which,  about  two  hun- 
dred in  number,  had  erected  a strong  pah, 
or  fort,  in  order  to  defend  themselves  from 
the  attacks  of  tribes  who  lived  on  the  main- 


land, and  wanted  to  capture  this  very  con- 
venient little  island.  The  fort  was  built  on 
a very  steep  part  of  the  island,  craggy,  pre- 
cipitous, and  chiefly  made  up  of  lava. 

After  making  several  unsuccessful  attacks, 
the  enemy  at  last  made  an  onslaught  in  the 
night,  hoping  to  take  the  people  off'  their 
guard.  The  inmates  were,  however,  awake 
and  prepared  for  resistance ; and  as  soon  as 
the  enemy  attacked  the  pah,  the  defenders 
retaliated  on  them  by  allowing  them  to  come 
partly  up  the  hill  on  which  the  pah  stand#, 
and  then  rolling  great  stones  upon  them. 
Very  many  of  the  assailants  were  killed, 
and  the  rest  retreated. 

Next  morning  the  successful  defenders  re- 
lated this  tale  to  a missionary,  and  showed 
the  spot  where  so  sanguinary  an  encounter 
had  taken  place.  The  missionary,  finding 
that  all  the  stones  and  rocks  were  perfectly 
clean,  and  betrayed  no  traces  of  the  bloody 
struggle  which  had  taken  place  only  a few 
hours  previously,  asked  to  be  shown  the 
marks  of  tho  blood.  His  guide  at  once  an- 
swered that  the  women  had  licked  it  off*. 
It  has  sometimes  been  stated  that  the  Ma- 
ories will  kill  their  slaves  in  order  to  fur- 
nish a banquet  for  themselves;  but  such 
statements  are  altogether  false. 

Cannibalism  is  at  the  present  day  nearly, 
though  not  quite,  extinct.  Chiefly  by  the 
efforts  of  the  missionaries,  it  has  been 
greatly  reduced;  and  even  in  cases  where 
it  does  take  place  the  natives  are  chary 
of  speaking  about  it.  In  wars  that  took 
place  some  forty  years  ago,  we  learn  that 
several  hundred  warriors  \vere  slain,  and 
their  bodies  eaten  by  their  victors.  In 
comparatively  recent  times  twenty  or  thirty 
bodies  have  been  brought  into  the  pah  and 
eaten,  while  at  the  present  day  many  a na- 
tive has  never  seen  an  act  of  cannibalism. 
This  strange  and  ghastly  custom  is,  how- 
ever, so  dear  to  the  Maori  mind  that  one  of 
the  chief  obstacles  to  the  conversion  of  the 
natives  to  Christianity  is  to  be  found  in 
the  fact  that  the  Christian  natives  are 
obliged  to  abjure  the  use  of  human  flesh. 
Still,  the  national  instinct  of  vengeance  is 
rather  repressed  than  extirpated,  and  there 
are  many  well-known  occasions  when  it  has 
burst  through  all  its  bonds,  and  the  savage 
nature  of  the  Maori  has  for  a time  gained 
ascendency  over  him. 


CHAPTEK  LXXXm. 


WAE. 


THE  MODE  OF  WARFAHE  DEPENDENT  ON  WEAPONS  — THE  SPEAR,  NOW  EXTINCT  — THE  JIERAI,  AND 
THE  MATERIALS  OF  WHICH  IT  IS  MADE — THE  GREEN  JADE  MERAI,  AND  ESTIMATION  IN  WHICH 
IT  IS  HELD  BY  THE  CHIEFS  — THE  STONE  MERAI  — THE  BONE  MERAI,  AND  ITS  VARIED  SHAPES  — 
MODE  OF  USING  THE  WEAPON  — CAPTURE  OF  SHIPS  — AN  EXCITING  SCENE  AND  TIMELY  RELIEF  — 
THE  BATTLE-AXE,  OR  PATU  — ITS  FORM,  AND  MODE  OF  USING  IT — THE  CHIEF’S  SPEAR,  OR  HANI 
— ITS  RESEMBLANCE  TO  THE  ANCIENT  SCEPTRE  — THE  TONGUE  OF  DEFIANCE  — THE  WAR  DANCE 
— ITS  EFFECT  ON  BOARD  SHIP  — THE  FORT,  OR  PAH,  AND  ITS  CONSTRUCTION  — NATIVE  ENGI- 
NEERING— THE  REPULSE  AT  THE  GATE  PAH — CONCEALING  AN  AMBUSH  — FATE  OF  CAPTIVES  — 
THE  CHIEF  E’hONGI  AND  HIS  BATTLES  — SLAVE-DRIVING  WITH  A MERAI  — ETIQUETTE  OF  WAR 
— A TRUCE  AND  A BARTER  — RETALIATION  FOR  BLOODSHED  — CEREMONIES  BEFORE  AND  AFTER 
A BATTLE. 


We  now  come  to  the  one  great  object  of  a 
Maori’s  life,  namely,  war.  Before  we  treat 
of  actual  warfare,  it  will  be  necessary  to  de- 
scribe the  weapons  which  are  used,  as  much 
of  the  character  of  warfare  materially  depends 
on  them. 

In  those  parts  of  the  world,  for  instance, 
where  missiles,  such  as  bows  and  arrows  or 
spears,  are  the  principal  weapons,  war  be- 
comes a series  of  skirmishes,  each  individual 
trying  to, conceal  himself  as  much  as  possi- 
ble from  the  enemy,  and  to  deal  his  own 
blows  without  exposing  himself  to  retalia- 
tion. But  when  the  weapons  are  of  a nature 
that  necessitates  hand-to-hand  combat,  war- 
fare naturally  assumes  a different  aspect, 
and,  if  the  forces  be  at  all  disciplined,  more 
resembles  the  regulated  war  of  civilized 
nations  than  the  independent  single  combats 
which  represent  war  in  most  savage  coun- 
tries. 

To  this  latter  category  belong  the  weapons 
of  the  Hew  Zealander.  In  former  days  the 
Maori  warriors  used  to  employ  the  spear, 
but  that  weapon  has  long  been  laid  aside.  A 
few  specimens  are  still  retained,  but  they 
are  intended,  not  to  be  used  against  an 
enemy,  but  in  welcoming  a friend,  the  chief 
who  receives  his  guests  pointing  the  spear 
at  them,  and  throwing  it  toward  them,  as 
has  already  been  descrilied.  When  Mr. 
Angas  visited  the  islands,  he  found  only  a 
very  few  of  these  spears,  and  they  were  used 
entirely  for  peaceful  purposes.  They  were 
of  the  same  character  as  those  of  the  great 


Polynesian  group,  i.  e.  made  entirely  of  wood, 
long,  sharply  pointed,  and  armed  with  a 
series  of  barbs.  : 

One  of  these  spears  is  shown  at  figure 
1,  of  “ Maori  weapons,”  on  page  841.  The  , 
reader  will  understand  that  only  the  head  of  i 
the  spear  is  shown,  the  entire  length  of  the  > 
weapon  being  about  twelve  feet.  The  barbs 
are  seen  to  be  arranged  in  double  order,  a 
number  of  them  pointing  backward,  and  . 
then,  after  a blank  space,  several  rows  point-  j 
ing  forward.  The  object  of  this  device  was 
ingenious  enough.  The  spear  was  supposed  ‘ 
to  be  pushed  through  the  body  of  a man  j 
until  it  was  stopped  by  the  second  row  of  j 
barbs.  It  will  be  seen  that  his  body  would  4 
then  rest  in  the  blank  space,  and  the  barbs  ' 
on  either  side  of  him  would  prevent  it  from  < 
being  drawn  out  or  pushed  through,  so  that 
a wound  from  the  weapon  w^as  necessarily 
mortal.  A spear  made  on  the  same  princi- 
ple, and  employed  by  the  Bechuanas,  is 
shown  on  page  281. 

The  weapons  used  by  the  Maories  are 
very  few  in  number,  and  of  the  simplest 
possible  construction.  It  is  extraordinary, 
by  the  way,  what  misconceptions  exist  on 
this  subject.  With  the  generality  of  persons 
almost  every  club,  axe,  or  spear  is  set^  down  ! 
as  belonging  to  Hew  Zealand,  especially  if 
it  has  any  carving  about  it.  Even  the  best 
public  collections  are.  not  free  from  these 
errors,  and  in  one  of  the  most  celebrated 
collections  of  arms  I discovered  within  five 
minutes  ten  or  twelve  wrong  labels. 


THE  MERAI. 


839 


There  is  now  before  me  an  illustrated 
work  on  savage  manners  and  customs,  in 
which  is  a group  of  hTew  Zealand  arms,” 
containing  thirteen  objects.  Of  these  only 
one  is  a genuine  weapon  of  New  Zealand, 
and  two  others  arc  doubtful.  There  are  two 
Fiji  clubs  (one  of  them  with  a hollow  tubu- 
lar handle!),  one  stone  knife  of  New  Cale- 
donia, two  clubs  of  the  Tonga  Islands,  one 
Maori  chiefs  staff  of  office,  one  New  Zea- 
lander’s carpenter’s  adze,  one  “ poi  ” mallet 
and  one  “ gnatoo  ” mallet  from  Tonga,  and 
two  articles  which  the  draughtsman  may 
have  intended  for  clubs,  but  which  have 
been  transformed  by  the  engraver’s  art  into 
bottle-gourds.  Besides,  there  is  one  non- 
descript article  which  may  be  -a  drum  (and 
therefore  cannot  belong  to  New  Zealand), 
or  it  may  be  a pail,  or  it  may  be  a jar,  and 
another  nondescript  article. 

"VVe  need  not,  however,  wonder  at  these 
trifling  errors  Avhen,  in  the  same  work,  a 
scene  in  a North  American  wigwam  is  de- 
scribed as  a “New  Zealand  christening,” 
and  the  “ Interior  of  a Caffre  hut  ” is  fitted 
with  Abyssinian  arms  and  implements:  the 
men  are  represented  as  wearing  long  two- 
forked  beards  like  those  of  the  Fans,  head- 
dresses like  those  of  Tonga,  and  capes  like 
those  of  Abyssinia;  while  a smooth-haired 
woman,  instead  of  being  dressed  in  Kaffir 
fashion,  is  naked  with  the  exception  of  a 
white  cloth  tied  round  her  hips.  The  hut 
itself  is  a singularly  ingenious  example  of 
perversity  on  the  part  of  the  draughtsman, 
who  has  selected  precisely  those  very  char- 
acteristics which  do  not  belong  to  the  Kaffir 
hut.  In  the  first  place,  the  hut  is  three 
times  too  large,  and  the  walls  are  apparently 
of  clay  — certainly  not  of  the  basket-work 
employed  by  Kaffirs  in  house-building.  The 
floor,  which  in  a Kaffir  hut  is  laid  down 
with  clay,  as  smooth  as  a table  and  hard  as 
concrete,  is  irregular  and  covered  with  grass; 
while,  by  way  of  climax,  the  door  is  high 
enough  to  allow  a man  to  pass  without  stoop- 
ing, and  is  finished  with  a beautiful  arched 
porch  covered  with  creepers. 

With  the  exception  of  one  man,  who  may, 
by  some  stretch  of  imagination,  be  taken 
for  a Hottentot,  neither  the  hut,  its  furni- 
ture, its  inhabitants,  nor  their  weapons,  bear 
the  slightest  similitude  to  those  of  any  part 
of  Southern  Africa.  Such  being  the  case 
with  museums  and  books,  we  need  not  be 
surprised  that  the  popular  ideas  respecting 
the  weapons  and  warfare  of  New  Zealand  are 
very  indefinite. 

Of  course,  at  the  present  day,  the  Maories 
have  practically  discarded  their  ancient 
weapons  in  favor  of  the  rifle,  which  they 
know  well  how  to  use,  retaining  the  aborig- 
inal weapons  more  as  marks  of  rank  than  for 
active  service.  We  have,  however,  nothing 
to  do  with  these  modern  innovations,  and 
will  restrict  ourselves  to  the  weapons  that 
belong  to  the  country. 


The  first  and  most  important  of  these  is 
the  merai,  or  short  club.  This  wea])on  is 
exactly  analogous  to  the  short  sword  used 
by  the  ancient  Homans,  and  in  some  cases 
resembles  it  so  closely  that  if  the  cross-guard 
were  removed  from  the  sword  and  the  l)ladc 
rendered  convex  instead  of  flat,  the  sliapes 
of  the  two  weapons  would  be  almost  exactly 
identical. 

The  material  of  which  these  weapons  are 
made  is  sometimes  wood  and  sometimes 
stone,  but  mostly  bone,  the  latter  material 
being  furnished  by  the  spermaceti  whale. 
The  stone  merai  is  the  most  valued,  on  ac- 
count of  the  difficulty  of  finding  a suitable 
piece  for  the  purpose,  and  of  the  enormous 
time  which  is  consumed  in  cutting  it  to  the 
desired  shape  with  the  very  imperfect  in- 
strument which  the  Maori  possesses.  In 
fact,  a stone  merai  is  lowly  and  laboriously 
ground  into  shape  by  rubbing  it  with  a piece 
of  stone  and  a sort  of  emery  powder. 

Every  merai  has  a hole  drilled  through 
the  end  of  the  handle.  Through  this  hole  is 
passed  a loop  of  plaited  cord,  by  means  of 
which  the  weapon  is  slung  to  the  wrist,  to 
prevent  the  wearer  from  being  disarmed  in 
battle.  Drilling  the  hole  is  a very  slow  pro- 
cess, and  is  done  by  means  of  a wetted  stick 
dipped  in  emery  powder. 

The  finest  merai  of  this  description  that  I 
have  seen  belongs  to  IT.  Christie,  Esq.,  and  is 
remarkable  not  merely  for  its  size,  but  for  the 
regularity  and  beauty  of  its  curves.  The  ma- 
terial is  the  dark,  dull  green  volcanic  stone 
of  which  the  New  Zealanders  make  so  many 
of  their  implements.  It  is  nearly  eighteen 
inches  in  length,  and  rather  more  than  four 
inches  wide  at  the  broadest  part.  There  is  a 
similar  weapon,  nearly  as  large,  in  the  col- 
lection of  the  United  Service  Institution; 
but  the  curves  are  not  so  regular,  nor  is  the 
article  so  handsome. 

One  of  these  weapons  is  in  my  collection. 
It  is  of  equal  beauty  in  shape  with  that 
which  has  been  described,  but  is  not  so  long. 
It  is  rather  more  than  fourteen  inches  in 
length,  and  not  quite  four  inches  wide.  It 
weighs  two  pounds  six  ounces,  and  is  a most 
formidable  weapon,  a blow  from  its  sharp 
edge  being  sufficient  to  crash  through  the 
skull  of  an  ox,  not  to  mention  that  of  a hu- 
man being. 

Every  chief,  however  low  in  rank,  is  sure 
to  have  one  of  these  merais,  of  which  he  is 
very  proud,  and  from  which  he  can  scarcely 
be  induced  to  part.  The  great  chiefs  have 
their  merais  made  of  green  jade,  such  as 
has  already  been  described  when  treating 
of  Maori  ornaments.  These  weapons  are 
handed  down  from  father  to  son,  and  are  so 
highly  valued  by  the  natives  that  it  is  hardly 
possible  to  procure  one,  unless  it  be  cap- 
tured in  battle.  If  a chief  should  die  with- 
out a son  to  whom  his  merai  can  descend, 
the  weapon  is  generally  buried  with  him. 

At  fig.  6,  in  the  “ weapons,”  on  page  841, 


840 


]SnEW  ZEALAND. 


is  seen  one  of  these  green  jade  merais.  The 
shape  is  not  nearly  so  elegant  as  that  of  my 
weapon  which  has  just  been  described.  In- 
deed, with  so  valuable  and  rare  a mineral  as 
this  green  jade,  it  is  not  easy  to  find  a piece 
large  enough  to  be  cut  into  an  ordinarily 
shaped  weapon  and  the  manufacturer  is 
obliged  to  do  his  best  with  the  material  at 
his  command. 

At  fig.  7 is  an  example  of  the  commonest 
kind  of  merai,  that  which  is  made  of  wood. 
As  the  material  of  such  a weapon  is  com- 
paratively valueless,  the  Maories  seem  to 
indemnify  themselves  by  adding  ornament 
to  the  weapon.  For  example,  they  very  sel- 
dom make  the  merai  of  the  same  simple 
shape  as  that  at  fig.  6,  but  give  it  a distinct 
edge  and  back  as  ""at  fig.  7.  In  some  cases 
they  make  it  into  a most  elaborate  piece  of 
native  art,  the  whole  being  so  beautifully 
carved  that  it  looks  more  like  a number  of 
carved  pieces  of  wood  fitted  together  than  a 
weapon  ciit  out  of  one  solid  block. 

A singularly  beautiful  example  of  such  a 
weapon  is  to  be  seen  in  fig.  1 of  the  illustra- 
tion “ Merais,”  on  page  841.  As  the  reader 
may  see  it  is  one  mass  of  carving,  the  design 
being  cut  completely  through  the  wood,  and 
therefore  being  alike  on  both  sides.  The 
back  of  the  merai  is  carved  into  a pattern  of 
singular  beauty  and  boldness,  and  the  edge 
is  armed  with  a row  of  shark’s  teeth,  which 
make  its  blows  very  formidable  when  di- 
rected against  the  naked  bodies  of  the  Maori 
warriors.  The  specimen  from  which  the 
drawing  was  taken  may  be  seen  in  the  col- 
lection of  the  British  Museum. 

The  second  fig.  of  the  illustrations  shows 
a merai  made  of  bone.  The  material  is 
mostly  obtained  from  the  blade  bone  of  the 
spermaceti  whale,  and  in  consequence  the 
weapon  is  said  in  books  of  travel  to  be  made 
of  whalebone,  thus  misleading  the  ordinary 
reader,  who  is  sure  to  understand  “ whale- 
bone ” to  be  the  black  elastic  substance  ob- 
tained from  the  Greenland  whale. 

These  merais  are  extremely  variable  in 
shape.  Some  of  them  are  made  like  the 
stone  weapons,  except  that  they  are  much 
flatter,  and  have  in  consequence  both  edges 
alike.  Sometimes  they  are  studded  with 
knobs  and  cut  into  hollows;  sometimes  carved 
into  patterns,  much  resembling  that  of  the 
wooden  merai,  but  not  so  elaborate.  The 
specimen  which  I have  selected  for  the  illus- 
tration shows  examples  of  the  ornaments 
and  studs. 

I possess  a very  good  merai  which  has 
been  made  from  the  lower  jaw  of  the  sper- 
maceti whale.  This  weapon  is  shown  in 
fig.  4 of  the  same  illustration,  opposite,  and 
close  by  it  is  a section  of  the  jaw  of  the  whale, 
in  order  to  show  the  manner  in  which  it 
is  cut.  This  weapon  measures  seventeen 
inches  in  length  by  three  and  a half  inches 
in  width,  and  weighs  one  pound  nine  ounces. 
In  consequence  of  this  comparative  lightness, 


it  is  a much  more  efficient  weapon  than  the 
stone  merai;  for  the  latter  is  so  heavy  that, 
if  a blow  misses  its  aim,  the  striker  is  unable 
to  recover  the  weapon  in  time  to  guard  him- 
self, or  to  repeat  the  blow,  and  so  lays  him- 
self open  to  the  enemy. 

If  the  reader  will  look  at  the  section  of 
bone,  he  will  see  that  it  is  porous  in  the  cen- 
tre and  hard  and  solid  at*  the  edges.  It  is 
from  the  solid  part  that  the  merai  has  been 
cut,  and  in  consequence  the  weapon  is  very 
flat.  The  numerous  channels  through 
which  pass  the  blood  vessels  that  nourish 
the  bone  are  seen  in  the  section,  and  in  the 
drawing  of  the  merai  one  of  them  is  shown 
traversing  the  weapon  longitudinally.  The 
name  of  the  merai  is  “patu-patu,”  the  hav- 
ing the  same  sound  as  in  flute. 

Many  of  the  natives  have  found  out  that 
the  English  bill-hook  answers  admirably  as 
a merai,  and  can  be  obtained  with  very  little 
trouble.  Great  quantities  of  them  were  at 
one  time  imported  from  Birmingham;  but 
the  rifle  and  bayonet  have  in  latter  days  so 
completely  superseded  all  other  weapons  that 
the  Maories  trouble  themselves  little  about 
the  bill-hook. 

"When  a Maori  fights  with  the  merai,  he 
does  not  merely  strike,  his  usual  movement 
being  to  thrust  sharply  at  the  chin  of  the 
enemy;  and  if  he  succeeds  in  striking  him 
with  the  point,  he  cuts  him  down  with  the 
edge  before  he  can  recover  himself. 

At  fig.  5 of  the  “ Maori  weapons,”  on 
the  next  page,  is  seen  an  axe,  or  toma- 
hawk. This  is  a curious  mixture  of  Euro- 
pean and  Maori  work,  the  blade  being  ob- 
tained from  England,  and  the  handle  made 
and  carved  in  New  Zealand  with  the  usual 
grotesque  patterns  which  a Maori  likes  to  in- 
troduce into  all  objects  connected  with  war- 
fare. The  thigh  bone  of  a slain  enemy  is  a 
favorite  handle  for  such  a tomahawk. 

Before  the  fierce  and  warlike  character  of 
the  New  Zealanders  was  known,  they  took 
several  vessels  by  the  use  of  the  merai.  It 
was  easy  to  suspend  the  short  club  over  the 
shoulder,  where  it  was  hidden  by  the  mat,  so 
that  when  a party  of  natives  came  on  board, 
apparently  unarmed,  having  ostentatiously 
left  their  patus  and  other  weapons  in  their 
canoes,  each  man  was  in  fact  armed  with  the 
weapon  that  he  most  trusted.  The  plan  pur- 
sued was,  that  the  Maories  should  mingle 
freely  with  the  crew,  until  each  man  was 
close  to  one  of  the  sailors.  At  a signal  from 
the  chief,  the  concealed  merai  was  snatched 
from  beneath  the  mat,  and  in  a moment  it 
had  crashed  through  the  head  of  the  selected 
victim. 

Even  after  this  ruse  was  discovered,  the 
ingenious  Maories  contrived  to  get  hold  of 
more  than  one  vessel  under  pretence  of  ex- 
hibiting their  war  dance,  which  in  a moment 
Avas  changed  from  the  mimicry  of  battle  into 
reality,  the  Avarriors  leaping  among  the  spec- 
tators and  dealing  their  bloAvs  right  and  left 


(3.)  MAORI  WEAPONS.  (See  pages  838,  840,  844.) 
(841) 


A CEITICAL  SITUATION 


843 


among  them.  Ship-taking  seems,  indeed,  to 
be  a proceeding  so  dear  to  the  New  Zea- 
lander, that  he  can  scarcely  resist  the  temp- 
tation when  it  is  offered  him.  In  Messrs. 
Tyerman  and  Bennet’s  “Missionary  Voy- 
age ” there  is  an  anecdote  of  an  adventure 
that  befell  them,  which,  but  for  the  timely 
aid  of  a friendly  chief,  would  undoubtedly 
have  had  a tragic  issue. 

The  ship  had  arrived  off  New  Zealand,  and 
while  at  anchor  the  following  events  oc- 
curred:— “This  morning  our  little  vessel 
was  surrounded  with  canoes,  containing  sev- 
eral hundreds  of  the  natives,  of  both  sexes, 
who  presently  climbed  up,  and  crowded  it  so 
much  that  we  were  obliged  to  put  a bar  across 
the  quarter-deck,  and  tabu  it  from  intrusion. 
The  commerce  in  various  articles,  on  both 
sides,  went  on  pretty  well  for  some  time,  till 
one  provoking  circumstance  after  another 
occurred,  which  had  nearly  led  to  the  seizure 
of  the  ship  and  the  loss  of  our  lives. 

“ In  the  confusion  occasioned  by  the  great 
throng  in  so  narrow  a space,  the  natives  began 
to  exercise  their  pilfering  tricks,  opportuni- 
ties for  which  are  seldom  permitted  to  slip 
away  unimproved.  Suddenly  the  cook  cried 
out,  ‘They  have  stolen  this  thing;’  but 
scarcely  had  he  named  the  thing  (some 
kitchen  article),  when  he  called  out  again, 
‘ They  have  stolen  the  beef  out  of  the  pot!’ 
and  then  a third  time,  ‘ They  have  stolen  my 
cooking  pan!  ’ Presently  another  voice 
bawled  out  from  the  forecastle,  ‘ Captain! 
they  have  broken  open  your  trunk,  and  car- 
ried away  your  clothes  ! ’ 

“ Up  to  this  time  we  had  been  in  friendly 
intercourse  with  the  chiefs,  rubbing  noses, 
and  purchasing  their  personal  ornaments 
and  other  curiosities,  suspecting  no  mischief. 
But  now,  in  the  course  of  a few  moments, 
without  our  perceiving  the  immediate  reason, 
the  whole  scene  was  changed.  W e found 
afterward  that  the  captain  (Dibbs),  on  hear- 
ing of  the  audacious  thefts  above  mentioned, 
had  become  angry,  and  while  he  was  endeav- 
oring, rather  boisterously,  to  clear  the  deck 
of  some  of  the  intruders,  one  of  them,  a chief, 
on  being  jostled  by  him,  fell  over  the  ship’s 
side  into  the  sea,  between  his  own  canoe  and 
the  vessel.  This  was  seized  instantaneously 
as  the  pretext  for  commencing  hostilities. 
The  women  and  children  in  the  course  of  a 
few  minutes  had  all  disappeared,  leaping 
overboard  into  their  canoes,  and  taking  with 
them  the  kakaous,  pr  mantles,  of  the  warriors. 
The  latter,  thus  stripped  for  action,  remained 
on  deck;  of  which,  before  we  were  aware, 
they  had  taken  complete  possession;  and 
forthwith  made  us  their  prisoners. 

“ Tremendous  were  the  bawlings  and 
screechings  of  the  barbarians,  while  they 
stamped,  and  brandished  their  weapons,  con- 
sisting principally  of  clubs  and  spears.  One 
chief  with  his  cookies  (his  slaves)  had  sur- 
rounded the  captain,  holding  their  spears  at 
his  breast  and  his  sides,  on  the  larboard  quar- 


ter of  the  vessel.  Mr.  Tyerman,  under  guard 
of  another  band,  stood  on  the  starboard;  and 
Mr.  Bennet  on  the  same  side,  but  aft,  toward 
the  stern.  Mr.  Threlkcld  and  his  little  boy, 
not  seven  years  old,  were  near  Mr.  Bennet 
not  under  direct  manual  grasp  of  the  savages. 
The  chief  who,  with  his  gang,  had  been  traf- 
ficking with  Mr.  Bennet,  now  brought  his 
huge  tattooed  visage  near  to  Mr.  B.’s,  scream- 
ing, in  tones  the  most  odious  and  horrifying: 
‘Tongata,  New  Zealandi,  tongata  kakino? — 
Tongata,  New  Zealandi, tongata  kakino?’ 

“ This  he  repeated  as  rapidly  as  lips, 
tongue,  and  throat  could  utter  the  words, 
which  mean,  ‘ Man  of  New  Zealand,  is  he 
bad  man?  — Man  of  New  Zealand,  a bad 
man?’  Happily  Mr.  Bennet  understood  the 
question  (the  New  Zealand  dialect  much  re- 
sembling the  Tahitian) : whereupon,  though 
convinced  that  inevitable  death  was  at  hand, 
he  answered,  with  as  much  composure  as 
could  be  assumed,  ‘Kaore  kakino  tongata 
New  Zealandi,  tongata  kapai  ’ (‘  Not  bad;  the 
New  Zealander  is  a good  man  ’) ; and  so  often 
as  the  other,  with  indescribable  ferocity  of 
aspect  and  sharpness  of  accent,  asked  the 
same  question  (which  might  be  a hundred 
times),  the  same  answer  was  returned. 

“ ‘ But,’  inquired  Mr.  Bennet,  ‘ why  is  all 
this  uproar?  Why  cannot  we  still  rub  noses, 
and  buy  and  sell,  and  barter,  as  before?’  At 
this  moment  a stout  slave,  belonging  to  the 
chief,  stepped  behind  Mr.  Bennet,  and  pin- 
ioned both  his  arms  close  to  hi's  sides.  No 
effort  was  made  to  resist  or  elude  the  gigan- 
tic grasp,  Mr.  B.  knowing  that  such  would 
only  accelerate  the  threatened  destruction. 
Stiil,  therefore,  he  maintained  his  calmness, 
and  asked  the  chief  the  price  of  a neck  orna- 
ment which  the  latter  wore.  Immediately 
another  slave  raised  a large  tree-felling  axe 
(which,  with  others,  had  been  brought  to  be 
sharpened  by  the  ship’s  company)  over  the 
head  of  the  prisoner.  This  ruffian  looked 
with  demon-like  eagerness  and  impatience 
toward  his  master  for  the  signal  to  strike. 

“ And  here  it  may  be  observed  that  our 
good  countrymen  can  have  no  idea  of  the 
almost  preternatural  fury  which  savages  can 
throw  into  their  distorted  countenances,  and 
infuse  into  their  deafening  and  appalling 
voices,  when  they  are  possessed  by  the 
legion-fiend  of  rage,  cupidity,  and  revenge. 
Mr.  Bennet  persevered  in  keeping  up  con- 
versation with  the  chief,  saying,  ‘We  want 
to  buy  bruaa,  kumera,  ika,  &c.  (hogs,  pota- 
toes, fish),  of  you.’ 

“ Just  then  he  perceived  a youth  stepping 
on  deck  with  a large  fish  in  his  hand.  ‘ What 
shall  I give  you  for  that  fish?’  — ‘ Why,  so 
many  fish-hooks.’  — ‘Well,  then,  put  your 
hand  into  my  pocket  and  take  them.’  The 
fellow  did  so.  ‘ Now  put  the  fish  down  there, 
on  the  binnacle,  and  bring  some  more,  if  you 
have  any,’  said  Mr.  Bennet.  At  once  the 
fish  that  he  had  just  bought  was  brought 
round  from  behind  and  presented  to  him 


844 


KEW  ZEALAND. 


again  for  sale.  He  took  no  notice  of  the 
knavery,  but  demanded,  ‘ What  shall  I give 
you  for  that  tish?’  — ‘ So  many  hooks.’ — ‘ Take 
them.  Have  you  no  other  fish  to  sell?’  A 
third  time  the  same  fish  was  oflered,  and  the 
same  price  in  hooks  required  and  given,  or 
rather  taken,  by  the  vendor,  out  of  his  jacket 
pockets,  which  happened  to  be  well  stored 
with  this  currency  for  traffic.  A fourth  time 
Mr.  Bennet  asked,  ‘ Have  you  never  another 
fish?’  At  this  the  rogues  could  contain  their 
scorn  no  longer,  but  burst  into  laughter,  and 
cried,  ‘We  are  cheating  the  foreigner!’ 
(‘ Tangata  kel ’)  supposing  that  their  cus- 
tomer was  not  av/are  how  often  they  had 
caught  him  with  the  same  bait.” 

By  this  ingenious  plan  of  pretending  to  be 
the  dupe  of  the  Maories,  Mr.  Bennet  con- 
trived to  gain  time,  of  which  he  knew  that 
every  minute  was  of  the  greatest  importance, 
and  at  last  he  was  rewarded  for  his  cour- 
ageous diplomacy  by  the  arrival  of  a boat,  in 
which  was  a friendly  chief,  who  at  once 
cleared  the  ship. 

The  reader  will  observe  that  at  this  time 
the  New  Zealanders  had  not  abandoned  the 
use  of  the  spear  as  a weapon  of  war,  though 
only  twenty  years  afterward  scarcely  a spear 
could  be  found  that  was  not  intended  as  an 
emblem  of  hospitality  instead  of  strife. 

At  fig.  3 of  "‘Weapons”  is  shown  a very 
curious  club,  called  Patu  by  the  natives,  and 
popularly,  but  wrongly,  called  by  sailors  a 
battle-axe.  It  is  about  five  feet  in  length, 
and  has  at  one  end  a fiat,  axe-like  head,  and 
at  the  other  a sharp  point.  One  of  these 
weapons  in  my  possession,  presented  to  me, 
together  with  many  similar  articles,  by  E. 
Bandell,  Esq.,  is  five  feet  one  inch  in  length, 
and  weighs  two  j^ounds  six  ounces,  being 
exactl}^  the  same  weight  as  the  stone  merai 
already  described.  The  rounded  edge  of  the 
axe-like  head  is  very  sharp,  and  certainly 
looks  as  if  it  was  intended  for  the  purpose  of 
inflicting  wounds.  Such,  however,  is  not  the 
case,  the  Maori  using  the  pointed  butt  as  a 
spear  or  pike,  and  striking  with  the  back  of 
the  head  and  not  with  the  edge. 

Through  the  lower  portion  of  the  head  is 
bored  a hole,  to  which  is  suspended  a bunch 
of  feathers  and  streamers.  Sometimes  this 
tuft  is  only  a foot  in  length,  but  is  often 
longer.  In  a specimen  taken  by  Sir  J.  E. 
Alexander  it  is  half  as  long  as  flie  patu  it- 
self. At  first  sight  this  appendage  seems, 
like  the  multitudinous  feathers  which  deco- 
rate a North  American  spear  or  club,  to  be 
merely  an  ornament,  and  to  detract  from, 
rather  than  add  to,  the  efficiency  of  the 
vreapon.  But  the  Maori  warrior  is  far  too 
keen  a soldier  to  sacrifice  use  to  ornament, 
and,  if  he  employs  the  latter,  he  is  sure  to 
take  care  that  the  former  is  not  endangered 
by  it. 

In  the  present  case,  this  apparently  use- 
less appendage  adds  materially  to  the  effec- 
tiveness of  the  weapon.  When  the  warrior, 


armed  with  the  patu,  meets  an  adversary, 
he  does  not  rush  at  him  heedlessly,  but 
fences,  as  it  were,  with  his  weapon,  holding 
it  in  both  hands,  twirling  it  about,  and  flour- 
ishing the  bunch  of  feathers  in  the  face  of 
his  foe  so  as  to  distract  his  attention.  Nei- 
ther does  he  stand  in  the  same  spot,  but 
leaps  here  and  there,  endeavoring  to  take 
the  foe  off  his  guard,  and  making  all  kinds 
of  feints  in  order  to  test  the  adversary’s 
powers.  Should  he  see  the  least  opening, 
the  sharp  point  of  the  butt  is  driven  into 
his  adversary’s  body,  or  a severe  blow  deliv- 
ered with  the  head,  the  stroke  being  gener- 
ally made  upward  and  not  downward,  as 
might  be  imagined. 

Ill  fact,  the  whole  management  of  the 
patu  is  almost  identical  with  that  of  the  old 
quarterslaff  of  England,  a weapon  whose 
use  is  unfortunately  forgotten  at  the  present 
day.  The  bunch  of  feathers  is  not  an  inva- 
riable appendage.  In  my  own  specimen, 
for  example,  it  has  never  been  used,  and  I 
have  seen  many  others  in  which  the  hole 
has  not  been  bored  for  the  insertion  of  the 
string  that  ties  the  feathers  together. 

The  last  weapon  drawn  in  this  illustration 
is  hardly  worthy  of  the  name.  It  is  a dag- 
ger, and  is  shown  at  fig.  4.  At  fig.  2 of  the 
same  illustration  is  seen  an  implement 
which  is  generall}''  mistaken  for  a spear,  and 
is  labelled  as  such  in  many  a collection.  It 
is,  however,  no  spear  at  all,  but  a sceptre,  or 
staff  of  office  belonging  to  a chief.  The 
Maori  name  is  E’Hani.  It  is  shaped  at  the 
butt  like  an  exceedingly  elongated  merai, 
and  indeed  the  entire  implement  looks  as  if 
the  hani  and  the  merai  were  but  difterent 
modifications  of  the  same  weapon. 

Be  this  as  it  may,  the  hani  is  no  spear, 
but  a staff  of  office,  almost  identical  in  form 
with  that  which  was  borne  by  the  ancient 
kings  and  heralds  in  the  times  of  Troy.  At 
the  upper  end  is  seen  the  head,  which  bears 
some  resemblance  to  the  point  of  a spear, 
and  has  given  ground  to  the  notion  that  the 
implement  in  question  is  really  a spear. 
This  portion,  however,  does  not  serve  the 
purpose  of  offence,  but  is  simply  a conven- 
tional representation  of  the  human  tongue, 
which,  when  thrust  forth  to  its  utmost,  con- 
veys, according  to  Maori  ideas,  the  most 
bitter  insult  and  defiance.  IVhen  the  chief 
wishes  to  make  war  against  any  tribe,  he 
calls  his  own  people  together,  makes  a fiery 
oration,  and  repeatedly  thrusts  his  hani  in 
the  direction  of  the  enemy,  each  such  thrust 
being  accepted  as  a putting  forth  of  the 
tongue  in  defiance. 

In  order  to  show  that  the  point  of  the 
hani  is  really  intended  to  represent  the 
human  tongue,  the  remainder  of  it  is  carved 
into  a grotesque  and  far-fetched  resemblance 
of  the  human  face,  the  chief  features  of 
which  are  two  enormous  circular  eyes  made 
of  baliotis  shell. 

Generally,  the  hani  i&  ornamented  with 


THE  IIAKL 


845 


feathers  like  the  patii;  but  many  of  the 
staves  are  without  this  decoration,  which  is 
looked  upon  as  a mere  non-essential.  These 
staves  vary  greatly  in  length.  My  own 
specimen  is  between  live  and  six  feet  in 
length,  and  is  without  the  feather  orna- 
ments, whereas  others  are  not  more  than  a 
yard  in  length,  and  are  decorated  with 
a bunch  of  feathers  as  long  as  themselves. 
The  chiefs  are  nearly  as  tenacious  of  the 
hani  as  the  merai,  and  do  not  seem  to  be 
easy  if  it  be  put  out  of  their  reach.  Some 
years  ago  several  Maori  chiefs  came  to  visit 
Englaiul,  and  were  taken  to  see  the  various 
sights  of  London.  But  whether  they  went 
to  the  theatre,  or  to  the  Zoological  Gardens, 
or  to  make  calls,  they  invariably  took  their 
hanis  with  them,  sometimes  carrying  a 
short  one  for  convenience’  sake,  but  appear- 
ing to  attach  the  greatest  value  to  its  pos- 
session. 

One  of  these  curious  implements  in  my 
collection  is  six  feet  in  length,  and  is  made 
of  the  same  wood  as  the  patu.  If  held 
upright  the  resemblance  of  the  point  to  the 
outsti’etched  tongue  is  not  very  plain;  but 
if  it  be  held  horizontally,  the  effect  is  quite 
altered,  and  the  whole  of  the  tip  is  seen  to 
represent  a human  head  with  the  tongue 
thrust  out  as  far  as  possible  between  the 
lips.  As  the  tongue  is  only  a conventional 
representation,  it  is  covered  with  a pattern, 
a ridge  running  along  the  centre,  and  each 
side  being  marked  with  precisely  similar 
curves  and  semi-spirals. 

In  spite  of  its  length,  it  really  makes  a 
very  convenient  walking-staff,  and,  on  an 
emergency,  might  do  duty  as  a weapon,  the 
tongue-like  tip  being  sharp  enough  to  act 
as  a spear  head,  and  the  flattened  butt  being 
heavy  enough  to  stun  a man  with  a well- 
directed  blow.  My  specimen  does  not  pos- 
sess the  tuft  of  feathers  and  dog’s-hair 
which  decorates  the  hani  shown  in  the 
“ weapons  ” (fig.  2,  p.  841) ; but  this  adorn- 
ment is  not  considered  as  forming  a neces- 
sary part  of  the  implement. 

Before  a party  engage  in  war,  they  think 
themselves  bound  to  join  in  the  war  dance. 
There  are  war  dances  in  almost  all  savage 
tribes,  but  that  of  the  Jlew  Zealander  sur- 
passes them  all.  In  other  cases,  each  war- 
rior gives  himself  up  to  the  excitement  of 
the  moment,  and  shouts,  yells,  dances,  and 
brandishes  his  weapons  as  he  seems  to  think 
fit;  but  the  Maori  warrior’s  dance  is  of  a 
far  different  character,  being  guided  by  a 
discipline  and  precision  of  drill  to  which 
that  of  the  Russians  themselves  is  loose  and 
irregular. 

They  begin  by  smearing  the  whole  of 
their  clothing  and  by  painting  their  faces 
with  scarlet  ochre,  so  as  to  make  themselves 
as  hideous  as  possible.  When  they  assem- 
ble for  the  dance,  they  arrange  themselves 
in  lines,  mostly  three  deep,  and  excite  their 
naturally  passionate  disposition  to  the  high- 


est pitch  by  contorting  their  faces  and 
thrusting  out  their  tongues  as  an  act  of 
defiance,  interspersing  tliese  gestures  with 
shouts,  yells,  and  challenges  to  the  enemy. 
The  dance  itself  begins  with  stamjiing  the 
feet  in  perfect  time  with  each  other,  the 
vigor  of  the  staflip  increasing  continually, 
and  the  excitement  increasing  in  similar 
proportion. 

Suddenly,  with  a yell,  the  whole  body  of 
men  leap  side-ways  into  the  air,  as  if  actu- 
ated by  one  spirit,  and,  as  they  touch  the 
ground,  come  down  on  it  with  a mighty 
stamp  that  makes  the  earth  tremble.  The 
war  song  is  raised,  and  in  accordance  with 
its  rhythm  the  men  leap  from  side  to  side, 
each  time  coming  down  with  a thud  as  of 
some  huge  engine.  The  effect  of  the  dance 
upon  the  performers  is  extraordinary.  It 
seems  to  make  them  for  the  time  absolute 
maniacs,  their  whole  nature  being  given  up 
to  the  furious  excitement  of  the  moment. 
Their  faces  are  frightfully  contorted,  and 
thus  assume  an  absolutely  demoniacal  ex- 
pression. 

Even  when  war  is  not  impending,  the 
magic  influence  of  the  dance  afiects  the  per- 
formers as  strongly  as  if  the}^  were  close  to 
a pah  or  fort  of  the  enemy,  ready  for  battle; 
and  when,  as  is  sometimes  the  case,  the 
Maories  give  a dance  in  honor  of  a visitor, 
they  become  so  furiously  excited  that  they 
are  quite  dangerous  until  they  have  had 
time  to  cool. 

On  one  such  occasion  a party  of  Maories 
who  had  visited  a ship  were  requested  to 
exhibit  their  war  dance,  and  very  good- 
naturedly  did  so.  But  in  a short  time  their 
measured  leaps  became  so  vehement,  and 
their  stamps  so  powerful,  as  they  shouted 
the  martial  rhymes  of  the  war  song,  that 
they  shook  the  whole  ship  as  if  by  blows 
of  a battering-ram;  and  the  commanding 
officer,  fearful  that  they  would  absolutely 
smash  the  deck,  begged  them  to  desist.  His 
entreaties  were  in  vain,  even  if  they  were 
heard,  though  it  is  very  likely  that,  in  their 
furious  excitement,  the  dancers  were  deaf  to 
every  sound  except  the  war  song  which  they 
were  yelling  at  the  top  of  their  voices;  and 
the  dance  proceeded  to  its  end,  and  did  not 
cease  until  the  performers  were  quite  ex- 
hausted by  the  furious  exertions  they  had 
made. 

The  most  ludicrous  part  of  the  dance  was 
the  conduct  of  the  chief.  He  had  been 
treated  with  much  attention,  and  presented 
with  a full  suit  of  naval  uniform,  of  which 
he  was  mightily  proud,  and  in  which  he 
stalked  about  the  deck  to  the  great  admira- 
tion of  his  subjects.  When  he  was  asked 
whether  the  war  dance  could  be  given,  he  at 
once  ordered  his  followers  to  accede  to  the 
request,  and  at  first  stood  quietly  by  while 
they  went  through  the  performance. 

The  influence  of  the  dance  was,  however, 
too  contagious  to  be  resisted,  and  rapidly 


846 


KEW  ZEALAND. 


extended  itself  to  him.  First  he  merely 
swayed  his  body  in  rhythm  with  the  steps 
of  the  dancers,  then  he  joined  sotto  voce  in 
the  song,  then  he  began  to  stamp  in  time 
with  them,  and  at  last  threw  off  all  restraint, 
sprang  into  line,  and  leaped,  yelled,  and 
stamped  as  enthusiasticalty  as  any  of  them, 
splitting  his  new  garments  to  pieces,  and 
presenting  a very  sorry  sight  when  his  ex- 
citement had  died  away. 

The  illustration  opposite  represents  a por- 
tion of  a party  of  warriors  as  they  appear 
when  performing  their  war  dance.  Only 
the  first  three  ranks  of  them  are  seen;  but 
the  reader  must  picture  for  himself  the  long 
lines  of  warriors  stretching  into  the  distance, 
numbering  ofteii  from  one  to  two  hundred. 
The  leading  chief  is  seen  in  front,  with  his 
green  jade  merai  in  his  hand;  and  another 
but  interior  chief  is  stationed  behind  him. 
In  the  background  is  shown  a portion  of  the 
pah  in  which  the  dance  is  taking  place;  a 
chief’s  storehouse  for  food  is  seen  on  the 
right,  and  under  the  shelter  of  the  houses 
are  seated  the  women  who  are  watching  the 
dance. 

I have  already  said  that  war  is  always  in 
the  thoughts  of  a genuine  Maori.  Unlike 
the  vaporing  Fiji  warrior,  who  is  always 
ready  to  boast,  and  seldom  ready  to  fight, 
preferring  to  knock  his  enemy  on  the  head 
when  asleep,  the  Maori  is  a brave  soldier, 
accustomed  from  his  earliest  childhood  to 
deeds  of  war.  A mimic  war  forms  one  of 
the  favorite  games  of  the  Maori  children, 
though  it  is  necessarily  restricted  to  boys. 
Just  as  bo3'S  of  our  country  build  snow  cas- 
tles, and  attack  and  defend  them  with  snow- 
balls, so  do  the  young  New  Zealanders 
build  miniature  forts,  and  enact  on  a small 
scale  the  deeds  of  actual  war,  using  light 
sticks  instead  of  the  merai  and  patu.  They 
make  their  forts  by  erecting  mounds  of 
earth,  and  building  the  fortresses  of  stakes, 
in  exact  imitation  of  the  more  substantial 
architecture  of  the  veritable  pah. 

These  ingenious  pahs  well  exemplify  the 
whole  system  of  Maori  warfare.  The  two 
opposing  parties  seldom  meet  each  other  in 
the  open  ground,  as  is  the  case  with  Euro- 
pean warfare;  neither  do  they  employ  an 
irregular  skirmishing  fight  among  trees  or 
under  cover,  as  is  the  case  with  many  sav- 
age tribes.  The  attacking  party  is  sure  to 
be  very  superior  in  numbers  to  their  foes, 
and  the  latter,  knowing  that  this  will  be  the 
case,  resort  to  the  system  of  fortification, 
and  entrench  themselves  in  forts,  or  pahs. 

These  pahs  are  marvellous  examples  of 
uncivilized  engineering,  and  are  admirably 
adapted  to  the  purpose  which  they  are  in- 
tended to  fulfil.  They  are  always  placed  in 
some  strong  situation,  sometimes  on  the  sea- 
shore, sometimes  on  heights,  and  one  or  two 
of  the  strongest  are  built  on  the  very  edge  of 
a perpendicular  precipice,  so  that  they  can- 
not be  attacked  on  three  sides,  while  the 


fourth  can  only  be  approached  by  a narrow 
and  awkward  path,  aloii"  which  only  a few 
men  can  pass,  and  which  can  be  defended 
by  a comparatively  limited  number  of  the 
besieged.  (See  p.  835.) 

Taking  one  of  these  pahs  is  really  a great 
enterprise  for  the  natives,  and  before  they 
knew  the  use  of  firearms  it  is  wonderful 
that  they  ever  took  a pah  at  all.  Many  of 
them  are  indeed  impregnable,  and,  until 
firearms  were  introduced  into  the  colony, 
could  bid  defiance  to  all  enemies.  They 
were  so  situated  that  by  merely  rolling 
stones  down  the  approach  the  path  could  be 
cleared  of  every  foe.  They  are  surrounded 
with  trenches,  and  have  ingenious  sally- 
ports so  constructed  that  the  defenders  can 
issue  from  unexpected  parts  of  the  fort, 
make  a sudden  attack  on  the  assailants,  and 
retreat  through  the  same  aperture  when 
they  have  attained  their  purpose. 

They  are  fenced  round  with  veiy  strong 
posts,  lashed  together  so  firmly  that  they  are 
able  to  resist  any  ordinary  attack.  Since 
firearms  were  introduced,  the  Maori es  have 
modified  the  structure  of  the  pahs  to  suit 
their  new  weapons,  throwing  out  angles  to 
secure  a flanking  fire,  and  filling  the  interior 
with  trenches  in  which  the  defenders  can 
lie  secure  from  the  fire  of  the  enem3^  Since 
they  learned  the  terrible  power  of  shells,  the 
natives  have  learned  to  construct  “trav- 
erses,” i.  e.  cross- walls,  in  the  trenches, 
which  not  only  guard  the  inmates  from  the 
fragments  of  the  shells,  but  prevent  an  en- 
filading fire  from  doing  much  damage.  Eifle- 
pits  are  also  constructed  with  singular  inge- 
nuity. One  pah  was  remarkable  for  being 
built  over  a number  of  boiling  springs,  which 
were  used  as  traps  for  the  enemy  when  the 
fort  was  besieged. 

The  reader  may  remember  the  unfortu- 
nate business  at  the  Gate  Pah,  at  Tauranga. 
When  taken  by  storm,  the  pah  appeared  to 
be  empty  and  deserted,  the  natives  having 
apparently  escaped,  according  to  their  cus- 
tom, when  they  found  the  place  no  longer 
tenable.  They  had,  however,  laid  a trap, 
into  which  the  assailants  fell.  When  the 
latter  had  scattered  themselves  over  the 
interior,  and  were  quite  off  their  guard, 
picking  up  arms,  utensils,  and  other  objects 
lying  carelessly  about,  a terrific  musketry 
fire  was  opened  from  under  their  very  feet, 
the  natives  having  constructed  pits  in  which 
they  hid  themselves  until  the  enemy  were 
attracted  within  their  range  b}"  the  weapons 
and  implements  which  they  had  laid  on  pur- 
pose to  act  as  a bait.  The  men,  who  were 
entirely  off  their  guard,  and  many  of  whom 
besides  were  but  raw  recruits,  were  struck 
with  a sudden  panic,  and,  with  a few  hon- 
orable exceptions,  rushed  out  of  the  pah,  fol- 
lowed and  cut  up  by  the  fire  of  the  wilj"  foe. 

Of  course  the  repulse  was  but  temporary"; 
but  such  a stratagem  as  this  is  sufficient  to 
show  the  military  genius  of  the  Maori,  who, 


(847) 


THE  CHIEF  E’lIONGI. 


849 


if  he  becomes  an  enemy,  is  one  that  cannot 
be  despised  with  impunity.  This  system  of 
taking  the  enemy  by  surprise  is  the  usual 
mode  of  fighting  among  the  Maories,  who 
display  wonderful  ingenuity  in  contriving 
ambushes,  and  enticing  the  enemy  into 
them.  When  we  were  first  driven  into  war 
with  the  natives  of  I^ew  Zealand,  we  were 
frequently  entrapped  in  an  ambuscade;  and 
in  one  case  the  hidden  enemy  were  so  close 
to  our  men,  their  dusky  forms  being  hidden 
in  the  shadows  of  the  bush,  that  many  of  the 
soldiers  who  escaped  with  life  had  their 
faces  completely  tattooed  with  grains  of 
unburnt  powder  from  the  muskets  of  the 
enemy. 

If  the  assailants  succeed  in  taking  the  pah, 
a terrible  massacre  always  ensues.  Every 
man  is  killed  who  is  capable  of  wielding  a 
weapon,  while  the  women  and  children  are 
carried  off  to  become  the  slaves  of  the  con- 
querors— a doom  from  which,  as  I have 
already  stated,  there  is  no  escape;  the  un- 
fortunate women,  their  children,  and  any 
future  offspring,  being  slaves  without  the 
possibility  of  release,  not  even  their  own 
tribe  being  able,  according  to  Maori  law,  to 
interfere  with  the  right  of  the  captors. 

The  bodies  of  the  warriors  are  of  course 
reserved  to  be  baked  and  eaten.  Sometimes 
even  the  prisoners  fall  victims  to  the  thirst 
for  blood  which  characterizes  these  islanders ; 
and  in  this  respect  the  women  are  as  bad  as 
the  men,  if  not  worse.  For  example,  the 
principal  wife  of  a very  great  chief,  named 
E’Hongi,  was  accustomed,  even  though 
blind,  to  murder  some  of  the  captives,  when 
they  were  brought  home  by  her  formidable 
husband.  Her  own  end  was,  however,  more 
tragic  than  that  of  any  of  her  victims. 
E’Hongi  was  in  the  habit  of  making  long 
excursions  to  different  parts  of  the  country, 
in  which  he  took  his  wife  with  him.  On 
one  of  these  excursions  she  fell  sick,  and 
had  to  be  left  behind.  In  consequence  of 
her  blindness,  added  to  her  debility,  she 
was  unable  to  act  in  her  own  defence,  and  a 
number  of  dogs,  discovering  her  weakness, 
tore  her  to  pieces  and  devoured  her. 

She  seems,  however,  to  have  been  a 
woman  of  unexceptionally  strong  feelings  of 
vengeance.  “ She  had,”  writes  Mr.  Angas, 
“a  little  slave-girl  to  attend  upon  her, 
toward  whom  she  evinced  a strong  attach- 
ment. The  little  creature  was  interesting 
and  good-tempered,  and  her  mistress  was 
apparently  so  fond  of  her  that  she  was 
spared  the  experience  of  the  misery  of 
slavery;  she  was  only  a favorite. 

“ Hongi  returned  from  one  of  his  success- 
ful expeditions  of  war,  but  had  left  a son 
upon  the  field  of  battle,  and  the  lamentation 
was  great.  The  petted  slave-child  laid  her 
head  upon  the  lap  of  her  mistress,  and 
poured  out  her  share  of  the  general  sorrow. 
But  the  spirit  of  vengeance  or  of  insane 
retribution  came  over  the  heart  of  the  be- 


reaved mother;  and  she  carried  the  child  to 
the  water,  and  cruelly  suffocated  her  in  sat- 
isfaction of  her  selfish  sorrow.” 

It  was  not  long  after  this  incident  that 
she  met  with  her  death.  When  she  was 
left  behind,  a small  shed  was  erected  on 
poles,  according  to  native  custom,  and  a 
supply  of  food  was  placed  near  her.  When 
the  party  returned  the  shed  was  lying  pros- 
trate, and  among  its  ruins  were  the  whitened 
bones  of  the  inmate.  It  is  supposed  that  the 
wind  blew  down  the  shed,  and  so  enabled 
the  dogs  to  reach  her. 

This  same  E’Hongi  was  a really  remark- 
able man,  and  earned  a great  name  for  wis- 
dom and  courage.  Having  made  a voyage 
to  England,  he  threw  all  his  energies  into 
strengthening  his  military  power,  and  took 
back  with  him  a quantity  of  muskets  and 
ammunition. 

He  came  back  to  his  own  country  ex- 
actly at  the  proper  time.  A long  and 
somewhat  desultory  war  had  been  going 
on  between  the  Waikatos  and  other  tribes, 
in  which  the  former  had,  after  many  vicissi- 
tudes, been  victorious,  and,  after  finally  con- 
quering their  enemies,  had  returned  to  their 
country  in  triumph. 

Just  then  E’  Hongi  came  back  to  his  own 
tribe,  the  Nga  Puis,  distributed  his  fire- 
arms among  the  best  warriors,  and  when  he 
had  instructed  them  in  the  use  of  the  new 
and  terrible  weapons,  entered  the  Waikato 
country,  and  attacked  their  great  pah  called 
Matuketuke.  The  Waikatos,  having  only 
their  clubs,  and  not  having  sunk  the  trenches 
which  in  these  da}^s  are  dug  in  every  pah 
that  is  intended  to  resist  an  assault,  could 
not  contend  against  firearms,  and  in  a few 
minutes  the  fort  was  taken.  It  was  in  this 
engagement  that  Horomona  and  Te  Whero- 
Whero  were  captured. 

The  slaughter  on  this  occasion  was  terri- 
ble, two  thousand  warriors  being  killed,  and 
their  bodies  eaten  by  the  victorious  tribe, 
who  built  vast  numbers  of  ovens  for  the 
special  purpose  of  cooking  the  bodies  of  the 
slain.  For  many  years  afterward  the  re- 
mains of  the  ovens,  and  the  whitened  bones 
of  the  two  thousand  warriors,  might  be  seen 
as  tokens  of  the  terrible  scene,  where  feasts 
were  kept  up  until  all  the  bodies  had  been 
consumed,  and  every  evil  passion  of  unre- 
strained human  nature  was  allowed  to  have 
its  full  sway. 

One  of  the  very  muskets  which  were  used 
on  this  occasion,  and  which  was  given  by 
George  lY.  to  E’  Hongi  when  he  visited 
England,  is  now  in  the  collection  of  Colonel 
Sir.  J.  E.  Alexander.  It  is  one  of  the  regu- 
lar “ Brown  Bess  ” weapons,  once  so  dear 
to  soldiers,  and  now  irreverently  termed  a 
gaspipe. 

Prisoners  without  number  were  captured 
on  this  occasion;  and  indeed  the  supply  of 
slaves  thus  obtained  so  far  exceeded  the  de- 
mand for  them,  that  the  Nga  Puis  killed 


KEAY  2EALAKD. 


many  of  them  on  their  journey  home, 
merely  to  rid  themselves  of  them.  E’  Ilongi, 
though  known  to  be  a man  of  the  most  de- 
termined courage,  not  to  say  ferocity,  when 
engaged  in  war,  and  rather  disposed  to  be- 
have in  an  overbearing  manner  toward 
those  whom  he  considered  as  his  inferiors, 
was  at  the  same  time  peculiarly  mild  and 
courteous  in  his  demeanor  to  his  equals, 
and  toward  strangers  was  remarkable  for 
his  gentle  courtesy. 

There  was  another  very  celebra,ted  chief 
of  a somewhat  similar  name,  Hongi-Hongi, 
who  has  sometimes  been  confounded  with 
his  great  predecessor.  One  feat  of  this 
warrior  is  so  characteristic  that  it  deserves 
mention.  He  was  leading  an  attack  on  a 
pah  near  Mount  Egmont,  captured  it,  and, 
according  to  custom,  killed  the  warriors, 
and  took  the  rest  of  the  inmates  as  his 
slaves.  Sixty  of  these  unfortunate  beings 
fell  to  the  share  of  Ilongi,  who  drove  them 
like  a flock  of  sheep,  with  his  green  jade 
merai,  all  the  way  to  his  home,  a distance 
of  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles. 

This  chief  was  proof  against  the  mission- 
aries of  all  kinds.  Mr.  Angas  once  asked 
him  whether  he  was  a mihanari^  i.  e.  a Pro- 
testant convert,  or  a pikopo^  i.  e.  a Eoman 
Catholic.  Ilongi  denied  that  he  was  either 
one  or  the  other,  and  confessed  with  glee 
that  he  was  a rerera,  or  devil,  i.  e.  that  he 
still  remained  a heathen. 

It  is  very  unfortunate  that  intolerance  in 
religious  matters  has  been  fostered  by  those 
who  ought  to  have  made  it  their  business  to 
repress  any  such  feeling.  The  consequence 
is,  that  the  Protestant  converts  regard  their 
Eoman  Catholic  brethren  as  reveras,  or 
devils,  while  the  latter  have  allied  them- 
selves with  their  acknowledged  heathen 
countrymen;  and  thus,  under  the  pretence 
of  religion,  the  customary  feuds  are  kept 
up  with  perhaps  even  additional  bitterness. 

I have  the  pleasure  of  presenting  to  the 
reader,  on  the  820th  page,  a portrait  of 
Ilongi-IIongi,  as  he  appeared  in  the  year 
1844,  dressed  in  his  full  panoply  of  war 
costume.  This,  of  course,  would  be  doffed 
before  he  went  into  actual  fight.  In  his 
ear  is  one  of  the  green  jade  ornaments 
which  have  already  been  described,  and  in 
his  right  hand  he  bears  his  merai, ’the  cele- 
brated weapon  with  which  he  drove  the 
slaves  before  him.  He  is  represented  as 
standing  just  inside  the  wall  of  his  pah, 
a position  which  he  insisted  on  taking 
up,  and  having  his  portrait  drawn  to 
send  to  the  Queen  of  England.  In  fact,  he 
was  so  decided  on  this  point,  that  he  refused 
to  let  Mr.  Angas  leave  the  pah  until  the  por- 
trait was  completed.  The  portion  of  the 
pah  which  is  shown  in  the  illustration  gives 
a good  idea  of  this  kind  of  fortification,  the 
enormous  posts  with  their  circular  tops 
being  sunk  deeply  into  the  ground,  and 
smaller  posts  placed  between  them;  a hor- 


izontal pole  is  laid  across  them;  and  the 
whole  is  firmly  lashed  together,  either  with 
the  ordinary  phormium  rope,  or  with  the 
stem  of  the  wild  vine. 

Warfare  among  the  Maories,  fierce  and 
relentless  as  it  may  be  in  some  particulars, 
is  not  devoid  of  a sort  of  chivalry  which 
somewhat  relieves  it  from  its  more  ferocious 
aspect.  There  is,  for  example,  a well-known 
code  of  military  etiquette  which  is  some- 
times exhibited  in  a mode  that  to  us  seems 
rather  ludicrous. 

Eor  example,  the  Waikatos  and  Taranaki 
tribes  were  at  war  as  usual,  and  the  Waikato 
were  besieging  a pah  belonging  to  their 
enemies.  The  pah,  however,  was  too  strong 
for  them;  and  moreover  the  defenders  had 
contrived  to  get  hold  of  several  guns  be- 
longing to  a vessel  that  had  been  wrecked 
on  the  shore,  and  had  induced  some  Euro- 
peans to  mount  and  work  them,  whichhhey 
did  with  such  success  that  the  Waikatos 
were  forced  at  last  to  abandon  the  siege. 

But,  in  the  very  midst  of  the  contest,  a 
vessel  appeared  in  the  offing,  and  a truce 
was  immediately  concluded  in  order  to  allow 
both  parties  to  trade.  Accordingly,  both 
the  besiegers  and  besieged  set  off  amicably 
to  the  vessel,  and,  having  completed  their 
bargains,  returned  to  resume  their  hostili- 
ties. A very  amusing  scene  then  occurred. 
The  Taranakis,  who  were  the  besieged 
party,  had  much  the  best  of  the  trading, 
as  they  possessed  a large  quantity  of  dressed 
flax,  or  phormium,  and  exchanged  it  for  a 
quantity  of  tobacco. 

How  tobacco  is  one  of  the  greatest  luxu- 
ries that  a Hew  Zealander  can  possess;  and 
unfortunately  for  the  besieging  Waikatos, 
they  had  no  tobacco.  They  had,  however, 
a plentiful  supply  of  muskets,  which  they 
had  taken  in  an  attack  upon  another  pah, 
while  the  besieged  were  very  short  of  arms. 

So  they  struck  up  a trade,  the  Waikatos 
being  so  inordinately  desirous  of  obtaining 
tobacco,  that  they  gave  in  return  fire-arms 
which  were  to  be  turned  against  themselves. 

“ The  scene,”  writes  Mr.  Angas,  “ as  de- 
scribed by  an  eye-witness,  must  have  been 
most  ludicrous."  The  Waikato  thrust  his 
musket  half-way  through  the  palisades  of 
the  pah,  retaining,  however,  a firm  hold  of 
his  property  until  the  intending  purchaser 
from  within  thrust  out  in  a sinular  manner 
the  quantity  of  tobacco  he  was  willing  to 
give;  neither  party  relinquishing  his  hold 
of  the  property  about  to  change  hands  until 
he  had  secured  a firm  grasp  of  that  offered 
by  his  adversary.” 

The  chief  who  led  the  Waikatos  on  this 
occasion  was  the  celebrated  Wireniu  Hera, 
or  William  Taylor;  the  former  name  being 
the  nearest  approach  that  the  Maories  can  , 
make  to  the  proper  pronunciation.  His  | 
Maori  name  was  Te  Awaitaia,  and  he  was  . 
widely  celebrated  for  his  dauntless  courage  | 
and  his  generalship  in  conducting  or  resist-  i 


LAW  OF  KETALIATION. 


851 


iiig  an  attack.  Being  closely  allied  with 
the  famous  chief  Te  Whero-Whero  (or  Po- 
tatau),  he  was  engaged  in  nearly  all  the 
combats  between  the  Waikatos  and  the 
Taranakis.  On  one  of  his  warlike  expedi- 
tions he  took  a pah  containing  nearly  eigh- 
teen hundred  inhabitants,  and,  of  course, 
killed  nearly  all  of  them,  and  carried  the 
survivors  as  slaves  into  the  Waikato  dis- 
trict. 

Latterly,  he  embraced  Christianity,  and 
became  as  zealous  in  the  cause  of  peace  as 
he  had  been  in  that  of  war.  When  he 
became  a Christian,  Te  Whero-Whero  was 
so  well  aware  of  his  value  as  a warrior,  that 
he  exclaimed  to  those  who  brought  him  the 
news,  “ I have  lost  my  right  arm!  ” 

Although  repulsed  on  this  occasion  by 
the  three  guns  taken  from  the  wrecked  ship, 
the  Waikatos  were  not  discouraged,  and 
made  a second  attack.  The  Taranakis,  how- 
ever, had  seen  too  much  of  Waikato  cour- 
age to  risk  a second  siege,  and  so  quietly 
made  otf,  some  two  thousand  iii  number, 
accompanied  by  the  Europeans  who  had 
served  the  guns  for  them.  The  latter  very 
rightly  spiked  the  guns  when  they  left  the 
pah,  so  that  when  the  Waikatos  came  again 
and  took  the  pah,  they  found  it  deserted, 
and  the  guns  useless  to  the  captors. 

The  Taranakis  lived  in  deadly  fear  of  the 
powerful  and  warlike  Waikatos,  and,  but  for 
the  love  which  they  felt  toward  their  native 
country,  would  have  tied,  and  left  the  con- 
querors to  take  quiet  possession.  They  were 
even  obliged  to  have  their  plantations  in 
the  bush,  where  none  but  the  owner  could 
find  them;  for  they  feared,  and  with  reason, 
that  if  their  dreaded  enemies  could  discover 
the  sources  whence  their  provisions  were 
obtained,  they  would  destroy  the  whole 
plantation,  and  leave  their  victims  to  starve. 
They  were  in  such  a state  of  nervous  alarm 
about  a suspected  invasion  by  their  power- 
ful neighbors,  that  on  one  occasion,  when  a 
fire  was  seen  in  the  distance,  every  one  took 
it  for  granted  to  be  a fire  lighted  by  the 
Waikatos,  and  in  consequence  every  one 
kept  awake  all  night,  ready  to  give  the 
alarm  at  the  first  unwonted  sight  or  sound.^ 

Among  the  New  Zealanders  is  a custom 


of  retaliation  which  is  found  with  but  little 
variation  in  many  parts  of  the  world.  If 
blood  has  been  shed,  the  friends  of  the  dead 
man  issue  from  the  pah,  with  the  determi- 
nation of  killing  the  first  person  whom  they 
may  happen  to  meet.  Should  he  belong  to 
an  inimical  tribe,  so  much  the  better;  should 
he  belong  to  the  same  tribe,  so  much  the 
worse;  for  in  either  case  he  is  killed.  On 
such  an  occasion  one  of  the  avengers  would 
be  bound  to  kill  his  own  brother,  should  he 
happen  to  be  the  first  man  who  came  in  the 
way  of  the  party. 

Such  an  exercise  of  vengeance  is  rather 
an  inconvenient  one  to  those  who  are 
engaged  in  it;  for  they  are  forbidden  the 
use  of  their  ordinary  comforts,  they  may 
not  eat  any  food  except  that  which  is  indig- 
enous to  New  Zealand,  and,  above  all,  they 
are  not  allowed  to  smoke.  When,  therefore 
they  have  been  unable  to  find  any  human 
being  whom  they  can  sacrifice,  the  aid  of 
the  priest,  or  tohunga,  is  called  in.  He 
pulls  up  a tuft  of  grass,  and,  after  repeating 
one  of  the  many  incantations  wdiich  abound 
in  New  Zealand  lore,  and  of  which  neither 
the  hearers  nor  the  reciter  understand  one 
word  in  ten,  he  throws  the  grass  into  the 
nearest  stream,  in  token  that  the  avengers 
are  released  from  their  vow.  Blood,  how- 
ever, must  still  be  shed;  but  after  this  cere- 
mony has  been  performed,  the  blood  ot  any 
living  thing,  even  though  it  be  a bird,  is 
held  "sufficient  to  satisfy  the  traditional  cus- 
tom of  the  Maori  race. 

Elaborate  rites  closely  allied  with  this 
ceremony  are  employed  both  before  and 
after  battle;  but,  as  they  belong  rather  to 
the  subject  of  religion  than  of  war,  Ave  Avill 
postpone  them  for  the  present. 

As  the  New  Zealanders  know  that  it  is  a 
point  of  military  honor  combined  with  per- 
sonal gratification  to  eat  the  bodies  of  slain 
enemies,  they  are  equally  desirous  of  secur- 
ing the  bodies  of  their  foes  and  of  carrying 
off  those  who  have  fallen  on  their  OAvn  side; 
and  in  many  instances  the  anxiety  to  save 
those  Avho  have  fallen  has  caused  others  to 
share  the  same  fate  while  attempting  to 
carry  off  their  dead  or  wounded  comrades. 


CHAPTER  LXXXIV, 


NEW  ZEALAND  — Continued. 


CANOES. 


THE  CANOE,  ITS  USES  IN  PEACE  AND  WAR  — THE  COMMON  TRADING  CANOE  — SKILL  OF  THE  BOAT- 

MEN—-THE  LARGE  WAR  CANOES,  AND  MODE  OF  BUILDING  THEM  — DECORATIONS  OF  THE  CANOES 
— SKILFUL  CARVINGS  — THE  THEORY  OF  THE  VARIOUS  PATTERNS — NAMES  OF  CANOES  — MANAGE- 
MENT OF  THE  SAIL — CANOE  SONGS  — A COMPLETE  BOAT-LOAD  — MODE  OF  LANDING  — SHAPE  OF 
THE  PADDLES,  AND  MODE  OF  USING  THEM  — CARVING  TOOLS  — SUPPOSED  COMPASSES. 


War  is  carried  on  quite  as  much  by  water 
as  by  land,  and  a chief  who  knows  the  prin- 
ciples of  good  generalship  always  uses  the 
sea  as  well  as  the  land  to  serve  as  a basis 
for  his  attack.  For  this  reason  the  Maories 
take  care  to  build  their  pahs  in  spots  where 
they  are  well  defended  from  attack  both  on 
the  seaward  and  the  landward  side.  Some 
of  them  are  on  the  very  verge  of  high- 
water  mark,  while  others  are  perched  on 
the  tops  of  cliffs,  the  base  of  which  is 
washed  by  the  waves. 

One  of  the  most  picturesque  of  these  is  a 
pah  situate  near  Mount  Egmont,  and  known 
by  the  name  of  the  Waimate  Pah.  There 
is  a cliff  that  rises  perpendicularly  some  four 
or  five  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
water  which  laves  its  foot,  and  on  the  very 
summit  of  this  cliff  is  situated  the  pah  in 
question.  It  is  of  considerable  size,  con- 
taining many  houses  and  is  fortified  with 
the  usual  wooden  fence.  In  order  to  render 
it  as  nearly  as  possible  impregnable,  the 
only  approach  is  by  a very  narrow  and  very 
steep  path,  that  cannot  be  ascended  except 
by  people  who  have  strong  heads,  the  path 
being  so  narrow,  so  steep,  and  so  dangerous 
that  two  men  could  defend  it  against  fifty. 

In  his  warlike  expeditions  E’Hongi  made 
great  use  of  his  canoes,  taking  them  inland 
as  far  as  they  would  go,  and  then  having 
them  dragged  over  land  to  the  next  river. 

These  canoes  play  so  important  a part  in 
the  life  of  a New  Zealander,  whether  in 
war  or  peace,  that  they  require  a detailed 
description.  The  canoes  are  of  several 
kinds,  according  to  the  work  which  they 
have  to  perform.  The  simplest  form  of  the 
New  Zealander’s  canoe  is  little  more  than  a 


trunk  of  a tree  hollowed  into  a sort  of 
trough.  Being  incapable  of  withstanding 
rough  weather,  this  canoe  is  only  used  upon 
rivers.  Some  of  these  canoes,  which  are 
called  by  the  name  of  kaupapas^  are  from 
forty  to  fifty  feet  in  length,  and  in  the  widest 
part  not  exceeding  a yard  in  “beam.”  A 
plentiful  supply  of  fern  leaves  is  laid  at  the 
bottom  of  the  canoe,  and  upon  these  the 
passengers  recline.  Canoes  of  a similar 
character,  called  tiwai^  are  used  in  the 
inland  lakes,  and  sit  so  low  in  the  water 
that  they  appear  to  have  no  gunwale. 

Owing  to  their  w^ant  of  beam,  these  canoes 
are  as  easily  upset  as  the  slight  skiffs  in 
which  races  are  rowed  on  English  rivers. 
The  agile  Maori,  accustomed  from  child- 
hood to  balance  himself  in  these  crank  ves- 
sels, traverses  them  with  ease  and  security, 
but  an  European  generally  upsets  four  or  five 
canoes  before  he  learns  how  to  enter  or 
leave  them  properly.  The  natives  manage 
these  canoes  with  wonderful  skill,  and,  appa- 
rently regardless  of  the  risk  of  capsizing 
the  canoe,  dash  their  paddles  into  the  'water 
with  furious  energy,  driving  up  spray  on  all 
sides,  and  making  the  canoe  and  its  rowers 
look  at  a distance  like  some  gigantic  centi- 
pede dashing  through  the  'water. 

The  vessels,  ho'wever,  of  which  the  Mao- 
ries are  most  fond,  and  on  wdiich  they  ex- 
pend the  most  labor,  are  the  large  canoes  in 
which  the  warriors  embark  when  on  a cam- 
paign. Those  canoes  are  made  from  the  cow- 
rie pine  (the  same  tree  wdiich  furnishes  the 
aromatic  gum  already  mentioned) ; and  the 
tree  being  a very  large  one,  the  natives  are 
able  to  make  their  canoes  of  considerable 
size.  Some  of  these  canoes  are  up'ward  of 


THE  WAR  CANOE. 


853 


eighty  feet  in  length  and  in  consequence  are 
able  to  carry  a great  number  of  warriors. 

They  are  built  in  rather  an  elaborate 
manner.  First  the  trough-like  vessel  is 
formed  from  the  tree  trunk;  and  if  it  were 
left  in  that  state,  it  would  be  simply  a very 
large  kaupapa.  As,  however,  it  is  intended 
for  sea  voyages,  and  may  have  to  endure 
rough  weather;  it  is  much  wider  in  propor- 
tion than  the  boat  which  is  only  used  on 
rivers,  and  is,  moreover,  rendered  more  sea- 
worthy by  gunwales.  These  are  made  sep- 
arately, and  are  lashed  firmly  to  the  sides  of 
the  boat  by  the  ordinary  flax  ropes. 

Both  the  head  and  stern  of  the  canoe  are 
decorated  with  carving,  exactly  similar  in 
character  to  the  specimens  of  native  art 
which  have  already  been  described.  They 
are  pierced  with  the  most  elaborate  patterns, 
which  have  as  their  basis  the  contour  of  the 
human  countenance  and  the  semi-spiral 
curve.  Perhaps  a single  canoe  head  will 
have  fifty  or  sixty  human  faces  on  it,  each 
with  the  tongue  protruded,  with  the  cheeks 
an  1 forehead  covered  with  tattooed  lines,  and 
with  a pair  of  goggle  eyes  made  of  the  halio- 
tis  shell.  The  mode  which  a native  adopts 
when  carving  these  elaborate  patterns  is  as 
follows: 

After  shaping  out  the  general  form  of  the 
article  to  be  carved,  he  fixes  on  some  part 
which  he  thinks  will  be  suitable  for  the 
purpose,  and  carves  a human  head  upon  it. 
When  this  is  completed,  he  pitches  upon  a 
second  spot  at  some  distance  from  the  first, 
and  carves  another  head,  proceeding  in  this 
way  until  he  has  carved  as  many  heads  as 
he  thinks  the  pattern  will  require. 

He  next  furnishes  the  heads  with  bodies 
and  limbs,  which  are  always  represented  in 
a very  squat  and  ungainly  manner,  and  fills 
in  the  vacant  spaces  with  the  beautiful 
curved  lines  which  he  loves  so  well  to  draw 
and  carve.  The  minute  elaboration  of  some 
of  these  war  canoes  is  so  intricate  that  it 
baffles  all  power  of  description,  and  nothing 
but  a well  executed  photograph  could  give  a 
correct  idea  of  the  beauty  of  the  workman- 
ship. It  is  a marvellous  example  of  the  de- 
velopment of  art  under  difficulties.  It  is 
quite  unique  in  its  character,  so  that  no  one 
who  is  acquainted  with  the  subject  can  for  a 
moment  mistake  a piece  of  New  Zealand 
caiwing  for  that  of  any  other  country. 

Besides  carving  the  canoes,  the  Maori 
paints  them  with  vermilion  in  token  of  their 
warlike  object,  and  decorates  them  pro- 
fusely with  bunches  of  feathers  and  dog’s 
hair,  just  like  the  tufts  which  are  attached 
to  the  patu.  When  the  canoes  are  not 
wanted,  they  are  drawn  up  on  shore,  and  are 
thatched  in  order  to  save  them  from  the 
weather. 

Like  more  civilized  nations,  the  New  Zea- 
landers give  names  to  their  canoes,  and 
seem  to  delight  in  selecting  the  most  sono- 
rous titles  that  they  can  invent.  For  ex- 


ample, one  canoe  is  called  Maratuhai,  i.  e. 
Devouring  Fire;  and  others  have  names 
that  coincide  almost  exactly  with  our  In- 
vincibles,  Terribles,  Thunderers,  and  the 
like. 

These  boats  are  furnished  with  a very  re- 
markable sail  made  of  the  raupo  rush.  It  is 
small  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  vessel, 
is  triangular  in  shape,  and  is  so  arranged  that 
it  can  be  raised  or  lowered  almost  in  a mo- 
ment. Thc}^  are  better  sailors  than  would  be 
imagined  from  their  appearance,  and  run 
wonderfully  close  to  the  wind. 

Sometimes  from  fifty  to  sixty  men  paddle 
in  one  of  these  war  canoes,  singing  songs  in 
time  to  the  stroke,  and  guided  both  in  song 
and  stroke  by  a conductor  who  stands  in  the 
middle  of  the  canoe,  prompting  the  words  of 
the  song,  and  beating  time  for  the  paddlers 
with  a staff  which  he  holds  in  his  hand. 
Owing  to  the  power  of  the  water  in  reflecting 
sound,  the  measured  chant  of  the  paddle- 
song  can  be  heard  on  a river  long  before  the 
canoe  comes  in  sight. 

Mr.  Angas  gives  an  interesting  account 
of  a journey  in  a Maori  canoe.  After  men- 
tioning that  the  vessel  was  so  deeply  laden 
that  its  sides  were  not  more  than  two  inches 
above  the  water,  he  proceeds  as  follows: 
‘‘ The  paddles  were  plied  with  great  spirit; 
the  exertions  of  the  natives  being  stimiilatecl 
by  the  animated  shouting  song  kept  up  in- 
cessantly by  the  one  or  other  of  the  party. 
At  length  the  splashing  was  so  violent  that 
we  became  nearly  drenched,  and  on  request- 
ing the  Maori  before  us  to  throw  less  water 
in  our  faces,  he  replied  with  a proverb  com- 
mon among  them,  that  ‘No  one  is  dry  who 
travels  with  the  Waikatos,’  meaning  that  the 
people  of  this  tribe  excel  all  others  in  the 
speed  and  dexterity  with  which  they  man- 
age their  canoes. 

“ Our  natives  were  in  excellent  spirits. 
They  had  been  on  a long  journey  to  Auck- 
land, where  they  had  seen  the  2^cikeha  (white 
man,  or  stranger)  in  his  settlement,  and 
had  witnessed  many  sights  of  civilization 
to  which  they  were  previously  strangers. 
They  had  also  purchased  articles  of  Euro- 
pean manufacture,  and  longing  to  return 
home  to  the  peaceful  banks  of  the  Waipa, 
to  present  them  to  their  friends  as  tokens 
of  their  regard.  Their  wild,  deafening 
songs,  with  their  heads  all  undulating  at 
every  stroke,  the  contortions  of  their  eyes,* 
and  their  bare,  tawny  shoulders,  finely  de- 
veloping their  muscles  as  they  all  dashed 
their  paddles  simultaneously  into  the  water, 
rendered  the  scene  at  once  novel  and  ani- 
mating. 

‘‘The  canoe  songs  are  generally  impro- 
vised, and  frequently  have  reference  to  pass- 
ing objects.  Such  ejaculations  as  the  fol- 
lowing were  uttered  by  our  companions  at 
the  higest  pitch  of  their  voices,  ‘ Pull  away! 
Pull  away!  Pull  away!  ’ ‘ Dig  into  the 
water!’  ‘Break  your  backs,’  &c.  From 


854 


KEW  ZEALA^^-D. 


the  prow  of  one  of  the  canoes  a native  flute 
sounded  plaintively.  This  is  a very  rude 
and  imperfect  instrument,  and  they  do  not 
l)lay  it  with  any  degree  of  skill,  it  having 
only  two  or  three  notes.”  The  flute  in  ques- 
tion is  that  which  is  made  of  human  bone, 
and  has  been  described  on  a previous  page. 
It  is  played  by  placing  the  orifice  against 
one  nostril,  and  stopping  the  other  with  the 
finger. 

When  the  natives  proceed  on  a journey  in 
their  canoes,  they  are  so  sure  of  their  own 
skill  and  management  that  they  overload 
them  to  a degree  which  would  cause  an  im- 
mediate capsize  in  most  countries.  One 
chief,  named  Wirihona,  who  was  travelling 
with  his  family,  afibrded  a curious  example 
of  overloading  a boat  with  impunity.  The 
canoe  was  delicate  and  frail,  and  in  the  bow 
sat  a little  boy  with  a small  fire  kept  be- 
tween two  pieces  of  bark.  In  the  fore  part 
of  the  canoe,  where  it  was  narrow,  sat  the 
younger  children,  the  adult  members  of  the 
family  1)eing  placed  in  the  middle,  where  the 
boat  was  widest.  Toward  the  stern  came 
another  batch  of  young  children,  and  on  the 
stern,  which  projects  over  the  water,  sat 
Wirihona  himself^,  steering  the  vessel  with 
his  paddle. 

The  canoe  in  which  were  Mr.  Angas  and 
his  companions  was,  as  the  reader  may  rec- 
ollect, so  laden  that  her  gunwale  barely  rose 
two  inches  a.bove  the  surface.  As  long  as 
they  were  paddling  along  the  narrower  and 
more  sheltered  parts  of  the  river,  all  went 
smocthly  enough,  though  the  deeply-laden 
state  of  the  crank  boat  gave  cause  for  uneasi- 
ness. At  last,  however,  they  came  to  some 
wide  and  open  reaches  exposed  to  the  wind, 
and  liad,  moreover,  to  cross  the  current  di- 
agonall}a 

“The  wind  blew  violently,  and  meeting 
the  current,  caused  an  unpleasant  sea  in  the 
middle  channel  of  the  river.  Our  heavily- 
laden  canoe  was  not  fitted  to  encounter  any- 
thing beyond  still  water;  and,  as  our  natives 
related  to  eacli  otlier  where  this  and  that 
canoe  were  upset,  they  dashed  their  paddles 
into  the  Avater  with  all  their  energy,  and 
our  bark  Avas  soon  in  the  midst  of  the  ter- 
rible current.  We  Avere  every  moment  in 
imminent  danger  of  being  swamped;  the 
water  rushed  in  on  both  sides;  and  nothing 
but  the  extreme  SAviftness  Avith  Avhich  Ave 
glided  through  the  current  prevented  us  from 
filling. 

“ As  the  canoe  dashed  against  the  oppo- 
site shore,  our  natives  gave  a loud  shout  and 
commenced  bailing  out  the  water,  Avhich  Ave 
had  shipped  in  great  quantities,  with  a tatau 
or  scoop.  We  noAv  looked  anxiously  toAAnrd 
the  second  canoe,  and  Avatched  them  liter- 
ally pulling  for  their  lives,  splashing  and 
dashing  Avith  the  utmost  vehemence.  The 
frail  bark  appeared  almost  SAA'alloAved  up  by 
the  angry  stream,  but  she  glided  securely 
through  it,  and  the  drenched  chief  and  his 


family  repeated  the  sound  of  welcome  to  the 
opposite  shore,  as  their  canoe  also  dashed  in 
safety  against  its  banks.” 

The  paddles  Avith  Avhich  the  Maories  pro- 
pel their  canoes  are  curious-looking  imple- 
ments, and  are  so  formed  that  they  Avill 
answer  almost  equally  well  as  paddles  or 
weapons.  Indeed,  it  is  not  unlikely  that 
their  peculiar  shape  Avas  given  to  them  for 
this  very  reason.  In  the  illustration  No.  1, 
on  page  881,  are  seen  two  examples  of  the 
NeAv  Zealand  paddle,  both  being  draAvnfrom 
specimens  in  my  collection,  and  being  useful 
as  shoAving  the  tyjAical  form  of  the  imple- 
ment. 

They  are  rather  more  than  five  feet  in 
length,  and  have  very  long  blades  AA'hich  are 
leal-shaped  and  sharply  pointed  at  the  tips, 
so  that  a thrust  from  one  of  these  paddles 
Avould  be  quite  as  dangerous  as  if  it  Avere 
made  Avith  the  butt  of  the  patu.  The  blade, 
too,  is  sharp  at  the  edges,  and,  being  made  of 
rather  heavy  wood,  is  capable  of  splitting  a 
man’s  skull  as  effectually  as  if  it  had  been 
the  short  merai. 

In  one  of  these  paddles  the  handle  is 
curved  in  a peculiar  manner,  AA’hile  in  the 
other  it  is  straight,  and  forms  a continuation 
of  the  blade.  The  former  of  these  imple- 
ments is  quite  j^lain,  and  eA’en  at  the  end  of 
the  handle  there  is  no  carving,  Avhile  the 
latter  is  liberally  adorned  Avith  patterns  both 
on  the  blade  and  handle,  and  at  their  junc- 
tion there  is  the  inevitable  hnman  figure 
Avith  the  protruding  tongue,  the  goggle  eyes, 
and  the  generally  aggressive  expression  that 
characterizes  all  such  figures.  None  of  the 
Ncav  Zealand  paddles  are  adorned  Avith  the 
minute  and  elaborate  carving  Avhich  is  found 
upon  the  paddles  of  several  of  the  Polynesian 
islands.  The  carving  of  the  Ncav  Zea- 
landers is  of  a far  difierent  and  much  bolder 
character ; and,  instead  of  covering  his  pad- 
dle Avith  small  patterns  repeated  some  hun- 
dreds of  times,  the  Maori  carves  nothing 
but  bold,  SAveeping  curves  and  imitations  of 
the  human  face. 

As  far  as  is  knoAvn,  the  Maori  carver 
makes  no  use  of  measuring  tools,  doing  all 
his  Avork  by  the  eye  alone.  He  does  not 
even  use  compasses  in  describing  his  circles; 
and  in  consequence,  AA'henever  he  carves,  as 
is  often  the  case,  a number  of  concentric  cir- 
cles on  a rafter  or  beam,  tire  circles  are  quite 
undeserving  of  the  name,  and  ahvays  tend 
rather  to  an  irregular  OA'al  form. 

There  is  in  my  collection  a remarkable 
instrument,  presented  to  me  by  C.  Heaton, 
Esq.  It  bears  a label  Avith  the  folloAving 
inscription,  “A  Ncav  Zealand  Compass,  by 
AA'hich  the  natives  turn  the  volute  in  their 
carving.”  In  shape  it  resembles  one  half 
of  a parenthesis  — 'n,  nnd  is  ai  med  at  each 
point  Avith  a shark’s  tooth,  Avhich  is  inserted 
into  a groove,  and  then  lashed  firmly  Avith  a 
cord  passing  through  holes  bored  in  the 
tooth  and  through  the  semicircular  handle. 


SUPPOSED  COMPASSES. 


855 


It  is  made  of  the  same  wood  as  the  paddle. 
Having,  as  I have  already  stated,  abundant 
reason  to  distrust  the  accuracy  of  labels, 
and  thinking  that  the  curves  of  Hew  Zea- 
land carving  did  not  possess  the  regularity 
which  would  accompany  them  had  they 
been  sketched  out  by  an  instrument,  I 
showed  the  tool  to  several  observant  travel- 
lers who  have  spent  much  time  in  Hew  Zea- 
land, and  asked  them  if  they  recognized  it. 
Hone  of  them  had  seen  the  implement.  Mr. 
Christie,  who  gave  much  attention  to  the 
manufactures  of  Hew  Zealand,  knew  nothing 
about  it,  and  Mr.  Angas,  who  visited  the 
island  for  the  express  purpose  of  collecting 
information  respecting  the  Maories,  and  to 
whose  pen  I am  indebted  for  nearly  all  the 
illustrations  of  the  life  and  manners  of  the 
Hew  Zealanders,  had  never  seen  or  heard  of 
such  a tool.  I possess  many  specimens  of 


Hew  Zealand  carving,  and  have  seen  many 
others,  together  with  a great  number  of 
photographs,  and  in  no  case  have  I noticed 
a single  circle  or  portion  of  a circle  that  was 
regular  enough  to  have  been  drawn  by  the 
aid  of  compasses. 

I even  doubt  whether  this  article  was 
made  in  Hew  Zealand  at  all,  and  am  inclined 
to  think  that  it  belongs  to  the  Tonga  or  the 
Kjngsmill  Islands.  As  to  its  use,  I have  no 
opinion. 

In  propelling  these  canoes,  the  Hew  Zea- 
lander holds  his  paddle  in  both  hands,  and 
always  keeps  it  on  the  same  side  of  the  ves- 
sel, being  balanced  by  a companion  on  the 
other- side.  He  employs  no  rowlock,  but 
uses  one  hand  as  a fulcrum  near  the  blade, 
while  the  other  holds  the  handle  nearer 
the  tip.  The  boat  is  steered  by  means  of  a 
large  paddle  in  the  stern. 


42 


CHAPTER  LXXXV, 


NEW  ZEALAND — Continued. 


RELIGION. 


THE  GOOD  AND  EVIL  INFLXJENCES  — THE  LIZARD  ATUAS — ALARM  OF  THE  CHIEF — MAORI  PRAITERS  — 
DIFFICULTY  IN  TRANSLATING  THEM — THE  SACRED  LANGUAGE — THE  TOHUNGAS,  OR  PRIESTS  — 
BELIEF  IN  THE  FUTURE  STATE  — THE  SACRED  BRANCH  — THE  MALEVOLENT  SPIRITS  — HAUNTED 
MOUNTAINS  — THE  TIKIS,  OR  SUPPOSED  IDOLS  OF  THE  MAORIES  — SOME  GIGANTIC  WOODEN 
THCIS- BELIEF  IN  WITCHCRAFT  — FATE  OF  A WITCH  — COUNTRY  OF  THE  WIZARDS  — INCANTA- 
TION OVER  THE  SICK  — MAORI  ANATOMISTS. 


We  now  come  to  the  religion  of  the  Maories. 
This  is  a curious  mixture  of  simplicity  and 
elaboration,  having  the  usual  superstitions 
common  to  all  savage  tribes,  and  being 
complicated  with  the  remarkable  system  of 
“ tapu,”  or  “ taboo,”  as  the  word  is  some- 
times spelt. 

Of  real  religion  they  have  no  idea,  and,  so 
far  as  is  known,  even  their  superstitions 
lack  that  infusion  of  sublimity  which  dis- 
tinguishes the  religious  system  of  many 
savage  nations.  They  have  a sort  of  indefi- 
nite l3elief  in  a good  and  evil  influence ; the 
former  going  by  the  generic  name  of  Atua, 
and  the  latter  of  Wairua.  Now,  Atua  is  a 
word  that  has  a peculiar  significance  of  its 
own.  It  may  signify  the  Divine  Essence, 
or  it  may  be  applied  to  any  object  which  is 
considered  as  a visible  representative  of  that 
essence. 

Thus,  if  a Maori  wishes  to  speak  of  God, 
he  would  use  the  word  Atua.  Eut  he  would 
equally  apply  it  to  a lizard,  a bird,  a sun-ray, 
or  a cloud.  There  is  one  species  of  lizard, 
of  a lovely  green  color,  called  by  the  natives 
kakariki,  which  is  held  in  the  greatest  ven- 
eration as  a living  representative  of  divinity, 
and  is  in  consequence  always  dreaded  as  an 
atua.  The  belief  whicli  the  natives  hold  on 
this  subject  is  well  shown  by  an  anecdote 
told  by  Mr.  Angas. 

“ The  following  incident  will  show  hov/ 
deeply  the  belief  in  wdtchcraft  and  the  sup- 
posed influence  of  the  atuas  obtains  among 
those  who  are  still  heathens.  The  mission- 
ary was  shown  some  small  green  lizards 
preserved  in  a phial  of  spirits,  Muriwenua 


and  another  man  being  in  the  room.  We 
forgot  at  the  moment  that  the  little  crea- 
tures in  the  phial  were  atuas,  or  gods, 
according  to  the  superstitious . belief  of 
Maori  polytheism,  and  inadvertently  showed 
them  to  the  man  at  the  table. 

“ No  sooner  did  he  perceive  the  atuas  than 
his  Herculean  frame  shrank  back  as  from  a 
mortal  wound,  and  his  face  displayed  signs 
of  extreme  horror.  The  old  chief,  on  dis- 
covering the  cause,  cried  out,  ‘I  shall  die! 
I shall  die!’  and  crawled  away  on  his  hands 
and  knees;  while  the  other  man  stood  as  a 
defence  between  the  chief  and  the  atuas, 
changing  his  position  so  as  to  form  a kind  of 
shield,  till  Muriwenua  was  out  of  the  influ- 
ence of  their  supposed  power.  It  was  a 
dangerous  mistake  to  exhibit  these  atuas,  for 
the  chief  is  very  old,  and  in  the  course  of  na- 
ture cannot  live  long,  and,  if  he  dies  shortly, 
his  death  will  certainly  be  ascribed  to  the 
baneful  sight  of  the  lizard  gods,  and  I shall 
be  accused  of  rnakutu  or  witchcraft.”  In 
connection  with  this  superstition/ibout  the 
lizard,  the  same  traveller  mentions  a curious 
notion  which  prevails  regarding  a spider. 

“ On  the  beach  of  the  west  coast  is  found 
a small,  black,  and  very  venomous  spider, 
called  katipo  by  the  natives.  Its  bite  is  ex- 
ceedingly painful,  and  even  dangerous,  and 
the  natives  think  that  if  the  katipo  bites  n 
man  and  escapes,  the  man  will  die.  Eut  if 
he  contrives  to  catch  the  spider,  and  makes 
a circle  of  fire  round  it  so  that  it  perishes  in 
the  flames,  then  the  man  recovers  as  the 
spider  dies.” 

The  extent  to  which  the  imagination  of 


MAORI  PRAYERS. 


857 


the  natives  is  excited  by  their  fear  of  witch- 
craft is  scarcely  credible.  There  was  one 
woman  named  Eko,  who  was  the  most  cel- 
ebrated witch  of  the  Waikato  district.  She 
exercised  extraordinary  influence  over  the 
minds  of  the  people,  who  looked  upon  her  as 
a superior  being.  On  one  occasion,  when 
angry  with  a man,  she  told  him  that  she  had 
taken  out  his  heart.  The  man  entirely  be- 
lieved her,  and  died  from  sheer  terror. 

Objects  which  they  cannot  understand  are 
often  considered  by  the  Maories  as  atuas. 
Thus  a compass  is  an  atua,  because  it  points 
in  one  direction,  and  directs  the  traveller  by 
its  invisible  power.  A barometer  is  an  atua, 
because  it  foretells  the  weather.  A watch  is 
an  atua,  on  account  of  the  perpetual  ticking 
and  moving  of  the  hands.  Fire-arms  used  to 
be  atuas  until  they  came  into  common  use, 
and  lost  the  mystery  which  was  at  first  at- 
tached to  them. 

Yet  the  Maori  never  addresses  his  prayers 
to  any  of  these  visible  objects,  but  always  to 
the  invisible  Atua  of  whom  these  are  but  the 
representatives.  The  prayers  are  almost 
entirely  made  by  the  priests  or  tohungas, 
and  are  a set  form  of  words  known  only  to 
the  priests  and  those  whom  they  instruct. 
The  meaning  of  the  prayers  is  often  uncer- 
tain, owing  to  the  obsolete  words  which 
are  profusely  employed  in  them,  and  of 
which,  indeed,  the  prayer  almost  entirely 
consists.  Prayers,  or  incantations,  as  they 
may  perhaps  be  called  with  more  precision, 
are  made  on  almost  every  occasion  of  life, 
however  trivial,  and  whether  the  Maori 
desires  safety  in  a battle,  a favorable  wind 
when  on  the  water,  success  in  a campaign, 
or  good  luck  in  fishing,  the  tohunga  is  called 
upon  to  repeat  the  appropriate  prayer. 
Many  of  these  prayers  or  incantations  have 
been  preserved  by  Dr.  Dieffenbach  and 
others.  One  of  these  prayers,  which  can  be 
more  correctly  translated  than  many  of  them, 
is  uttered  at  the  -offering  of  a pigeon.  It  is 
designated  as  “ A prayer  that  the  pigeon  may 
be  pure,  that  it  may  be  very  fat:  when  the 
fire  burns,  the  prayer  is  said.” 

‘‘  When  it  is  lighted,  when  it  is  lighted,  the 
sacred  fire,  O Tiki!  When  it  burns  on  the 
sacred  morning,  O give,  O give,  O Tiki,  the 
fat.  It  burns  for  thee  the  fiit  of  the  pigeon; 
for  thee  the  fat  of  the  owl;  for  thee  the  fat  of 
the  parrot;  for  thee  the  fat  of  the  flycatcher; 
for  thee  the  fat  of  the  thrush.  A water  of 
eels;  where  is  its  spring?  Its  spring  is  in 
heaven;  sprinkle,  give,  be  it  poured  out.” 

Offerings  of  food  are  common  rites  of 
Maori  native  worship,  and  offerings  are  made 
of  both  vegetable  and  animal  food.  It  is 
much  to  be  regretted  that  very  many  of  the 
ancient  religious  rites  of  the  jSTew  Zealanders 
have  perished,  and  that  they  have  been  en- 
tirely forgotten  by  the  present  generation. 
Such  a loss  as  this  can  never  be  replaced, 
and  the  fact  that  it  has  occurred  ought  to 
make  us  the  more  careful  in  rescuing  from 


speedy  oblivion  the  expiring  ^religious  cus- 
toms of  other  uncivilized  nations. 

Prayers,  such  as  have  been  mentioned, 
are  handed  down  by  the  tohungas  or  priests 
from  father  to  son,  and  the  youths  undergo 
a long  course  of  instruction  before  th(;y  can 
take  rank  among  the  priests.  Dr.  Dicflen- 
bach  was  once  fortunate  enough  to  witness 
a portion  of  this  instruction.  “ I was  present 
at  one  of  the  lessons.  An  old  priest  was 
sitting  under  a tree,  and  at  his  feet  wms  a 
boy,  his  relative,  who  listened  attentively 
to  the  repetition  of  certain  words,  which 
seemed  to  have  no  meaning,  but  which  it 
must  have  required  a good  memory  to  retain 
in  their  due  order.  At  the  old  tohunga’s 
side  was  part  of  a man’s  skull  filled  with' 
water.  Into  this  from  time  to  time  he  dipped 
a green  branch,  which  he  moved  over  the 
boy’s  head.  At  my  approach  the  old  man 
smiled,  as  if  to  say,  ‘ See  how  clever  I am,’ 
and  continued  his  abracadabra. 

“ I have  been  assured  by  the  missionaries 
that  many  of  these  prayers  have  no  meaning; 
but  this  I am  greatly  inclined  to  doubt.  The 
words  of  the  prayers  are  perhaps  the  remains 
of  a language  now  forgotten;  or,  what  is  more 
probable,  we  find  here  what  has  existed 
among  most  of  the  nations  of  antiquity,  even 
the  most  civilized,  viz:  that  religious  mys- 
teries were  confined  to  a certain  class  of 
men,  who  kept  them  concealed  from  the  pro- 
fanum  vulgus,  or  communicated  only  such 
portions  of  them  as  they  thought  fit. 

“They  often  had  a sacred  symbolic  lan- 
guage, the  knowledge  of  which  was  confined 
to  the  priesthood,  as,  for  instance,  the 
Eg}q3tian  hieroglyphics  and  the  Sanscrit;  or, 
if  we  look  nearer  home,  we  find  the  religion 
of  Thor,  Odin,  and  Freya  enveloped  in  a 
poetical  mythos,  which  has  for  its  foundation 
deep  and  grand  philosophical  conceptions  of 
morals  and  ethics.” 

It  is  a rather  curious  fact  that,  contrary  to 
the  usual  custom  of  heathen  priests,  the 
tohungas  did  not  oppose  the  Christian  mis- 
sionaries, but  were  among  the  first  to  receive 
the  new  religion.  Some  of  them  seem  to 
have  received,  it  too  hastily  and  without 
suflicient  knowledge  of  its  principles,  as  we 
see  from  the  miserable  travesty  of  Chris- 
tianity which  has  sprung  up  of  late  years 
among  the  Maories,  and  which  is  in  Yew 
Zealand  what  the  system  of  Taeping  is  in 
China. 

The  priests  are,  as  a rule,  the  most  expert 
artists  and  woodcarvers  in  the  country;  so 
that  the  word  “ tohunga”  is  often  applied  by 
the  natives  to  a man  who  is  skilful  in  any 
art,  no  matter  whether  he  be  a priest  or  not. 

The  illustration  Yo.  1,  on  the  860th  page, 
is  a portrait  of  a very  celebrated  tohunga, 
taken  by  Mr.  Angas  in  1844.  His  name  was 
Te  Ohu.  The  portrait  was  obtained  during 
a great  meeting  of  chiefs  at  Ahuahu.  Te 
Ohu  distinguished  himself  greatly  on  this 
occasion,  running  about  after  the  fashion  of 


858 


NEW  ZEALAND. 


Maori  orators,  shaking  his  long  and  grizzled 
locks  from  side  to  side,  stamping  furiously 
on  the  ground,  and  uttering  his  speech  in  a 
singularly  deep  and  sonorous  voice. 

In  the  background  of  the  sketch  may  be 
seen  two  remarkable  articles.  The  one, 
which  is  the  half  of  a canoe,  stuck  upright  in 
the  ground,  marks  the  grave  of  a deceased 
chief;  and  the  other  is  a pole,  on  which  are 
hung  a calabash  of  water  and  a basket  of  food, 
with  which  the  spirit  of  the  dead  can  refresh 
himself  when  he  returns  to  visit  the  scene  of 
his  lifetime.  Sometimes  a dish  of  cooked 
pigeons  is  added;  and  in  one  case  a model  of 
a canoe,  with  its  sail  and  paddles,  was  placed 
on  the  tomb,  as  a conveyance  for  the  soul  of 
the  departed  when  he  wished  to  cross  the 
waters  which  lead  to  the  eternal  abodes  of 
the  spirit. 

Concerning  the  state  of  the  spirit  after 
the  death  of  the  body  the  Maories  seem  to 
have  very  vague  ideas.  The  sum  of  their 
notions  on  this  subject  is  as  follows:  — They 
believe  that  the  spirit  of  man  is  immortal, 
and  that  when  it  leaves  the  body  it  goes  to 
the  Keinga,  or  place  of  departed  spirits. 
Shooting  and  falling  stars  are  thought  to  be 
the  souls  of  men  going  to  this  place.  The 
entrance  to  the  Reinga  is  down  the  face  of 
a rocky  clitf  at  Cape  Maria  Van  Diemen. 
Lest  the  spirit  should  hurt  itself  by  falling 
down  this  precipice,  there  is  a very  old  tree 
which  grows  there,  on  which  the  spirits  break 
their  fall.  One  particular  branch  was  pointed 
out  as  being  the  portion  of  the  tree  on  which 
the  spirits  alighted. 

One  of  the  missionaries  cut  off  this  branch, 
and  in  consequence  the  natives  do  not  re- 
gard it  with  quite  so  much  awe  as  they  did 
in  former  days.  Still  Dr.  Dieffenbach  re- 
marks that,  when  he  visited  the  islands,  they 
held  the  spot  in  great  veneration,  and  not 
even  the  Christian  natives  would  go  near  it. 

All  spirits  do  not  enter  the  Reinga  in  the 
same  manner,  those  of  chiefs  ascending  first 
the  upper  heavens,  where  they  leave  the 
left  eye,  which  becomes  a new  star.  For 
this  reason,  if  a chief  is  killed  in  war,  his 
left  eye  is  eaten  by  the  chief  of  the  victori- 
ous party,  who  thinks  that  he  has  thus  in- 
corporated into  his  own  being  the  courage, 
skill,  and  wisdom  of  the  dead  man. 

Spirits  are  not  considered  as  imprisoned 
in  the  Reinga,  but  are  able  to  leave  it  when 
they  please,  and  to  return  to  the  scene  of 
their  former  life.  They  can  also  hold  con- 
verse with  their  friends  and  relatives,  but 
only  through  the  tohungas.  Sometimes,  but 
very  rarely,  the  tohunga  sees  the  spirit;  and 
even  then  it  is  only  visible  as  a sunbeam  or 
a shadow.  The  voice  of  the  spirit  is  a sort 
of  low  whistling  sound,  like  a slight  breeze, 
and  is  sometimes  heard  by  others  beside  the 
tohunga.  He,  however,  is  the  only  one  who 
can  understand  the  mysterious  voice  and 
can  interpret  the  wishes  of  the  dead  to  the 
living. 


As  to  the  life  led  by  departed  spirits,  the 
Maories  seem  to  have  no  idea;  neither  do 
they  seem  to  care.  They  have  a notion  that 
in  Reinga  the  kumeras,  or  sweet  potatoes, 
abound;  but  beyond  that  tradition  they  ap- 
pear to  know  nothing. 

As  to  the  malevolent  spirits,  or  wairuas, 
the  same  cloudy  indefiniteness  of  ideas 
seems  to  prevail.  The  word  wairua  signi- 
fies either  the  soul  or  a dream,  and  is  mostly 
used  to  signify  the  spirit  of  some  deceased 
person  who  desires  to  act  malevolently 
toward  the  living.  Such  spirits  are  sup- 
posed to  haunt  certain  spots,  which  are 
in  consequence  avoided  by  the  New  Zea- 
lander. Mountains  are  especial  objects  of 
his  veneration,  and  those  which  are  lofty 
enough  to  have  their  tops  covered  with 
perpetual  snow  are  specially  feared.  He 
fancies  that  they  are  inhabited  by  strange 
and  monstrous  animals,  that  fierce  birds  of 
huge  size  sit  continually  on  their  v’hitened 
tops,  and  that  every  breeze  which  blows 
from  them  is  the  voice  of  the  spirit  which 
haunts  it. 

In  consequence  of  these  superstitions,  the 
natives  can  no  more  be  induced  to  ascend 
one  of  these  mountains  than  to  approach  a 
burial  ground.  They  have  a curious  legend 
about  the  Tongariro  and  Mount  Egmont, 
saying  that  they  were  originally  brother 
and  sister,  and  lived  together,  but  that  they 
afterward  quarrelled  and  separated.  There 
is  another  strange  legend  of  a spot  near 
Mount  Egmont.  Owing  to  the  nature  of 
the  ground,  a strong  chemical  action  is  con- 
stantly taking  place,  which  gives  out  great 
quantities  of  sulphuretted  hydrogen  gas. 
The  natives  say  that  in  former  days  an  Atua 
was  drowned  near  the  spot,  and  that  ever 
since  that  time  his  body  has  been  decompos- 
ing. 

As  to  the  idols  of  the  New  Zealanders,  it 
is  very  doubtful  whether  they  ever  existed. 
There  are,  it  is  true,  man^'  representations 
of  the  human  form,  which  are  popularly 
supposed  to  be  idols.  It  was  formerly  sup- 
posed that  the  green  jade  ornaments,  called 
“ tikis,”  which  are  worn  suspended  from  the 
neck,  were  idols;  but  it  is  now  known  that 
they  are  merely  ornaments,  deriving  their 
sole  value  from  being  handed  down  from 
one  generation  to  another. 

Three  examples  of  the  so-called  i'dols  are 
here  given.  One  of  them  is  remarkable  for 
its  gigantic  proportions  and  curious  shape. 
It  is  about  sixteen  feet  in  height,  and  in- 
stead of  consisting  of  a single  human  figure, 
as  is  usually  the  case,  the  enormous  block  of 
wood  is  carved  into  the  semblance  of  two 
figures,  one  above  the  other.  This  arrange- 
ment is  not  uncommon  in  New  Zealand, and 
is  found  also  in  lYestern  Africa.  I possess 
a walking  staff  of  both  countries,  which  are 
composed  of  several  human  figures,  each 
upon  the  other’s  head.  The  New  Zealand 
staff  will  be  presently  described  and  figured. 


|S  » 


svv-k^ 


(860) 


BELIEF  m WITCIICKAFT. 


861 


This  gigantic  tiki  stands,  together  with 
several  others,  near  the  tomb  of  the  daugh- 
ter of  Te  Whero-Whero,  and,  like  the  monu- 
ment which  it  seems  as  it  were  to  guard,  is 
one  of  the  finest  examples  of  native  carving 
to  be  found  in  I^'ew  Zealand.  The  precise 
object  of  the  tiki  is  uncertain;  but  the  pro- 
II  truding  tongue  of  the  upper  figure  seems  to 
show  that  it  is  one  of  the  numerous  defiant 
statues  which  abound  in  the  islands.  The 
. natives  say  that  the  lower  figure  represents 
Maui,  the"^  Atua  who,  according  to  Maori 
tradition,  fished  up  the  islands  from  the 
bottom  of  the  sea. 

As  may  be  seen  in  the  illustration  I^o.  2, 
on  the  preceding  page,  nearly  the  whole  of 
both  figures  is  carved  with  most  elaborate 
I curved  patterns,  which  descend  over  the 
■ arms,  and  adorn  those  parts  of  the  statue 
' which  do  duty  for  hips.  A portion  of  the 
I paling  of  Karoera  Pah  is  seen  in  the  back- 
ground, and  around  the  tiki  grow  many 
plants  of  the  phormium,  or  Kew  Zealand 
flax. 

iSTear  this  wonderful  and  mysterious  piece 
of  carving  stand  several  others,  all  of  the 
j ordinary  type.  Two  such  tikis  are  shown  in 
' the  illustration  IS'o.  3,  opposite,  drawn  from 
• sketches  taken  at  Whakapokoko.  Although 
not  quite  so  large  as  the  double  tiki  of 
Raroera,  they  are  of  very  great  size,  as  may 
be  seen  by  contrasting  them  with  the  figure 
of  the  woman  who  is  standing  by  one  of 
them. 

The  firmest  belief  in  Avitchcraft  prevails  in 
New  Zealand,  though  not  to  such  an  extent 
as  in  many  parts  of  Africa.  In  cases  of  ill- 
ness for  which  no  ordinary  cause  can  be  dis- 
covered, especially  if  the  patient  be  of  high 
rank,  “makuta,”  or  witchcraft,  is  always 
suspected.  If  a chief,  for  example,  fancies 
that  he  has  been  bewitched,  he  thinks  over 
the  names  of  those  who  are  likely  to  have  a 
spite  against  him,  and  pitches  upon  some 
unfortunate  individual,  who  is  thereby 
doomed  to  death.  One  curious  example 
of  such  a murder  is  related  by  Mr.  Angas. 

He  met  a party  of  natives,  who  told 
him  that  a woman,  a relation  of  the  chief 
Ngawaka,  had  been  shot  by  another  chief, 
who  suspected  that  she  had  bewitched  his 
son.  The  young  man  had  been  taken  ill, 
and,  though  the  woman  in  question  did  her 
best  to  cure  him,  he  died.  His  father  took 
it  into  his  head  that  she  had  killed  him  by 
her  incantations,  and,  after  loading  his  mus- 
ket with  a stick,  shot  her  through  the  body. 
As,  however,  she  was  the  relation  of  Nga- 
waka,  it  was  expected  that  the  chief  would 
demand  compensation  for  her  death,  and 
that  the  murderer  would  have  to  pay  a very 
heavy  sum.  This  sort  of  compensation  is 
called  “taua.” 

There  are  several  modes  of  witchcraft; 
but  that  which  is  most  practised  is  per- 
formed by  digging  a hole  in  the  ground  and 
invoking  the  spirit  of  the  person  who  is  to 


be  bewitched.  After  the  incantations  arc 
said,  the  invoked  spirit  appears  above  the 
hole  like  a flickering  light,  and  is  then  sol- 
emnly cursed  by  the  witch.  Sometimes, 
instead  of  digging  a hole,  the  witch  goes 
by  night  to  the  river  bank,  and  there  in- 
vokes the  spirit,  who  appears  as  a flame  of 
fire  on  the  opposite  bank. 

Dr.  Diefienbach  gives  rather  a curious 
account  of  a district  named  Urewera,  which 
is  supposed  to  be  the  special  abode  of  Avitches. 
It  is  situated  in  the  northern  island,  between 
Taupo  and  Hawkes’  Bay,  and  consists  of 
steep  and  barren  hills.  The  inhabitants  of 
this  district  are  feAV  and  scattered,  and  have 
the  reputation  of  being  the  greatest  Avitches 
in  the  country. 

“ They  are  much  feared,  and  have  little 
connection  Avith  the  neighboring  tribes,  avIio 
avoid  them,  if  possible.  If  they  come  to 
the  coast,  the  natives  there  scarcely  venture 
to  refuse  them  anything,  for  fear  of  incur- 
ring their  displeasure.  They  are  said  to 
use  the  saliva  of  the  people  whom  they 
intend  to  bewitch,  and  visitors  carefully 
conceal  it,  to  give  them  no  opportunity  of 
working  them  evil.  Like  our  Avitches  and 
sorcerers  of  old,  they  appear  to  be  a A’^ery 
harmless  people,  and  but  little  mixed  up 
Avith  the  quarrels  of  their  neighbors. 

“ It  is  a curious  fact  that  many  of  the  old 
settlers  in  the  country  have  become  com- 
plete converts  to  the  belief  in  these  super- 
natural powers.  Witchcraft  has  been  the 
cause  of  many  murders:  a few  days  before 
I arrived  at  Aotea,  on  the  western  coast, 
three  had  been  committed,  in  consequence 
of  people  declaring  on  their  deathbeds  that 
they  had  been  bewitched 

“ It  is  another  curious  fact,  which  has 
been  noticed  in  Tahiti,  Hawaii,  and  the 
islands  inhabited  by  the  great  Polynesian 
race,  that  their  first  intercourse  with  Euro- 
peans produces  civil  wars  and  social  degra- 
dation, but  that  a change  of  ideas  is  quickly 
introduced,  and  that  the  most  ancient  and 
deeply-rooted  prejudices  soon  become  a sub- 
ject of  ridicule  to  the  natives,  and  are  abol- 
ished at  once.  The  grey  priest,  or  tohunga, 
deeply  versed  in  all  the  mysteries  of  Avitch- 
craft  and  native  medical  treatment,  gives 
Avay  in  his  attendance  on  the  sick  to  every 
European  who  pretends  to  a knowledge  of 
the  science  of  surgery  or  medicine,  and  de- 
rides the  former  credulity  of  his  patient. 

“ If  a chief  or  his  Avife  fall  sick,  the  most 
influential  tohunga,  or  a woman  Avho  has 
the  odor  of  sanctity,  attends,  and  continues 
day  and  night  Avith  the  patient,  sometimes 
repeating  incantations  over  him,  and  some- 
times sitting  before  the  house  and  praying. 
The  following  is  an  incantation  Avhich  is 
said  by  the  priest  as  a cure  for  headache. 
He  pulls  out  tAvo  stalks  of  the  Pteris  escu- 
lenta^  from  which  the  fibres  of  the  root 
must  be  removed,  and,  beating  them  to- 
gether over  the  head  of  the  patient,  says 


862 


NEW  ZEALAND. 


this  chant.”  — The  chant  in  question  is  as 
unintelligible  as  those  which  have  already 
been  mentioned.  Its  title  is  “ A prayer  for 
the  dead  (i.  e.  the  sick  man)  when  his  head 
aches:  to  Atiia  this  prayer  is  prayed,  that 
he,  the  sick  man,  may  become  well.” 

When  a chief,  is  ill,  his  relations  assemble 
near  the  house  and  all  weep  bitterly,  the 
])atient  taking  his  part  in  the  general  sor- 
rowing; and  when  all  the  weeping  and 
mourning  has  been  got  out  of  one  village, 
the  patient  is  often  carried  to  another, 
where  the  whole  business  is  gone  over 
again.  Should  the  sick  person  be  of  an 
inferior  class,  he  goes  off  to  the  bush,  and 
remains  there  until  he  is  well  again,  choos- 
ing the  neighborhood  of  a hot  spring  if  he 


can  find  one,  or,  if  no  such  spring  is  at  hand, 
infusing  certain  herbs  in  boiling  water  and 
inhaling  the  steam. 

As  may  be  imagined  from  the  practice 
which  they  have  in  cutting  up  the  dead  for 
their  cannibal  feasts,  the  Maories  are  good 
practical  anatomists,  and  know  w'ell  the 
position  of  all  the  principal  organs  and  ves- 
sels of  the  body.  Consequently,  they  can 
operate  in  cases  of  danger,  using  sharp- 
edged  shells  if  they  have  no  knives.  They 
can  also  set  broken  limbs  well,  bringing  tlm 
broken  surfaces  together,  binding  the  limb 
with  splints,  laying  it  on  a soft  pillow,  and 
surrounding  it  with  a wickerwork  contri- 
vance in  order  to  guard  it  against  injury. 


CHAPTER  LXXXYI. 


KEW  ZEALAND  — Continued, 


THE  TAPH. 

THE  TAPH,  OR  LAW  OF  rROHIBITION  — TAPH  A SUBSTITUTE  FOR  GO VERI^SIENT  — PROTECTION  TO 
PROPERTY  AND  MORALS — ABUSE  OF  THE  TAPU  — THE  CHIEF  AND  THE  SAILOR — THE 
CHIEF  AND  HIS  MAT  — A VALUABLE  SPLINTER  — THE  HEAD  OF  THE  CHIEF — AN  UNLUCKY 
MISTAKE— HOW  TAONUI  GOT  HIS  ARMOR  — HAIR  CUTTING — TROUBLES  OF  AN  ARTIST  — THE 
CARVED  HEAD  — TE-WHEBO-WHERO  AND  HIS  PORTRAIT — THE  TAPU  MOUNTAIN — BANEFUL 
EFFECTS  OF  THE  TAPU  ON  NATIVE  ART — DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  PAHS  AND  HOUSES — THE 
TERMINABLE  TAPU  — THE  BATTLE-TAPU  — TAKING  OFF  THE  TAPU  — DUTY  OF  THE  TOHUNGA  — 
THE  TAPU  THE  STRENGTH  OF  THE  CHIEFS. 


We  now  come  naturally  to  the  custom  of 
Tapu  or  Taboo,  that  extraordinary  system 
which  extends  throughout  the  whole  of 
Polynesia,  modified  slightly  according  to 
the  locality  in  which  it  exists. 

The  general  bearings  of  the  law  of  tapu 
may  be  inferred  from  the  sense  of  the  word, 
which  signifies  prohibition.  The  system  of 
tapu  is  therefore  a law  of  prohibition,  and, 
when  stripped  of  the  extravagances  into 
which  it  often  deteriorates,  it  is  seen  to  be  a 
very  excellent  system,  and  one  that  answers 
the  purpose  of  a more  elaborate  code  of 
laws.  In  countries  where  an  organized 
government  is  employed  the  tapu  is  need- 
less, and  we  find  that  even  in  those  parts  of 
the  earth  where  it  was  once  the  only  restric- 
tive law  it  has  fallen  into  disuse  since  regu- 
lar government  has  been  introduced. 

Were  it  not  for  the  law  of  tapu,  an  abso- 
lute anarchy  would  prevail  in  most  parts  o/ 
Polynesia,  the  tapu  being  the  only  guardian 
of  property  and  morality.  In  order  that  it 
may  be  enforced  on  the  people,  the  terrors 
of  superstition  are  called  into  play,  and,  in 
the  absence  of  secular  law,  the  spiritual 
powers  are  evoked. 

Unprotected  by  the  tapu,  property  could 
not  exist:  protected  by  it,  the  most  valued 
and  coveted  articles  are  safer  than  they 
wmuld  be  in  England  or  America  despite 
the  elaborate  legal  system  that  secures  to 
every  man  that  which  is  his  own.  In  !NTew 
Zealand,  when  a man  has  cultivated  a field 
of  kumeras,  or  sweet  potatoes,  he  needs  no 


fence  and  no  watchman.  He  simply  sends 
for  the  tohunga,  wdio  lays  the  tapu  on  the 
field;  and  from  that  moment  no  one  save 
the  owner  will  venture  within  its  bounda- 
ries. 

Sometimes  a canoe  is  hauled  up  on  the 
beach,  and  must  be  left  there  for  some  time 
un watched.  The  owner  need  not  trouble 
himself  about  securing  his  vessel.  He  has 
the  tapu  mark  placed  upon  it,  and  the  boat 
is  accordingly  held  sacred  to  all  except  its 
possessor.  Similarly,  if  a native  boat-builder 
fixes  on  a tree  which  he  thinks  can  be  made 
into  a canoe,  he  places  the  tapu  on  it,  and 
knows  that  no  one  but  himself  will  dare  to 
cut  it  dowm.  The  mark  of  tapu  in  this  case 
is  almost  invariably  the  removal  of  a strip 
of  bark  round  the  trunk  of  the  tree. 

Then  the  system  of  tapu  is  the  only  guar- 
dian of  morals.  It  has  been  already  men- 
tioned that  an  extreme  laxity  in  this  respect 
prevails  among  the  unmarried  girls.  But 
as  soon  as  a girl  is  married  she  becomes  tapu 
to  all  but  her  husband,  and  any  one  who 
induces  her  to  become  unfaithful  must  pay 
the  penalty  of  the  tapu  if  the  delinquents 
be  discovered.  Hor  is  the  tapu  restricted  to 
married  women.  It  is  also  extended  to 
young  girls  when  they  are  betrothed;  and 
any  girl  on  whom  the  tapu  has  thus  been 
laid  is  reckoned  as  a married  woman. ' 

It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that  the  princi- 
ple of  the  tapu  is  a good  one,  and  that  it 
serves  as  protection  both  to  property  and 
morals.  There  are,  of  course,  many  instan- 


(863) 


864 


NEW  ZEALAND. 


ces  where  this  system  has  run  into  extrava- 
gances, and  where,  instead  of  a protection, 
it  has  developed  into  a tyranny. 

Take,  for  example,  the  very  praiseworthy 
idea  that  the  life  of  a chief  is  most  impor- 
tant to  his  people,  and  that  his  person  is 
therefore  considered  as  tapu.  This  is  a 
proper  and  wholesome  idea,  and  is  condu- 
cive to  the  interests  of  law  and  justice. 
But  the  development  of  the  S3^stem  becomes 
a tyranny.  The  chief  himself  being  tapu, 
everything  that  he  touched,  even  with  the 
skirt  of  his  garment,  became  tapu,  and 
thenceforth  belonged  to  him.  So  ingrained 
is  this  idea  that  on  one  occasion,  when  a 
great  chief  was  wearing  a large  and  hand- 
some mantle  and  found  it  too  heavy  for  a 
hot  day,  he  threw  it  down  a precipice.  His 
companion  remonstrated  with  him,  saying 
that  it  would  have  been  better  to  have  hung 
the  mat  on  a bough,  so  that  the  next  comer 
might  make  use  of  it.  Thp  chief  was  hor- 
ror-struck at  such  an  idea.  It  was  hardly 
possible  that  a superior  to  himself  should 
find  the  mat,  and  not  likely  that  an  equal 
should  do  so,  and  if  an  inferior  were  to  wear 
it,  he  would  at  once  die. 

As  the  very  contact  of  a chiefs  garment 
renders  an  object  tapu,  a fortiori  does  his 
blood,  and  one  drop  of  the  blood  of  a chief 
falling  upon  even  such  objects  as  are  free 
from  the  ordinary  laws  of  tapu  renders 
them  his  property.  A curious  example  of 
the  operation  of  this  law  occurred  when  a 
meeting  of  chiefs  was  called  at  the  Taupo 
lake.  As  the  principal  man  of  the  tribes,  the 
celebrated  chief  Te  Heu-heu  was  invited, 
and  a new  and  beautifully  carved  canoe 
sent  to  fetch  him.  As  he  stepped  into  it,  a 
splinter  ran  into  his  foot,  inflicting  a very 
slight  wound.  Every  man  leaped  out  of 
the  canoe,  which  was  at  once  drawn  up  on 
the  beach  and  considered  as  the  property  of 
Te  Heu-heu.  Another  canoe  was  procured, 
and  in  it  the  party  proceeded  on  their  jour- 
ney. 

Another  kind  of  tapu  takes  place  with 
regard  to  any  object  which  is  connected 
with  the  death  of  a native.  If,  for  example, 
a Maori  has  fallen  overboard  from  a canoe 
and  been  drowned,  the  vessel  can  never  be 
used  again,  but  is  tapu.  Or  if  a man  com- 
mits suicide  by  shooting  himself,  as  has- 
already  been  mentioned,  the  musket  is 
tapu.  But  in  these  cases  the  articles  are 
tapu  to  the  atuas,  and  not  to  men.  Some- 
times they  are  left  to  decay  on  the  spot,  no 
man  daring  to  touch  them,  or  they  are 
broken  to  pieces,  and  the  fragments  stuck 
upright  in  the  earth  to  mark  the  spot  where 
the  event  occurred. 

Sometimes  this  personal  tapu  becomes 
exceedingly  inconvenient.  The  wife  of  an 
old  and  venerable  tohunga  had  been  ill,  and 
was  made  tapu  for  a certain  length  of  time, 
'during  which  everything  that  she  touched 
'became  tapu.  Even  the  very  ground  on 


which  she  sat  was  subject  to  this  law,  and 
accordingly,  whenever  she  rose  from  the 
ground,  the  spot  on  which  she  had  sat  was 
surrounded  with  a fence  of  small  boughs 
stuck  archwise  into  the  earth,  in  order  to 
prevent  profane  feet  from  polluting  the 
sacred  spot. 

The  most  sacred  object  that  a New  Zea- 
lander can  imagine  is  the  head  of  the  chief. 
It  is  so  sacred  that  even  to  mention  it  is 
considered  as  an  affront.  Europeans  have 
often  given  deadly  offence  through  igno- 
rance of  this  superstition,  or  even  through 
inadvertence.  Mr.  Angas  narrates  a curious 
instance  of  such  an  adventure.  A friend  of 
his  was  talking  to  a Maori  chief  over  his 
fence,  and  the  conversation  turned  upon 
the  crops  of  the  year.  Quite  inadvertently 
he  said  to  the  chief,  “ Oh,  I have  in  my  gar- 
den some  apples  as  large  as  that  little  boy’s 
head”  — pointing  at  the  same  time  to  the 
chief’s  son,  who  was  standing  near  his 
father. 

He  saw  in  a moment  the  insult  that  he 
had  offered,  and  apologized,  but  the  chief 
was  so  deeply  hurt  that  it  was  with  the 
greatest  difficulty  that  a reconciliation  was 
brought  about.  The  simile  was  a peculiarly 
unfortunate  one.  To  use  the  head  of  a 
chief’s  son  as  a comparison  at  all  was  bad 
enough,  but  to  compare  it  to  an  article  of 
food  was  about  the  most  deadly  insult  that 
could  be  offered  to  a Maori.  All  food  and 
the  various  processes  of  preparation  are 
looked  down  upon  with  utter  contempt  by 
the  free  Maori,  who  leaves  all  culinary 
operations  to  the  slaves  or  “cookies.” 

One  of  the  very  great  chiefs  of  New  Zea- 
land was  remarkable  for  his  snowy  white 
hair  and  beard,  which  gave  him  a most  ven. 
erable  aspect.  He  was  held  in  the  highest 
respect,  and  was  so  extremely  sacred  a man 
that  his  head  might  only  be  mentioned  in 
comparison  with  the  snow-clad  top  of  the 
sacred  mountain. 

The  same  traveller  to  whom  we  are  in- 
debted for  the  previous  anecdote  relates  a 
curious  story  illustrative  of  this  etiquette. 
There  was  a certain  old  chief  named 
Taonui,  who  was  in  possession  of  the  orig- 
inal suit  of  armor  which  was  given  by 
George  IV.  to  E’Hongi  when  he  visited 
England.  “ The  subsequent  history  of  this 
armor  is  somewhat  curious.  It  passed  from 
the  Nga  Puis  to  Tetori  and  from  Tetori  to 
Te  Whero-Whero  at  the  Waikato  feast,  and 
came  into  Taonui’s  hands  under  the  follow- 
ing circumstances. 

“ On  the  death  of  a favorite  daughter  Te 
Whero-Whero  made  a song,  the  substance 
of  which  was,  that  he  would  take  off*  the 
scalps  of  all  the  chiefs  except  Ngawaka,  and 
fling  them  into  his  daughter’s  grave  to 
avenge  her  untimely  death.  The  words  of 
this  song  highly  insulted  the  various  indi- 
viduals against  whom  it  was  directed,  more 
especially  as  it  was  a great  curse  for  the 


IKCOKVENIEKCE  OF  THE  TAPU. 


8G5 


hair  of  a chief,  which  is  sacred,  to  be  thus 
treated  with  contempt.  But  the  only  chief 
who  dared  to  resent  this  insult  from  so  great 
a man  as  Te  Whero-Whero  was  Taonui,  who 
demanded  a ‘ tana,’  or  gift,  as  recompense  for 
the  affront,  and  received  the  armor  of  E’ 
Ilongi  in  compensation. 

“ I made  a drawing  of  the  armor,  which 
was  old  and  rusty.  It  was  of  steel,  inlaid 
with  brass,  and,  though  never  worn  by  the 
possessors  in  battle — for  it  would  sadly  im- 
pede their  movements  — it  is  regarded  with 
a sort  of  superstitious  veneration  by  the  na- 
tives, who  look  upon  it  as  something  extra- 
ordinary.” 

A chief’s  head  is  so  exceedingly  sacred 
that,  if  he  should  touch  it  with  his  own  fin- 
gers, he  may  not  touch  anything  else  with- 
out having  applied  the  hand  to  his  nostrils 
and  smelt  it  so  as  to  restore  to  the  head  the 
virtue  which  was  taken  out  of  it  by  the  touch. 
The  hair  of  a chief  is  necessarily  sacred,  as 
growing  upon  his  head.  When  it  is  cut,  the 
operation  is  ge-nerally  confided  to  one  of  his 
wives,  who  receives  every  particle  of  the 
cut  hair  in  a cloth,  and  buries  it  in  the 
ground.  In  consequence  of  touching  the 
chief’s  head,  she  becomes  tapu  for  a week, 
during  which  time  her  hands  are  so  sacred 
that  she  is  not  allowed  to  use  them.  Above 
all  things,  she  may  not  feed  herself,  because 
she  would  then  l3e  obliged  to  pollute  her 
hands  by  touching  food,  and  such  a deed 
would  be  equivalent  to  putting  food  on  the 
chief’s  head  — a crime  of  such  enormity  that 
the  mind  of  a Maori  could  scarcely  comiDre- 
hend  its  possibility. 

When  engaged  in  his  explorations  in  Kew 
Zealand,  and  employed  in  sketching  every 
object  of  interest  which  came  in  his  way, 
Mr.  Angas  found  this  notion  about  the 
chief’s  head  to  be  a very  troublesome  one. 
He  was  not  allowed  to  portray  anything  con- 
nected with  food  with  the  same  pencil  with 
which  he  sketched  the  head  of  a chief,  and 
to  put  a drawing  of  a potato,  a dish  for  food, 
or  any  such  object,  into  the  same  portfolio 
which  contained  the  portrait  of  a chief,  was 
thought  to  be  a most  fearful  sacrilege. 

The  artist  had  a narrow  escape  of  losing 
the  whole  of  his  sketches,  which  a chief 
named  Ko  Tarui  wanted  to  burn,  as  mixing 
sacred  with  profane  things.  They  were 
only  rescued  by  the  intervention  of  Te  Heu- 
heu,  a superstitious  old  savage,  but  capable 
of  seeing  that  the  white  man  had  meant  no 
harm.  Warned  by  this  escape,  Mr.  Angas 
always  made  his  drawings  of  tapu  objects"  by 
stealth,  and  often  had  very  great  difficulty  in 
eluding  the  suspicious  natives. 

Even  the  carved  image  of  a chief’s  head  is 
considered  as  sacred  as  the  object  which  it 
represents.  Dr.  Dieffenbach  relates  a curi- 
ous instance  of  this  superstition. 

“In  one  of  the  houses  of  Te  Puai,  the 
head  ehief  of  all  the  Waikato,  I saw  a bust, 
niade  by  himself,  with  all  the  serpentine 


lines  of  the  moko,  or  tattooing.  I asked  him 
to  give  it  to  me,  but  it  was  only  after  much 
pressing  that  he  parted  with  it.  I had  to  go 
to  his  house  to  fetch  it  myself,  as  none  of  his 
tribe  could  legally  toueh  it,  and  he  licked  it 
all  over  before  he  gave  it  to  me;  whether  to 
take  the  tapu  off,  or  whether  to  make  it 
more  strictly  sacred,  I do  not  know.  He 
particularly  engaged  me  not  to  put  it  into 
the  provision  bag,  nor  to  let  it  see  the  na- 
tives at  Rotu-nua,  whither  I was  going,  or  he 
would  certainly  die  in  consequence. 

“ Payment  for  the  bust  he  would  not  take; 
but  he  had  no  objection  to  my  making  him 
a present  of  my  own  free  will:  which  I ac- 
cordingly did,  presenting  him  and  his  wifa 
with  a shirt  each.” 

Once  the  natives  were  very  angry  be> 
cause  Mr.  Angas  went  under  a cooking  shed, 
having  with  liim  the  portfolio  containing 
the  head  of  Te  Ileu-heii.  Even  his  hands 
were  tapu  because  they  had  painted  the  por- 
trait of  so  great  a chief,  and  he  was  subjected 
to  many  annoyances  in  consequence.  Find- 
ing that  the  tapu  was  likely  to  become  ex- 
ceedingly inconvenient,  he  put  a stop  to 
further  encroachments  by  saying  that,  if  the 
people  made  any  more  complaints,  he  would 
put  Te  Ileu-heu’s  head  into  the  fire.  This 
threat  shocked  them  greatly,  but  had  the  de- 
sired effect. 

Sometimes  this  sanctity  of  the  chief  is  ex- 
ceedingly inconvenient  to  himself.  On  one 
occasion,  when  Mr.  Angas  was  visiting  the 
chief  Te  Whero-Whero,  he  found  the  great 
man  superintending  the  plantation  of  a 
kumera  ground  and  the  erection  of  a house 
for  himself.  Rain  was  falling  fast,  but  the 
old  chief  sat  on  the  damp  ground,  wrapped 
up  in  his  blanket,  and  appearing  to  be  en- 
tirely unconcerned  at  the  weather,  a piece  of 
sail-cloth  over  the  blanket  being  his  only  de- 
fence. 

He  did  not  rise,  according  to  the  custom 
of  the  old  heathen  chiefs,  who  will  some- 
times sit  for  several  days  together,  in  a sort 
of  semi^apathetic  state.  To  the  request  that 
his  portrait  might  be  taken  Te  Whero- 
Whero  graciously  acceded,  and  talked  freely 
on  the  all  important  subject  of  land  while 
the  painter  was  at  work.  Finding  the  rain 
exceedingly  unpleasant,  the  artist  suggested 
that  they  had  better  move  into  a house. 
The  old  chief,  however,  knowing  that  he 
could  not  enter  a house  without  making  it 
his  property  by  reason  of  contact  with  his 
sacred  person,  declined  to  move,  but  ordered 
a shelter  to  be  erected  for  the  white  man. 
This  was  done  at  once,  by  fastening  a blan- 
ket to  some  upright  poles:  and  so  the  portrait 
was  completed,  the  painter  under  cover  and 
the  sitter  out  in  the  rain. 

Localities  can  be  rendered  tapu,  even 
those  which  have  not  been  touched  by  the 
person  who  lays  the  tapu  upon  them.  The 
chief  Te  Heu-heu,  for  example,  was  pleased 
to  declare  the  volcano  Tongariro  under  the 


NEW  ZEALAND. 


.86G 

tapii,  by  calling  it  his  backbone,  so  that  not 
a native  would  dare  approach  it,  nor  even 
look  at  it,  if  such  an  act  could  be  avoided. 
Mr.  Angas  was  naturally  desirous  of  visit- 
ing this  mountain,  but  found  that  such  a 
scheme  could  not  be  carried  out.  lie  of- 
fered blankets  and  other  articles  which  a 
New  Zealander  prizes;  but  all  to  no  pur- 
pose, for  the  tapu  could  not  be  broken. 
The  chief  even  tried  to  prevent  his  white 
visitors  from  travelling  in  the  direction  of  the 
mountain,  and  only  gave  his  consent  after  or- 
dering that  the  sacred  Tongariro  should  not 
even  be  looked  at.  So  deeply  is  this  super- 
stition engraven  in  the  heart  of  the  New 
Zealander,  that  even  the  Christian  natives 
are  afraid  of  such  a tapu,  and  will  not  dare 
to  approach  a spot  that  has  thus  been  made 
sacred  by  a tohunga.  Reasoning  is  useless 
with  them;  they  will  agree  to  all  the  pro- 
positions, admit  the  inference  to  be  drawn 
from  them,  and  then  decline  to  run  so  terri- 
ble a risk. 

One  of  the  finest  examples  of  native  ar- 
chitecture was  made  tapu  by  this  same  chief, 
who  seems  to  have  had  a singular  pleasure 
in  exercising  his  powers.  It  was  a pah 
called  AVaitahanui,  and  was  originally  the 
stronghold  of  Te  Ileu-heu.  It  is  on  the 
borders  of  the  lake,  and  the  side  which 
fronts  the  water  is  a full  half-mile  in  length. 
It  is  made,  as  usual,  of  upright  posts  and 
stakes,  and  most  of  the  larger  posts  are 
carved  into  the  human  form,  with  visages 
hideously  distorted,  and  tongues  protruded 
seaward,  as  if  in  defiance  of  expected  ene- 
mies. 

Within  this  curious  pah  were  the  cannibal 
cook-houses  which  have  already  been  fig- 
ured, together  with  several  of  the  beautifully 
carved  patukas  or  receptacles  for  the  sacred 
food  of  the  chief.  Specimens  of  these  may 
be  seen  figured  on  page  831.  In  this  pah 
Mr.  Angas  found  the  most  elaborate  spec- 
imen of  the  patuka  that  he  ever  saw.  It 
was  fortunate  that  he  arrived  when  he  did, 
as  a very  few  years  more  would  evidently 
complete  the  destruction  of  the  place. 
Many  of  the  most  beautiful  implements  of 
native  art  were  already  so  decayed  that  they 
were  but  a shapeless  heap  of  ruins,  and  the 
others,  were  rai;)idly  following  in  the  same 
path.  Of  these  specimens  of  Maori  carving 
and  architecture  nothing  is  now  left  but  the 
sketches  from  which  have  been  made  the 
illustrations  that  appear  in  this  work. 

Here  I may  be  allowed  to  controvert  a 
popular  and  plausible  fallacy,  which  has 
often  been  brought  before  the  public.  Trav- 
ellers are  blamed  for  bringing  to  England 
specimens  of  architecture  and  other  arts  from 
distant  countries.  It  is  said,  and  truly  too, 
that  such  articles  are  out  of  place  in  Eng- 
land. So  they  are:  but  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  if  they  had  not  been  in  England 
they  would  not  have  been  in  existence. 
The  marvellous  sarcophagus,  for  example, 


brought  to  London  by  Belzoni,  and  now  ia 
the  Soane  Museum,  would  have  been  broken 
to  pieces  and  hopelessly  destroyed  if  it  had 
been  allowed  to  remain  in  the  spot  where  it 
was  found. 

Again,  had  not  the  Assyrian  sculptures 
found  a home  in  the  British  Museum,  they 
would  have  been  knocked  to  pieces  by  the 
ignorant  tribes  who  now  roam  over  the 
ruins  of  Nineveh  the  Great.  Even  had 
the  vast  statues  defied  entire  destruction, 
the  inscriptions  would  long  ago  have  been 
defaced,  and  we  should  have  irreparably 
lost  some  of  the  most  valuable  additions 
to  our  scanty  knowledge  of  chronology. 

So  again  with  the  "Elgin  Marbles.  Un* 
doubtedly  they  were  more  in  their  place 
in  Greece  than  they  are  in  England;  but, 
if  they  had  not  been  brought  to  England, 
the  iconoclastic  hand  of  the  Mussulman 
would  have  utterly  destroyed  them,  and  the 
loss  to  art  would  have  been  indeed  terrible. 

Thus  is  it  with  regard  to  the  specimens 
of  savage  art,  no ' matter  in  what  way 
it  is  developed.  Taking  New  Zealand  as 
an  example,  there  is  not  in  England  a 
single  specimen  of  a Maori  house.  It 
could  be  easily  taken  to  pieces  and  put  to- 
gether again;  it  is  peculiarly  valuable  to 
ethnologists  on  account  of  the  extraordinary 
mixture  which  it  displays  of  ancient  Egyp- 
tian architecture  and  ancient  Mexican  art; 
and  in  a very  few  3’cars  there  will  not  be  a 
single  specimen  of  aboriginal  architecture 
in  the  whole  of  New  Zealand.  The  Mao- 
ries,  who  have  abandoned  the  club  for  the 
rifle,  the  mat  for  the  blanket,  and  even  the 
blanket  for  the  coat  and  trousers,  have  be- 
gun to  modify  their  ancient  architecture, 
and  to  build  houses  after  the  European 
models. 

Unless,  therefore,  means  be^  taken  to  res- 
cue sj^ecimens  of  Maori  architecture  from 
destruction,  it  is  much  to  be  doubted 
whether  in  twenty  years’  time  from  the 
present  date  a single  specimen  will  exist 
as  a type  of  native  art.  So  it  is  with  the 
canoes.  Graceful,  picturesque,  and  adorned 
with  the  finest  specimens  of  Maori  art,  the 
canoes  were  unique  among  vessels.  At  the 
present  day  the  more  useful  but  more  com- 
monplace whaleboat  has  superseded  the 
canoe,  and  in  a few  years  the  elaborately 
decorated  vessels  of  the  Maories  will  have 
utterly  passed  away. 

We  may  be  sure  that  the  tide  of  civiliza- 
tion is  sweeping  so  rapidly"  over  the  world, 
that  a very  few  years  will  see  the  end  of 
savage  life  in  all  lands  to  which  the  white 
man  can  gain  access.  The  relics  of  the 
ancient  mode  of  life  are  left  by  the  natives 
to  perish,  and,  unless  they  are  rescued,  and 
brought  to  a country  where  thc}’^  can  be 
preserved,  they  will  necessarily  vanish  from 
the  face  of  the  earth.  Having  this  idea  in 
my  own  mind,  I set  myself  some  years  ago 
to  collect  articles  of  daily  use  from  all  parts 


THE  BATTLE  TABU. 


8G7 


of  the  world.  The  light  which  they  throw 
upon  anthropology  is  really  astonishing,  and, 
among  some  eight  or  nine  hundred  speci- 
mens, there  is  not  one  that  does  not  tell  its 
own  story. 

Take,  for  example,  the  stone  merai  that 
lies  before  me.  What  a tale  does  it  not  tell 
of  the  country  where  it  was  found,  and  of 
the  workman  who  made  it!  The  stone 
shows  that  it  was  obtained  from  a volcanic 
country;  the  short,  weighty  form  of  the 
weapon  shows  that  it  was  made  for  a cour- 
ageous race  who  fought  hand  to  hand;  and 
the  graceful  curves  and  perfect  balance  of 
the  weapon  show  that  the  maker  was  a true 
artist.  More  than  that.  The  merai  has 
been  made  by  rubbihg  it  with  another 
stone,  and  must  have  occupied  years  of 
labor.  See,  then,  what  a tale  this  weapon 
tells  us  — the  volcanic  region,  the  cour- 
ageous warrior,  and  the  worthlessness  of 
time.  Year  after  year  the  man  must  have 
worked  at  that  merai,  bending  his  tattooed 
face  over  it,  balancing  it  in  liis  hand,  and 
watching  its  soft  curves  grow  into  perfection. 
Then,  after  it  was  made,  he  has  evidently 
carried  it  about  with  him,  fought  with  his 
foes,  and  dashed  out  their  brains  with  its 
once  sharp  and  nov/  notched  edge.  After- 
ward, when  he,  or  may  be  his  grandson, 
came  to  fight  against  the  white  men,  their 
tire-arms  were  too  terrible  to  be  opposed, 
and  the  merai  was  taken  from  the  hand  of 
the  dead  warrior  as  he  lay  on  the  field  of 
battle,  its  plaited  cord  still  round  his  wrist! 
Nevermore  will  a stone  merai  be  made,  and 
before  very  long  the  best  examples  of  Maori 
weapons  will  be  found  in  English  museums. 

We  will  now  return  to  the  subject  of  the 
tapu.  Useful  as  it  may  be  as  a guardian  of 
property,  it  often  exaggerates  that  duty,  and 
produces  very  inconvenient  results.  For 
example,  some  travellers  were  passing 
through  the  country,  and  were  hungry  and 
wearied,  and  without  food.  Very  oppor- 
tunely there  came  in  sight  a fine  pig;  but 
the  animal  contrived  to  run  across  a piece 
of  ground  which  was  tapu,  and  in  conse- 
quence became  tapu  itself  for  a certain 
number  of  days,  and  could  not  be  eaten. 

There  are  thousands  of  such  tapu  spots  in 
the  country.  If,  for  example,  a great  chief 
has  been  travelling,  every  place  where  he  sits 
to  rest  is  tapu,  and  is  marked  by  a slight 
fence  of  sticks.  In  many  cases,  each  of 
these  sacred  spots  has  its  own  name.  The 
same  is  the  case  when  the  body  of  a chief  is 
carried  to  his  own  pah  for  burial,  every  rest- 
ing place  of  the  bearers  becoming  tapu. 
Therefore  nothing  was  more  likely  than  to 
come  across  one  of  these  tapu  spots,  or  more 
easy  than  for  the  pig  to  break  through  its 
slight  fence. 

A curious  modification  of  the  tapu  took 
place  before  and  after  a battle.  The  tohunga 
assembled  the  warriors  of  his  own  party,  and 
went  with  them  to  the  lake  or  river,  which 


had  been  made  tapu  for  the  purpose.  The 
men  then  threw  ofi'  all  their  clothing,  and 
went  into  the  water,  which  they  scooped  up 
with  their  hands  and  threw  over  their  heads 
and  bodies.  The  priest  then  recited  the 
ap])ropriate  incantation. 

Thus  the  battle  tapu  was  laid  upon  the 
warriors,  who  were  thereby  prohil)ited  from 
undertaking  any  other  business  except  that 
of  fighting,  and  were  supposed,  moreover,  to 
be  under  the  protection  of  the  gods.  This 
tapu  was  most  strictly  regarded,  and  the 
warriors  had  to  learn  quite  a long  list  ot 
occupations  which  were  forbidden  to  them, 
such  as  carrying  a load,  cutting  their  own 
hair,  touching  the  head  of  a w^oman,  and  so 
forth. 

After  the  fighting  is  over,  it  is  necessary 
that  the  tapu  should  be  taken  off  from  the 
survivors,  so  that  they  should  be  enabled  to 
return  to  their  usual  mode  of  life.  This 
ceremony  is  rather  a complicated  one,  and 
varies  slightly  in  different  parts  of  the  coun- 
try. The  chief  features,  however,  are  as 
follows : — 

Each  man  who  had  killed  an  enemy,  or 
taken  a slave,  pulled  off  a lock  of  hair  from 
the  victim,  and  retained  it  as  a trophy. 
They  then  went  in  a body  to  the  tohunga, 
and  gave  him  a portion  of  the  hair.  This 
he  tied  on  a couple  of  little  twigs,  raised 
them  high  above  his  head,  and  recited  the 
incantation;  after  which  the  whole  body 
joined  in  the  war  song  and  dance.  This 
being  over,  the  warriors  clappecj  their  hands 
together  and*  struck  their  legs,  that  act  being 
supposed  to  take  off  the  tapu  which  had  been 
contracted  by  imbruing  them  in  the  blood 
of  the  enemy. 

The  war  party  then  goes  home,  and  a 
similar  ceremony  is  undergone  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  principal  tohunga  of  their  pah, 
the  hands  being  clapped  and  the  wair  dance 
performed.  The  remainder  of  the  hair  is 
given  to  the  tohunga,  who,  after  reciting 
his  incantation,  flings  the  tuft  of  hair  away, 
and  ends  by  another  incantation,  which  de- 
clares that  the  tapu  is  taken  away. 

As  a general  rule,  the  tapu  can  only  be 
taken  off  by  the  person  who  imposed  it; 
but  if  a man  imposed  a tapu  on  anything, 
another  who  was  very  much  his  superior 
would  not  have  much  scruple  in  breaking 
through  it.  By  courtesy  the  tapu  was 
mostly  respected  by  great  and  small  alike, 
and,  by  courtesy  also,  the  very  great  men 
often  put  themselves  to  great  inconvenience 
by  refraining  from  actions  that  would  lay 
the  tapu  on  the  property  of  inferiors.  Thus 
we  have  seen  how  a chief  refused  to  enter  a 
house,  lest  he  should  render  it  his  property, 
and  preferred  to  sit  in  the  pouring  rain, 
rather  than  run  the  risk  of  depriving  an 
inferior  of  his  property. 

Should  an  object  become  tapu  by  acci- 
dent, the  tohunga  can  take  off  the  tapu  and 
restore  the  object  to  use.  A curious  instance 


868 


NEW  ZEALAND. 


of  the  exercise  of  this  power  is  related  by  a 
traveller.  A white  man,  who  had  borrowed 
an  iron  pot  for  cooking,  wanted  some  soft 
water,  and  so  he  placed  the  pot  under  the 
eaves  of  a house  from  which  the  rain  was 
running.  Now,  the  house  happened  to  be 
tapu,  and  in  consequence  the  water  running 
from  it  made  the  pot  tapu.  It  so  happened 
that  a woman,  who  was  ignorant  of  the  cir- 
cumstance, used  the  pot  for  cooking,  and 
when  she  was  told  that  the  vessel  was  tapu 
she  was  greatly  frightened,  declaring  that  she 
would  die  before  night.  In  this  difficulty  a 
tohunga  came  to  her  relief,  repeated  an 
incantation  over  the  vessel,  and  made  it 
“ noa,”  or  common,  again. 

Sometimes  the  tapu  only  lasts  for  a period, 
and,  after  that  time  has  elapsed,  expires 
without  the  need  of  any  ceremony.  Thus,  if 
a person  who  is  tapu  by  sickness  is  touched 
by  another,  the  latter  is  tapu  for  a definite 
time,  usually  three  days.  If  a sick  person  dies 
inside  a house,  that  house  is  ipso  facto,  tapu 
and  may  never  again  be  used.  It  is  painted 
with  red  ochre,  as  a sign  of  its  sanctity,  and 
is  left  to  decay.  In  consequence  of  this 
superstition,  when  the  patient  seems  likely 
to  die,  he  is  removed  from  the  house,  and 
taken  to  a spot  outside  the  pah,  where  a shed 
is  built  for  his  reception. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  foregoing  account 
how  great  is  the  power  of  the  tapu,  and  how 
much  it  adds  to  the  power  of  the  chiefs. 
Indeed,  without  the  power  of  tapu,  a chief 
would  be  but  a common  man  among  his 
people  — he  would  be  liable  to  the  tapu  of 
others,  and  could  not  impose  his  own.  The 
tapu  is  one  of  the  chief  obstacles  against  the 
spread  of  Christianity.  Knowing  that  the 


missionaries  treat  the  tapu  as  a mere  super- 
stition, the  great  chiefs  do  not  choose  to 
embrace  a religion  which  will  cause  them  to 
lose  their  highest  privilege,  and  would  de- 
prive them  of  the  one  great  power  by  which 
they  exercise  their  authority. 

Mr.  Williams,  the  well-known  missionary, 
sums  up  the  subject  of  the  tapu  in  very  bold 
and  graphic  language : — It  is  the  secret  of 
power,  and  the  strength  of  despotic  rule. 
It  affects  things  both  great  and  small.  Here 
it  is  seen  tending  a brood  of  chickens,  and 
there  it  directs  the  energies  of  a kingdom. 
Its  influence  is  variously  diffused.  Coasts, 
islands,  rivers,  and  seas ; animals,  fruit,  fish, 
and  vegetables;  houses,  beds,  pots,  cups,  and 
dishes;  canoes,  with  all  that  l3elong  to  them, 
with  their  management;  dress,  ornaments, 
and  arms;  things  to  eat  and  things  to  drink; 
the  members  of  the  body;  the  manners  and 
customs;  language,  names,  temper;  and  even 
the  gods  also;  all  come  under  the  influence 
of  the  tapu. 

“ It  is  put  into  operation  by  religious, 
political,  or  selfish  motives;  and  idleness 
lounges  for  months  beneath  its  sanction. 
Many  are  thus  forbidden  to  raise  their  hands 
or  extend  their  arms  in  any  useful  employ- 
ment for  a long  time.  In  this  district  it  is 
tapu  to  build  canoes;  on  that  island  it  is  tapu 
to  erect  good  houses.  The  custom  is  much 
in  favor  among  chiefs,  who  adjust  it  so  that 
it  sits  easily  on  themselves,  while  they  use 
it  to  gain  influence  over  those  who  are 
nearly  their  equals;  by  it  they  supply  many 
of  their  wants,  and  command  at  will  all  who 
are  beneath  them.  In  imposing  a tapu,  a 
chief  need  only  be  checked  by  a care  that 
he  is  countenanced  by  ancient  precedents.” 


CHAPTER  LXXXYII 


NEW  ZEA.LA.'^'D  — Concluded, 


FUNERAL  CEREMONIES  AND  ARCHITECTURE. 


THE  MOURNING  OVER  THE  DEAD  CHIEF  — THE  TANGI,  AND  THE  SCARS  WHICH  IT  LEAVES  — FIRST 
BURIAL  OF  THE  CHIEF  — THE  WAHI  TAPU— THE  SECOND  BURIAL,  OR  “hAHUNGA” — REMOVAL 
OF  THE  TAPU,  AND  INSTALLATION  OF  THE  SUCCESSOR  — e’  HONGI’s  DEATHBED  — A DECAYING 
PAH— CANOE  TOMBS  — MONUMENT  TO  E’tOKI — TOMB  OF  TE  WHERO-WHERO’s  DAUGHTER  — SAV- 
AGE SENTIMENT  — MAORI  ARCHITECTURE — MATERIAL,  SHAPE,  AND  SIZE  OF  THE  HOUSES  — A 
CROWDED  SLEEPING  PLACE — THE  EAT  MAN  HOUSE  — RANGIHAEATA’S  REVENGE — PUATIA’S  WAR- 
HOUSE  AND  ITS  SCULPTURES  — INTERIOR  VIEW  OF  A PAH  — TOOLS  USED  IN  HOUSE-BUILDING 
— THE  AXE  AND  THE  CHISEL  — THE  TOKO-TOKO,  OR  WALKING  STICK. 


We  now  come  to  the  ceremonies  that  be- 
long to  funerals. 

. When  a chief,  or  indeed  any  Rangatira, 
dies,  his  friends  and  relations  deck  the  body 
in  the  finest  clothes  which  the  deceased  had 
possessed  in  his  lifetime,  lay  it  out,  and  as- 
semble round  it  for  the  customary  mourning. 
The  women  are  the  chief  mourners,  and 
indulge  in  the  most  demonstrative,  not  to 
say  ostentatious,  ebullitions  of  grief.  Some- 
times they  squat  upon  the  ground,  their 
bodies  and  faces  wrapped  in  their  mantles, 
as  if  utterly  overpowered  by  grief.  Some- 
times they  wave  their  arms  in  the  air,  shak- 
ing their  hands  with  expressive  gestures  of 
sorrow;  and  all  the  while  they  utter  loud 
wailing  cries,  while  the  tears  stream  down 
their  cheeks. 

Much  of  this  extravagant  sorrow  is  neces- 
sarily feigned,  according  to  the  custom  of 
New  Zealand  life,  which  demands  tears  on 
so  many  occasions;  but  there  is  no  doubt 
that  much  is  real  and  truly  felt.  The  women 
cut  themselves  severely  with  shells,  making 
incisions  in  the  skin  several  inches  in  length. 
These  incisions  are  filled  with  charcoal,  as 
if  they  had  been  part  of  the  regular  moko  or 
tattoo,  and  become  indelible,  being,  in  fact, 
perpetual  records  of  sorrow.  Some  of  these 
women  cut  themselves  with  such  severity, 
that  in  their  old  age  they  are  covered  with 
the  thin  blue  lines  of  the  “ tangi,”  their 
faces,  limbs,  and  bodies  being  traversed  by 
them  in  rather  a ludicrous  manner.  The 
tangi  lines  might  be  mistaken  for  regular 
tattooing,  except  for  one  point.  They  have 


no  pattern,  and  instead  of  being  curved,  as 
is  always  the  case  with  the  moko,  they  are 
straight,  about  two  inches  in  length,  and  run 
parallel  to  each  other. 

They  address  long  speeches  to  the  dead 
man,  enumerating  his  many  virtues,  his 
courage,  his  liberality,  the  strength  of  his 
tapu,  and  so  forth,  mixed  with  reproaches 
to  him  for  dying  and  going  away  from  them 
when  they  stood  in  such  need  of  him.  In- 
deed, the  whole  of  the  proceedings,  with  the 
exception  of  cutting  the  skin,  are  very  like 
those  of  an  Irish  wake. 

In  the  illustration  No.  1,  on  the  872nd 
page,  are  shown  these  various  ceremonies. 
The  dead  body  of  the  chief  is  lying  under 
the  shed,  wrapped  in  the  best  mantle,  and 
with  a coronal  of  feathers  in  the  hair.  In 
the  front  sits  a chief,  whose  rank  is  de- 
noted by  his  hani,  or  staff  of  office,  that  lies 
by  him,  and  by  the  elaborate  mantle  in 
which  he  has  wrapped  himself.  Standing 
near  the  corpse  is  one  of  the  mourners,  with 
arms  upraised  and  hands  quivering,  while 
others  are  seen  sitting  in  various  attitudes 
of  woe.  The  fence  of  the  pah  is  shown  in 
the  background,  with  its  grotesque  images 
and  curious  architecture. 

When  the  old  people  attend  a funeral, 
they  usually  paint  themselves  freely  with 
red  ochre,  and  wear  wreaths  of  green  leaves 
upon  their  heads.  The  house  in  which  the 
death  took  place  is  rendered  tapu  until  the 
body  is  finally  disposed  of — an  event  which 
does  not  take  place  for  some  time. 

After  the  mourning  ceremonies  have  been 

(869) 


870 


NEW  ZEALAND. 


completed,  the  body  is  placed  in  a sort  of 
coffin  and  allowed  to  decay,  the  green  jade 
merai,  the  tiki,  the  hani,  and  other  emblems 
of  rank  being  placed  with  the  corpse.  In 
some  parts  of  the  country  this  coffin  is  canoe- 
shaped, and  suspended  to  the  branches  of  a 
tree,  certain  places  being  kept  sacred  for  this 
purpose.  There  existed,  for  example,  several 
graves  belonging  to  the  Nga-pui  tribe,  which 
had  been  preserved  on  account  of  the  sacred 
character  Avhich  belonged  to  them.  The 
natives  had  long  abandoned  the  custom  of 
hanging  the  coffins  of  the  dead  on  the  trees, 
but  the  sacred  character  still  clung  to  them, 
and,  though  the  woods  in  that  part  of  the 
country  had  been  felled,  the  sacred  groves 
were  allowed  to  flourish  unharmed. 

Sometimes  the  body  of  a very  great  chief 
was  placed  in  a wooden  receptacle  in  the 
midst  of  the  pah,  called  the  waki-tapu,  and 
there  allowed  to  decay.  As  might  be  ex- 
pected, a most  horrible  odor  is  disseminated 
through  the  pah  during  the  process  of  decom- 
position; but  the  inhabitants  do  not  seem  to 
trouble  thffinselves,  their  nostrils  not  being 
easily  offended.  For  example,  when  a whale 
is  thrown  ashore,  the  stench  of  the  huge 
mass  of  decomposition  is  so  overpowering 
that  an  Europeaii  cannot  endure  it.  The 
natives,  however,  say  that  they  are  used  to  it, 
and  do  not  notice  it.  Indeed,  people  who 
can  eat  the  horrible  messes  of  putrid  maize 
of  which  they  are  so  fond  must  be  so  obtuse 
of  scent  as  to  be  indiflerent  to  any  ill  odor. 

Be  it  as  it  may,  in  time  the  process  of 
decay  is  supposed  to  be  complete,  — seven 
or  eight  months  being  the  usual  time.  A 
curious  ceremony,  called  the  “hahunga,” 
then  takes  place.  The  friends  and  relatives 
of  the  deceased  chief  are  again  assembled, 
and  the  bones  are  solemnly  taken  from  their 
receptable  and  cleaned.  The  person  who 
cleans  them  is  necessarily  tapu,  but  is  ren- 
dered “ noa,”  or  common  again,  by  the  eldest 
son  and  daughter  of  the  deceased  chief  eating 
of  the  sacred  food  offered  to  the  dead.  Should 
the  eldest  girl  happen  to  be  dead,  the  food  is 
placed  in  a calabash,  and  laid  in  the  now 
empty  coffin,  the  spirit  of  the  girl  being 
called  by  name,  and  the  food  offered  to  her. 
The  spirit  is  supposed  to  partake  of  the 
food;  and  the  tapu  is  thus  removed  as 
effectually  as  if  she  were  alive,  and  had  visibly 
eaten  the  provisions.  Should  the  chief  have 
had  no  daughter,  the  nearest  female  relative 
takes  the  office.  The  usual  orations  are  made 
in  honor  of  the  deceased  and  the  merai,  tiki, 
and  other  ornaments  of  the  dead  chief  are 
then  handed  over  to  his  eldest  son,  who  thus 
takes  possession  of  the  post  which  his  father 
had  vacated,  the  ceremony  being  analogous 
to  a coronation  among  Europeans. 

When  the  celebrated  chief  E ’ Ilongi,  the 
“ Scourge  of  New  Zealand,”  as  he  has  been 
called,  died,  his  children  were  so  afraid  that 
they  w^ouid  be  attacked  by  those  whom  the 
terror  of  his  name  had  kept  quiet,  that  they 


wanted  to  omit  the  preliminary  orations  and 
“ tangi,”  and  to  lay  his  body  in  the  “ waki- 
tapu,”  or  sacred  place,  on  the  day  after  his 
death.  This  intention  was,  however,  over- 
ruled, chiefly  in  consequence  of  the  foresight 
of  the  dying  chief. 

Feeling  that  his  end  was  close  at  hand,  he 
rallied  his  sons  round  him,  sent  for  all  his 
warlike  stores,  the  merais,  patus,  muskets, 
ammunition,  and,  above  all,  the  armor  which 
he  had  received  from  George  IV.,  and  be- 
queathed them  to  his  children.  lie  was 
asked  what  “ utu,”  or  satisfaction,  should  be 
exacted  for  his  death,  but  replied  that  the 
only  utu  which  his  spirit  would  desire  was, 
that  his  tribe  should  be  valiant,  and  repel 
any  attack  that  might  be  made  upon  them. 
But  for  this  really  noble  sentiment,  there 
would  have  been  great  slaughter  at  his  death, 
in  order  to  furnish  attendants  for  him. 

That  his  tribe  should  for  the  future  be 
valiant,  and  repel  the  attacks  of  their  en- 
emies, was  the  ruling  idea  in  E ’ Ilongi’s 
mind ; and  on  March  6, 1828,  he  died,  con- 
tinually repeating  the‘words,  “Kia  toa!  kia 
toa!  ” — i.  e. “Be  valiant!  be  valiant!  ” 

After  the  ceremony  of  cleaning  the  bones 
is  over,  they  are  taken  by  the  principal 
tohunga,  or  priest,  who  generally  disposes 
of  them  in  some  secret  spot  sacred  to  the 
remains  of  dead  chiefs,  and  known  only  to 
himself.  Sometimes,  however,  they  are  laid 
in  beautifully  carved  boxes,  which  are  sup- 
ported on  posts  in  the  middle  of  the  pah. 

Sometimes  the  waki-tapu,  or  sacred  place 
in  which  the  body  of  a chief  is  placed  while 
it  undergoes  decomposition,  is  marked  in  a 
very  curious  manner,  and  the  entire  village 
deserted  for  a time.  For  example,  at  the 
pah  of  Ilurewenua,  the  chief  had  died  about 
six  weeks  before  Mr.  Angas  arrived  at  the 
place,  which  he  found  deserted.  “Not  far 
from  this  island  pah  stood  the  village  of 
Huriwenua,  the  gaily-ornamented  tomb  of 
the  late  chief  forming  a conspicuous  object 
in  the  centre.  Here,  although  everything 
was  in  a state  of  perfect  preservation,  not  a 
living  soul  was  to  be  seen;  the  village,  with 
its  neat  houses  made  of  raupo,  and  its  court- 
yards and  provision  boxes,  was  entirely 
deserted.  From  the  moment  the  chief  was 
laid  beneath  the  upright  canoe,  on  which 
were  inscribed  his  name  and  rank,  the  whole 
village  became  strictly  tapu,' or  sacred,  and 
not  a native,  on  pain  of  death,  was  permitted 
to  trespass  near  the  spot.  The  houses  were 
all  fastened  up,  and  on  most  of  the  doors 
were  inscriptions  denoting  that  the  property 
of  such  an  one  remained  there. 

“An  utter  silence  pervaded  the  place. 
After  ascertaining  that  no  natives  were  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  forbidden  spot,  I landed, 
and  trod  the  sacred  ground;  and  my  footsteps 
were  probably  the  first,  since  the  desertion 
of  the  village,  that  had  echoed  along  its  i^al- 
isaded  passages. 

“ On  arriving  at  the  tomb,  I was  struck 


p.f  I MS 


Jv; 


'•  )><C  '•r> 


■ H 


• 7-f 


% 


(•>.)  TOMB  OF  E TOKI.  (See  page  873.) 


(1.)  MOURNING  OVER  A DEAD  CHIEF. 


(872) 


TOMB  OF  E’TOKI. 


873 


with  the  contrast  between  the  monument  of 
the  savage  and  that  of  the  civilized  European. 
In  the  erection  of  the  latter,  marble  and  stone 
and  the, most  durable  of  metals  are  employed, 
while  rapidly  decaying  wood,  red  ochre,  and 
feathers  form  the  decorations  of  the  Maori 
tomb.  Iluriwenua  having  been  buried  only 
six  weeks,  the  ornaments  of  the  waki-tapu^ 
or  sacred  place,  as  those  erections  are  called, 
were  fresh  and  uninjured.  The  central 
upright  canoe  was  richly  painted  with  black 
and  red,  and  at  the  top  was  written  the  name 
of  the  chief;  above  which  there  hung  in  clus- 
ters, bunches  of  Tcaka  feathers,  forming  a 
large  mass  at  the  summit  of  the  canoe.  A 
double  fence  of  high  palings,  also  painted  red, 
and  ornamented  with  devices  in  arabesque 
work,  extended  round  the  grave,  and  at  every 
fastening  of  flax,  where  the  horizontal  rails 
were  attached  to  the  upright  fencing,  were 
stuck  two  feathers  of  the  albatross,  the  sunny 
whiteness  of  which  contrasted  beautifully 
with  the  sombre  black  and  red  of  the  re- 
mainder of  the  monument.” 

One  of  these  tombs  may  be  seen  in  the 
background  of  illustration  Ko.  1,  on  p.  8G0, 
containing  the  portrait  of  an  old  priest,  and 
another  is  shown  in  the  view  of  a village 
which  will  be  given  on  a future  page. 

Within  the  pah  is  often  erected  a monu- 
ment or  mausoleum  of  the  dead.  A very 
beautiful  example  of  this  kind  of  tomb 
was  erected  in  the  pah  of  Rangihaeta  to  the 
memory  of  E’  Told,  the  mother  of  Raupa- 
hara. 

It  was  nearly  semi-circular  in  shape,  and  the 
body  was  placed  in  it  in  an  upright  position. 
It  was  covered  with  a roof,  squared  at  the 
corners,  and  projecting  like  a verandah  all 
round,  and  sloping  toward  the  back.  The 
central  tomb,  the  roof,  and  the  posts  which 
supported  it,  were  all  covered  with  the  most 
elaborate  arabesque  pattern,  mostly  of  a 
spiral  character.  Paint  was  liberally  used 
on  it,  that  on  the  central  tomb  or  coffin 
being  red  and  white,  while  that  which  dec- 
orated the  roof  and  posts  was  red  and  black. 
In  front  of  the  projecting  roof  was  hung 
the  beautifully  woven  kaitaka  mat  of  the  de- 
ceased woman,  and  tufts  of  the  white  feath- 
ers of  the  albatross  were  arranged  at  regu- 
lar intervals  upon  it. 

Even  when  Mr.  Angas  saw  this  beautiful 
example  of  Maori  art,  it  was  beginning 
to  decay,  the  climate  being  damp,  and  the 
natives  never  repairing  a decaying  tomb. 
It  was,  of  course,  strictly  tapu.  No  native 
liked  to  go  close  to  it,  and  for  a slave,  or 
even  a free  man  of  inferior  rank,  to  go 
within  a certain  distance  of  it  would  have 
been  a crime  punishable  with  instant 
death. 

I have  much  pleasure  in  presenting  on 
the  preceding  page  an  illustration  of  this 
beautiful  monument  of  Maori  art,  taken 
from  a drawing  made  by  Mr.  Angas  in 
1844,  while  the  perishable  materials  of 


which  the  torn!)  was  made  were  yet  in 
tolerable  preservation.  Under  the  carved 
and  decorated  roof  may  be  seen  the  semi- 
circular coffin  in  which  the  body  had  been 
placed,  distinguished  from  the  outer  portion 
of  the  tomb  by  the  red  and  white  colors  with 
which  it  was  painted,  in  contrast  to  the  red 
and  black  of  the  outer  portions.  The  reader 
will  notice  that  red  is  the  prevalent  color  in 
all  tombs,  because  red  is  the  hue  of  mourp- 
ing  as  well  as  of  war  among  the  Maories. 
Immediately  under  the  eaves  of  the  front 
may  be  seen  the  highly  ornamented  border 
of  the  kaitaka  mat  once  worn  by  the  de- 
ceased, and  now  left  to  decay  upon  her 
tomb. 

Round  the  tomb  itself  runs  a slight  and 
low  fence.  This  palisade,  small  as  it  might 
appear,  afforded  ample  protection  to  the 
tomb,  inasmuch  as  the  whole  space  within  it 
was  rendered  sacred  by  a tapu  laid  upon  it 
by  Raupahara,  so  that  not  even  the  highest 
chief  would  venture  to  enter  the  forbidden 
enclosure. 

One  of  the  finest  specimens  of  carving  in 
New  Zealand  — perhaps  the  finest  in  the 
whole  country  — is,  or  rather  was,  a mau- 
soleum erected  by  Te  Whero-Whero  to  his 
favorite  daughter.  It  was  upon  the  death 
of  this  daughter  that  Te  Whero-Mhero  gave 
such  dire  offence  to  the  other  chiefs  by  threat- 
ening to  throw  their  scalps  into  his  daugh- 
ter’s grave,  for  which  offence  he  had  to  give 
up  the  celebrated  armor  of  E’  Hongi  by  way 
of  fine. 

The  monument  was  erected  in  Raroera, 
formerly  one  of  the  largest  and  finest  pahs 
in  New  Zealand,  but  rendered  desolate 
by  the  act  of  the  headstrong  and  determined 
chief.  He  had  this  wonderful  tomb  built  for 
his  daughter,  and,  as  soon  as  her  body  was 
placed  within  it,  he  pronounced  the  whole 
pah  to  be  tapu.  It  was  at  once  deserted: 
old  and  young  quitted  the  place,  leaving 
everything  behind  them,  the  provisions  to 
moulder  and  the  weapons  to  decay.  Solid 
houses  that  had  occupied  many  years  in 
building  and  carving  were  allowed  to  fall 
into  mere  shapeless  heaps  of  ruins;  and  even 
in  1844  the  rank  vegetation  had  so  com- 
pletely overrun  the  place  that  many  of  the 
best  |fieces  of  native  work  were  covered  by 
the  foliage. 

The  tomb  is  about  twelve  feet  high,  and 
consists  of  the  usual  box  for  the  reception 
of  the  body,  covered  by  a projecting  roof, 
which  is  supported  by  pillars.  Were  it  as 
graceful  in  form  as  the  monument  to  E’ 
Toki,  this  would  be  by  far  the  finest  spec- 
imen of  native  art;  but  unfortunately  it 
does  not  possess  the  bold  outline  and  con- 
trast of  the  curve  and  the  straight  line 
which  are  so  characteristic  of  E’  Toki’a 
tomb. 

The  elaboration  of  the  carving  on  this 
monument  is  so  great  that  it  almost  baffles 
the  skill  of  the  "draughtsman.  Mr.  Angas 


874 


KEW  ZEALAND. 


succeeded  in  copying  it,  and  when  the 
drawing  was  shown  to  the  artist  who  had 
executed  the  work  he  was  astounded,  and 
pronounced  the  white  man  to  be  a great 
tohunga.  The  roof  is  supported  by  pillars, 
each  pillar  consisting  of  two  human  figures, 
the  upper  standing  on  the  head  of  the  lower. 
The  upper  figure  is  about  seven  feet  in 
height,  and  has  a gigantic  head,  with  an 
enormous  protruding  tongue  that  reaches 
to  the  breast. 

The  whole  of  the  tomb  is  covered  with  hu- 
man heads.  Exclusive  of  those  upon  the 
posts,  the  front  alone  of  the  tomb  contains 
fourteen  faces,  each  differing  from  the  other 
in  expression  and  pattern  of  the  moko,  but 
all  wearing  the  same  defiant  air.  Their 
enormous  eyes  are  made  peculiarly  conspic- 
uous by  being  carved  out  of  haliotis  shell, 
carrying  out  on  a large  scale  the  plan 
adopted  in  the  chiefs’  hanis  and  other  sculp- 
tures. The  whole  of  the  space  between  the 
figures  is  covered  with  the  most  elaborate 
arabesques,  intertwining  with  each  other  in 
a bewildering  manner,  but  each  running  its 
own  boldly  curved  course.  Between  the 
various  pieces  that  compose  this  tomb  are 
set  bunches  and  tufts  of  white  and  green 
feathers,  which  serve  to  adorn  as  well  as  dis- 
guise the  necessary  seams  of  the  wood- 
work. 

This  wonderful  monument  was  entirely 
carved  by  one  man,  named  Paranui.  He 
was  lame,  and  in  consequence  had  expended 
his  energies  in  art,  in  which  he  had  so 
greatly  distinguished  himself  that  he  took 
rank  as  a tohunga.  He  was  equally  cele- 
brated as  a tattooer;  and  it  may  well  be 
imagined  that  a man  who  could  design  so 
extraordinary  a piece  of  workmanship  must 
be  skilful  in  inventing  the  endless  variety  of 
})atterns  needful  in  the  decoration  of  chief’s 
faces.  In  performing  this  work,  Paranui 
had  but  one  tool,  the  head  of  an  old  bayo- 
net. 

The  loss  of  such  specimens  of  native  art 
as  those  which  have  been  described  carries 
out  my  former  remarks  on  the  necessity  for 
removing  to  our  own  country  every  memo- 
rial of  savage  life  that  we  can  secure.  We 
inflict  no  real  injury  upon  the  savages,  and 
we  secure  an  invaluable  relic  of  vanishing 
customs.  These  monuments,  for  example, 
were  simply  carved  and  then  left  to  decay. 
Had  they  been  removed  to  this  country, 
where  they  would  have  been  guarded  from 
the  power  of  the  elements  and  the  encroach- 
ments of  vegetation,  we  should  have  seen 
them  in  complete  preservation  at  the  pres- 
ent day,  and  likely  to  last  as  long  as  the 
building  which  contained  them. 

Of  course  the  sentimental  argument  may 
be  pleaded  against  this  view  of  the  case; 
but  in  matters  which  are  of  vital  impor- 
tance in  the  grand  study  of  anthropology 
mere  sentiment  ought  to  have  no  place. 
Neither  has  it  such  place  as  some  often 


imagine.  The  savage,  finding  that  the 
white  man  yields  to  him  on  this  point,  is 
only  too  glad  to  find  any  vantage  ground, 
and  always  presses  on  as  fast  as  the  other 
yields  — just  as  has  been  done  in  India  with 
the  question  of  caste.  We  cannot  measure 
their  mental  sensibilities  any  more  than 
their  physical  by  our  own.  A savage  en- 
dures with  stoicism  tortures  which  would 
kill  an  European,  simply  because  he  does 
not  feel  them  as  much.  And  the  mental 
and  physical  sensibilities  are  very  much  on 
a par. 

The  Maori  is  perhaps  the  finest  savage 
race  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  yet  we 
cannot  think  that  he  is  exactly  an  estimable 
being,  whose  ambition  is  murder,  and  whose 
reward  is  to  eat  the  body  of  his  victim,  who 
never  does  a stroke  of  work  that  he  can 
avoid,  and  who  leads  a life  of  dissipation  as 
far  as  his  capabilities  go.  Of  all  savage 
nations,  the  New  Zealander  displays  most 
sorrow  for  the  loss  of  a friend  or  relation. 
Tears  flow  profusely  from  his  eyes,  and 
every  tone  of  his  voice  and  every  gesture 
of  his  body  convey  the  impression  that  he 
is  borne  down  by  unendurable  woe.  Yet 
we  have  seen  that  this  efiusion  of  sorrow  is 
mostly  premeditated,  and  merely  a conven- 
tional mode  of  acting  required  by  the  eti- 
quette of  the  country. 

When  two  people  can  be  bathed  in  tears, 
speak  only  in  sobbing  accents,  utter  heart- 
rending cries,  and  sink  to  the  ground  as 
overwhelmed  by  grief,  we  cannot  but  com- 
passionate their  sorrow  and  admire  their 
sensibility.  But  if,  in  the  middle  of  all 
these  touching  demonstrations  of  grief,  we 
see  them  suddenly  cease  from  their  sobs 
and  cries,  enter  into  a little  lively  conversa- 
tion, enjoy  a hearty  laugh,  and  then  betake 
themselves  afresh  to  their  tears  and  sobs,  we 
may  take  the  liberty  of  doubting  their  sin- 
cerity. 

So  with  those  beautiful  houses  and  monu- 
ments that  are  left  to  perish  by  neglect. 
The  builder  did  in  all  probability  feel  very 
keenly  at  the  time,  though  the  feeling  of 
grief  seems  sometimes  to  take  a curious 
turn,  and  be  metamorphosed  into  vengeance 
and  an  excuse  for  war;  but  it  is  very  much 
to  be  doubted  whether  grief  for  the  departed 
is  a feeling  that  is  really  permanent  in  the 
savage  mind.  The  Maori  chief  may  lay  his 
tapu  on  an  entire  village  when  a relative 
dies,  and  if,  after  the  lapse  of  years,  any  one 
be  rash  enough  to  invade  the  forbidden  pre- 
cincts, he  will  visit  the  offence  with  instant 
punishment.  But  it  must  be  remembered 
that  the  infringement  of  the  tapu  in  ques- 
tion is  not  an  insult  to  the  dead  but  to  the 
living,  and  that  when  the  chief  punishes  the 
offender,  he  does  not  avenge  an  affront 
offered  to  his  dead  relative,  but  a direct 
insult  to  himself. 

In  spite  of  his  sentiment,  I think  that  the 
Maori  might  have  been  induced  to  sell  such 


MAORI  ARCHITECTURE. 


875 


specimens  of  art,  and  even  if  he  refused  to 
yield  to  such  a proposition,  he  would  have 
respected  us  none  the  less  if,  when  we  had 
captured  a pah,  we  exercised  the  right  of 
eoiiqiiest,  and  took  that  which  we  could  not 
buy.  Or  even  supposing  that  the  first  idea 
had  proved  impracticable,  and  the  second 
unadvisable,  it  would  not  have  been  very 
difficult  to  have  induced  a native  artist  to 
execute  a duplicate  which  he  could  sell  for  a 
price  which  would  enrich  him  for  life. 

Such  sentiments  are,  I know,  unpopular 
with  the  mass  of  those  who  only  see  the 
savage  at  a distance,  which  certainly,  in  the 
case  of  savage  life,  lends  the  only  enchant- 
ment to  the  view  that  it  can  possess.  But  I 
believe  them  to  be  just  and  true,  and  know 
that  the  closer  is  our  acquaintance  with 
savage  life.,  the  more  reason  we  have  to  be 
thankful  for  civilization.  The  savage  knows 
this  himself,  and  bitterly  feels  his  inferi- 
ority. He  hates  and  fears  the  white  man, 
but  always  ends  by  trying  to  imitate  him. 

To  return  to  these  monuments.  In  for- 
mer times  they  existed  in  great  numbers, 
and  even  in  more  recent  days  those  which 
survive  are  so  characteristic  of  a style  of  art 
that  may  have  taken  its  rise  from  ancient 
Mexico,  that  I should  have  been  glad  to 
transfer  to  these  pages  several  more  of  Mr. 
Angas’  sketches. 

It  will  be  seen  from  several  of  the  pre- 
vious illustrations  that  the  Kew  Zealanders 
must  possess  much  skill  in  architecture. 
The  observant  reader  must  have  remarked 
that  the  art  of  house-building  is  practically 
wanting  in  Australia;  and  that  such  should 
be  the  case  is  most  extraordinary,  seeing 
that  architectural  skill  is  singularly  devel- 
oped among  the  great  Polynesian  families. 
The  ISTew  Zealander,  whose  country  has 
much  in  common  with  Australia,  is  remark- 
able for  the  skill  and  taste  which  he  displays 
in  architecture;  and  a short  space  will  there- 
fore be  devoted  to  this  subject. 

As  is  the  case  throughout  Polynesia  in 
general,  the  material  used  in  house-building 
is  wood,  and  the  various  pieces  of  which  a 
house  is  composed  are  fastened  together  not 
by  nails,  but  by  ropes  and  strings,  which 
in  many  cases  are  applied  in  a most  elabo- 
rate and  artistic  manner,  beauty  being  stud- 
ied not  only  in  the  forms  of  the  houses  and 
in  the  carved  patterns  with  which  they  are 
adorned,  but  in  the  complicated  lashings 
with  which  they  are  bound  together.  As, 
however,  this  branch  of  ornamental  archi- 
tecture is  carried  to  a greater  extent  in  Fiji 
than  in  ISTew  Zealand,  I shall  reserve  the  de- 
tails for  the  description  of  the  Fiji  Islands. 

The  size  of  some  of  these  edifices  is  very 
great.  For  example,  in  1843  the  Maori 
converts  built  for  themselves  a place  of  wor- 
ship large  enough  to  contain  a thousand 
persons,  and  measuring  eighty-six  feet  in 
length  by  forty-two  in  width.  The  size  of 
43 


this  edifice  was  evidently  determined  by  the 
length  of  the  ridge-pole.  This  was  cut 
from  a single  tree,  and  was  dragged  by  the 
natives  a distance  of  three  miles.  The 
cross-lashings  of  the  building  were  ail  or-na- 
niental,  giving  to  it  a peculiar  richness  of 
finish. 

We  are,  however,  chiefly  concerned  with 
the  domestic  architecture  of  the  Maories. 
Within  each  pah  or  enclosed  village  are  a 
number  of  houses,  each  representing  a 
family,  and  separated  from  each  other  by 
fences,  several  houses  generally  standing 
near  each  other  in  one  enclosure.  A full- 
sized  house  is  about  forty  feet  long  by 
twenty  wide,  and  is  built  on  precisely  the 
same  principle  as  the  tombs  which  have 
been  just  described,  the  actual  house  taking 
the  position  of  the  coffin,  and  being  shel- 
tered from  the  weather  by  a gable  roof, 
which  extends  far  beyond  the  walls,  so  as  to 
form  a sort  of  verandah.  The  roof  is  siqD- 
ported  on  separate  posts,  and  does  not,  as 
with  ourselves,  rest  upon  the  walls  of  the 
house.  The  roof  always  projects  greatly  at 
the  principal  end  of  the  house,  in  which  the 
door  is  situated,  so  that  it  forms  a sort  of 
shed,  under  which  the  members  of  the 
family  can  shelter  themselves  from  the  sun 
or  rain  without  going  into  the  house.  A 
genuine  ^sTew  Zealander  has  a great  love  for 
fresh  air,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  will  com- 
posedly sit  for  a whole  day  on  the  wet 
ground  in  a pouring  rain,  although  a house 
may  be  within  easy  reach.  Yet  at  night, 
when  he  retires  to  rest,  he  is  equally  fond  of 
shutting  himself  up,  and  of  excluding  every 
breath  of  fresh  air. 

Indeed,  the  native  does  not  look  upon  a 
house  as  a place  wherein  to  live,  but  merely 
as  a convenient  shelter  from  the  elements 
by  day  and  a comfortable  sleeping-place  by 
night.  As  soon  as  evening  is  near,  a fire  is 
lighted  in  the  middle  of  the  house,  which 
fills  it  with  smoke,  as  there  is  no  chimney. 
The  Kew  Zealander,  however,  seems  to  be 
smoke-p,roof,  and  sits  composedly  in  a place 
which  would  drive  an  European  half  mad 
with  smarting  eyes.  Indeed,  before  the 
natives  become  inured  to  the  acrid  vapor, 
their  eyes  have  much  to  endure,  and  it  is  to 
the  habit  of  sitting  in  the  smoke  that  the 
bleared  look  so  prevalent  in  old  people  is 
chiefly  due. 

Not  only  do  the  natives  thus  surround 
themselves  with  a smoky  atmosphere,  but 
they  limit  its  quantity  as  well  as  its  quality. 
The  number  of  men  and  women  that  will 
pack  themselves  into  one  house  at  night  is 
almost  incredible,  each  person  lying  down 
on  a simple  mat,  and  retaining  the  same 
clothes  that  have  been  worn  during  the  day. 
As,  however,  the  heat  becomes  excessive, 
the  inmates  generally  contrive  to  throw  off 
their  clothing  during  the  night.  By  day- 
break the  heat  and  closeness  are  almost  sti- 
fling to  an  European,  and  it  is  rather  an 


876 


NEW  ZEALAND. 


amusing  sight  to  see  a hut  give  up  its  in- 
mates on  the  morning  of  a cold  day,  the 
whole  part}"  being  enveloped  in  steam  as  they 
come  into  the  cold  air. 

At  the  principal  end  of  the  house,  un- 
der the  verandah,  is  the  entrance.  This 
strangely  resembles  the  gate  of  an  Egyptian 
temple,  being  made  of  three  large  beams, 
the  two  side  posts  slightly  inclining  to  each 
other,  and  the  thii'd  laid  upon  them.  The 
aperture  is  closed  by  a sliding  door,  and  at 
the  side  of  the  door  is  generally  a square 
window,  which  can  be  closed  in  the  same 
manner.  In  some  large  houses  there  were 
two  of  these  windows,  one  on  either  side  of 
the  door. 

As  the  roof  is  made  with  a considerable 
slant,  the  walls  are  seldom  more  than  tw"0  or 
three  feet  high  where  the  roof  touches  them, 
though  in  the  middle  the  house  is  lofty 
enough.  The  roof  is  supported  on  the  inside 
by  one  or  tw"o  posts,  which  are  always 
carved  elaborately,  and  almost  invariably 
have  the  human  'figure  as  one  of  the  orna- 
ments upon  them.  The  ridge-pole  is  fiat- 
tened  and  boardlike,  and  in  good  houses  is 
carved  and  painted  in  patterns,  usually  of  the 
spiral  character.  This  board,  as  w"ell  as 
those  which  are  used  in  different  parts  of  the 
building,  is  made  by  hacking  the  trunk  of  a 
tree  on  both  sides,  until  it  is  reduced  to  the 
required  thickness,  the  native  Maories  hav- 
ing no  tool  which  can. answer  the  purpose  of 
a savr. 

At  the  end  of  the  ridge-pole,  over  the 
door,  is  carved  a distorted  human  figure,  in- 
tended to  represent  the  owmer  of  the  house, 
and  recognized  as  such  by  the  lines  of  the 
moko  or  tattoo  on  its  face,  and  generally 
having  the  tongue  thrust  out  to  an  inordinate 
extent. 

An  illustration  on  page  877  represents 
the  most  celebrated  of  all  Maori  houses, 
namely,  the  war  house  of  the  ruthless  chief 
Kangihaeta,  an  edifice  which  fully  expresses 
the  ferocious  character  of  the  builder. 
These  houses  are  designed  by  chiefs  in  honor 
of  some  great  victory,  and  are  surrounded 
with  wooden  figures,  which  either  represent 
in  derision  the  leading  warriors  of  the  en- 
emy who  have  been  killed,  or  the  victorious 
chief  and  his  own  warriors  in  the  act  of  de- 
fying and  insulting  the  enemy  by  thrusting 
out  their  tongues  at  them.  This  house  bears 
the  ominous  name  of  Kai-tangata,  or  Eat- 
man. 

The  illustration  is  taken  from  a sketch 
made  by  Mr.  Angas,  who  describes  the  build- 
ing asfollow"s:  “Kai-tangata,  or  Eat-man 
House,  is  a wooden  edifice  in  the  primitive 
Maori  style,  of  large  dimensions,  w"ith  the 
door-posts  and  the  boards  forming  the  por- 
tico curiously  and  elaborately  carved  in  gro- 
tesque shapes,  representing  human  figures, 
frequently  in  the  most  indecent  attitudes. 
The  eyes  are  inlaid  with  pawa  shell,  and 
the  tattooing  of  the  faces  is  carefully  cut. 


The  tongues  of  all  these  figures  are  mon^ 
strously  large,  and  protrude  out  of  the 
mouth,  as  a mark  of  defiance  tow"ard  their 
enemies  who  may  approach  the  house. 
The  w"hole  of  the  carved  wmrk,  as  W"ell  ns 
the  wooden  parts  of  the  building,  are  col- 
ored red  wdth  kokowai,  an  ochre  found  prin- 
cipally on  the  side  of  the  volcano  of  Taran- 
aki. 

“ The  portico  or  verandah  of  Eangihaeta’s 
house  is  about  twelve  feet  deep,  and  the 
ridge-pole  and  frame  boards  of  the  roof  arc 
richly  painted  in  spiral  arabesques  of  black 
and  red;  the  margin  of  each  spiral  being 
dotted  with  white  spots,  w'hich  add  rich- 
ness to  the  efiecl.  The  spaces  betw^een  the 
woodwork  are  filled  up  with  variegated 
reeds,  beautifully  arranged  with  great  skill, 
and  fastened  together  with  strips  of  flax 
dyed  red,  and  tied  crosswise,  so  as  to  pre- 
sent the  appearance  of  ornamental  basket- 
work. 

“Above  the  centre  of  the  gable-roofed 
portico  is  fixed  a large  wooden  head,  elabo- 
rately tattooed,  with  hair  and  a beard  fas- 
tened on,  composed  of  dogs’  tails.  Within 
the  house  is  a carved  image  of  most  hideous 
aspect,  that  supports  the  ridge-pole  of  the 
roof.  This  is  intended  to  represent  the 
proprietor,  and  is  said  by  the  natives  to  be 
entirely  the  work  of  Eangihaeta’s  own 
hand.” 

This  figure,  together  wdth  the  pole  that 
issues  from  the  head,  may  be  seen  in  illus- 
tration No.  1,  on  page  809,  which  repre- 
sents the  interior  of  the  house.  On  account 
of  the  circumstance  recorded  in  the  begin- 
ning of  this  description,  the  artist  has  been 
unable  to  draw  a vast  number  of  carvings 
which  decorated  this  house,  so  that -much  of 
the  extraordinary  elaboration  is  necessarily 
omitted. 

Rangihaeta  displayed  his  merciless  dis- 
position in  one  of  the  unfortunate  skir- 
mishes which  often  took  place  between  the 
Maories  and  the  English,  and  which  have 
afterward  been  equally  regretted  by  both 
parties,  the  white  men  having  generally  of- 
fered an  unintentional  insult  to  the  na- 
tives, and  the  latter  having  resented  it  in 
the  heat  of  passion.  On  this  occasion,  a num- 
ber of  the  white  men  had  been  captured  by 
the  Maories  under  the  two  chiefs  Rangi- 
haeta  and  Raupahara,  who  were  related  to 
each  other  by  marriage,  the  former  having 
married  a daughter  of  the  latter.  Some  time 
previously,  this  woman  had  been  accidentally 
killed  by  a chance  shot,  which,  as  a matter  of 
course,  her  relations  insisted  on  considering 
as  intentional. 

While  the  prisoners  and  their  capturers 
were  standing  together,  another  chief  named 
Puatia  tried  to  make  peace,  saying  that  the 
slain  on  both  sides  -were  about  equal.  His 
proposition  was  accepted,  the  lately  oppos- 
ing parties  shook  hands,  and  all  would  have 
gone  well  had  they  not  been  joined  by 


(877) 


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I*;;  ' ' ■ 


V 

u,  ‘ 


1.  '.it: 


I 


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i 


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:i  - y: . 


■i 

i..fi 


INTERIOR  VIEW  OF  A PAH. 


879 


Rangihaeta,  who  had  been  employing  him- 
self in  the  congenial  task  of  killing  all  the 
wounded.  He  immediately  demanded  the 
lives  of  the  prisoners,  and  when  Raupahara 
refused  to  accede  to  his  demand,  Rangi- 
haeta  told  him  to  remember  his  daughter. 
The  bereaved  chief  was  silent  at  this  im- 
plied reproach,  and,  before  he  had  time 
to  collect  his  thoughts,  Rangihaeta  glided 
round  the  party,  getting  behind  each  of 
the  captives  as  they  stood  among  the  Mao- 
ries,  and  killed  them  successively  with  his 
merai.  The  ubiquitous  land  question  was  at 
the  bottom  of  this  sad  business. 

Houses  like  the  Kai-tangata  were  for- 
merly common,  answering  the  purpose  of 
the  ancient  trophies.  A war  house  nearly 
as  celebrated  as  that  which  has  just  been 
described  was  erected  by  Puatia,  the  chief 
of  Otawliao  Pah,  in  order  to  commemorate 
the  capture  of  Maketu  on  the  east  coast. 
Since  Puatia  died,  the  whole  of  this  splendid 
pah  was  rendered  tapu,  and,  in  consequence, 
the  buildings  within  it  were  given  up  to 
decay.  Mr.  Angas  was  fortunate  enough  to 
secure  a sketch  of  the  war  house  before,  like 
the  rest  of  the  buildings  in  the  pah,  it  had 
entirely  decayed. 

The  house  itself  is  perhaps  scarcely  so 
neatly  made  as  the  Kai-tangata,  but  it  de- 
rives great  interest  from  the  number  of 
figures  with  which  the  beams,  rafters,  and 
posts  are  decorated.  On  either  side  of  the 
verandah  stand  two  huge  wooden  figures, 
which  are  intended  to  represent  two  chiefs 
who  fell  in  battle,  but  who,  as  belonging  to 
the  victorious  side,  are  represented  with 
their  tongues  defiantly  menacing  the  beaten 
enemy. 

The  figure  that  supports  the  central  pole 
represents  a chief  who  was  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal warriors  at  the  capture  of  Maketu.  At 
the  height  of  six  and  ten  feet  respectively, 
on  the  same  pole,  are  carvings  which  repre- 
sent two  other  warriors,  their  moko,  or  tat- 
too, doing  duty  for  the  whole  of  the  person. 
Still  higher  are  a couple  of  figures  repre- 
senting warriors,  the  upper  figure  appear- 
ing to  stand  on  the  roof  itself.  Just  within 
the  upper  part  of  the  gable  is  the  figure  of 
Pokana,  a warrior  who  was  living  at  the 
time  when  the  house  was  built,  and  who 
is  represented  with  a pipe  in  his  mouth. 
Around  the  house  are  numbers  of  similar 
figures,  each  representing  some  well-known 
individual,  and  having  a signification  which 
is  perfectly  well  understood  by  the  natives. 

It  was  in  this  ruined  pah  of  Otawhao  that 
the  disused  wooden  war-bell  was  found. 
The  former  owner,  Puatia,  was  converted 
to  Christianity  before  his  death,  and,  while 
he  lay  sick  within  his  pah,  he  had  a school 
established  for  the  purpose  of  disseminating 
Christianity,  and  used  to  call  his  people 
round  him  for  the  morning  and  evening 
prayers. 

It  has  been  mentioned  that,  owing  to  ,the 


contempt  with  which  tho  Maories  regard 
everything  that  pertains  to  tho  i)reparation 
of  food,  cooking  is  never  carried  on  in  tho 
dwelling-houses.  If  possible,  it  is  conducted 
in  the  open  air;  but  when  the  weather  is  too 
wet  or  too  windy,  a shed  is  employed.  These 
cooking  sheds  are  built  expressly  for  tlio 
purpose,  and  no  one  with  any  claims  to  rank 
ever  enters  within  them.  AVere  no  shelter 
but  a cooking  shed  to  be  found  within  miles, 
the  Maori  chief  would  not  enter  it,  no  mat- 
ter how  severe  the  weather  might  be. 

The  cooking  sheds  are  built  very  simply, 
the  sides  or  walls  being  purposely  made  with 
considerable  interstices,  so  that  tho  wind 
may  pass  freely  between  them.  They  are 
roofed  with  beams,  over  which  is  placed  a 
thatch  of  the  raupo  rush.  As,  among  other 
articles  of  diet,  the  putrid  maize  is  prepared 
in  these  sheds,  the  European  traveller  is 
often  glad  to  find  that  the  abominable  mess 
will  be  cooked  at  a distance  from  him. 

Some  of  the  larger  pahs  contain  a great 
number  of  houses,  and  several  of  them  are 
inhabited  by  at  least  two  thousand  people. 
Civilization  has  at  the  present  day  exercised 
great  influence  upon  the  pahs,  and  reduced 
them,  as  a rule,  to  fortresses  rather  than 
villages.  In  many  districts  the  use  of  the 
pah  "has  been  practically  abandoned,  those 
natives  who  wish  to  be  at  peace  devoting 
themselves  to  the  cultivation  of  the  ground 
and  living  in  scattered  houses,  without  car- 
ing for  the  protection  of  the  fence. 

The  illustration  No.  2,  on  page  877,  is 
taken  from  a sketch  by  Mr.  Angas,  repre- 
senting the  interior  of  a pah  as  seen  by  him 
in  1814.  One  or  two  of  the  houses  are  seen 
scattered  about,  adorned  with  the  grotesque 
figures  of  which  the  Maori  is  so  fond,  and 
having  several  of  the  inmates  sitting  under 
the  shelter  of  the  deep  verandah.  Rather 
in  the  background  are  one  or  two  of  the  in- 
genious and  beautifully  carved  storehouses, 
in  which  food  is  protected  from  the  rats,  and 
on  one  side  is  a great  wooden  tiki  projecting 
from  the  ground.  Just  behind  the  large 
storehouse  is  seen  the  curious  monument 
that  marks  the  waki-tapu,  or  sacred  burial- 
place  of  a chief,  a half  canoe  being  planted 
in  the  ground  and  painted  with  elaborate 
patterns  in  red,  the  color  for  mourning  and 
war  among  the  New  Zealanders. 

Groups  of  the  natives  may  be  seen  scat- 
tered about,  conspicuous  among  whom  is 
the  council  that  is  sitting  in  the  foreground, 
under  the  presidency  of  the  seated  chief, 
whose  hani,  or  staff  of  office,  marks  his 
dignity.  A slave  woman  is  seen  working  at 
her  task  of  beating  the  flax  leaves;  and 
wandering  promiscuously  about  the  pah,  or 
lying  comfortably  asleep,  are  the  pigs,  with 
which  every  village  swarms. 

We  now  come  to  the  tools  with  which 
the  Maori  performs  all  this  wonderfu* 
amount  of  carpentering  and  carving. 


880 


NEW  ZEALAND. 


Looking  at  the  results,  we  might  naturally 
fancy  that  the  dusky  architect  possessed  a 
goodly  array  of  tools;  but,  in  fact,  his  tools 
are  as  few  and  simple  as  his  weapons,  and 
may  be  practically  considered  as  two,  the 
adze  and  the  chisel.  On  the  next  page  an 
example  of  each  is  drawn,  the  artist  having 
taken  care  to  select  the  best  and  most  valu- 
able specimens;  the  blades  being  formed 
from  the  precious  green  jade,  and  the  han- 
dles carved  elaborately,  so  as  to  be  worthy 
of  the  valuable  material  from  which  the 
blades  are  shaped. 

As  may  be  imagined,  these  tools  cannot 
have  very  sharp  edges  given  to  them,  as 
the  brittleness  of  the  stone  would  cause  it 
to  chip  into  an  edge  like  that  of  a bad  saw, 
and  in  consequence  the  worst  iron  axe  is  a 
far  better  tool  than  the  best  specimen  of 
green  stonework  that  a Maori  ever  made. 

At  No.  3 may  be  seen  one  of  the  common 
“ tokis,”  or  stone  axes,  that  were  formerly 
so  much  used  in  building  canoes.  The 
specimen  from  which  it  is  drawn  is  in  my 
collection,  and  I have  selected  it  for  illustra- 
tion because  it  gives  so  excellent  an  idea  ot 
the  structure  of  the  tool,  and  the  mode  of 
fastening  the  blade  to  the  handle.  This  is 
achieved  in  a very  ingenious  manner,  and 
although  it  scarcely  seems  possible  to  secure 
the  requisite  firmness  by  a mere  lashing  of 
string,  the  Maori  workman  has  contrived 
to  attach  the  blade  as  firmly  as  if  it  had 
been  socketed. 

This  mode  of  fastening  the  blade  to  the 
handle  prevails  over  the  greater  part  of  the 
Polynesian  group,  and,  although  the  elabo- 
ration of  the  lashings  varies  considerably, 
the  principle  is  exactly  the  same  through- 
out. The  same  plan  prevails  even  in  Bor- 
neo, and  there  is  in  my  collection  a boat- 
builder’s  adze,  the  iron  blade  of  which  is 
lashed  to  the  socket  in  precisely  the  same 
manner,  the  only  difference  being  that  split 
rattan  is  employed  instead  of  string.  The 
reader  will  notice  the  peculiar  shape  of  the 
adze-edge,  which  is  exactly,  that  of  the  in- 
cisor tooth  of  any  rodent  animal.  Whether 
the  maker  intentionally  copied  the  tooth 
is  doubtful,  but  that  he  has  done  so  is  evi- 
dent. 

Tools  such  as  these  are  necessarily  im- 
perfect; yet  with  these  the  Maories  pa- 
tiently executed  the  elaborate  and  really 
artistic  designs  which  they  once  lavished 
on  their  dwellings,  their  canoes,  their  weap- 
ons, and  their  tools.  They  could  not  even 
make  a Wcdking  stick  but  they  must  needs 
cover  it  with  carvings.  There  is  in  my  col- 
lection, and  illustrated  at  fig.  4,  a remarkably 
fine  example  of  such  a walking  stick,  called 
in  the  Maori  tongue  “ toko-toko,”  which  was 
presented  to  me  by  Stiverd  Yores,  Esq.  As 


the  reader  may  see  from  the  illustration 
it  is  ornamented  with  six  complete  human 
figures,  and  a human  face  on  the  knob  of 
the  handle.  The  portions  of  the  stick  that 
come  between  the  figures  are  completely 
covered  with  carving,  and  the  only  plain 
surface  is  that  which  is  intended  to  be 
grasped  by  the  hand. 

The  six  figures  are  in  three  pairs,  set 
back  to  back,  and  those  of  each  pair  exactly 
resemble  one  another.  A distinct  grada- 
tion is  observed  in  them,  the  uppermost 
pair  having  their  faces  most  elaborately 
tattooed,  the  middle  pair  being  less  orna- 
mented, and  the  lowermost  pair  having  a 
comparatively  simple  tattoo.  In  the  posi- 
tion of  the  heads  there  is  also  a distinction, 
which  I believe  to  have  some  signification 
known  to  the  carver.  The  upper  pair  have 
the  left  hand  laid  on  the  breast,  and  the 
right  hand  pressed  to  the  lips;  the  middle 
pair  have  the  left  hand  still  on  the  breast, 
and  the  right  fingers  touching  the  throat; 
while  the  lower  figures  have  both  hands 
clasped  on  the  breast. 

All  the  figures  are  separated,  except  at 
the  backs  of  the  heads,  the  hips,  and  the 
heels,  where  they  touch  each  other;  so  that 
the  labor  expended  on  this  stick  has  been 
very  great. 

We  now  take  farewell  of  this  interesting 
race  — a race  which  is  fast  waning  away, 
and  will  soon  perish  altogether.  No  New 
Zealander  will  ever  sit  on  the  broken  arches 
of  London  Bridge,  and  contemplate  the  ruins 
of  St.  Paul’s.  The  Maori  is  fast  disappear- 
ing, and  in  a comparatively  few  j^ears  it  is 
certain  that  not  a Maori  of  pure  blood  will 
be  found  in  the  islands;  and  before  a cen- 
tury has  elapsed,  even  the  characteris- 
tic tattoo  will  be  a remembrance  of  the 
past,  of  which  the  only  memorials  will  be 
the  dried  heads  that  have  been  preserved 
in  European  museums.  It  is  pitiful  that 
such  a race  should  be  passing  away;  but 
its  decadence  cannot  be  arrested,  and  in 
a short  time  the  Maories  will  be  as  com- 
pletely extinct  as  the  people  of  the  stone 
age,  leaving  nothing  but  their  manufactures 
as  memorials  of  their  existence.  Such  me- 
morials, therefore,  ought  to  be  sedulously 
preserved.  Every  piece  of  genuine  native 
carving  that  can  be  found  in  New  Zealand 
ought  to  be  secured  and  brought  to  Eng- 
land, where  it  can  be  preserved  for  future 
ages,  and,  with  the  isolated  specimens  that 
are  scattered  in  private  houses  throughout 
the  country,  ought  to  be  gathered  together 
in  some  central  museum,  where  they  can 
be  accessible  to  all  who  interest  them- 
selves in  the  grand  science  of  anthro- 
pology. 


(1.  MAORI  PADDLES. 
(See  page  854.) 


COMMON  STONE  ADZE. 
(See  page  880.) 


(4.)  TOKO-TOKO. 
(See  page  880.) 


(881) 


OB»?ARy 
Of  fH^  ^ 

OF 


CHAPTER  LXXXym, 


NEW  CALEDONIA. 


POSITION  AND  (DIMENSIONS  OF  NEW  CALEDONIA  — APPEARANCE  AND  DRESS  OF  THE  NATIVES — THB 
DANCING  MASK  — NATIVE  ARCHITECTURE  — SMOKE  AND  MOSQUITOES  — WARFARE  — CURIOUS 
WEAPONS  — THB  SLING  AND  THE  SPEAR  — MODE  OF  THROWING  THB  SPEAR  — THE  OUNEP,  OR 
“amentum”  OF  THB  ANCIENTS  — SHAPE  OF  THE  CLUB — OBJECTS  OF  WAR  — CANNIBALISM  — 
THB  KNIFE  AND  FORK  — DIET  AND  COOKERY  IN  GENERAL  — THE  NOUGUI  SPIDER  — MODE  OF 
DRINKING  — CHARACTER  OF  THE  NEW  CALEDONIANS  — AN  INGENIOUS  THEFT  — THE  KATA  — THE 
ISLE  OF  PINES,  AND  ITS  INHABITANTS. 


East  of  Australia  is  a tolerably  large  island 
known  by  the  name  ofi^ew  Caledonia.  It  is 
of  no  very  great  extent,  but  is  inhabited  by 
a people  who  deserve  a short  notice  in  these 
pages. 

The  new  Caledonians  are  nearly  black  in 
color,  and  in  general  form  and  appearance 
bear  some  resemblance  to  the  aborigines  of 
Tasmania.  They  are,  however,  better  look- 
ing, and  wear  altogether  a less  savage  aspect, 
probably  on  account  of  the  comparatively 
regular  supplies  of  food  which  they  can 
obtain.  They  are  of  ordinary  stature,  but 
one  man  was  seen  who  measured  rather 
more  than  six  feet  in  height.  His  form, 
however,  was  ill  proportioned.  They  wear 
scarcely  any  dress,  the  men  having  generally 
a single  leaf  hanging  from  their  girdles,  or 
at  the  most  a strip  of  soft  bark  answering 
the  purpose  of  drawers,  while  the  aduit 
women  wear  a narrow  fringed  girdle,  which 
passes  several  times  round  the  waist. 

Their  hair  is  woolly  and  short,  but  at  a 
distance  many  of  them  would  be  taken  for 
long-haired  people,  in  consequence  of  a habit 
of  making  artificial  tresses  some  two  feet  in 
length,  out  of  grass  and  the  hair  of  a bat. 
Some  of  these  appendages  are  so  long  that 
they  fall  to  the  middle  of  the  back.  Bound 
the  head  is  sometimes  tied  a small  net  with 
wide  meshes,  and  the  chiefs  wear  an  odd 
sort  of  a hat.  These  hats  are  cylindrical,  and 
decorated  with  a large  circular  ornament  at 
each  side,  a plume  of  feathers  at  the  top,  and 
a long  drooping  tuft  of  grass  and  hair 


that  hangs  down  the  back.  The  hat  forms 
no  protection  to  the  head,  having  no  crown 
to  it,  and  is  only  used  as  a mark  of  rank. 

The  natives  also  make  a sort  of  mask,  very 
ingeniously  cut  out  of  wood,  having  the 
mouth  open  and  the  eyes  closed.  The  wearer 
looks,  not  through  the  eyes,  but  through 
some  apertures  which  are  made  in  the  upper 
part  of  the  mask.  It  is  supposed  that  these 
masks  are  employed  in  war,  when  the  com- 
batants desire  to  disguise  themselves  from 
their  opponents.  This  however,  is  only  a con- 
jecture. I have  little  doubt  that  the  wooden 
mask  described  and  figured  by  D’Entrecas- 
teaux is  nothing  more  than  an  ornament  used 
in  the  native  dances.  It  is,  in  fact,  the 
“ momo,”  which  is  described  by  more  recent 
travellers.  When  complete,  the  “ momo  ” is 
decorated  with  plumes  of  feathers,  long  tufts 
of  hair,  and  a thick,  coarse  network,  which 
does  dut^  for  a beard,  and  descends  as  far  as 
the  knees  of  the  wearer. 

A mask  made  in  a precisely  similar  manner 
is  used  by  the  natives  of  Vancouver’s  Island, 
but  is  employed  by  them  in  their  dances. 
One  of  these  masks  is  in  my  collection,  and 
will  be  described  in  the  course  of  the  work. 

Ear  ornaments  of  various  kinds  are  in  favor 
among  the  IS'ew  Caledonians,  and  some  of 
the  natives  enlarge  the  hole  in  the  lobe  to 
such  an  extent  that  it  forms  a long  loop,  the 
end  of  which  falls  on  the  shoulders.  Oc- 
casionally, they  try  the  elasticity  of  the  ear 
too  inuch,  and  tear  it  completely  through. 
Anything  seems  to  be  worn  in  the  ears,  and 


884 


NEW  CALEDONIA. 


when  a New  Caledonian  cannot  find  a suit- 
able ornament,  he  fills  up  the  ear  with  a leaf 
or  a roll  of  bark.  They  do  not  tattoo  them- 
selves, but  draw  black  lines  across  the  breast 
with  charcoal,  the  lines  being  broad,  and 
traced  diagonally  across  the  breast.  Neck- 
laces of  various  kinds  are  worn,  and  these 
ornaments  bear  a certain  resemblance  to 
those  of  New  Guinea,  consisting  principally 
of  a twisted  string,  to  which  is  suspended  a 
shell  or  piece  of  bone,  carved  in  a manner 
which  the  natives  are  pleased  to  consider  as 
ornamental. 

Although  by  nature  the  men  possess  thick 
and  stiff  beards,  these  hirsute  ornaments  are 
generally  removed,  the  hair  being  pulled  up 
by  the  roots  by  means  of  a pair  of  shells  used 
in  lieu  of  tweezers. 

Architecture  among  the  New  Caledonians 
is  infinitely-superior  to  that  of  Australia,  and 
in  some  respects  almost  equals  that  of  New 
Zealand.  The  houses  are  conical  in  shape, 
and  often  reach  from  ten  to  eleven  feet  in 
height  in  the  middle. 

The  principle  on  which  the  huts  are  built 
is  perfectly  simple.  The  native  architect 
begins  by  digging  a hole  in  the  ground,  and 
planting  in  it  a stout  pole,  some  fifteen  feet 
in  length,  and  nine  or  ten  inches  in  circum- 
ference. A number  of  smaller  poles  or 
rafters  are  set  in  the  ground  around  the 
standard  or  central  pole,  their  bases  being 
planted  in  the  earth  and  their  tips  leaning 
against  the  standard.  Smaller  branches  are 
interwoven  among  the  rafters,  and  the  whole 
is  rendered  weather-tight  by  dried  herbage 
lashed  to  the  walls. 

These  simple  walls  are  often  several  inches 
in  thickness;  and  as  the  natives  spread  thick 
mats  on  the  floor,  they  are  well  sheltered 
from  the  weather. 

The  entrance  is  very  small,  never  above 
three  feet  in  height,  and  on  occasions  can  be 
closed  with  a rude  door  made  of  palm 
branches.  Some  of  the  latter  kind  of  huts 
have  regular  door-posts,  on  which  are  carved 
rude  imitations  of  the  human  face.  A fire 
is  almost  always  kept  burning  inside  the  hut, 
not  so  much  for  the  sake  of  warmth  or  for 
culinary  purposes,  as  to  form  a defence 
against  mosquitoes.  Smoke,  therefore,  is 
encouraged;  and,  though  it  may  be  the  lesser 
of  two  evils,  it  forms  a great  drawback  to  the 
comfort  of  Europeans,  who  can  defy  the 
mosquitoes  by  their  clothes,  and  can  project 
themselves  at  night  by  means  of  curtains. 
The  central  post  of  the  house  is  mostly 
decorated  with  shells,  and  carved  at  the  top 
into  the  shape  of  a human  being. 

Each  house  is  usually  surrounded  with  a 
fence  some  four  or  five  feet  in  height,  and 
within  the  hut  there  is  a curious  piece  of 
furniture  which  gives  to  the  rude  habitation 
quite  a civilized  look.  This  is  a wooden  shelf, 
suspended  by  cords  exactly  like  our  hanging 
bookshelves.  It  is  hung  about  four  feet  from 
the  ground,  but  as  the  cords  are  very  slight, 


it  can  support  only  a trifling  weight.  The 
native  name  for  this  shelf  is  “ paite.” 

We  will  now  proceed  from  domestic  to 
military  life,  and  devote  a small  space  to 
warfare  among  the  New  Caledonians. 

It  is  very  remarkable  that  among  these 
naked  and  peculiarly  savage  cannibals  we 
should  find  two  of  the  weapons  of  war  which 
were  in  greatest  favor  among  the  civilized 
Komansof  the  classic  times.  These  are  the 
sling  and  the  javelin,  the  latter  being  cast  by 
a peculiar  arrangement  of  a thong,  so  that,  in 
point  of  fact,  the  New  Caledonian  warrior 
does  not  only  sling  the  stone,  but  the  spear 
also. 

We  will  take  these  weapons  in  order,  the 
sling  coming  first,  as  being  the  simpler  of 
the  two  weapons. 

The  construction  of  the  sling  or  “ wendat,” 
as  the  natives  call  it,  is  very  simple,  the 
weapon  being  merely  a doubled  thong  with 
a pouch  in  the  middle,  in  which  the  stone  is 
placed.  This  pouch  is  made  of  two  small 
cords  laid  side  by  side,  and  as  the  smooth 
stone  might  slip  out  of  it,  the  slinger  always 
wets  the  missile  in  his  mouth  before  placing 
it  in  the  pouch.  The  stones  are  cut  out  of  a 
hard  kind  of  steatite,  which  can  take  a good 
polish.  They  are  oval  in  shape,  and  are 
carefully  ground  down  by  friction,  the  sur- 
face becoming  very  smooth  in  the  process. 

Thirty  or  forty  of  these  stones  are  kept  in 
a small  net,  which  is  fastened  to  the  left  side 
of  the  slinger.  In  illustration  No.  1,  on  page 
893,  one  of  the  warriors  is  seen  wdth  his 
sling  in  his  hand,  and  the  net  filled  with 
stones  fastened  to  his  side.  When  the 
slinger  wishes  to  hurl  a stone,  he  does  not 
waste  time  and  strength  by  whirling  the 
sling  round  and  round,  but  merely  gives  it 
one  half  turn  in  the  air,  and  discharges  the 
missile  with  exceeding  force  and  wonderful 
accuracy  of  aim.  In  consequence  of  only 
giving  one  half  turn  to  the  sling,  the  stones 
can  be  hurled  nearly  as  fast  as  they  can  be 
thrown  by  the  hand,  and  the  weapon  is  there- 
fore an  exceedingly  formidable  one  in  the 
open  field  when  fire-arms  are  not  opposed  to 
it. 

We  now  come  to  the  spear,  or  rather 
javelin. 

This  weapon  is  of  very  great  length,  some 
specimens  measuring  fourteen  or  fifteen  feet 
from  butt  to  point;  and  unless  the  warrior 
were  able  to  supplement  the  natural  strength 
of  his  arm  by  artificial  means,  he  would  not 
be  able  to  throw  the  spear  more  than  a few 
yards.  He  has  therefore  invented  an  instru- 
ment by  which  he  can  hurl  this  long  and  un- 
wieldly  weapon  to  a considerable  distance. 
The  principle  on  which  this  instrument  is 
formed  is  identical  with  that  of  the  Austra- 
lian throw-stick,  but  there  is  a difference  in 
the  application.  The  Australian  throw- 
stick  is  straight,  rigid,  and  is  applied  to  the 
butt  of  the  spear,  whereas  the  implement 


CANNIBALISM 


885 


used  by  the  New  Caledonian  is  flexible, 
elastic,  and  applied  to  a spot  a little  behind 
the  middle  of  the  spear. 

This  instrument  is  ingeniously  simple.  It 
is  nothing  more  than  a plaited  cord  or  thong 
made  of  a mixture  of  cocoa-nut  fibre  aiicl 
fish-skin.  It  is  a foot  or  more  in  length,  and 
is  furnished  at  one  end  with  a knob,  while 
the  other  is  worked  into  a loop.  This  elas- 
tic cord  is  called  by  the  natives  “ ounep.” 
AY  hen  the  warrior  desires  to  throw  a spear, 
he  slips  the  loop  over  the  forefinger  of  his 
right  hand,  and  allows  it  to  hang  in  readi- 
ness for  the  spear.  As  soon  as  the  time 
comes  for  the  spear  to  be  thrown,  the  man 
balances  the  weapon  for  a moment  so  as 
to  find  the  middle,  and  then  casts  the  end 
of  the  thong  round  it  in  a sailor’s  half-hitch, 
drawing  it  tight  with  his  forefinger. 

As  long  as  pressure  is  thus  kept  upon 
the  thong,  it  retains  its  hold  of  the  spear; 
and  as  soon  as  it  is  released,  “ the  half-hitch” 
gives  way  and  allows  the  spear  to  free  itself. 
The  mode  of  throwing  is  therefore  evident. 
The  warrior  holds  the  loop  of  the  thong  on 
his  forefinger,  the  rest  of  the  hand  grasping 
the  spear.  As  he  throws  the  weapon,  he 
loosens  the  hold  of  his  hand,  and  so  hurls 
the  spear  by  means  of  the  thong. 

The  classical  reader  will  doubtless  re- 
member that  this  thong  or  “ ounep  ” is  pre- 
cisely the  “ amentum  ” of  the  ancients,  but 
is  actually  superior  in  its  construction  and 
manipulation.  The  amentum  was  simply  a 
loop  of  cord  or  leather  fastened  to  the  shaft 
of  the  javelin  just  behind  the  balance. 
AVhen  the  warrior  wished  to  throw  a spear, 
he  grasped  the  shaft  in  his  hand,  inserted  his 
fingers  in  the  loop,  and  by  means  of  the  addi- 
tional leverage  was  able  to  throw  a heavy 
weapon  to  a considerable  distance.  See,  for 
example,  Ovid’s  Metamorphoses,  xii.  321 : 

“Tnserit  araento  cligitos,  nec  plura  locutus, 

In  juvenem  torsit  jaculum, 

in  English,  “ He  inserted  his  fingers  into 
the  amentum,  and,  without  saying  more, 
whirled  the  dart  at  the  youth.”  Commen- 
tators have  been  extremely  perplexed  about 
this  passage.  In  the  first  place  they  were 
rather  uncertain  as  to  the  meaning  of  the 
word  “ amentum,”  and  in  the  second  place, 
they  could  not  see  the  force  of  the  word 
“ torsit,”  i.  e.  whirled.  The  reader  will, 
however,  see  how  perfectly  appropriate  is 
the  term,  the  spear  being  flung  with  a whirl- 
ing movement  as  a stone  from  a sling.  The 
same  word  is  used  by  Yirgil:  “ Intendunt 
acres  arcus,  amentaque  torquent.”  Another 
writer  also  alludes  to  this  instrument; 

“Amentum  digitis  tende  prioribus, 

Et  totis  jaculum  dinige  viribus;” 

e.  “ Stretch  the  amentum  with  your  first 
fingers,  and  aim  the  javelin  with  your  full 
strength.” 


Ingenious  as  was  the  amentum  of  the 
ancients,  the  ounep  is  far  superior  to  it. 
With  the  ancients  a separate  anientuin  had 
to  be  fixed  to  each  spear,  while  among  the 
New  Caledonians  only  one  ounep  is  re- 
quired. 

Besides  these  weapons,  the  club  is  much 
used,  and  great  ingenuity  is  shown  in  its 
manufacture.  The  shape  and  size  of  tlui 
clubs  are  extremely  variable,  and  in  some  of 
them  the  natives  have  exhibited  a surpris- 
ing amount  of  artistic  skill,  the  curves  being 
singularly  bold  and  flowing.  One  of  these 
clubs,  which  is  indeed  a typical  form,  is  in 
my  collection.  The  form  of  the  head  is 
evidently  taken  from  the  beak  of  a bird,  and 
the  curves  are  exceedingly  bold  and  sweep- 
ing. It  is  rather  more  than  three  feet  in 
length,  and  it  weighs  almost  exactly  two 
pounds  and  a half. 

AYar  is  in  New  Caledonia,  as  in  New  Zea- 
land, the  chief  occupation  of  the  men.  The 
first  lesson  that  a child  receives  is  fighting, 
and  the  idea  is  prevalent  with  him  as  long 
as  he  lives.  As  soon  as  he  is  born,  the  boy 
is  consecrated  to  the  god  of  war,  and  a hard 
black  stone  is  laid  on  his  breast,  as  a symbol 
that  his  heart  must  be  as  hard  as  a stone  in 
battle.  Even  the  women  take  a share  in  the 
fighting,  and,  though  they  are  not  actual 
combatants,  they  follow  their  relatives  to 
the  battle,  in  order  to  seize  the  bodies  of 
slain  enemies,  and  drag  tJiem  away  to  the 
cooking  oven.  Strife  is  always  fomented  by 
the  priests  from  interested  motives,  inas- 
much as  the  hands  of  the  slain  are  their 
perquisites,  and  among  the  connoisseurs  in 
cannibalism  the  palms  of  the  hands  are  the 
most  delicate  portions  of  the  human  body. 

Primarily  the  New  Caledonians  are  can- 
nibals because  they  are  warriors,  the  body 
of  a dead  enemy  being  always  supposed  to 
be  eaten  by  the  victors.  There  is  mostly 
a fight  over  the  body  of  a fallen  war- 
rior, the  one  party  tr^dng  to  drag  it  away  to 
the  cooking  oven,  and  the  other  endeavor- 
ing to  save  it  for  burial  by  themselves. 

As  a rule,  however,  the  body  is  carried  oft 
by  the  women,  who  have  the  task  of  cook- 
ing it.  The  preparation  of  the  body  is  quite 
a ceremonial,  each  part  of  it  belonging  by 
right  to  certain  individuals,  and  even  the 
carving  being  regulated  by  strict  rules.  A 
peculiar  kind  of  knife  is  made  of  flat  serpen- 
tine stone,  oval  in  form,  and  about  seven 
inches  in  length.  Two  holes  are  bored  on 
one  side  of  it,  by  means  of  which  it  is  fas- 
tened to  a wooden  handle.  This  knife  is 
called  “ nbouet.” 

AYith  the  nbouet  the  body  is  opened,  and 
the  whole  of  the  intestines  are  torn  out  by 
means  of  a fork  made  expressly  for  the  pur- 
pose. This  fork  is  composed  of  two  human 
armbones  placed  side  by  side,  about  an  inch 
apart,  and  fastened  tightly  together.  They 
are  sharply  pointed,  and  are  very  effectual 
instruments  for  the  purpose.  Sometimes 


880 


NEW  CALEDONIA. 


the  bodies  are  cut  up  for  cooking,  but  in 
many  cases  they  are  baked  entire,  the 
Avomen  priding  themselves  in  serving  them 
up  in  a sitting  posture,  furnished  and  dressed 
in  full  war  costume. 

Thus,  then,  we  see  that  cannibalism  is 
connected  with  warfare;  but  unfortunately 
it  is  not  restricted  to  war.  When  Captain 
D’Entrecasteaux  went  in  search  of  LaPe- 
rouse^  one  of  the  natives  was  eating  a newly- 
roasted  piece  of  meat.  The  naturalist  to 
the  expedition  immediately  recognized  it  as 
being  part  of  the  body  of  a child.  The  man 
who  was  eating  it  did  not  attempt  to  deny 
the  fact,  but  even  pointed  out  on  the  body 
of  a little  boy  the  part  of  the  body  which  he 
Avas  eating,  and  gave  his  hearers  to  under- 
stand that  the  flesh  of  children  Avas  very 
good. 

This  cannibalism  of  New  Caledonia  ex- 
plained some  curious  gestures  which  the  na- 
tives were  fond  of  making.  They  used  to  be 
A'ery  familiar  Avith  their  white  visitors,  feel- 
ing their  arms  and  legs,  looking  at  each 
other  with  admiration,  and  then  whistling 
and  smacking  their  lips  loudl}'.  In  point  of 
fact,  they  Avere  admiring  the  well-fed  limbs 
of  the  Avhite  men,  and  anticipating  to  each 
other  the  delights  of  a feast  upon  the  plump 
Europeans. 

As,  however,  flesh  is  but  a luxury  among 
the  NeAV  Caledonians,  and  cannot  be  con- 
sidered as  an  ordinary  article  of  diet,  the 
natives  depend  chiefly  for  their  existence  on 
A^egetable  food.  Roots  of  various  kinds  are 
eaten  by  them,  as  well  as  cocoa-nut  and 
other  fruit;  all  the  cooking,  as  well  as  the 
v^ork  in  general,  being  performed  by  the 
Avomen.  Shell-fish  are  also  much  eaten,  and 
are  procured  by  the  women.  The  large 
clam-shell  is  found  on  the  shores  of  the 
island,  and  supplies  abundance  of  food; 
Avhile  the  smaller  molluscs  are  mostly  dug 
out  of  the  sand  by  women,  who  frequently 
spend  half  a day  up  to  their  w^aists  in 
water. 

Two  very  strange  articles  of  diet  are  in 
use  among  the  New  Caledonians.  The  first 
is  a sort  of  spider,  which  spins  large  and 
thick  nets  in  the  woods,  often  incommoding 
travellers  by  the  number  and  strength  of 
the  silken  cords.  They  are  not  eaten  raw, 
but  cooked  by  being  placed  in  a covered 
earthen  jar,  which  is  set  on  a brisk  fire. 
The  natives  call  the  spider  by  the  name  of 
“ nougui.”  It  is  gray  above,  the  back  being 
covered  Avith  a fine  silvery  down,  and  below 
it  is  black. 

The  second  article  of  diet  is  clay,  of  which 
the  natives  will  consume  a great  amount. 
The  earth  in  question  is  a soft  greenish 
steatite,  Avhich  crumbles  very  easily,  and 
has  the  property  of  distending  the  stomach, 
and  so  allays  the  cravings  of  hunger,  even 
though  it  does  not  nourish  the  body.  A Avell- 
distended  stomach  is  one  of  the  great  lux- 
uries of  a savage,  and,  in  accordance  Avith 


this  idea,  a man  A\^as  seen  to  eat  a piece  of 
steatite  twice  as  large  as  his  fist,  even  though 
he  had  just  taken  a full  meal.  Some  of  the 
natives  have  been  known  to  eat  as  much  as 
tAvo  pounds  of  this  substance.  A similar 
propensity  is  found  both  in  Africa  and 
America. 

When  they  drink  at  a pool  or  river,  they 
have  an  odd  fashion  of  dipping  the  Avater 
with  their  hands,  and  flinging  it  into  their 
mouths,  so  that  much  more  Avater  is  splashed 
over  their  heads  than  enters  their  mouths. 

With  regard  to  the  bodies  of  those  who 
fall  in  war,  and  are  rescued  from  the  en- 
emy, many  ceremonies  are  employed.  Ac- 
cording to  Captain  Head,  in  his  “Voyage  of 
the  Fawn^^’’  they  are  “ brought  home  Avith 
loud  lamentations,  and  buried  with  great 
AA^ailing  and  shrieking  from’  the  appointed 
mourners,  who  remain  unclean  often  for  sev- 
eral years  after  burying  a great  chief,  and 
are  subject  to  many  strict  observances. 
For  weeks  they  continue  nightly  to  Avaken 
the  forest  echoes  with  their  cries.  After 
ten  days  have  elapsed,  the  grave  is  opened, 
and  the  head  tAvisted  off';  and,  again  in  this 
custom  resembling  the  Andaman  islanders, 
the  teeth  are  distributed  as  relics  among 
the  relatives,  and  the  skull  preserved  as  a 
memorial  by  the  nearest  kin,  Avho  daily 
goes  through  the  form  of  offering  it  food. 

“ The  only  exceptions  are  in  the  case  of 
the  remains  of  old  Avomen,  whose  teeth  are 
soAvn  in  the  yam  patches  as  a charm  to  pro- 
duce good  crops;  their  skulls  set  up  upon 
poles  being  deemed  equally  potent  in  this 
respect.” 

The  general  character  of  the  New  Cale- 
donians seems  to  be  tolerably  good,  and,  in 
spite  of  their  evident  longing  after  the  flesh 
of  their  visitors,  they  are  not  on  the  whole 
inhospitable.  They  are  cleA^er  thieA^es,  and 
are  ingenious  in  robbery  by  means  of  an 
accomplice.  On  one  occasion,  when  a na- 
tive Avas  offering  for  sale  a basket  full  of 
sling-stones,  and  Avas  chaffering  about  the 
price,  an  accomplice  c^e  quietly  behind  the 
Avhite  man  and  uttered'a  loud  yell  in  his  ears. 
Naturally  startled,  he  looked  behind  him, 
and  in  a moment  the  man  with  wLom  he  Avas 
trading  snatched  aAvay  the  basket  and  the 
goods  offered  in  exchange,  and  ran  aAvay 
Avith  them. 

One  of  the  officers  AA^as  robbed  of  his  cap 
and  SAVord  in  an  equally  ingenious  manner. 
He  had  seated  himself  on  the  ground,  and 
for  better  security  had  placed  his  sword 
under  him.  Suddenly  one  of  the  natiA^es 
snatched  off  his  cap,  and  as  he  instinctively 
rose  to  rescue  it,  another  man  picked  up  his 
SAA^ord  and  escaped  AAuth  it.  They  even  tried 
to  steal  a ship’s  boat,  together  Avith  the 
property  in  it,  and  Avould  not  leave  it  until 
they  Avere  attacked  by  a strong  body  of  armed 
sailors. 

They  make  very  good  canoes  — as,  indeed, 
is  generally  the  "case  Avith  islanders.  The 


THE  ISLE  OF  PIKES. 


887 


largest  canoes  are  mostly  double,  two  boats 
being  placed  alongside  of  each  other,  and 
connected  by  a platform.  They  have  a sin- 
gle mast,  which  is  stepped  toward  one  end 
of  the  compound  vessel,  and  can  sail  with 
considerable  swiftness,  though  they  are  not 
so  manageable  as  those  of  Kew  Guinea, 
some  of  which  are  marvels  of  boat-build- 
ing. They  can  accommodate  a considera- 
ble number  of  passengers,  and  have  gen- 
erally a fire  burning  on  the  platform,  which 
is  protected  from  the  heat  by  a thick  layer 
of  earth. 

A rather  remarkable  custom  prevails 
among  them,  which  derives  its  chief  inter- 
est from  the  fact  that  it  is  practised  in 
Korthern  Asia.  This  is  the  Kata,  or  scarf 
of  felicity.  It  is  a little  scarf,  of  white  or 
red  material;  and  when  two  persons  meet 
they  exchange  their  katas  — a ceremony 


which  is  analogous  to  shaking  hands  among 
ourselves. 

Whether  these  savages  are  the  aborigines 
of  the  island  is  doubtful.  If  they  be  so, 
they  seem  to  have  declined  from  the  com- 
parative civilization  of  their  ancestors. 
This,  indeed,  is  their  own  opinion;  and,  in 
support  of  this  theory,  they  point  to  the 
ruins  which  are  still  to  be  seen,  and  which 
tell  of  architecture  far  beyond  the  power  of 
the  present  natives.  There  are  even  the 
remains  of  an  aqueduct  eight  miles  in  length, 
a piece  of  engineering  which  would  never 
have  entered  the  head  of  the  Kew  Caledo- 
nian of  the  present  day.  Perhaps  these  works 
of  art  may  have  been  constructed  by  immi- 
grants, who  have  since  left  them  to  perish; 
but,  in  any  case,  their  presence  in  such  a spot 
is  most  remarkable. 


THE  ISLE  OF  PIKES. 


Some  thirty  miles  to  the  south-east  of 
Kew  Caledonia,  and  in  fact  forming  part  of 
the  same  group,  there  is  a small  island, 
called  by  Captain  Cook  the  Isle  of  Pines, 
in  consequence  of  the  number  of  araucarias 
with  which  its  hills  are  covered.  The  strait 
between  the  Isle  of  Pines  and  Kew  Cale- 
donia proper  is  nearly  all  shoal  water,  caused 
by  the  numerous  coral  reefs. 

In  many  respects  the  inhabitants  of  this 
island  resemble  those  of  Kew  Caledonia. 
They  are  not,  however,  so  dark,  and  their 
features  are  tolerably  good.  They  are  can- 
nibals from  choice,  wrapping  up  the  bodies 
of  the  dead  in  banana  leaves,  and  then 
cooking  them  in  ovens.  Some  years  ago, 
they  contrived  to  indulge  their  taste  for 
human  flesh  at  the  expense  of  their  neigh- 
bors. 

About  1840,  it  was  found  that  sandal  wood 
grew  on  the  island,  and  several  vessels  pro- 
ceeded thither  for  the  sake  of  procuring 
this  valuable  product.  At  first  they  did  so 
with  great  risk,  and  lost  many  of  their  men 
from  the  onslaughts  of  the  natives.  After- 
ward, however,  a Sydney  merchant  set  up 
an  establishment  for  the  collecting  and 
storing  of  sandal  wood  and  beches-de-mer, 
and  since  that  time  the  natives  have  become 
quite  peaceable. 

In  course  of  this  transitional  time  be- 
tween utter  barbarism  and  commerce,  they 


learned  by  painful  experience  the  power  of 
fire-arms.  As  soon  as  they  became  accus- 
tomed to  trade,  the  first  thing  that  they  did 
was  to  procure  a large  stock  of  fire-arms 
and  to  go  off  with  them  to  Kew  Caledonia, 
where  they  landed,  shot  as  many  of  the  na- 
tives as  they  could,  and  brought  their  bod- 
ies home  for  consumption.  It  is  true  that 
a constant  feud  raged  between  the  two  isl- 
ands, but  the  sudden  acquisition  of  fire- 
arms gave  the  people  of  the  Isle  of  Pines 
a terrible  advantage  over  their  hereditary 
foes,  and  enabled  them  almost  to  depopulate 
the  south-eastern  part  of  the  island. 

They  care  no  more  for  dress  than  the 
Kew  Caledonians,  but  are  very  fond  of  or- 
nament, the  men  appropriating  all  the  best 
decorations,  and  leaving  the  women  to  take 
what  they  can  get.  The  men  friz  their  hair 
out  as  much  as  possible,  and  wrap  a thin 
scarf  round  it,  or  sometimes  cut  it  short, 
leaving  only  a tuft  on  one  side  of  the  head. 
The  women  shave  off  the  whole  of  the  hair, 
thus  depriving  themselves  of  their  natural 
ornament,  and  rendering  themselves  very 
unprepossessing  to  European  eyes.  The 
rough  work  is  done  by  them,  the  men  re- 
serving to  themselves  the  noble  occupations 
of  war,  fishing,  house  building,  and  canoe 
making,  the  only  real  work  which  they  do 
being  yam  planting,  after  the  ground  has 
been  prepared  by  the  women. 


CHAPTEE  LXXXIX. 


' « .'f 

■ ■ I ) ?,U  U iU 


THE  AHDAMAH  AND  NICOBAR  ISLANDS. 


POSITION  OF  THE  ANDAMAN  ISLANDS  — ORIGIN  OF  THE  NATIVES  — THEIR  ROVING  HABITS  AND  LACK  OF 
CLOTHING — THEIR  HATRED  OF  STRANGERS  — THE  NATIVES  AND  THE  STEAMER  — APPEARANCE 
OF  THE  WOMEN  — THE  ENORMOUS  BOW  AND  SKILL  OF  THE  MINCOPIE  ARCHERS  — VARIOUS  MODES 
OF  FISHING  — EXCELLENCE  OF  THEHi  CANOES,  AND  MODE  OF  MAKING  THEM — THE  LONG  PAD- 
DLES — THE  ship’s  crew  beaten  by  THE  MINCOPIE  CANOE  MEN — CANNTBALISJI  NOT  PRACTISED 
IN  THE  ANDAMAN  ISLANDS  — INGENIOUS  FIREPLACES  AND  METHOD  OF  COOKING — WANT  OF 
ARCHITECTURAL  SKILL  — EDUCATION  OF  THE  CHILDREN,  AND  THEIR  GAMES  — POWERS  OF  SWIM- 
MING— IVIATRIMONIAL  ARRANGEMENTS  — DEATH  AND  BURIAL  — THE  NICOBAR  ISLANDS  — APPEAR- 
ANCE AND  COSTUME  OF  THE  INHABITANTS  — THE  CROSS-BOW  AND  ITS  ARROW  — A PRIMITIVE 
HAMMOCK  — TOMBS  IN  THE  NICOBAR  ISLANDS. 


We  will  now  pass  to  the  westward,  and  travel 
gradually  through  the  wonderful  group  of 
islands  which  extends  almost  from  Asia 
to  America,  and  which  is  known  by  the 
general  title  of  Polynesia.  One  or  two  of 
them  Avill  have  to  be  omitted  for  the  pres- 
ent, so  as  not  to  break  the  continuity  of 
races,  but  will  be  described  before  we  pass 
upward  through  America,  from  Tierra  del 
Puego  to  the  Esquimaux. 

lx  the  Bay  of  Bengal,  and  not  much  to 
the  eastward  of  India,  is  seen  a group  of 
islands,  named  the  Andamans.  They  are 
of  considerable  length,  but  very  narrow, 
seldom  exceeding  twenty  miles  in  breadth, 
and  are  arranged  very  much  after  the  fashion 
of  the  New  Zealand  islands,  though  on  a 
smaller  scale.  These  islands  exhibit  a phe- 
nomenon almost  unparalleled  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  human  race. 

They  lie  close  to  India,  a country  in  which 
a high  state  of  civilization  has  been  reached 
many  centuries  ago.  They  are  almost  in 
the  middle  of  the  track  which  is  traversed 
by  multitudes  of  ships,  and  yet  their  inhab- 
itants are  sunk  in  the  deepest  depths  of 
savage  degradation.  Even  the  regular  vis- 
its made  by  the  Chinese  vessels  to  the  An- 
daman coasts,  for  the  purpose  of  procuring 
the  trepang,  have  had  not  the  least  effect 
upon  them;  and  they  afford  perhaps  the 
most  perfect  example  of  savage  life  which 
the  surface  of  the  earth  can  show. 

The  origin  of  the  Andamaners  is  a prob- 


lem to  anthropologists.  They  are  small  in 
stature,  the  men  being  on  an  average  but 
little  above  five  feet  in  height,  and  the 
women  being  still  smaller.  They  are  very 
dark,  but  have  scarcely  anything  except 
their  color  in  common  with  the  negro. 
They  have  neither  the  huge  projecting 
jaw^s  and  cavernous  mouth  of  the  true 
negro,  nor  his  curiously  elongated  heel; 
and  though  they  are  so  small  as  almost  to 
merit  the  name  of  pigmies,  they  are  per- 
fectly well  formed.  The  hair,  when  it  is 
allowed  to  grow,  is  seen  to  be  thick  and 
bushy,  and  resembles  that  of  the  Papuans ; 
and  it  is  the  opinion  of  many  competent 
judges  that  the  Andamaners  are  the  abo- 
rigines of  the  Papuan  race,  who  have  never 
permitted  contact  with  strangers,  and  have 
preserved  their  own  individuality  intact. 

In  habits  they  are  absolutely  savage,  their 
arts  being  limited  to  the  manufacture  of 
canoes  and  weapons,  architecture  and  agri- 
culture being  equally  unknown.  They  pos- 
sess one  of  the  chief  characteristics  of  sav- 
age life  in  their  roving  disposition,  never 
remaining  long  in  one  spot,  a stay  of  three 
or  four  days  being  considered  a long  visit  to 
any  place."  They  have  no  laws,  no  religion, 
and  no  tribal  distinctions.  Marriage,  as  we 
understand  the  word,  is  unknown  to  them; 
and  there  seems  to  be  few  restrictions  of 
consanguinity,  a mother  and  her  daughter 
being  sometimes  the  wives  of  the  same  hus- 
band. 

Clothing  is  entirely  unknown  to  them;  and 


DISLIKE  TO  STEAKGERS. 


889 


when  captives  have  been  taken,  they  have 
always  found  clothes  to  be  an  incumbrance 
to  them,  though  they  were  pleased  with 
gaudy  handkerchiefs  tied  round  their  heads. 
The  only  covering  which  they  care  for  is 
one  which  they  share  in  common  with 
many  of  the  pachydermatous  animals,  and 
employ  for  the  same  purpose.  It  is  nothing 
more  than  a layer  of  mud,  with  which  the 
natives  plaster  themselves  in  the  morning 
and  evening,  in  order  to  defend  themselves 
from  the  attacks  of  the  mosquitoes,  sandflies, 
and  other  insect  plagues. 

Until  the  last  few  years  our  knowledge  pf 
the  Andamaners  has  been  almost  m7,  in 
consequence  of  their  hatred  of  strangers, 
and  the  determined  opposition  which  they 
offer  to  any  foreigners  landing  on  their 
shores.  The  very  presence  of  a boat  or  a 
ship  seems  to  excite  them  to  frenzy.  In 
Captain  Mouatt’s  valuable  account  of  these 
islands  is  an  animated  description  of  a scene 
which  occurred  off*  the  coast. 

The  steamer,  on  rounding  a point,  came 
suddenly  upon  two  groups  of  savages,  who 
were  at  first  paralyzed  by  fear  at  the  sudden 
apparition  of  the  unknown  object,  with  its 
columns  of  white  steam  roaring  from  the 
escape-pipe,  its  smoke,  and  its  plashing  pad- 
dles. In  a few  moments  they  recovered 
from  their  surprise,  and  raised  a simultane- 
ous shout  of  defiance.  Two  boats’  crews 
were  sent  ashore,  to  the  extreme  anger  of 
the  Mincopies. 

“ A peculiar  natural  phenomenon  ren- 
dered the  scene  still  more  striking  and 
impressive  as  the  interval  between  the  two 
parties,  the  savage  and  the  civilized,  was 
gradually  diminished  by  the  onward  motion 
of  the  boats.  The  spray  as  it  rose  in  clouds 
from  the  breakers  dashing  on  the  shore, 
reflecting  the  rays  of  the  declining  sun, 
magnified  considerably  the  slight  figures  of 
the  natives,  making  massive  and  formidable 
giants  of  men  who  were  in  reality  little 
more  than  sable  dwarfs.  As  tiie  cutters 
neared  that  part  of  the  shore  where  they 
had  stationed  themselves,  and  they  clearly 
perceived  that  we  were  making  preparations 
to  land,  their  excitement  was  such  that  they 
appeared  as  if  they  had  suddenly  become 
frantic. 

“ They  seemed  to  lose  that  restraint  and 
control  which  it  is  the  pride  of  the  savage 
to  exhibit  in  time  of  danger,  and  jumped 
and  yelled  like  so  many  demons  let  loose 
from  the  bottomless  pit,  or  as  if  there  had 
been  a Bedlam  in  that  locality,  and  they  the 
most  unmanageable  of  its  frantic  inmates. 
Their  manner  was  that  of  men  determined 
and  formidable  in  the  midst  of  all  their 
excitement.  They  brandished  their  bows 
in  our  direction;  they  menaced  us  with 
their  arrows,  said  by  common  report  — so 
often  a liar  — to  be  poisoned;  exhibiting’ 
by  every  possible  contortion  of  savage  pan- 
tomime their  hostile  determination.  To 


use  a common  vulgar  expression  of  some  of 
the  seamen,  they  seemed  to  have  made  up 
their  minds  to  ‘ chaw  us  all  up.’  .... 

“ The  spear  which  he  flourished  inces- 
santly was  terminated  by  a bright,  flat, 
pointed  head,  which  gleamed  with  flashes  of 
light,v  as,  circling  rapidly  in  the  air,  it 
reflected  the  rays  of  the  sun.  Sometimes 
he  would  hold  it  aloft,  poising  it  in  his  up- 
lifted hand,  as  if  with  the  intention  of  hurl- 
ing it  with  unerring  and  deadly  aim  at  the 
first  who  dared  to  approach  the  shore  of  his 
native  island.  At  length,  in  a paroxysm  of 
well-acted  fury,  he  dashed  boldly  into  the 
water,  boiling  and  seething  round  him  as  it 
broke  in  great  billows  on  the  beach,  and  on 
the  rocks  by  which  it  was  defended,  and, 
fixing  an  arrow  in  his  bow,  he  shot  it  off*  in 
the  direction  of  the  steamer,  as  if  that  were 
the  arch  enemy  that  had  provoked  his  belli- 
cose fury.” 

The  second  party  of  natives,  who  turned 
out  to  be  females,  were  as  frightened  as 
their  male  friends  were  angry.  After  sev- 
eral failures  in  launching  a canoe,  they 
rushed  in  a body  to  the  jungle  and  hid 
themselves  from  the  strangers.  They  ex- 
hibited the  usual  characteristics  of  the  peo- 
ple, a basket  for  fish  doing  duty  for  clothes, 
and  a patch  of  red  ochre  on  their  heads  tak- 
ing the  place  of  hair.  So  repulsive  were 
they  in  their  appearance,  that  the  sailors 
declined  to  leave  mirrors  on  the  shore  as 
presents  for  them,  saying  that  such  hideous 
creatures  ought  not  to  be  allowed  to  look  at 
their  own  features. 

The  weapons  with  which  the  Mincopie 
men  threatened  the  strangers  are  really 
formidable,  and  before  very  long  the  explor- 
ing party  learned  to  hold  them  in  great 
respect.  The  bows  are  sometimes  six  feet 
long  and  enormously  powerful,  — so  power- 
ful in  fact  that  the  strongest  sailors  tried 
in  vain  to  bend  the  weapons  which  the 
pigmy  Mincopies  handled  with  such  skilful 
ease. 

The  shape  of  the  bow  is  very  peculiar. 
Instead  of  being  nearly  cylindrical,  largest 
in  the  middle  and  tapering  regularly  to 
each,  end,  it  is  nearly  flat  except  at  the 
handle,  on  either  side  of  which  it  becomes 
very  broad.  In  fact,  a good  idea  of  it  may 
be  taken  from  a flattened  hour-glass,  the 
channel  in  the  middle  being  the  handle. 

The  force  and  accuracy  with  which  these 
tiny  men  can  shoot  are  really  wonderful. 
They  very  seldom  fail  to  hit  their  mark  at 
any  reasonable  distance,  and  can  make  tol- 
erably sure  of  a man  at  sixty  or  seventy 
yards,  so  that  the  Mincopie  bow  is  really  a 
far  better  weapon  than  the  old  “Brown 
Bess  ” musket  ever  was.  One  arrow  that 
was  shot  at  a boat’s  crew  at  a distance  of 
sixty  yards  struck  a hickory  oar,  and 
knocked  off*  a piece  of  wood  as  large  as  a 
man’s  hand. 

These  arrows  are  very  neatly  made. 


890 


THE  ANDAMAKERS. 


They  are  about  three  feet  in  length,  and 
are  made  of  a reed  by  way  of  shaft,  to  the 
end  of  which  is  fastened  a piece  of  hard 
wood  in  order  to  give  weight.  Upon  this 
tip  is  fixed  the  head,  which  is  usually  the 
barbed  tail  bone  of  the  sting-ray,  and  some- 
times, though  not  always,  poisoned.  Should 
this  terrible  weapon  enter  the  body,  it  can- 
not be  removed  without  a severe  operation, 
the  sharp  brittle  barbs  being  apt  to  snap  off 
and  remain  in  the  wound  if  any  force  be 
used  in  extracting  the  arrow. 

Their  consummate  skill  in  the  use  of  the 
bow  is  obtained  by  constant  practice  from 
earliest  infancy.  As  is  the  assagai  to  the 
Kaffir,  the  boomerang  to  the  Australian,  and 
the  lasso  to  the  Guacho,  so  is  the  bow  to  the 
Andamaner.  The  first  plaything  that  a 
Mincopie  boy  sees  is  a miniature  bow  made 
for  him  by  his  father,  and,  as  he  advances  in 
age,  bows  of  progressive  strength  are  placed 
in  his  hands.  Consequently,  he  is  so  famil- 
iarized with  the  weapon  that,  by  the  time 
he  is  of  full  age,  the  pigmy  Andamaner 
draws  with  graceful  ease  a bow  which  seems 
made  for  a giant. 

Kumbers  of  the  toy  bows  and  arrows  may 
be  seen  scattered  about  an  encampment  if 
the  natives  are  forced  to  leave  it  in  a hurry, 
and  their  various  sizes  show  the  ages  of  the 
children  to  whom  they  belonged.  The  ed- 
ucation of  the  Mincopie  archer  is  in  fact  al- 
most precisely  like  that  of  the  old  English 
bowmen,  who,  from  constant  practice  in  the 
art,  and  being  trained  from  childhood  in  the 
use  of  the  bow,  obtained  such  a mastery 
of  the  weapon  as  made  them  the  terror  of 
Europe. 

Being  such  skilful  archers,  they  trust  al- 
most entirely  to  the  bow  and  arrow,  caring 
little  for  any  other  weapon.  Even  the 
harpoon,  with  which  they  catch  the  larger 
fish,  is  shot  from  the  powerful  bow.  It  is, 
in  fact,  a very  large  arrow,  with  a move- 
able  head.  This  head  fits  loosely  into  a 
hole  at  the  end  of  the  arrow,  and  is  secured 
to  the  shaft  by  a thong.  It  is  a very  re- 
markable fact  that  the  bow  and  harpoon  ar- 
row of  the  Mincopies  are  almost  exactly  like 
those  which  are  used  by  the  inhabitants  of 
Vancouver’s  Island.  They  are  twice  as 
large,  but  in  shape  almost  identical,  as  will 
be  seen  when  we  come  to  the  North  of 
America. 

When  they  use  the  harpoon,  a long  and 
elastic  cord  is  attached  to  it,  one  end  of 
which  is  retained  by  the  archer.  The  cord 
is  made  from  a fibre  which  has  the  useful 
property  of  hardening  by  being  soaked  in 
water.  For  killing  the  fish  when  held  with 
the  harpoon  the  Mincopies  use  smaller  ar- 
rows, without  barbs  or  movable  heads. 

The  Mincopies  are  very  expert  fisher- 
men, and  use  nets  which  are  made  from  the 
same  fibre  that  has  been  mentioned.  For 
small  fish  they  make  the  nets  of  rather  thin 
but  very  tough  string,  but  turtle  and 


large  fish  they  make  nets  of  cord  as  thick  as 
a man’s  finger.  One  side  of  the  net  is  held 
to  the  bed  of  the  sea  by  heavy  stones  laid 
on  it,  and  the  other  is  upheld  by  floats. 

The  women  search  for  molluscs,  a busi- 
ness which  occupies  a considerable  part  of 
their  time.  They  always  carry  neat  baskets, 
in  which  to  put  the  results  of  their  industry, 
and  each  woman  has  generally  a small  net 
fixed  to  a handle,  like  that  which  is  used  by 
butterfly  collectors. 

In  nothing  do  the  Andamaners  show 
their  superior  skill  more  than  in  canoe 
making.  Their  bows  and  arrows  are,  as  we 
have  seen,  good  specimens  of  savage  manu- 
facture, but  in  the  making  and  management 
of  canoes  they  are  simply  unapproachable, 
even  though  their  tools  are  of  the  rudest  pos- 
sible description. 

Furnished  merely  with  a simple  adze 
made  of  a stone  fixed  into  a handle,  the  Min- 
copie boat  maker  searches  the  forest  for  a 
suitable  tree,  and  after  a week  or  ten  days 
succeeds  in  bringing  it  to  the  ground.  The 
rest  of  the  process  is  so  well  described  by 
Captain  Mouatt,  that  it  must  be  given  in 
his  own  words. 

“ The  next  operation  is  to  round  the  trunk, 
a process  which  they  perform  with  remark- 
able dexterity,  it  being  almost  impossible  to 
conceive  how,  with  the  imperfect  instru- 
ments at  their  command,  they  execute  their 
work  with  so  much  skill  and  neatness. 
Practice,  however,  must  render  them,  as 
well  as  others,  perfect;  and  hence  it  is  that 
in  a short  time  the  rough  and  shapeless  trunk 
begins  to  assume  form  and  proportions;  and, 
when  the  process  is  finished,  exhibits  a 
finish  and  perfection  that  even  a Chinese 
carpenter,  by  far  the  most  handy  and  in- 
genious of  human  ‘ chips,’  would  regard  with 
a feeling  of  envy,  as  a work  of  dexterity 
which  it  would  be  vain  for  him  to  attempt 
to  imitate. 

“ As  soon  as  the  trunk  has  been  rounded, 
they  commence  the  operation  of  cutting  and 
chipping  at  it  externally,  until  eventually 
the  outlines  of  the  elegant  canoe  begin  to 
appear  from  the  shapeless  mass  of  the 
knotted  trunk,  just  as,  by  the  skill  of  the 
statuary,  the  beautiful  figure  gradually  as- 
sumes its  fair  proportions  in  the  block  of 
marble.  The  shape  externally  is  generally 
finished  wfith  great  care  and  elaboration  be- 
fore they  proceed  to  hollow  it  internally, 
the  next  process  to  which  they  direct  their 
attention.  The  interior  is  excavated  in  the 
same  perfect  and  business-like  manner,  until 
the  shell  is  no  thicker  than  the  side  of  a deal 
bonnet-box,  although  it  still  preserves  that 
strength  which  would  enable  it  to  resist  suc- 
cessfully the  utmost  force  and  violence  of  the 
waves,  should  it  even  be  assailed  by  a storm 
— a thing  not  at  all  probable,  as,  unless  car-  ; 
ried  out  to  sea  by  some  accident,  it  is  rare 
that  the  Andamaners  venture  far  from  the 
shore. 


SHIP’S  CREW  BEATEK  BY  CAKOE  MEH. 


89] 


“ The  buoyancy  of  these  boats,  when  they 
are  well  constructed  and  carefully  finished, 
is  remarkable.  They  float  lightly  on  the 
top  of  the  waves,  and,  unless  they  have  re- 
ceived some  injury,  it  is  considered  almost 
impossible  to  sink  them.  We  sometimes 
made  the  attempt,  but  never  succeeded. 
We  fired  at  them  repeatedly  when  at  Port 
Mouatt  — which  may  be  regarded  as  a sort 
of  Andaman  Pembroke-yard,  where  a fleet 
of  Mincopie  men-of-war  were  lyin^  in  every 
stage  of  preparation  — but  they  still  floated 
with  as  great  ease  and  buoyancy  as  ever. 
They  would  make  excellent  life-boats,  such, 
we  believe,  as  have  never  yet  been  con- 
structed by  any  of  our  most  experienced  boat- 
builders.” 

IStear  shore  the  boatmen  paddle  about  with 
perfect  ease  in  these  fragile  vessels,  though 
an  European  can  hardly  proceed  twenty 
yards  without  being  upset.  When  they  go 
further  to  sea  they  add  a light  outrigger  to 
one  «ide  of  the  canoe,  and  then  venture  forty 
or  fifty  miles  from  land.  They  always,  in 
such  cases,  take  fire  with  them,  which  has 
the  double  advantage  of  attracting  the  fish 
at  night,  and  of  cooking  them  when  taken. 
Sometimes  a number  of  boats  will  remain 
all  night  at  sea,  and  the  effect  of  their  fires 
and  torches  is  very  picturesque  when  seen 
from  the  land. 

The  outrigger  is  certainly  a new  inven- 
tion. The  earlier  travellers,  who  were  al- 
ways minute  enough  in  their  accounts,  did 
not  mention  the  outrigger,  and,  as  far  as  can 
be  seen,  the  idea  has  been  borrowed  from 
some  Cingalese  canoe  which  had  got  into  a 
current  and  been  drifted  toward  the  island. 

The  paddles  are  rather  peculiar  in  their 
form,  and,  apparently,  very  ineffective,  look- 
ing something  like  long  spoons  with  flattened 
bowls,  or,  on  a smaller  scale,  the  “ peels  ” with 
which  bakers  take  bread  out  of  their  ovens. 
The  women  are  the  paddle  makers,  and  the 
implements  vary  from  three  to  four  feet 
long.  They  are  cut  from  a very  hard  wood, 
and  the  work  of  making  them  is  necessarily 
laborious. 

Imperfect  as  the  canoe  and  paddles  seem 
to  be,  they  are  in  fact  absolute  marvels  of 
efficiency.  The  tiny  Mincopies,  furnished 
with  these  simple  paddles,  and  seated  in  a 
canoe  cut  by  themselves  out  of  a tree  trunk, 
can  beat  with  ease  our  best  oarsmen.  Captain 
Mouatt  got  up  several  races  between  the 
Mincopies  and  his  own  prize  crew  in  their 
favorite  boat.  In  point  of  fact  there  was 
never  any  race  at  all,  the  Andamaners  hav- 
ing it  all  their  own  way,  and  winning  as  they 
liked.  The  powerful,  sweeping  stroke  of  the 
man-of-war’s  crew  was  beautiful  to  see,  but ; 
the  little  Mincopies  shot  through,  or  rather 
over,  the  water  with  such  speed  that  the  sail- 
ors were  hopelessly  beaten,  although  they 
strained  themselves  so  much  that  they  felt 
the  results  of  their  exertions  for  some  time 
afterward. 


Slight,  and  almost  as  active  as  monkeys, 
the  Mincopies  ascend  the  tallest  trees  with 
the  like  agility,  applying  the  soles  of  their 
feet  and  the  palms  of  their  hands  to  the 
trunk,  and  literally  running  up  them.  When 
they  reach  the  branches,  they  traverse  them 
with  as  much  ease  and  security  as  if  they 
were  on  firm  land.  Indeed,  their  powers  of 
tree  climbing  seem  to  be  equal  to  those  of 
the  inhabitants  of  Dourga  Strait,  of  whom 
an  account  will  presently  be  given. 

We  now  come  to  a question  which  has 
often  been  agitated,  namely,  the  asserted 
cannibalism  of  the  Andamaners. 

It  is  a question  that  every  observant 
reader  would  be  sure  to  ask  himself,  as  the 
Andamaners  are  just  such  a savage  race  as 
might  be  expected  to  feed  habitually  on 
human  bodies.  Yet,  though  we  find  the 
comparatively  civilized  New  Zealander  shar- 
ing with  the  savage  New  Caledonian  the 
habit  of  eating  human  flesh,  the  Mincopie, 
who  is  infinitely  below  the  New  Zealander, 
and  certainly  not  above  the  New  Caledon- 
ian, is  free  from  that  revolting  practice.  He 
undoubtedly  has  been  known  to  eat  human 
flesh,  but  only  when  urged  by  extreme  hun- 
ger to  eat  the  flesh  of  man  or  to  die ; and  in 
so  doing  he  has  but  set  an  example  which 
has  been  followed  by  members  of  the  most 
civilized  countries. 

That  they  are  fierce  and  cruel  toward  for- 
eigners is  true  enough,  and  it  is  also  true 
that  the  bodies  of  those  whom  they  have 
killed  have  been  found  frightfully  mutilated, 
the  flesh  being  almost  pounded  from  the 
bones  by  the  blows  wdiich  have  been  show- 
ered upon  the  senseless  clay  in  the  blind 
fury  of  the  savage.  But  no  attempt  has 
•been  made  to  remove  any  part  of  the  body, 
and  it  was  evident  that  the  victors  had  not 
even  entertained  the  idea  of  eating  it. 

The  food  of  the  Andamaners  is  tolerably 
varied,  and  is  prepared  in  a very  simple  and 
ingenious  oven.  A large  tree  is  selected  for 
this  purpose,  and  fire  is  applied  to  it  at  the 
bottom,  so  that  by  degrees  .a  large  hole  is 
burned  in  it,  the  charred  wood  being  scraped 
away  so  as  to  form  eventually  a large  hole. 
This  is  the  Mincopie  oven,  and  at  the  bot- 
tom a heap  of  ashes,  about  three  feet  in 
depth,  is  always  left.  The  fire  smoulders 
away  gradually  among  the  ashes,  and  never 
entirely  goes  out;  so  that  whenever  a native 
wishes  to  cook  his  pig,  turtle,  or  fish,  he  has 
only  to  blow  up  the  smouldering  embers, 
and  in  a few  moments  he  has  fire  sufficient 
for  his  purposes. 

These  oven-trees  are  very  carefully  pre- 
served, the  natives  never  cutting  them  down, 
and  always  managing  to  prevent  them  from 
being  entirely  burned  through.  In  illustra- 
tion No.  2,  on  the  893d  page,  one  of  these 
trees  is  shown,  with  the  fire  burning  in  the 
hollow,  and  the  natives  sitting  round  it. 
The  Mincopies  always  contrive  to  have  the 
opening  of  the  oven  in  such  a direction  that 


THE  AKDAMAKEES. 


Sl-Sr 

the  ram  cannot  get  Into  it  and  put  out  the 
tire. 

Pigs  have  been  mentioned  as  forming 
part  of  the  Andamaners’  food.  These  pigs 
are  small  and  black,  with  spare,  hard  bristles, 
that  look  like  pieces  of  wire.  They  are  won- 
derfully active,  and,  according  to  Captain 
Mouatt,  “ are  the  most  curious  and  mischiev- 
ous little  animals  in  creation.  They  have 
a leer  that  makes  them  look  like  so  many 
Mephistopheles,  who  have  chosen  to  assume 
that  peculiar  form,  in  many  respects  a very 
appropriate  one,<for,if  they  are  not  so  many 
little  devils,  they  are  certainly  possessed  by 
them. 

“ At  the  time  of  our  visit  to  the  Cinque 
Islands,  we  turned  out  a dozen  of  them,  and, 
our  unwonted  appearance  filling  them  with 
alarm,  they  ran  olf  from  us  with  the  velocity 
of  an  Indian  express  train,  squeaking  like 
mad.  We  set  off  and  had  a regular  hunt 
after  them  — a hunt  that  beats  to  chalks  the 
most  exciting  scene  of  pig-sticking  ever 
seen  in  Bengal.  After  discharging  their 
rifles,  some  of  the  hunters  would  probably 
find  the  pigs  between  their  legs,  making 
them  measure  their  length  on  the  sand. 
The  falls  were  made  with  considerable  vio- 
lence, though  they  were  not  dangerous,  for 
they  only  excited  our  risible  faculties;  and 
as  each  one  came  down  he  was  greeted  with 
a loud  and  hearty  burst  of  laughter,  as  a 
sort  of  congratulation  to  him  in  his  misfor- 
tune.” 

The  architecture  of  the  Andamaners  is 
very  primitive.  Four  posts  are  stuck  in  the 
ground  in  the  form  of  a square,  and  the 
builder  is  quite  indifferent  as  to  their 
straightness.  Two  of  them  are  much  longer 
than  the  others,  so  that  when  they  are  con- 
nected by  sticks,  a sloping  roof  is  formed. 
Palm  leaves  are  then  placed  upon  them,  one 
lying  over  the  other  in  tile  fashion,  so  that 
they  form  a protection  from  perpendicularly 
falling  rain.  A number  of  these  huts  are 
generally  erected  in  a circle,  in  some  cleared 
space  in  the  forest,  which  is  sheltered  by 
large  trees,  and  within  a convenient  dis- 
tance of  water.  One  or  two  of  these  simple 
houses  may  be  seen  in  the  illustration. 

Primitive  as  are  these  huts,  some  attempt 
is  made  at  ornamenting  them,  the  decora- 
tions being  characteristically  the  trophies  of 
the  chase.  Skulls  of  pigs  and  turtles,  bun- 
dles of  fish-bones,  and  similar  articles  are 
painted  with  stripes  of  red  ochre,  and  hung 
to  the  roofs  of*  the  huts.  Ochre  painting, 
indeed,  seems  to  be  the  only  idea  that  the 
Andamaners  have  of  ornament,  if  perhaps 
we  except  a string  which  the  dandies  tie 
round  the  waist,  having  a piece  of  bone  or 
other  glittering  article  hanging  from  it. 

This  ochre  is  in  great  request  among  the 
Mincopies,  the  women  being  especially  fond 
of  it  by  way  of  a decoration  of  their  heads. 
As  has  already  been  mentioned,  they  shave 
the  head  completely,  using,  instead  of  a razor, 


a piece  of  flint  cliipped  very  thin,  and  having 
a sharp  edge.  They  are  wonderfully  adroit 
at  making  these  primitive  knives,  which  are 
exactly  like  those  of  the  stone  age.  The 
hair  having  been  scraped  off,  a tolerably 
thick  plastering  of  red  ochre  is  rubbed  on 
the  head,  and  the  toilet  of  a Mincopie  belle 
is  complete. 

Hot  only  is  the  ochre  used  for  external 
application,  but  it  is  administered  internall}’. 
What  is  good  for  the  outside,  the  Mincopie 
logically  thinks  will  be  equally  good  for  the 
inside.  So,  when  he  feels  ill,  he  makes  a 
sort  of  bolus  of  red  ochre  and  turtle  oil, 
swallows  it,  and  thinks  that  he  has  cured 
himself.  Wounds  are  dressed  by  binding 
certain  leaves  upon  them,  and  in  many  cases 
of  internal  pains,  bruises,  or  swellings,  scari- 
fication is  freely  used.  Certain  individuals 
enjoy  a sort  of  reputation  for  success  in  the 
treatment  of  disease,  and  are  much  honored 
by  the  less  skilful. 

It  has  already  been  mentioned  that  mar- 
riage is  nothing  more  than  taking  a female 
slave. 

When  a wife  becomes  a mother,  the  only 
treatment  which  she  receives  is,  that  after 
the  birth  of  her  child  she  is  plentifully 
rubbed  with  the  red  ochre  and  turtle  oil,  and 
is  expected  to  follow  her  usual  occupations 
on  the  next  day.  The  }"oung  child  is  soused 
with  cold  water,  poured  out  of  one  of  the 
great  bamboo  vessels  which  the  Mincopies 
use,  and  is  dried  by  rubbing  with  the  hand. 
Like  its  parent,  the  child  wears  no  clothing; 
but  if  the  party  should  be  on  their  travels, 
and  rain  begin  to  fall,  the  mother  pulls  a few 
leaves  from  the  next  tree,  tics  them  together 
with  a fibre  of  rattan,  and  fastens  them  on 
the  body  of  the  child.  This  is  the  only 
clothing  which  an  Andamaner  ever  wears. 

Children  are  never  weaned,  but  continue 
to  take  their  childish  nourishment  until  the 
mother  is  absolutely  incapable  of  affording 
it.  Both  parents  redeem  much  of  their 
savage  nature  by  their  affection  for  their 
children,  the  father  being  quite  as  loving 
a parent  as  the  mother  — a trait  which 
is  often  absent  among  savage  tribes.  The 
children  reciprocate  the  afiection,  so  that, 
in  spite  of  the  absence  of  any  definite 
home,  there  is  a domestic  character  about 
the  family  which  could  scarcely  have  been 
expected  from  such  a race. 

It  has  been  already  mentioned  that  the 
boys  amuse  themselves  chiefly  with  small 
bows  and  arrows,  having  these  toys  of  a 
continually  increasing  size  to  suit  their 
growth.  The  girls  are  fond  of  disporting 
themselves  by  the  sea-shore,  and  building 
sand  houses  for  the  w'aves  to  knock  down, 
precisely  as  is  done  by  the  civilized  children 
of  Europe  and  America.  Their  great  amuse- 
ment is  to  build  an  enclosure  with  walls  of 
sand,  and  to  sit  in  it  as  if  it  were  a house 
of  their  own  until  the  rising  tide  washes 
away  the  frail  walls.  Both  sexes  are  fond 


(1.)  NEW  CALEDONIANS  DEFENDING  THEIR  COAST.  (See  page  884.) 


(2.)  ANDAMANERS  COOKING  A PIG.  (See  page  892.) 


(893) 


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ttc 


GAMES  OF  CIIILDREI^. 


895 


of  swimming,  and  as  soon  as  they  can  walk 
the  little  black  children  arc  seen  running 
into  and  out  of  the  water,  and,  if  they  can 
pick  some  sheltered  spot  free  from  waves, 
they  dive  and  swim  like  so  many  ducks. 
A Hindoo,  named  Pootceah,  who  was  taken 
prisoner  by  the  Mincopies,  and  his  life 
spared  for  some  reason  or  other,  states  that 
they  are  such  excellent  swimmers  that  sev- 
eral of  them  will  dive  together  among  the 
rocks,  search  for  fish  in  the  crevices, 
and  bring  their  struggling  captives  to  shore. 
This  statement  was  discreditecb  by  those  to 
whom  it  was  made,  as  were  several  other 
of  his  accounts.  As,  however,  subsequent 
observations  showed  that  he  was  right  in 
many  of  the  statements  which  were  at  first 
disbelieved,  it  is  possible  that  he  was  right 
in  this  case  also. 

This  man,  by  the  way,  was  furnished  with 
two  wives,  mother  and  daughter,  and,  as  he 
was  above  the  ordinary  size.  Captain  Mouatt 
expresses  some  curiosity  as  to  the  appear- 
ance of  the  progeny.  He  made  his  escape 
from  the  island  before  the  birth  of  a child 
that  one  of  his  wives  was  expecting,  and,  as 
the  Mincopie  mothers  are  remarkable  for 
their  affection  toward  their  children,  it  is 
likely  that  the  little  half-caste  was  allowed 
to  live,  and  that  a new  element  may  thus  be 
introduced  into  the  race. 

They  have  more  than  once  made  use  of 
their  swimming  powers  in  escaping  from  cap- 
tivity. Several  instances  have  been  known 
where  Andamaners  have  been  kept  prison- 
ers onboard  ship,  and  have  seemed  tolerably 
reconciled  to  their  lot.  As  soon,  however, 
as  the  ship  neared  land,  they  contrived  to  es- 
cape for  a moment  from  the  eye  of  the  sentry, 
slipped  overboard,  and  swam  to  land.  They 
always  dived  as  soon  as  they  struck  the  wa- 
ter, swam  as  far  as  they  could  without  rising 
to  the  surface,  and  then,  after  taking  a single 
respiration,  dived  again,  and  so  swam  the 
greater  part  of  the  distance  under  water. 
This  mode  of  swimming  was  doubtless 
practised  by  them  when  trying  to  escape 
from  the  arrows  of  an  unfriendly  party. 

In  Captain  Syrae’s  “ Embassy  to  Ava  ” 
there  is  a curious  account  of  two  young 
Mincopie  girls  who  had  been  decoyed  on 
board  the  ship.  They  were  treated  very 
kindly,  and  soon  learned  that  no  harm 
would  be  done  to  them.  “They  suffered 
clothes  to  be  put  on,  but  took  them  off 
again  as  soon  as  opportunity  offered,  and 
threw  them  away  as  useless  encumbrances. 
When  their  fears  were  over,  they  became 
cheerful,  chattered  with  freedom,  and  were 
inexpressibly  diverted  at  the  sight  of  their 
own  persons  in  a mirror. 

“They  were  fond  of  singing,  sometimes 


in  a melancholy  recitative,  at  others  in  a 
lively  key;  and  often  danced  about  the  deck 
with  great  agility,  slapping  the  lower  part 
of  their  bodies  with  the  back  of  their  heels. 
Wine  and  spirituous  liquors  were  disagree- 
able to  them;  no  food  seemed  so  palatable 
as  fish,  rice,  and  sugar.  In  a few  weeks, 
having  recovered  strength  and  become  fat, 
from  the  more  than  half-famished  state  in 
which  they  were  brought  on  board,  they  - 
began  to  think  confinement  irksome,  and 
I longed  to  regain  their  native  freedom. 

“In  the  middle  of  the  night,  when  all 
but  the  watchman  were  asleep,  they  passed 
in  silence  into  the  Captain’s  cabin,  jumped 
out  of  the  stern  windows  into  the  sea,  and 
swam  to  an  island  half  a mile  distant,  where 
it  W'as  in  vain  to  pursue  them,  had  there 
been  any  such  intention;  but  the  object 
was  to  retain  them  by  kindness,  and  not 
by  compulsion,  an  attempt  that  has  failed 
on  every  trial.  Hunger  may  (and  these  in- 
stances are  rare)  induce  them  to  put  them- 
selves into  the  power  of  strangers;  but  the 
moment  that  their  want  is  satisfied  nothing 
short  of  coercion  can  prevent  them  from  re- 
turning to  a way  of  life  more  congenial  to 
their  savage  nature.” 

Like  many  other  savage  races,  the  Min- 
copies make  a kind  of  festivity  on  each  new 
moon;  and  as  soon  as  the  thin  crescent 
appears  they  salute  it  after  their  odd  fash- 
ion, and  get  up  a dance.  Their  dances  are 
rather  grotesque,  each  performer  jumping 
up  and  down,  and  kicking  himself  violently 
with  the  sole  of  his  foot,  so  as  to  produce 
a smart  slapping  sound.  This  is  the  dance 
which  is  mentioned  in  the  preceding  ac- 
count of  the  two  captives. 

When  a Mincopie  dies,  he  is  buried  in  a 
very  simple  manner.  No  lamentations  are 
made  at  the  time;  but  the  body  is  tied  in  a 
sitting  position,  with  the  head  on  the  knees, 
much  after  the  fashion  employed  among  the 
Bechuanas,  and  described  on  page  300.  It  is 
then  buried,  and  allowed  to  decay,  when  the 
remains  are  dug  up,  and  the  bones  distri- 
buted among  the  relatives.  The  skull  is  the 
right  of  the  widow,  who  ties  it  to  a cord  and 
hangs  it  round  her  neck,  where  it  remains 
for  the  rest  of  her  life.  This  outward  ob- 
servance is,  however,  all  that  is  required  of 
her,  and  is  the  only  way  in  which  she 
troubles  herself  to  be  faithful  to  the  memory 
of  her  dead  husband.  It  is  rather  strange 
that,  though  the  Andamaners  make  no 
lamentations  on  the  death  of  a relative, 
they  do  not  altogether  dispense  with  these 
expressions  of  sorrow,  but  postpone  them 
to  the  exhumation  and  distribution  of  the 
relics,  when  each  one  who  gets  a bone  howls 
over  it  for  some  time  in  honor  of  the  dead. 


896 


THE  NICOBAR  ISLANDS. 


THE  NICOBAR  ISLANDS. 


Immediately  to  the  south  of  the  Anda- 
man Islands,  and  barely  thirty  miles  distant, 
lie  the  Nicobar  Islands.  The  group  con- 
sists of  nine  tolerably  large  islands,  and  sev- 
eral of  much  smaller  size.  One  of  the  large 
islands,  called  Great  Nicobar,  is  twenty  miles 
long  by  eight  wide,  while  Little  Nicobar  is 
barely  half  these  dimensions. 

The  islands  are  singularly  fertile,  and 
abound  in  various  kinds  of  vegetation,  es- 
pecially in  the  cocoa-nut  palm,  not  a spec- 
imen of  which  is  to  be  found  in  the  Anda- 
man Islands.  This  curious  fact  is  accounted 
for  by  the  character  of  the  Andamaners, 
who  have  an  almost  superstitious  love  for 
the  cocoa-nut.  If  one  of  the  nuts  be  washed 
ashore,  it  is  always  broken  up  and  eaten; 
and  if  perchance  one  of  the  fruit  happens  to 
escape  the  sharp  eyes  of  the  natives  and  to 
germinate,  its  green  feathery  shoots  are 
sure  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  first 
Mincopie  who  passes  in  that  direction.  A 
similar  barrier  to  the  production  of  the  cocoa- 
nut  is  found  on  the  coast  of  Australia. 

Although  so  close  to  the  Andaman  Islands, 
the  inhabitants  of  Nicobar  are  very  unlike 
the  Mincopies,  being  a fine  tall  race,  and  of 
a copper  rath  er  than  a black  hue.  U nlike  tlje 
Mincopies,  the  men  are  very  fat,  especially 
about  the  iDreast,  so  that  at  a little  distance 
they  might  easily  be  mistaken  for  women. 
Moreover,  they  wear  the  hair  long,  and 
parted  in  the  middle,  which  to  the  eyes  of  a 
modern  European,  gives  them  a peculiar 
effeminate  look.  They  wear  neither  beard 
nor  moustache,  their  features  are  ugly,  and 
their  large  mouths  are  stained  a dark  red  from 
the  juice  of  the  betel-nut,  which  they  are 
continually  chewing. 

There  is  one  distinction,  however,  which 
is  apparent  at  a considerable  distance.  In 
lieu  of  clothes,  the  men  wear  a strip  of  cloth, 
never  more  than  two  inches  wide.  This  is 
passed  round  the  waist,  under  the  legs  in 
front,  and  tucked  through  itself  behind,  the 
end  being  left  as  long  as  possible.  The  men 
place  great  value  on  the  length  of  this  tail, 
and  he  is  the  best  dressed  man  who  wears  it 
the  longest.  Some  of  the  wealthy  among 
them  have  the  tail  dragging  along  the  ground 
for  several  feet,  like  an  European  lady’s 
train.  If  possible,  this  tail  is  made  of  blue 
cloth,  an  article  that  is  held  in  very  high  es- 
timation by  the  natives. 

The  women  are  quite  as  ill-favored  as  the 
men,  and  increase  their  natural  ugliness  by 
shaving  off  all  their  hair.  They  do  not  wear 
tails  like  the  men,  but  have  a plaited  grass 
girdle,  from  which  depends  a soft  fibrous 
fringe  about  a foot  in  depth. 

The  character  of  the  Nicobarians  is  far 
gentler  than  that  of  the  Mincopies,  the  latter 
being  proverbially  fierce  and  cruel  toward 
strangers,  and  the  former  soon  learning  to 


welcome  foreigners  when  they  have  made 
up  their  minds  that  no  harm  is  intended 
them.  Captain  Campbell,  to  whom  I am 
indebted  for  niost  of  the  information  re- 
specting these  natives,  found  them  very 
agreeable  and  hospitable,  ready  to  barter, 
and  always  welcoming  him  to  their  houses. 

After  a short  time,  even  the  women  and 
children,  who  had  at  first  been  scrupulously 
concealed,  after  the  maimer  of  savages,  came 
boldly  forward,  and  were  as  hospitable  as  the 
men.  On  one  occasion,  while  paying  a visit 
to  one  of  their  huts,  Cajitain  Campbell  tried 
to  make  friends  with  one  of  the  children,  all 
of  whom  were  terribly  frightened  at  the 
white  face  of  their  visitor.  Finding  that  no 
response  was  made  to  his  advances,  he  pulled 
the  child  from  his  hiding-place,  and  held  him 
for  a little  time,  in  spite  of  his  struggles.  The 
mother  made  no  opposition,  but  laughed 
heartily  at  the  skirmish,  evidently  feeling 
thalt  no  harm  was  intended  toward  her  little 
one. 

The  native  weapons  of  the  Nicobarians  are 
very  curious.  As  the  people  are  not  of  a 
warlike  character  like  the  Mincopies,  their 
weapons  are  used  almost  exclusively  for 
killing  game.  The  most  formidable  is  a tol- 
erably large  spear  headed  with  iron,  which  is 
used  for  killing  hogs,  and  is  thrown  like  the 
assagai  of  Southern  Africa.  They  have  also 
a smaller  javelin  for  fish-killing,  and  a 
number  of  many-pointed  hand-spears  for  the 
same  purpose.  The  most  remarkable  of  their 
weapons  is  a cross-bow,  which  is  almost 
exactly  like  that  of  the  Fan  tribe  of  Africa. 
It  is  not  very  powerful,  and  only  propels  a 
small  arrow.  Its  chief  use  is  in  killing 
birds. 

Besides  these  weapons,  every  man  carries 
a cutlass-blade  from  which  the  hilt  has  been 
removed,  and  a handle  roughly  made  by 
wrapping  some  six  inches  of  the  butt  with 
cocoa-nut  fibre.  It  is  intended  not  so  much 
as  a weapon  as  a tool,  and  with  it  the  natives 
cut  down  trees,  carve  their  canoes,  and 
perform  similar  operations. 

The  architecture  of  the  Nicobarians  is 
infinitely  superior  to  that  of  the  Mincopies, 
and  is  precisely  similar  in  character  to  that 
which  is  found  among  the  inhabitants  of  New 
Guinea,  the  home  of  the  Papuan  race. 

The  native  architect  begins  by  fixing  a 
number  of  posts  in  the  ground,  and  erecting 
on  them  a platform  of  split  bamboo.  Over 
this  platform  he  builds  a roof  shaped  exactly 
like  a beehive,  and  his  house  is  then  complete. 
The  bamboo  platform  is  the  floor  of  the  hut, 
and,  being  elastic  as  well  as  firm,  serves  also 
for  a bed.  To  this  hut  the  native  ascends  by 
a primitive  sort  of  ladder,  and  passes  into  the 
chamber  through  a hole  cut  in  the  floor. 
The  sides  of  the  hut  are  adorned  with  the 
skulls  of  hogs,  intermixed  with  spears, 


A PRIMITIVE  HAMMOCK. 


897 


knives,  bows,  and  arrows.  The  huts  are  kept 
peculiarly  neat  and  clean. 

A rather  remarkable  use  is  made  of  the  hut. 
The  open  space  between  the  floor  and  the 
ground  is  far  too  valuable  not  to  be  utilized, 
as  it  aflbrds  a cool  and  airy  shelter  from  the 
sunbeams.  Under  this  floor  is  suspended  a 
primitive  sort  of  hammock,  which  is  a board 
about  six  feet  in  length,  slung  by  ropes.  In, 
or  rather  on,  this  very  uncomfortable  ham- 
mock the  Nicobarian  likes  to  lounge  away  his 
time,  dozing  throughout  the  hot  hours  of  the 
day,  sipping  palm  wine  at  intervals,  and 
smoking  without  cessation.  In  fact,  we  seem 
to  have  got  again  among  the  inhabitants  of 
.W estern  Africa,  so  similar  is  the  character 
of  the  Nicobarian  to  that  of  the  negro.  The 
“ Scene  in  the  Nicobar  Islands,”  represented 
on  the  903d  page,  shows  the  personal  ap- 
pearance of  the  Nicobarians  and  their  style 
of  architecture. 

The  canoes  of  the  Nicobarians  are  not  so 
beautifully  formed  as  those  of  the  Mincopies, 
but  are  constructed  on  the  same  principle, 
being  hollowed  out  of  the  trunks  of  trees,  and 
supported  by  a slight  outrigger.  They  have 
a very  high  and  ornamental  prow,  and  are 
propelled  by  short  paddles.  They  are  very 
light,  and,  when  properly  manned,  skim  over 


the  water  at  an  astonishing  pace.  Some  of 
them  are  nearly  sixty  feet  in  length,  while 
others  are  barely  six  or  seven  feet  long,  and 
only  intended  for  one  person. 

The  mode  of  burial  is  not  in  the  least  like 
that  which  is  employed  among  the  Mincopies. 
When  a man  dies,  the  body  is  placed  in  a 
cotfln,  which  is  generally  made  from  a canoe. 
The  canoe  is  cut  in  half,  the  body  being 
laid  in  one  moiety,  and  covered  with  the 
other  half.  In  order  to  supply  the  de- 
ceased with  provisions  for  his  journey  to  tho 
spirit-land,  a pig  is  killed  and  placed  in  the 
coflin,  together  with  a supply  of  yams  and 
cocoa-nuts.  In  case  he  should  be  attacked 
on  his  journey,  a quantity  of  weapons,  such 
as  bows,  spears,  and  cutlasses,  are  placed  in 
the  coffin. 

The  body  is  buried  in  the  middle  of  the 
village,  and  the  spot  marked  by  a stick,  to 
which  is  attached  a small  streamer.  After 
some  time,  when  the  body  has  been  con- 
sumed by  the  earth,  the  coffin  is  dug  up 
again.  The  deceased  being  now  supposed  to 
have  completed  his  journey  to  his  spirit- 
home,  his  bones  are  thrown  into  the  bush,  and 
the  cutlasses  and  other  weapons  distributed 
among  his  relatives. 


44 


CHAPTER  XC, 


NEW  GUINEA. 

THE  HOME  OP  THE  PAPUAN  RACE — DISTINGUISHING  MARKS  OP  THE  RACE — DERIVATION  OF  THE 
NAME  — GENERAL  CHARACTER  OF  THE  PAPUANS  — THE  SIGN  OF  PEACE  — AN  UNFORTUNATE  MIS- 
UNDERSTANDING— DRESS  AND  ORNAMENTS  OF  THE  TRIBES  OF  DOURGA  STRAIT  — THEIR  AGIDITY 
AMONG  THE  TREES  — THE  OUTANATA  TRIBES — TATTOOING  AND  ORNAMENTS  — ELABORATE  ARCHI- 
TECTURE— WEAPONS  — THE  DUST  SIGNALS  AND  THEIR  MEANING — THEIR  UNSUSPICIOUS  NATURE 
— ABRAUW,  THE  CHIEF. 


W E now  come  to  the  very  home  and  centre 
of  the  Papuan  race. 

New  Guinea  is  a very  large  island,  four- 
teen hundred  miles  in  length,  and,  as  far  as 
has  been  ascertained,  containing  some  two 
hundred  thousand  geographical  square  miles. 
It  is  separated  from  Australia  only  by  Torres 
Strait,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  a certain  amount 
of  intercourse  has  taken  place  between  the 
Papuans  of  the  south  of  New  Guinea  and 
the  natives  who  inhabit  the  north  of  Austra- 
lia. Fertile  in  the  vegetable  kingdom,  it 
possesses  one  or  two  animals  which  have 
the  greatest  interest  for  the  naturalist,  such 
as  the  tree-kangaroo,  the  crowned  pigeon, 
and  the  bird  of  paradise.  It  is  equally  inter- 
esting to  the  ethnologist  as  being  the  home 
of  the  Papuan  race. 

Taken  as  a race,  they  are  very  fine  exam- 
ples of  savage  humanity,  tall,  well-shaped, 
and  powerful.  They  are  remarkable  for  two 
physical  peculiarities.  The  one  is  a rough- 
ness of  the  skin,  and  the  other  is  the  growth 
of  the  hair.  The  reader  may  remember  that 
some  of  the  tribes  of  Southern  Africa  h.ive 
the  hair  of  the  head  growing  in  regular 
tufts  or  patches,  each  about  the  size  of  a 
pea. 

It  is  a remarkable  fact  that,  in  the  Papuan 
race,  the  hair  grows  in  similar  patches,  but, 
instead  of  being  short  like  that  of  the  South 
African,  it  grows  to  a considerable  length, 
sometimes  measuring  eighteen  inches  from 
root  to  tip.  The  Papuans  are  very  proud  of 
this  natural  ornament,  and  therefore  will 
seldom  cut  it  off;  but  as,  if  left  untrained,  it 
would  fall  over  the  eyes,  they  have  various 


modes  of  dressing  it,  but  in  most  cases  man- 
age to  make  it  stand  out  at  right  angles  from 
the  head.  Sometimes  they  take  the  hair  of 
each  patch  separately  and  screw  it  up  into  a 
ringlet.  Sometimes  they  tease  out  all  the 
hairs  with  a wooden  comb  of  four  or  five 
prongs,  and,  as  the  hair  is  very  coarse  and 
stiff,  it  is  soon  induced  to  assume  a mop-like 
shape,  and  to  increase  the  apparent  size  of 
the  head  to  an  enormous  extent. 

Indeed,  the  word  Papua  is  derived  from 
this  peculiarity  of  the  hair.  In  the  Malay 
language,  the  word  which  signifies  “ crisped” 
is  pua-pua^  which  is  easily  contracted  into 
pa-pua.  Even  the  hair  of  the  face  grows  in 
similar  patches,  and  so  does  that  on  the 
breast  of  the  man,  and  in  the  latter  case  the 
tufts  are  much  further  apart  than  on  the 
head  or  face. 

The  color  of  the  Papuans  is  a very  dark 
chocolate,  sometimes  inclining  to  black,  but 
having  nothing  in  common  with  the  deep 
shining  black  of  the  negro.  Their  features 
are  large  and  tolerably  well  made,  though 
the  nose  is  very  broad  at  the  wings,  and  the 
lips  wide.  The  nose,  however,  is  not  fiat  like 
that  of  the  negro,  but  is  prominent,  rather 
arched,  and  descends  so  low  that  when  seen 
in  front  the  tip  nearly  reaches  the  upper  lip. 
The  natives  seem  to  be  perfectly  aware  of 
this  peculiarity,  and  perpetuate  it  in  their 
carvings. 

Although  taken  as  a whole,  they  are  a fine 
race,  there  are  many  diversities  among  the 
different  tribes,  and  they  may  be  divided 
into  the  large  and  small  tribes.  The  for- 
mer are  powerfully  built,  but  more  remark- 


AN  UNFORTUNATE  MISUNDERSTANDING. 


809 


able  for  strength  than  symmetry  — broad- 
breasted and  deep-chested,  but  with  legs 
not  equal  in  strength  to  the  upper  parts  of 
the  body. 

Their  character  has  been  variously  given, 
some  travellers  describing  them  as  gentle 
and  hospitable,  while  others  decry  them  as 
fierce  and  treacherous.  Suspicious  of  stran- 
gers they  certainly  are,  and  with  good  rea- 
son, having  suffered  much  from  the  ships 
that  visited  their  coasts.  A misunderstand- 
ing may  soon  arise  between  savage  and 
civilized  people,  especially  when  neither 
understands  the  language  of  the  other.  An 
example  of  such  a misunderstanding  is  given 
by  Mr.  Earle  in  his  valuable  work  on  the 
native  races  of  the  Indian  Archipelago. 
Lieutenant  Modera,  an  officer  in  the  Dutch 
navy,  embarked  with  several  other  gentle- 
men in  the  ship’s  boat,  for  the  purpose  of 
landing  on  the  shore  of  Dourga  Strait,  a 
passage  between  the  mainland  and  Fred- 
erick Henry  Island. 

“ When  the  boat  had  proceeded  to  within 
a musket-shot  distance  from  them,  the  na- 
tives, who  were  armed  with  bows,  arrows, 
and  lances,  commenced  making  singular 
gestures  with  their  arms  and  legs.  The 
native  interpreter  called  out  to  them  in  a 
language  partly  composed  of  Ceramese,  and 
partly  of  a dialect  spoken  by  a Papuan 
tribe  dwelling  a little  further  to  the  north; 
but  his  words  were  evidently  quite  unintel- 
ligible to  them,  as  they  only  answered  with 
loud  and  wild  yells.  W e endeavored,  for  a 
long  time  without  success,  to  induce  them 
to  lay  aside  their  weapons,  but  at  length  one 
of  them  was  prevailed  upon  to  do  so,  and 
the  others  followed  his  example,  on  which 
we  also  laid  down  our  arms,  keeping  them, 
however,  at  hand. 

“ W e now  slowly  approached  each  other, 
and  the  interpreter,  dipping  his  hand  into 
the  sea,  sprinkled  some  of  the  water  over 
the  crown  of  his  head  as  a sign  of  peaceful 
intentions.  This  custom  seems  to  be  gen- 
eral among  all  the  Papuan  tribes,  and  in 
most  cases  their  peaceful  intentions  may  be 
depended  upon  after  having  entered  into 
this  silent  compact. 

“ This  they  seemed  to  understand,  for  two 
of  them  immediately  did  the  same,  on  which 
the  interpreter  jumped  into  the  shallow 
water,  and  approached  them  with  some 
looking-glasses  and  strings  of  beads,  which 
were  received  with  loud  laughter  and  yells. 
They  now  began  dancing  in  the  water,  mak- 
ing the  interpreter  join,  and  the  party  was 
soon  increased  by  other  natives  from  the 
woods,  who  were  attracted  by  the  presents. 
Mr.  Hagenholtz  also  jumped  into  the  shal- 
low water  and  joined  in  the  dance,  and  they 
soon  became  so  friendly  as  to  come  close 
round  the  boat;  indeed  some  of  them  were 
even  induced  to  get  in.” 

Meanwhile  their  confidence  increased, 
and  they  began  to  barter  with  their  visitors, 


exchanging  their  ornaments,  and  even  their 
weapons,  for  beads,  mirrors,  and  cloth.  They 
were  very  inquisitive  about  the  strange  ob- 
jects which  they  saw  in  the  boat,  and,  al- 
though they  handled  everything  freely,  did 
not  attempt  to  steal.  One  of  them  took  up 
a loaded  pistol,  but  laid  it  down  at  once 
when  the  owner  said  it  was  tapu,  or  for- 
bidden. Unfortunately,  a misunderstanding 
then  took  place,  which  destroyed  all  the  ami- 
cable feeling  which  had  been  established. 

“ While  all  this  was  going  on,  they  kept 
drawing  the  boat  — unperceived,  as  they 
thought  — toward  the  beach,  which  deter- 
mined us  to  return,  as  our  stock  of  presents 
was  exhausted,  and  there  seemed  no  proba- 
bility of  our  inducing  any  of  them  to  go  on 
board  with  us.  Shortly  before  this,  Mr. 
Boers  had  ornamented  a Papuan  with  a 
string  of  beads,  who,  on  receiving  it,  joined 
two  of  his  countrymen  that  W'ere  standing 
a little  distance  olf  with  the  arms  that  had 
been  laid  aside,  but  which  they  had  been 
gradually  getting  together  again  — a pro- 
ceeding wc  had  observed,  but,  trusting  in 
the  mutual  confidence  that  had  been  estab- 
lished, we  did  not  much  heed  it. 

“ At  the  moment  in  which  we  were  setting 
off  the  boat  to  return  on  board,  this  man 
fixed  an  arrow  in  his  bow,  and  took  aim  at 
Mr.  Boers,  who  was  sitting  in  the  fore  part 
of  the  boat,  on  which  the  latter  turned  aside 
to  take  up  his  gun,  but  before  he  could  do 
so  he  received  the  arrow  in  his  left  thigh, 
which  knocked  him  over,  shouting,  ‘Fire! 
fire!  I am  hit!’ as  he  fell.  The  order  was 
scarcely  given  before  every  one  had  hold  of 
his  arms  (which,  as  before  stated,  were  kept 
at  hand),  and  a general  discharge  put  the 
natives  to  flight,  swimming  and  driving  like 
ducks. 

“ Before  they  took  to  flight,  however,  they 
discharged  several  more  arrows  at  our  people, 
One  of  which  struck  Mr.  Hagenholtz  in  the 
right  knee,  another  hit  a sailor  in  the  leg, 
while  a third  pierced  a sailor’s  hat  and  re- 
mained sticking  in  it;  and  lastly,  a Javanese 
had  the  handkerchief  shot  off  his  head,  but 
without  receiving  any  personal  injury.” 

Three  of  the  natives  were  severely 
wounded,  if  not  killed,  in  this  unfortunate 
affair,  which  evidently  arose,  as  Mr.  Earle 
points  out,  from  misunderstanding,  and  not 
from  deliberate  treachery.  Seeing  the  boats 
being  pulled  toward  the  ships  while  four 
of  their  companions  were  on  board,  they 
probably  thought  that  they  were  being  car- 
ried off  as  captives,  as  has  so  often  been  done 
along  their  coast  by  the  slavers.  They  could 
not  be  expected  to  understand  the  difference 
between  one  white  man  and  another,  and 
evidently  mistook  the  Dutch  sailors  for 
slavers,  who  had  come  for  the  purpose  of 
inveigling  them  into  the  ships,  where  they 
could  not  be  rescued. 

The  tribes  of  this  part  of  the  coast  are  not 
agreeable  specimens  of  the  Papuan  race. 


000 


NEW  GUINEA. 


They  are  barely  of  the  middle  size,  and 
lightly  built.  Their  skin  is  decidedly  black, 
and  they  ornament  their  bodies  with  red 
ochre,  paying  especial  attention  to  their  faces, 
which  are  made  as  scarlet  as  ochre  can  make 
them.  The  hair  is  deep  black,  and  is  worn 
in  various  ways.  Most  of  the  men  plait  it 
ill  a number  of  tresses,  which  fall  nearly  on 
the  shoulders,  while  others  confine  it  all  into 
two  tails,  and  several  were  seen  with  a curi- 
ous headdress  of  rushes,  the  ends  of  which 
were  firmly  plaited  among  the  hair.  They 
are  a dirty  set  of  people,  and  are  subject  to 
diseases  of  the  skin,  which  give  them  a very 
repulsive  appearance. 

Dress  is  not  used  by  the  men,  who,  how- 
ever, wear  plenty  of  ornp^ments.  They  mostly 
have  a belt  made  of  plaited  leaves  or  rushes, 
about  five  inches  wide,  and  so  long  that,  when 
tied  together  behind,  the  ends  hang  down 
for  a foot  or  so.  Some  of  them  adorn  this 
belt  with  a large  white  shell,  placed  exactly 
in  the  middle.  Earrings  of  plaited  rattan, 
necklaces,  and  bracelets,  were  worn  by 
nearly  all.  Some  of  them  had  a very  in- 
genious armlet,  several  inches  in  width.  It 
was  made  of  plaited  rattan,  and  fitted  so 
tightly  to  the  limb  that,  when  a native  wished 
to  take  it  off  for  sale,  he  was  obliged  to  smear 
his  arm  with  mud,  and  have  the  ornament 
drawn  off  by  another  person. 

Their  principal  weapons  are  bows,  ar- 
rows, and  spears,  the  latter  being  some- 
times tipped  with  the  long  and  sharp  claw 
of  the  tree-kangaroo. 

The  agility  of  these  Papuans  is  really  as- 
tonishing. Along  the  water’s  edge  there 
run  wide  belts  of  mangroves,  which  extend 
for  many  miles  in  length  with  scarcely  a 
break  in  them.  The  ground  is  a thick,  deep, 
and  soft  mud,  from  which  the  mangrove- 
roots  spring  in  such  numbers  that  no  one 
could  pass  through  them  even  at  low  M^ater 
without  the  constant  use  of  an  axe,  while  at 
high  water  all  passage  is  utterly  impossible. 

As  the  natives,  who  are  essentially  mar- 
itime in  their  mode  of  life,  have  to  cross  this 
belt  several  times  daily  in  passing  from  their 
canoes  to  their  houses,  and  vice  versa,  they 
|)refer  doing  so  by  means  of  the  upper 
branches,  among  which  they  run  and  leap, 
by  constant  practice  from  childhood,  as  easily 
«as  monkeys.  (See  p.  909.)  There  is  really 
nothing  extraordinary  in  this  mode  of  pro- 
gress, which  can  be  learned  by  Europeans  in 
a short  time,  although  they  never  can  hope 
to  attain  the  graceful  ease  with  which  the 
naked  savages  pass  among  the  boughs.  In 
some  places  the  mangroves  grow  so  closely 
together  that  to  traverse  them  is  a matter  of 
perfect  ease,  and  Mr.  Earle  remarks  that  he 
once  saw  a file  of  marines,  with  shouldered 
arms,  making  their  way  thus  over  a man- 
grove swamp. 

The  familiarity  of  these  people  with  the 
trees  causes  them  to  look  upon  a tree  as  a 
natural  fortress,  and  as  soon  as  explorers  suc- 


ceeded in  reaching  the  villages,  the  natives 
invariably  made  off,  and  climbed  into  the 
trees  that  surrounded  the  villages. 

Wild  and  savage  as  they  are,  the  Papuans 
of  Dourga  Strait  display  some  acquaintance 
with  the  luxuries  of  civilized  life  and  are  in- 
ordinately fond  of  tobacco,  the  one  luxury 
that  is  common  to  the  highest  and  lowest 
races  of  mankind. 

Some  travellers  have  stated  that  these 
Papuans  are  cannibals,  and  it  is  certain  that 
their  gestures  often  favor  such  an  opinion. 

The  Papuans  of  Dourga  Strait  are  admi- 
rable canoe  men,  and  paddle  with  singular 
skill  and  pow'^er.  They  ahvays  stand  while 
paddling,  a plan  w^hereby  they  obtain  a great 
increase  of  power,  though  perhaps  at  the  ex- 
pense of  muscular  exertion.  They  give  as 
their  chief  reason  for  preferring  the  erect 
position,  that  it  enables  them  to  detect  turtle 
better  than  if  they  were  sitting,  and  to  watch 
them  as  they  dive  under  w^ater  after  being 
W'ounded. 

Skirting  the  coast  of  New  Guinea  and 
proceeding  northward  from  Dourga  Strait, 
we  come  to  the  Outanata  River,  at  the 
embouchure  of  which  is  a tribe  that  differs 
much  from  those  natives  which  have  already 
been  described.  They  are  a finer  and  taller 
set  of  men  than  those  of  Dourga  Strait,  and 
seem  to  have  preserved  many  of  their  cus- 
toms intact  since  the  time  wRen  Captain 
Cook  visited  them.  Their  skin  is  a very 
dark  brown,  and  is  described  as  having  a 
bluish  tinge,  and  they  are  said  to  rub  them- 
selves wntli  some  aromatic  substance  wRich 
causes  them  to  diffuse  an  agreeable  odor. 

It  is  probable  that  the  bluish  gloss  may 
be  due  to  the  same  aromatic  substance  with 
which  the  body  is  perfumed.  Mr.  Earle 
thinks  that  the  odoriferous  material  in  ques- 
tion is  the  bark  of  the  tree  called  the 
“ rosamala.” 

The  blue  tinge  is  never  seen  among  Papuan 
slaves,  and  this  circumstance  adds  force  to 
Mr.  Earle’s  conjecture. 

The  features  are  rather  large,  especially 
the  mouth,  and  the  lips  are  thick.  The  cus- 
tom of  filing  the  teeth  to  a sharp  point  pre- 
vails among  this  tribe,  but  is  not  universal. 
The  eyes  are  small,  and  the  septuih  of  the 
nose  is  always  pierced  so  as  to  carry  a piece 
of  white  bone,  a boar’s  tusk,  or  some  similar 
ornament.  The  hair  is  thick,  and,  instead 
of  being  trained  into  long  tails  like  that  of 
the  Dourga  Strait  natives,  it  is  plaited  from 
the  forehead  to  the  crowm. 

The  men  w^ear  scarcel}’’  any  real  dress, 
many  of  them  being  entirely  naked,  and 
none  of  them  wearing  more  than  a small 
piece  of  bark  or  a strip  of  coarse,  cloth  made 
either  of  cocoa-nut  fibre  or  of  split  bamboo. 
They  are,  however,  exceedingly  fond  of  or- 
nament, and  have  all  the  savage  love  of 
tattooing,  or  rather  scarifying,  the  body, 
which  is  done  in  a way  that  reminds  the 


A REMARKABLE  INSTRUMENT. 


901 


observer  of  the  same  process  among  the 
Australians.  The  scarifications  project 
above  the  skin  to  the  thickness  of  a finger, 
and  the  natives  say  that  this  effect  is  pro- 
duced by  first  cutting  deeply  into  the  flesh, 
and  then  applying  heat  to  the  wounds. 
Anklets,  bracelets,  and  other  articles  of  sav- 
age finery  are  common,  and  a man  who  does 
not  wear  an  inch  of  clothing  will  pride  him- 
self on  his  boar’s  teeth  necklace,  his  bracelets 
of  woven  rattan,  and  his  peaked  rush  cap. 

The  women  always  wear  some  amount  of 
clothing,  however  small,  the  very  fact  of 
possessing  apparel  of  any  kind  being  con- 
ventionally accepted  as  constituting  rai- 
ment, Their  solitary  garment  consists  of 
a small  apron,  about  six  inches  square,  made 
from  the  cocoa-nut  fibre. 

It  is  rather  remarkable  that  these  people 
have  the  same  habit  of  placing  their  new- 
born children  in  hot  sand,  as  has  already 
been  described  when  treating  of  the  now 
extinct  Tasmanians.  When  the  mother 
goes  about  her  work,  she  carries  the  child 
by  means  of  a sort  of  sling  made  of  leaves  or 
the  bark  of  a tree. 

The  architecture  of  the  Outanatas  is  far 
superior  to  that  of  their  brethren  of  Dourga 
Strait.  One  of  these  houses,  described  by 
Lieutenant  Modera,  was  at  least  a hundred 
feet  in  length,  though  it  was  only  five  feet 
high  and  six  wide,  so  that  a man  could  not 
stand  upright  in  it.  There  were  nineteen 
doors  to  this  curious  building,  which  was  at 
first  mistaken  for  a row  of  separate  huts. 
The  floor  is  covered  with  white  sand,  and 
the  inhabitants  generally  seat  themselves  on 
mats.  Each  of  these  doors  seemed  to  be 
appropriated  to  a single  family,  and  near  the 
doors  were  placed  the  different  fireplaces. 
Over  the  roof  a fishing  net  had  been  spread 
to  dry  in  the  sun,  while  a number  of  weap- 
ons were  hung  under  the  roof. 

This  house  was  built  in  a few  days  by  the 
women  and  girls,  and  was  placed  near  a 
much  larger  building,  which  had  been 
raised  on  piles. 

The  weapons  of  the  Outanatas  are  spears, 
clubs,  and  the  usual  bow  and  arrows,  which 
form  the  staple  of  Polynesian  arms. 

The  bows  are  about  five  feet  in  length,  and 
are  furnished  with  a string  sometimes  made 
of  bamboo  and  sometimes  of  rattan.  The 
arrows  are  about  four  feet  in  length,  and 
made  of  cane  or  reed,  to  the  end  of  which  is 
attached  a piece  of  hard  wood,  generally 
that  of  the  betel-tree.  The  tips  are  mostly 
simple,  the  wmod  being  scraped  to  a sharp 
point  and  hardened  in  the  fire,  but  the  more 
ambitious  weapons  are  armed  with  barbs, 
and  furnished  with  a point  made  of  bone. 
The  teeth  of  the  sawfish  are  often  employed 
for  this  purpose,  and  a few  of  the  arrows  are 
tipped  with  the  kangaroo  claw,  as  already 
mentioned  in  the  description  of  the  Dourga 
Strait  spear. 

Beside  these  weapons,  the  natives  carry  a 


sort  of  axe  made  of  stone  lashed  to  a wooden 
handle,  but  this  ouglit  rather  to  be  consid- 
ered as  a tool  than  a weapon,  although  it  can 
be  used  in  the  latter  capacity.  With  this 
simple  instrument  the  Outanatas  cut  down 
the  trees,  shape  them  into  canoes,  and  per- 
form the  various  pieces  of  carpentering  that 
are  required  in  architecture. 

The  most  remarkable  part  of  an  Outa- 
nata’s  equipment  is  an  instrument  which 
greatly  perplexed  the  earlier  voyagers,  and 
led  them  to  believe  that  these  natives  were 
acquainted  with  fire-arms.  Captain  Cook, 
who  visited  New  Guinea  in  1770,  mentions 
that  as  soon  as  he  reached  the  shore  and 
had  left  his  boat,  three  natives, or  “Indians,” 
as  he  calls  them,  rushed  out  of  the  wood,  and 
that  one  of  them  threw  out  of  his  hand 
something  which  “ flew  on  one  side  of  him 
and  burnt  exactly  like  powder,  but  made  no 
report.”  The  two  others  hurled  their  spears 
at  the  travellers,  who  were  in  self-defence 
obliged  to  use  their  fire-arms. 

Not  wishing  to  come  to  an  eneragement, 
they  retired  to  the  boat,  and  reached  it  just 
in  time,  the  natives  appearing  in  consider- 
able force.  “ As  soon  as  we  were  aboard, 
we  rowed  abreast  of  them,  and  their  num- 
ber then  appeared  to  be  between  sixty  and 
a hundred.  We  took  a view  of  them  at  our 
leisure.  They  made  much  the  same  appear- 
ance as  the  New  Hollanders,  being  nearly 
of  the  same  stature,  and  having  their  hair 
short-cropped.  Like  them  they  also  were 
all  stark  naked,  but  we  thought  the  color  of 
their. skin  was  not  quite  so  dark;  this,  how- 
ever, might  be  merely  the  effect  of  their 
being  noc  quite  so  dirty. 

“ All  this  time  they  were  shouting  defi- 
ance, and  letting  off  their  fires  by  four  or 
five  at  a time.  What  those  fires  were,  or 
for  what  purpose  intended,  we  could  not 
imagine.  Those  who  discharged  them  had 
in  their  hands  a short  piece  of  sticlv — possi- 
bly a hollow  cane  — which  they  swung  side- 
ways from  them,  and  we  immediately  saw 
fire  and  smoke,  exactly  resembling  those  of 
a musket,  and  of  no  longer  duration.  This 
wonderful  phenomenon  was  observed  from 
the  ship,  and  the  deception  was  so  great  that 
the  people  on  board  thought  they  had  fire- 
arms; and  in  the  boat,  if  we  had  not  been  so 
near  that  we  must  have  heard  the  report, 
we  should  have  thought  they  had  been  firing 
volleys.” 

The  reader  Mill  doubtless  remark  here 
that  the  travellers  were  so  accustomed  to 
associate  fire  with  smoke  that  they  believed 
themselves  to  have  seen  flashes  of  fire  as 
well  as  wreaths  of  smoke  issue  from  the 
strange  weapon.-  Many  years  afterward, 
Lieutenant  Modera  contrived  to  see  and 
handle  some  of  these  implements,  and  found 
that  they  were  simply  hollow  bamboos,  filled 
with  a mixture  of  sand  and  wood-ashes, 
which  could  be  flung  like  smoke-wreaths 
from  the  tubes.  The  Outanatas,  their  weap- 


f 


902  NEW  GUINEA. 


ons,  canoes  and  the  remarkable  instrument 
just  described,  are  illustrated  on  the  follow- 
ing page. 

Some  persons  have  thought  that  the  na- 
tives used  these  tubes  in  imitation  of  fire- 
arms, but  the  interjireters  gave  it  as  their 
opinion  that  they  were  employed  as  signals, 
the  direction  of  the  dust  cloud  being  indica- 
tive of  the  intention  of  the  thrower.  Others 
say  that  the  tubes  are  really  weapons,  made 
for  the  purpose  of  blinding  their  adversaries 
b}^  flinging  sand  in  their  eyes.  I cannot 
agree  with  this  last  suggestion,  because  the 
other  weapons  of  the  Outanatas  show  that 
the  natives  do  not  fight  hand  to  hand  like 
the  New  Zealanders.  I think  that  the  inter- 
preters were  right  in  their  statement  that 
the  tubes  are  used  for  signalling,  and  this 
supposition  is  strengthened  by  the  fact  that 
the  natives  of  Australia  do  use  smoke  for  the 
same  purpose,  as  has  already  been  described. 

The  canoes  of  the  Outanatas  are  often  of 
considerable  size,  measuring  fifty  or  sixty 
feet,  and,  although  narrow  in  proportion  to 
their  length  from  stem  to  stern,  containing 
a great  number  of  men.  They  are  hand- 
somely carved  and  adorned  with  paint,  and 
both  ends  are  flat  and  broad.  The  rowers 
stand  up  when  they  use  their  paddles, 
which  are  necessarily  of  considerable  length, 
having  long  handles  and  oval  blades  slightly 
hollowed.  The  narrowness  of  these  canoes 
strengthens  the  opinion  of  several  travel- 
lers, that  the  Outanatas  are  really  an  inland 
tribe,  descending  the  river  in  flotillas,  and 
returning  to  their  inland  home  when  the 
object  of  their  expedition  is  accomplished. 

They  seem  to  be  less  suspicious  than 
their  countrymen  of  Dourga  Strait,  and 
have  no  hesitation  in  meeting  Europeans 
and  exchanging  their  own  manufactures  for 
cloth,  knives,  and  glass  bottles,  the  last 
mentioned  objects  being  always  favorite  ar- 
ticles *of  barter  with  Polynesian  savages, 
who  employ  them  when  entire  for  holding 
liquids,  and,  if  they  should  unfortunately 
be  broken,  use  the  fragments  for  knives, 
lancets,  points  of  weapons,  and  similar  pur- 
poses. Lieutenant  Modera  describes  the 
appearance  of  one  of  their  flotillas  as  repre- 


senting a perfect  fair,  the  boats  being  laid 
closely  together,  and  their  decks  crowded 
with  natives  laden  with  articles  for  barter. 

Unlike  the  Dourga  Strait  natives,  those 
of  the  Outanata  Piver  had  no  objection  to 
come  on  board  the  European  ships,  and  vis- 
ited the  vessels  in  great  numbers.  Even 
their  principal  chief  came  on  board  fre- 
quently. On  the  first  occasion  he  disguised 
his  rank,  and  merely  came  as  an  ordinary 
native,  but  he  afterward  avowed  himself, 
and  came  freely  on  board  in  his  own  char- 
acter. For  convenience’  sake  he  called 
himself  Abrauw,  i.  e.  Abraham,  a name  by 
which  he  was  well  known  for  a considerable 
distance.  He  offered  no  objection  to  going 
below  and  entering  the  Captain’s  cabin, 
though  his  subjects  were  rather  uneasy  at 
his  absence,  and  shouted  his  name  so  perse- 
veringly  that  he  was  obliged  every  now  and 
then  to  put  his  head  out  of  the  cabin  win- 
dow. He  had  all  the  regal  power  of  con- 
cealing astonishment,  and  witnessed  with 
utter  imperturbability  the  discharge  of  fire- 
arms, the  ticking  of  watches,  and  examples 
of  similar  marvels.  He  did,  however,  displa}^ 
a little  interest  in  the  musketry  practice, 
which  was  directed  at  a succession  of  bottles, 
slung  from  the  yard-arm,  but  whether  he 
was  struck  with  the  accuracy  of  aim  or  with 
the  needless  destruction  of  valuable  bottles 
is  doubtful. 

He  seemed  to  be  worthy  of  his  position  as 
chief,  and  was  desirous  of  establishing  an 
European  settlement  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Outanata.  Unfortunately,  the  river,  al- 
though a noble  stream,  has  a sandbar  across 
the  mouth  which  effectually  prevents  vessels 
of  even  light  draught  from  passing  except  at 
high  water.  The  people  in  general  were 
wonderfully  honest,  not  displaying  the 
thievish  propensities  which  cause  the  visits 
of  many  savage  tribes  to  be  so  troublesome. 
They  even  brought  on  board  articles  which 
had  been  accidentally  left  on  shore.  They 
pTobably  owe  much  of  their  superiority  to 
their  connection  with  the  Malay  Moham- 
medans, many  of  whom  visit  New  Guinea  as 
traders. 


(2.)  THE  OUTANATAS  AND  THEIR  WEAPONS.  (See  page  902.) 


(1.)  A SCENE  IN  THE  NICOBAR  ISLANDS.  (See  page  897.) 


(903) 


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'.Ki 


CHAPTER  XCI. 


NEW  GUINEA— Conc!«ded 


THE  ALFOERS  OR  HARAFORAS  — VARIOUS  REPORTS  RESPECTING  THEM  — THEIR  MODE  OF  GOVERNMENT 
— AN  ALFOiSRIAN  DIVORCE  COURT — TREPANG  COLLECTING  — DESTRUCTION  OF  PROPERTY  — 
FUNERAL  RITES  — TRIBES  OF  THE  SOUTH-EASTERN  COAST— A QUAINT  DRUMMER  — DRESS  AND 
ORNAMENT  — THE  TATTOO  — THE  FULL-DRESS  PETTICOAT  — HAIR-DRESSING  — EXCELLENCE  OP 
THEIR  CANOES — AN  INGENIOUS  SAIL— HOW  TO  STOP  A LEAK  — THE  PIG-PET — ARCHITECTURE  — 
DEFENCE  AGAINST  VERMIN  — HOUSES  OF  REDSCAR  BAY  — DREAD  OF  STEEL  — TRIBES  OF  THE 
NORTH-WEST  COAST — THEIR  CANOES  — MODES  OF  FISHING  — AQUATIC  HOUSES  — MODE  OF  GOV- 
ERNMENT— APPOINTMENT  OF  A NEW  CHIEF  — NEW  GUINEA  WEDDINGS — THE  KARWAR,  OR 
HOUSEHOLD  GOD  — THE  WAR-DANCE  — CEREMONIES  AT  FUNERALS. 


W E must  here  give  a short  space  to  some 
tribes  called  by  various  names,  such  as 
Haraforas,  Alfouras,  and  Alfoers,  and  sup- 
posed by  many  ethnologists  to  be  a sepa- 
rate family  living  in  New  Guinea  and  the 
neighboring  islands,  but  as  distinct  from 
the  generality  of  the  inhabitants  as  the 
Bosiesman  of  Southern  Africa  are  from  the 
Kaffir. 

This  theory,  however,  has  now  been 
shown  to  be  untenable,  and  it  is  now  known 
that  the  word  Alfoers,  or  Alfouras,  is  ap- 
plied by  the  tribes  of  the  coast  to  those  who 
live  in  the  interior.  The  word  has  a Portu- 
guese origin,  and  as  Mr.  Earle  remarks,  is 
applied  to  the  mountaineers  of  the  interior, 
just  as  the  Spaniards  called  the  aborigines  of 
America  “ Indians,”  and  the  Mohammedan 
inhabitants  of  Salee  and  Mindano  “ Moros,” 
or  ‘‘  Moors.” 

Most  of  the  accounts  that  have  been  re- 
ceived of  the  Alfoers  are  not  at  all  to  be 
trusted.  They  have  been  described  as  pe- 
culiarly disgusting  and  repulsive,  ferocious, 
gloomy,  living  in  the  depths  of  the  forest,  and 
murdering  all  strangers  who  came  in  their 
way.  In  fact,  they  have  a worse  reputation 
than  the  Andamaners.  It  has  been  aseer^ 
tained,  however,  that  these  evil  reports  have 
originated  from  the  coast  tribes,  who  have  a 
very  strong  objection  to  allow  foreigners-  to 
penetrate  inland. 

The  reason  is  obvious.  The  visits  of  the 
traders  are  exceedingly  valuable,  furnish- 
ing all  kinds  of  tools,  weapons  and  orna- 


ments, which  constitute  the  wealth  of  the 
savage.  The  natives,  having  purchased  these 
with  articles  which  to  themselves  are  com- 
paratively valueless,  can  sell  their  super- 
abundance to  the  inland  Alfoers,  and  make 
an  enormous  profit  on  their  bargain.  If  the 
white  men  were  allowed  to  go  inland  and 
trade  directly  with  the  natives,  their  profita- 
ble traffic  would  be  broken  up. 

As  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  the  Alfoers 
are  in  much  the  same  state  as  were  the  Ou- 
tanatas  before  they  were  visited  by  traders. 
Those  who  were  seen  were  remarkable  for  a 
certain  stupidity  of  aspect,  a taciturnness  of 
disposition,  and  a slowness  of  movement, 
which  are  not  found  among  the  Outanatas. 
As,  however,  they  were  slaves,  it  is  more 
than  likely  that  these  characteristics  were  the 
result  of  servitude. 

Subsequently  some  discoveries  were  made 
among  the  Alfoers,  which  entirely  contra- 
dicted- the  reports  of  the  coast  tribes.  They 
are  certainly  rough  in  their  manners,  and  if 
they  take  a dislike  to  a foreigner,  or  if  he 
should’  perchance  offend  any  of  their  preju- 
dices, they  eject  him  from  the  district  with 
more  speed  than  ceremony;  taking  care, 
however,  not  to  inflict  personal  damage, 
and  refraining  from  confiscating  his  prop- 
erty. 

As  far  as  can  be  ascertained  from  the 
slight  intercourse  which  has  been  held 
with  these  tribes,  there  is  no  regular  form 
of  government,  the  elders  deciding  disputes, 
and  their  decisions  being  respected.  They 


906 


WEW  GUINEA. 


are  an  honest  set  of  people,  paying  the 
greatest  regard  to  the  rights  of  property; 
and  being  so  scrupulous  in  this  respect,  that 
if  any  one  should  even  enter  the  house  of 
an  absent  man  he  is  called  to  account,  and 
made  to  pay  a fine  to  the  owner  of  the 
house.  A similar  law  exists  with  regard  to 
the  women.  If  a man  should  even  touch, 
though  accidentally,  the  wife  of  another,  he 
makes  himself  liable  to  a fine. 

A curious  example  of  this  regulation  is 
mentioned  by  Lieutenant  Koltf.  A man 
Bet  out  in  his  canoe  to  fish,  intending  to 
return  in  a W'eek;  but  being  caught  by  con- 
trary winds,  he  was  driven  away  from  his 
own  part  of  the  coast,  and  was  detained  two 
months.  Unfortunately  he  had  only  left  at 
home  provisions  for  a week,  and  his  wife, 
finding  herself  without  food,  asked  a neigh- 
bor to  provide  it  for  her.  This  he  did,  and 
as,  day  after  day,  nothing  was  heard  of  the 
husband,  the  woman  transferred  her  affec- 
tions and  herself  to  the  neighbor  who  had 
assisted  her,  and  the  pair  went  off  to  another 
island. 

After  two  months  had  elapsed  the  hus- 
band came  back,  and,  not  finding  his  wife, 
demanded  her  from  her  brothers,  who  were 
then  bound  to  produce  her.  They  set  off  in 
search  of  the  gnilty  couple,  discovered  them, 
and  brought  them  back,  when  the  injured 
husband  demanded  an  enormous  sum  by 
way  of  fine.  The  man  said  that  he  could 
not  possibly  pay  such  a sum  if  he  were  to 
work  for  the  rest  of  his  lifetime.  The  affair 
was  eventually  brought  before  the  elders, 
who  decided  that  the  husband  had  done 
wrong  in  leaving  his  wife  so  ill  provided 
for,  and  that  if  he  had  supplied  her  with  a 
sufficiency  of  provisions  the  acquaintance 
between  herself  and  her  paramour  would 
probably  have  been  avoided.  So  they 
decreed  that  the  man  should  pay  a small 
fine,  and  advised  the  husband  to  leave 
plenty  of  provisions  at  home  when  he  next 
went  out  fishing. 

The  principal  object  for  which  the  natives 
make  these  expeditions  is  the  trepang,  or 
sea-slug  (Holothurid),  which  is  in  great 
demand  in  China,  and  is  purchased  by 
traders  from  the  natives  for  the  Chinese 
market.  It  is  chiefly  by  means  of  the  tre- 
pang tliat  a man  procures  a wife.  As  is  the 
case  among  many  savage  tribes,  a wife  can 
only  be  obtained  by  purchase,  so  that  daugh- 
ters are  quite  as  valuable  to  their  parents 
as  sons.  With  the  Alfoers,  the  marriage 
present  must  always  consist  of  foreign  valu- 
ables, such  as  elephants’  tusks,  gongs,  China 
dishes,  cloth,  and  similar  objects.  These 
are  obtained  by  exchanging  trepang  with 
the  traders. 

When,  therefore,  a young  man  wants  a 
wife,  and  has  settled  the  amount  of  the 
marriage  portion  with  the  father,  he  goes 
off  for  a year  on  a hunting  expedition.  He 
takes  a canoe,  and  sails  from  island  to  island, 


catching  as  much  trepang  as  possible,  and 
begging  from  all  those  whom  he  visits.  At 
the  end  of  the  year  he  returns  home,  know- 
ing that  by  means  of  the  protective  law  his 
house  and  property  will  be  perfectly  safe, 
and  presents  himself  to  the  father  of  the  girl 
with  the  goods  which  he  has  obtained.  It 
is  seldom  that  he  is  able  to  make  up  the 
entire  amount  at  once,  but  he  is  allowed  to 
pay  by  instalments. 

Property  cannot  be  inherited,  owing  to  a 
peculiar  custom.  As  soon  as  any  one  dies, 
his  relations  assemble,  gather  together  all 
his  valuables,  break  them  to  pieces,  and 
throw  the  fragments  away.  Even  the  pre- 
cious brass  gongs  are  thus  broken,  the  sur- 
vivors thinking  that  no  one  may  use  any- 
thing belonging  to  the  dead.  Large  heaps 
of  broken  china,  ivory,  and  metal  are  found 
on  the  outskirts  of  villages  that  have  existed 
for  any  long  time,  showing  that  many  deaths 
must  have  occurred  within  its  limits. 

The  rest  of  the  funeral  ceremonies  are 
curious,  and  are  worthy  i)f  a brief  descrip- 
tion. 

When  death  is  ascertained,  notice  is  sent 
to  all  the  relatives  of  the  deceased,  who 
often  are  scattered  widely  apart,  so  that 
several  days  usually  elapse  before  they  can 
all  assemble.  The  body  meanwhile  is  kept 
sprinkled  with  lime,  in  order  to  retard  decay 
as  much  as  possible,  and  aromatic  resins  are 
burned  in  the  house  to  counteract  any  ill 
odor.  As  the  relatives  come,  they  take 
their  places  in  the  house,  and  begin  drink- 
ing. Before  the  traders  supplied  them  with 
arrack,  they  had  a fermented  liquor  made  , 
by  themselves  from  fruit.  They  always  , 
offer  the  deceased  a share  of  everything, 
putting  a little  food  into  the  mouth  of  the 
dead  person,  and  pouring  a little  liquid 
between  the  senseless  lips.  Meanwhile  the 
women  utter  loud  lamentations,  gongs  are  ' 
beaten,  and  a stunning  uproar  is  kept  up  ' 
until  the  time  of  the  funeral.  i 

When  the  relatives  have  all  assembled,  a | 
bier  is  provided,  covered  with  cloth,  the  ■ 
quantity  and  quality  of  which  accord  with  -f 
the  wealth  of  the  deceased;  and  the  body  is  | 
then  brought  out  in  front  of  the  house,  and 
supported  in  a sitting  position  against  a 
post.  The  villagers  then  assemble,  and  a 
general  feast  takes  place,  a share  of  which 
is  offered  to  the  deceased  as  before.  Find- 
ing that  he  will  neither  eat  nor  drink,  in 
spite  of  the  solicitations  of  his  friends  and 
companions,  the  body  is  carried  into  the 
woods,  where  it  is  placed  on  a platform 
erected  on  four  feet. 

This  being  done,  the  concluding  cere- 
mony is  left  to  the  women.  They  remove 
all  their  clothing,  and  then  plant  by  the  side 
of  the  platform  a 3'oung  sapling;  this  cere- 
mony being  called  the  casting  away  of  the 
body,”  and  considered  as  a symbol  that  the 
deceased  has  done  wfith  his  bod^q  and  thrown 
it  from  him. 


A QUAINT  DRUMMER. 


907 


Passitstg  more  to  the  eastward  of  New 
Guinea,  we  come  to  some  interesting  nations 
inhabiting  Brumer’s  Island,  and  the  neigh- 
borhood. These  islands  are  situate  about 
lat.  10°  45'  S.  and  Ion.  150°  23'  E. 

Living  as  they  do  on  a number  of  small 
islands,  the  largest  being  rather  less  than 
three  miles  in  width,  the  natives  are  neces- 
sarily maritime,  passing  from  one  island  to 
another  in  their  admirably  contrived  ves- 
sels. They  are  accustomed  to  the  visits  of 
ships,  and  boldly  put  off  to  meet  them,  tak- 
ing no  weapons,  except  for  sale,  and  dis- 
playing the  greatest  confidence  in  their 
visitors. 

One  of  these  natives  caused  great  amuse- 
ment by  his  imitation  of  the  ship’s  drum- 
mer. Some  one  gave  him  a large  tin  can, 
which  he,  being  a musical  genius,  immedi- 
ately converted  into  a drum.  At  first  he 
merely  pounded  it  with  his  hands,  but  when 
tlie  ship’s  drummer  was  sent  into  the  chains, 
and  began  to  play  upon  his  instrument,  the 
man  watched  him  for  a little  time,  and  then 
began  to  imitate  him  in  the  most  ludicrous 
manner,  his  antics  and  grimaces  being 
especially  provocative  of  laughter.  The 
effect  of  his  buffoonery  was  heightened  by 
the  manner  in  which  he  had  adorned  his 
face.  He  had  blackened  his  naturally  dark 
features  with  charcoal,  and  had  drawn  a 
streak  of  white  paint  over  each  eyebrow, 
and  another  under  the  chin  to  the  cheek- 
bones. 

The  mode  of  salutation  is  rather  ludicrous 
to  a stranger,  as  it  consists  of  pinching. 
When  they  desire  to  salute  any  one,  they 
pinch  the  tip  of  the  nose  with  the  finger 
and  thumb  of  the  right  hand,  while  with 
the  left  they  pinch  the  middle  of  their  stom- 
achs, accompanying  this  odd  and  complex 
gesture  with  the  word  “ Magasuka.”  These 
natives  seem  to  be  a hospitable  people,  for, 
after  several  of  them  had  been  received  on 
board  and  treated  kindly,  they  returned  on 
the  following  day,  and  brought  with  them  a 
great  quantity  of  cooked  yams,  for  which 
they  refused  payment. 

The  men  wear  nothing  but  a small  strip 
of  pandanus  leaf,  but  the  women  have  a 
dress  which  in  principle  is  exaetly  similar 
to  the  thong-aprons  of  Southern  Africa.  It 
consists  of  a number  of  very  narrow  strips 
of  pandanus  leaf,  reaching  nearly  to  the 
knee.  The  girls  wear  only  a single  row  of 
these  strips, but  the  women  wear  several 
layers  of  them,  one  coming  a little  below 
the  other,  like  flounces.  In  wet  weather 
the  uppermost  petticoat  is  taken  from  the 
waist  and  tied  round  the  neck,  so  as  to  pro- 
tect the  shoulders  from  the  rain,  which 
shoots  off  the  leaf-strips  as  oft*  a thatched 
roof. 

On  gala  days  a much  handsomer  petticoat 
is  worn.  This  consists  of  much  finer  leaf 
strips  than  those  which  constitute  the  ordi- 
nary dress,  and  it  is  dyed  of  various  colors. 


Some  of  them  which  were  seen  by  Mr. 
M’Gillivray  were  red  and  green,  with  bands 
of  pale  yellow  and  pure  white.  The  tufts  of 
which  they  were  composed  were  extremely 
light  and  soft,  and  looked  like  very  fine- 
twisted  grass  blades.  Several  of  the  women, 
by  way  of  finishing  their  toilet,  had  black- 
ened their  faces.  This  process,  if  it  did  not 
add  to  their  beauty,  certainly  did  not  detract 
from  it,  as  their  faces  were  originally  so 
plain  that  the  black  covering  could  not 
make  them  more  ugly.  The  young  men 
and  lads  formed  a curious  contrast  to  the 
women  in  this  respect,  many  of  them  being 
remarkable  for  their  good  looks. 

The  women  usually,  though  not  invaria- 
bly, divide  their  hair  into  a vast  number  of  lit- 
tle tresses,  and  twist  them  up  like  the  thrums 
of  a mop,  while  the  men  tease  out  their  stilf 
and  wiry  locks  as  much  as  possible,  and  fix 
in  them  a slender  stick,  some  twm  feet  in 
length,  decorated  with  a little  plume  at  the 
top^the  base  being  cut  into  teeth  and  so  used 
as  a comb. 

The  inhabitants  of  Redscar  Bay  use  a 
more  elaborate  system  of  tattooing  than  that 
which  has  been  described  above.  The  men 
generally  restrict  themselves  to  certain  por- 
tions of  the  body,  such  as  the  breast,  cheeks, 
forehead,  and  arms,  and  even  on  those  spots 
the  tattooing  is  comparatively  slight.  But 
the  wmmen  are  so  covered  with  blue  pat- 
terns, that  there’is  hardly  a portion  of  their 
bodies  which  has  not  been  thus  decorated. 
They  have  various  patterns,  but  the  usual 
type  is  formed  by  double  parallel  lines,  the 
intervals  between  which  are  filled  with 
smaller  patterns,  or  with  zigzag  lines.  As 
the  dress  of  the  women  consists  merely  of 
the  leaf-strip  petticoat,  the  patterns  of  the 
tattooing  are  very  fully  displayed. 

The  hair  of  the  men  is  dressed  here  after 
a rather  singular  fashion.  It  is  shaved  from 
the  forehead  for  some  three  inches,  and  the 
remainder  is  combed  backward  to  its  full 
length.  A string  is  then  tied  round  it,  so  as 
to  confine  it  as  closely  as  possible  to  the 
head,  leaving  rather  more  than  half  its  length 
to  be  frizzed  into  a mop-like  bundle  project- 
ing from  the  crown. 

Those  who  are  especially  careful  of  their 
personal  appearance  add  an  ornament  which 
is  not  unlike  the  pigtail  of  the  last  century. 
A tolerably  large  bunch  of  hair  is  gathered 
together  and  tied  into  a long  and  straight 
tail,  the  end  of  which  is  decorated  with 
some  ornament.  In  one  case,  a man  had 
attached  to  his  pigtail  a bunch  of  dogs’ 
teeth.  The  mouths,  naturally  wide,  are  dis- 
figured with  the  universal  custom  of  chew- 
ing the  betel-leaf  mixed  with  lime,  which 
stains  the  lips  of  a dull  brick-red,  and  makes 
the  whole  mouth  look  as  if  it  had  been 
bleeding. 

The  hair  is  usually  black,  but  some  diver- 
sities of  color  are  often  seen.  Sometimes  it 
is  black  except  the  tips  of  each  tress,  where 


908 


NEW  GUINEA. 


the  hue  becomes  yellow  or  reddish,  and 
sometimes  the  whole  of  the  hair  is  red.  In 
all  probability,  this  change  of  tint  is  pro- 
duced by  artificial  means,  such  as  lime- 
water,  the  use  of  which  is  known  in  various 
parts  of  New  Guinea.  Those  who  have  the 
entire  hair  red  have  probably  dyed  it  lately, 
while  those  who  have  only  the  tips  red  have 
passed  several  months  without  dyeing  it. 
There  is  but  little  beard  or  moustache. 

As  far  as  can  be  judged  from  appearances, 
the  women  are  treated  better  than  is  usually 
the  case  among  savages,  and  seem  to  be  con- 
sidered as  equal  with  the  men.  They  are 
affectionate  parents,  as  was  proved  by  the  fact 
that  children  were  often  brought  by  their 
fathers  to  look  at  the  ships. 

The  average  stature  of  these  natives  was 
rather  small,  few  exceeding  five  feet  four 
inches  in  height.  They  were  very  active, 
but  not  powerful,  as  was  proved  by  testing 
their  strength  against  that  of  the  ship’s 
crew. 

Allusion  has  already  been  made  to  their 
skill  in  boating.  These  natives  possess  vari- 
ous canoes,  some  so  small  as  only  to  hold, 
and  by  no  means  to  accommodate,  one  per- 
son, while  others  contain  with  ease  fifty  or 
sixty  at  once. 

The  commonest  canoe  is  that  which  is 
popularly  called  a catamaran,  and  which  is 
more  of  a raft  than  a boat.  It  is  formed  of 
three  planks  lashed  together  with  rattan. 
The  man  sits,  or  rather  kneels,  a little  be- 
hind the  centre,  and  is  able  to  propel  this 
simple  vessel  with  great  speed.  Some  of 
these  catamarans  are  large  enough  to  carry 
ten  or  twelve  persons,  together  with  a cargo. 
Instead  of  being  merely  three  planks,  they 
consist  of  three  great  logs  of  wood  laid  side 
by  side,  and  lashed  firmly  together  with  rat- 
tan at  their  ends,  in  the  centre,  and  midway 
betw^een  the  centre  and  each  end.  There  is 
no  particular  bow  or  stern,  but  the  central 
log  is  longer  than  the  others,  so  as  to  project 
at  each  end,  and  is  generally  carved  into 
rude  patterns,  and  ornamented  with  red  and 
wiiite  paint. 

Of  course  the  sea  washes  freely  over  this 
primitive  vessel,  so  that  the  natives  are 
obliged  to  erect  a small  platform  in  the  mid- 
dle, on  which  they  can  place  any  goods  that 
mmht  be  damaged  by  wetting. 

One  of  the  smaller  catamarans  is  shown 
in  the  foreground  of  illustration.  No.  2,  on 
the  next  page,  and  just  behind  it  is  one  of 
the  large  canoes  with  its  sail  struck.  Such  a 
canoe  as  this  is  about  twenty-five  feet  in 
length.  It  consists  of  two  parts,  the  canoe 
proper  and  the  outrigger.  The  canoe 
proper  is  very  curiously  formed.  It  is  cut 
from  the  trunk  of  a tree,  and,  in  spite  of  its 
length,  is  not  more  than  eighteen  or  nine- 
teen inches  in  extreme  width.  The  most 
curious  part  of  its  construction  is,  that  the 
sides,  after  bulging  out  below,  come  to- 
gether above,  so  that  the  space  between  the 


gunwale  is  barely  eight  inches,  there  is  only 
just  room  for  a man’s  legs  to  pass  into  the 
interior  of  the  boat.  A section  of  the  canoe 
would  present  an  outline  very  much  like 
that  of  the  Greek  Omega  reversed,  thus  — y. 
In  order  to  preserve  the  gunwales  from  in- 
jury, a slight  pole  is  lashed  to  them  througli- 
out  their  entire  length. 

As  is  the  case  with  the  catamaran,  both 
ends  of  the  canoe  are  alike.  They  are  gen- 
erally raised  well  above  the  water,  and  are 
carved  into  the  semblance  of  a snake’s  or 
turtle’s  head,  and  decorated  with  paint, 
tufts  of  feathers,  shells,  and  similar  orna- 
ments. 

The  outrigger  is  as  long  as  the  canoe,  to 
which  it  is  attached  by  a series  of  light 
poles  to  the  gunwale  of  the  canoe  itself. 
The  method  by  which  the  outer  ends  of  the 
poles  are  fastened  to  the  outrigger  is  very 
curious,  and  can  be  better  understood  by 
reference  to  the  illustration  than  by  a de- 
scription. Like  the  ends  of  the  canoe,  those 
of  the  outrigger  poles  are  fashioned  into  a 
snake-like  form. 

The  natives  can  run  along  these  poles  to 
the  outrigger  with  perfect  safety,  often  sit- 
ting upon  it  when  the  wind  is  high,  so  as  to 
preserve  the  balance  of  the  vessel.  In  many 
canoes,  however,  a slight  platform  is  laid 
upon  these  poles,  so  as  greatly  to  increase 
the  burthen-carrying  space  of  the  vessel; 
and  a corresponding  but  smaller  platform 
projects  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  canoe. 
On  this  jjlatform  several  paddlers  are  sta- 
tioned, finding  it  easier  to  work  their  long- 
handled  paddles  from  the  platform  than 
from  the  narrow  space  of  the  canoe  itself. 

The  sail  is  made  of  strips  of  palm  leaf, 
interlaced  with  each  other.  When  it  is  not 
required,  the  sail  is  struck  and  rolled  up,  so 
as  to  occupy  as  little  room  as  possible,  and 
the  mast  can  also  be  struck,  like  those  of  our 
sailing  barges  while  passing  under  a bridge. 

Two  other  kinds  of  New  Guinea  canoes 
are  shown  in  the  same  illustration.  These 
canoes  are  not  found  in  the  same  part  of 
New  Guinea,  but,  as  the  natives  travel  in 
them  for  considerable  distances,  they  have 
been  brought  together  in  the  same  illustra- 
tion for  the  convenience  of  comparison. 

Beyond  the  large  canoe  is  a smaller  one, 
with  a sail  that  is  set  in  rather  a curious 
manner.  There  is  no  mast,  but  the  two 
edges  of  the  sail  are  fastened  to  slight  spars, 
and  when  the  native  finds  the  wind  to  be 
favorable,  he  fixes  the  lower  ends  of  these 
spars  in  the  canoe,  and  supports  the  upper 
ends  by  stays  or  ropes  that  were  fore  and 
aft.  The  reader  will  notice  the  pointed  end 
of  the  cylindrical  outrigger.  On  the  oppo- 
site side  to  the  outrigger  is  a slight  plat- 
form made  of  planks.  The  platform  itself 
is  out  of  sight,  but  the  reader  may  see  the 
heads  and  shoulders  of  the  two  men  who 
are  sitting  on  it. 

This  canoe  is  made  near  Kedscar  Point, 


(1.)  THE  MONKEY  MEN  OF  DOURGA  STRAIT.  (See  page  900.) 


(2.)  CANOES  OF  NEW  GUINEA.  (See  page  908.) 
(909) 


fr 


THE  PIG-PET. 


911 


and,  except  in  the  arrangement  of  the  sail, 
is  somewhat  similar  to  the  vessels  which  are 
built  at  Brumer  Island.  The  paddles  are 
between  six  and  seven  feet  in  length,  and 
are  rather  clumsily  formed,  without  any  at- 
tempt at  ornament. 

The  canoe  to  the  right  of  the  illustration 
is  the  most  curious  of  these  vessels.  The 
body  of  the  canoe  is  made  out  of  the  trunk 
of  a tree,  which  is  first  shaped  to  a conical 
form  at  each  end,  and  then  hollowed.  Over 
the  ends  is  firmly  fixed  a piece  of  wood,  sev- 
eral feet  in  length,  so  as  to  make  the  two 
ends  into  hollow  cones  into  which  the  water 
cannot  force  its  way.  The  gunwale  is  raised 
about  two  feet  by  planks  which  box  in  the 
opening  of  the  canoe,  and  act  as  ’wash-boards, 
the  seams  being  pitched  and  rendered  water- 
tight. 

These  particulars  are  mentioned  because 
in  general  the  natives  of  New  Guinea  are 
singularly  indifferent  as  to  the  amount  of 
water  which  is  taken  in  by  their  canoes, 
provided  that  they  are  not  sunk.  There  is, 
for  example,  one  kind  of  New  Guinea  canoe 
found  in  Coral  Haven,  in  ’which  the  gun- 
wales are  not  connected  at  the  stern,  which 
is  left  open.  The  water  would  of  course 
rush  in,  were  it  not  that  one  of  the  crew  sits 
in  the  opening,  forcing  his  body  into  it  so  as 
to  render  it  temporarily  water-tighh  Even 
with  this  precaution  it  is  impossible  to  pre- 
vent some  water  from  making  its  way  be- 
tween the  body  of  the  man  and  the  sides  of 
the  canoe,  as  it  heels  over  by  the  force  of  the 
wind,  and  in  squally  ’vv^eather  another  of  the 
crew  is  obliged  to  keep  perpetually  baling 
with  a large  shell. 

The  most  curious  part  of  the  canoe  which 
we  are  now  examining  is  the  sail,  which, 
clumsy  as  it  looks,  is  a very  great  improve- 
ment on  those  which  have  been  previously . 
described,  inasmuch  as  it  can  be  shifted  and 
trimmed  to  suit  the  wind. 

The  mast,  instead  of  being  merely  stuck 
upright  when  wanted,  is  permanently  fixed, 
but  is  so  short  that  it  causes  no  inconven- 
ience when  the  sail  is  struck  and  the  paddles 
alone  are  employed.  It  is  fixed,  or  “stepped,” 
into  a hole  in  a board  at  the  bottom  of  the 
canoe,  and  is  lashed  to  a transverse  spar  that 
extends  across  the  canoe  from  one  gunwale 
to  the  other.  At  the  head  of  the  mast  is  a 
stout  projecting  arm,  through  which  is  bored 
a hole. 

The  sail  is  made  by  matting  stretched  be- 
tween two  slight  spars,  and  when  not  wanted 
it  can  be  rolled  up  and  laid  up  on  the  plat- 
form of  the  outrigger.  The  halyard,  a rope 
by  which  the  sail  is  hauled  to  its  place,  is 
fixed  to  the  middle  of  the  sail,  and  passes 
through  the  hole  in  the  projecting  arm  of 
the  mast-head.  Eopes  are  fastened  to  each 
end,  constituting  the  “ tack  ” and  the  “sheet.” 
When  the  crew  ’wish  to  put  their  canoe 
about,  they  do  so  in  a very  expeditious  man- 
ner, merely  letting  go  the  ropes  and  hauling 


them  in  again,  so  as  to  turn  the  sail  and 
convert  the  sheet  into  the  tack,  and  vice 
versa.  As  both  ends  of  the  canoe  are  alike, 
the  vessel  at  once  obeys  the  new  impulse, 
and  goes  off  in  the  required  direction. 

The  canoe  is  steered  with  one  special 
paddle  some  nine  feet  in  length,  of  which 
the  oblong,  rounded  blade  occupies  half. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  New  Guinea  coasts 
are  remarkable  for  their  skill  in  swimming 
and  diving.  When  H.  M.  S.  Battlesnake  was 
off  New  Guinea,  the  anchor  of  one  of  the 
boats  caught  in  the  coral,  and  could  not  be 
dislodged.  An  old  man  who  was  standing 
on  the  beach  saw  that  something  was  wrong, 
and  swam  off  to  the  boat.  He  soon  under- 
stood the  case,  and,  after  diving  several 
times,  succeeded  in  clearing  the  anchor,  a 
feat  for  which  he  was  rewarded  by  an  axe. 
He  always  dived  feet  foremost,  without  an 
effort,  and  remained  under  water  for  about 
half  a minute. 

It  is  rather  curious  that  the  love  of  pigs 
which  is  found  among  the  New  Zealanders 
should  be  quite  as  strongly  developed  among 
the  natives  of  New  Guinea.  The  girls  and 
women  make  great  pets  of  them,  and  it  is 
not  at  all  an  uncommon  event  to  see  a young 
girl  tripping  along  in  all  the  graceful  freedom 
of  the  savage,  holding  a young  pig  in  her 
arms,  and  caressing  and  talking  to  it  as  an 
European  girl  talks  to  her  doll,  or  to  her  pet 
lapdog.  These  pigs  are  long-legged,  black- 
skinned, stiff-haired  animals,  not  at  all  agree- 
ing with  our  ideas  of  a pig’s  proper  form. 

The  dress  used  by  the  women  consists  of 
slender  leaf-strips,  and  forms  a really  grace- 
ful costume.  Many  of  the  women  employ  a 
kind  of  tattooing,  though  they  do  not  carry 
it  to  such  an  extent  as  to  disfigure  them- 
selves. The  patterns,  though  elaborate,  are 
very  small  and  delicate,  and  extend  over  a 
considerable  portion  of  the  body.  The  arms 
and  front  of  the  body  display  a regular 
pattern,  which  is  usually  carried  over  the 
shoulder  for  a little  way,  but  leaves  the  back 
untouched.  The  most  delicate  pattern  is 
reserved  for  the  arm  and  waist,  where  it 
looks  like  a delicate  blue  lace  fitting  tightly 
to  the  skin.  The  women  are  very  proud  of 
this  ornament,  and  are  always  gratified  when 
a stranger  expresses  admiration  of  it.  The 
men  occasionally  use  the  tattoo,  but  in  a 
comparatively  scanty  manner,  confining  the 
patterns  to  a star  or  two  on  the  breast.  No^ 
and  then  a man  will  have  a double  series  of 
stars  and  dots  extending  from  the  centre  of 
the  chest  to  the  shoulders,  but  on  an  average 
a native  of  this  part  of  the  country  is  not  so 
much  tattooed  as  an  ordinary  English  sailor. 

The  architecture  of  this  part  of  New 
Guinea  differs  from  that  of  Dourga  Strait  in 
being  much  more  elaborate,  but  throughout 
New  Guinea  the  style  of  house-building  is  so 
similar  that  we  will  take  a few  examples  as 
representatives  of  the  whole  group  of  islands. 


912 


NEW  GUINEA. 


All  the  houses  are  elevated  on  posts  like 
those  of  the  Nicobar  Islands,  but  have  several 
improvements  in  architecture. 

The  posts  vary  in  number  according  to  the 
size  of  the  house,  and  about  four  feet  from 
the  ground  each  post  passes  through  a wide 
circular  wooden  disc,  which  serves  as  an 
effectual  barrier  against  the  rats  and  snakes, 
which  would  otherwise  take  possession  of 
the  dwellings.  The  posts  are  connected 
together  at  about  five  feet  from  the  ground 
by  rafters,  on  which  the  floor  is  laid. 

These  rafters,  or  joists,  support  a row  of 
poles  laid  horizontally  side  by  side,  and 
upon  them  are  laid  crosswise  a great  number 
of  slighter  spars,  thus  forming  a framework, 
on  which  is  fixed  the  floor  itself,  which  con- 
sists of  a number  of  thin  planks  taken  from 
the  cocoa-nut  tree.  The  supporting  posts 
are  about  ten  feet  in  total  length,  and  are 
connected  at  their  tops  by  horizontal  poles, 
on  which  a second  or  upper  floor  is  fixed, 
precisely  similar  to  the  principal  floor,  though 
much  smaller.  On  this  upper  floor  are  kept 
the  v/eapons,  implements,  provisions,  and 
similar  articles,  for  which  accommodation 
cannot  be  found  on  the  principal  floor.  A 
supply  of  water,  for  example,  is  generally 
kept  in  the  huts,  a number  of  empty  cocoa- 
nut  shells  being  used  in  lieu  of  bottles,  and 
closed  at  the  orifice  by  a plug  of  grass.  In 
fact,  they  are  identical  in  principal  with  the 
ostrich-egg  vessels  of  the  South  African 
savage,  which  have  been  already  described 
upon  a preceding  page. 

Entrance  is  gained  to  the  house  by  a square 
hole  in  the  flooring,  and  the  primitive  stair- 
case by  which  the  inhabitants  ascend  into 
their  houses  is  equally  simple  and  effectual. 
It  is  necessary  that  the  stairs  — if  we  may 
use  the  term  — should  be  so  constructed,  that 
while  human  beings  can  easily  obtain  access 
to  the  house,  the  rks  and  other  vermin  shall 
be  kept  out.  If  an  ordinary  ladder  or  even 
a notched  pole  were  fixed  to  the  house,  the 
rats  and  snakes  would  be  sure  to  climb  up 
it  and  take  possession  of  the  dwelling.  The 
native  architect,  therefore,  proceeds  after  a 
different  fashion. 

Immediately  under  the  opening  in  the  floor 
he  fixes  two  stout  posts  in  the  ground,  leaving 
them  to  project  rather  more  than  three  feet 
The  posts  have  forked  heads,  and  upon  them 
is  laid  a transverse  pole,  which  is  firmly  lashed 
to  them.  From  this  transverse  pole  another 
pole  is  laid  to  the  ground,  so  as  to  form  an 
inclined  plane  up  which  the  inhabitants  of 
the  house  can  walk.  It  will  now  be  seen, 
that  if  a man  walk  up  the  inclined  pole,  to 
the  transverse  one,  he  can  pass  along  the  lat- 
ter in  a stooping  attitude  until  he  comes  to  the 
opening  in  the  floor.  He  can  then  pass  his 
body  through  the  opening  and  lift  himself  to 
the  level  of  the  floor,  while  the  space  which 
intervenes  between  the  horizontal  post  and 
the  floor  affords  an  effectual  barrier  against 
the  rats  and  other  vermin. 


The  reader  will  better  understand  this 
description  by  comparing  it  with  illustra- 
tion No.  1,  on  the  916th  page,  which  repre- 
sents three  of  these  huts.  That  on  the  right 
is  seen  from  the  end,  and  is  represented  as 
half  finished,  in  order  to  show  the  structure 
of  the  interior. 

The  sides  and  roof  of  the  hut  are  formed 
of  slight  spars  which  are  lashed  together  by 
a framework,  so  as  to  form  a support  for  the 
thatching.  This  is  made  of  coarse  grass 
pulled  up  by  the  roots  in  large  tufts,  and 
covered  with  an  outer  layer  of  cocoa-nut 
leaves.  If  the  house  be  a large  one,  there  is 
an  entrance  at  each  end,  and  another  in  the 
middle,  each  being  closed  with  neatly  woven 
mats.  Similar  but  coarser  mats  are  fastened 
to  the  lower  iiortion  of  the  sides,  in  order  to 
exclude  the  wind. 

Up  to  this  point  the  architecture  is  iden- 
tical throughout  the  island,  but  a divergence 
takes  place  in  the  shape  of  the  house  itself, 
according  to  the  locality.  The  usual  form  is 
that  which  is  represented  in  the  illustration. 
Such  a house  as  is  there  drawn  is  on  the 
average  thirty  feet  in  length,  nine  in  width, 
and  thirteen  in  total  height,  so  that  a space 
of  about  three  feet  intervenes  between  the 
upper  floor  and  the  roof.  The  central 


fif^ure  of  the  illustration  shows  the  side 
vfew  of  a finished  hut,  and  the  left-hand 
figure  shows  the  end  view  of  a similar  dwel- 

Iii  some  places,  however,  such  for  example  , 
as  Kedscar  Bay,  the  form  of  the  houses  is  , 
different.  Instead  of  having  the  slender 
poles  which  form  the  framework  of  the  walls  , 
bent  over  in  a curved  form,  they  are  arranged  r 
so  as  to  make  a lofty  and  shaiqjl3'-pointed  j 
gable  roof.  A house  of  this  description, 
which  measures  thirty  feet  in  length,  will 
reach,  on  an  average,  twenty-five  feet  in 
height.  There  is  no  distinction  between  the 
roof  and  walls  of  the  huts,  except  that  the 
lower  portion  of  the  roof  is  covered  with 
sheets  of  a bark-like  substance,  which  is  sup-  : 
posed  to  be  the  base  of  the  cocoa-nut  leaf  <. 
flattened  by  pressure.  The  entrance  or  door  j 
of  these  huts  is  at  one  end,  and  is  covered 
with  a mat  as  has  already  been  mentioned. 
Access  is  obtained  by  a sloping  pole  resting 
on  a short  post.  In  some  of  these  huts  a 
number  of  spears  were  seen  in  the  interior, 
lashed  along  the  sides,  together  with  several 
human  skulls;  but  whether  the  latter  were 
intended  as  ornaments,  or  whether  they  were 
preserved  in  memorial  of  the  dead  owners, 

is  not  certain.  , 

The  pepple  who  inhabit  Eedscar  Bay  and 
its  vicinity  exhibited  a curious  mixture  ot 
shvness  and  confidence.  They  came  freely 
to^the  ships  as  they  anchored  in  the  bay, 
and  were  very  anxious  to  be  admitted  on 
board,  peeping  into  the  ports  in  the  most 
inquisitive  manner,  and  holding  up  tli^eir 
weapons  and  implements  tor  sale.  I j 
have  in  use  a rather  remarkable  arrow,  witn  [ 


DREAD  OF  STEEL. 


913 


a head  in  the  form  of  a pointed  gouge  or 
scoop. 

One  of  these  arrows  is  in  my  collection. 
The  shaft  is  made  in  the  usual  manner  from 
a reed,  and  is  weighted  at  one  end  with  a 
piece  of  hard  and  heavy  wood.  Into  this 
wooden  tip  is  cut  a deep  groove,  into  which 
slips  the  butt  of  the  head.  This  is  about 
eight  inches  in  length,  and  is  made  of  bam- 
boo, the  reed  being  nearly  cut  away  so  as  to 
leave  a piece  rather  more  than  half  an  inch 
in  width  in  the  middle,  and  tapering  gently 
to  one  end  so  as  to  form  a point,  and  abruptly 
to  the  other  end  in  order  to  form  a butt  which 
can  be  slipped  into  the  wooden  tip  of  the 
arrow. 

Bamboo  scoops  of  a similar  description, 
but  of  a larger  size,  are  used  as  knives, 
and  are  sharpened  by  the  simple  process  of 
biting  off  a piece  of  the  edge.  When  Mr. 
M’Gillivray  visited  Kew  Guinea,  he  asked 
a native  the  use  of  the  bamboo  scoop;  and 
when  he  found  that  it  was  used  as  a knife, 
he  produced  his  owm  knife,  and,  taking  up  a 
piece  of  wood,  he  showed  the  superiority  of 
steel  over  bamboo  by  cutting  a stick  vigor- 
ously with  it. 

Strangely  enough,  instead  of  being  grati- 
fied with  the  performance  of  the  knife,  the 
man  was  so  frightened  that  he  pushed  off 
his  canoe,  called  his  friends  around  him,  and 
explained  to  them  the  terrible  deed  that  had 
been  done.  The  knife  was  offered  to  him, 
but  he  looked  upon  the  proffered  gift  as  an 
aggravation  of  the  original  offence,  and  de- 
clined all  overtures  toward  reconciliation. 
This  aversion  to  steel  was  found  to  be  prev- 
alent among  the  inhabitants  of  this  part  of 
Kew  Guinea. 

The  bow  by  which  these  arrows  are  pro- 
pelled is  a very  effective  though  clumsily 
made  weapon.  My  own  specimen  is  about 
six  feet  in  length,  and  is  made  from  some 
hard  and  tough  wood,  apparently  that  of  the 
cocoa-nut  tree.  It  is  very  stiff,  and  requires 
a strong  arm  to  draw  it.  The  string  is  a 
strip  of  rattan,  like  that  which  has  already 
been  mentioned  when  treating  of  Korth 
Australia. 

Passing  to  the  north-west  of  the  island, 
we  find  that  their  appearance  and  manners 
are  hot  very  dissimilar  from  those  which  be- 
long to  their  brethren  of  the  southern  coast. 
Taking  the  Dory  people  as  our  type,  we  find 
that  they  often  display  good  examples  of 
the  high  and  narrow  forehead  of  the  Papuan 
family,  and  many  of  them  have  narrow  and 
arched  noses,  together  with  lips  nearly  as 
thin  as  those  of  an  European.  Indeed,  some 
of  these  natives  possess  a cast  of  counte- 
nance which  is  so  like  that  of  an  European 
that  several  travellers  have  thought  that 
there  must  have  been  some  admixture  of 
foreign  blood.  Such,  however,  is  not  the 
case,  these  peculiarities  belonging  to  the  in- 
dividual, and  not  implying  any  foreign  mix- 
ture. 


The  canoes  of  this  part  of  the  country  are 
rather  different  from  those  of  the  southern 
coast.  The  mast  is  made  of  tliree  distinct 
spars,  united  at  their  tops.  Two  of  them 
are  fastened  to  the  side  by  pins  passing 
through  them,  on  wliich  they  work  back- 
ward and  forward,  as  if  on  hinges.  The 
third  is  not  fastened  to  the  vessel,  but  its 
butt  fits  into  a cavity  from  whicli  it  can  be 
removed  at  pleasure.  If,  therefore,  the  na- 
tives wish  to  use  their  paddles,  all  they  have 
to  do  is  to  lift  the  foot  of  this  spar  out  of  its 
socket,  when  the  whole  of  the  triple  mast 
can  be  lowered  on  deck.  When  the  wind 
becomes  favorable,  and  the  sail  is  to  be  em- 
ployed, the  masts  are  raised  again,  the  butt 
of  the  third  spar  is  stepped  into  its  socket, 
and  the  triple  mast  is  thus  kept  firmly  up- 
right. A similar  contrivance  is  now  pro- 
posed for  our  ships  of  war,  as  these  triple 
masts  made  of  three  slight  iron  bars  cannot 
be  so  easily  shot  away  as  the  single  and  solid 
mast. 

The  natives  are  very  expert  canoe-men, 
and  are  accustomed  to  the  use  of  their  ves- 
sels from  childhood.  Even  the  small  boys 
have  their  little  canoes,  v/hich  are  so  light 
that  they  can  be  carried  to  and  from  the 
water  without  difficulty. 

They  excel  as  fishermen,  being  as  expert 
in  the  water  as  on  it.  The  trepang  fishery 
is  energetically  conducted  by  them,  as  it  is 
by  the  sale  of  trepang  to  the  merchants  that 
they  obtain  the  greater  part  of  the  foreign 
luxuries  on  which  they  set  so  high  a value. 
The  hawksbill  turtle  is  captured  principally 
for  the  sake  of  the  shell,  whicli  is  also  pur- 
chased by  the  traders,  and,  together  with 
mother-of-pearl  shell,  is  mostly  sent  to  the 
Chinese  markets. 

The  mode  of  fishing  with  a net  is  much 
the  same  as  on  all  these  coasts.  The  net  is 
three  or  four  feet  in  depth,  and  a hundred 
feet  or  more  in  length.  The  meshes  are 
about  an  inch  in  width.  One  edge  is  fur- 
nished with  a row  of  flat  pieces  of  light  wood, 
which  act  as  floats,  and  along  the  other  edge 
are  fastened  a number  of  perforated  shells  by 
way  of  weights. 

When  the  natives  wish  to  use  this  net, 
they  place  it  in  a canoe,  and  look  out  for 
a shoal  of  fish.  As  soon  as  a favorable  op- 
portunity is  found,  the  canoe  is  taken  to  sea- 
ward of  the  shoal,  and  let  carefully  into  the 
water.  Each  end  is  taken  in  charge  by  one 
or  two  men,  who  bring  the  net  round  the 
shoal  in  semi-circular  form,  so  as  to  enclose 
the  fish.  These  men  gradually  approach  each 
other,  while  another  man  beats  the  water 
with  a pole,  or  flings  stones  into  it,  so  as  to 
frighten  the  fish  into  the  enclosure.  As  soon 
as  the  two  ends  of  the  net  have  been  brought 
together,  the  canoe  comes  up,  and  the  net, 
with  the  fish  hanging  in  its  meshes,  is  hauled 
on  board.  They  also  use  fish-traps,  like 
those  which  have  been  already  described  in 
the  account  of  Australia,  sinking  them  by 


914 


NEW  GUINEA. 


means  of  a stone,  and  raising  them  by  a 
cord,  to  the  end  of  which  a bamboo  buoy  is 
fastened. 

They  are  tolerable  smiths,  and  have  a 
kind  of  bellows  identical  in  principle  with 
those  of  savage  Africa,  but  worked  in  a dif- 
ferent manner.  Instead  of  having  a couple 
of  inflated  skins,  they  have  a pair  of  wide 
bamboo  tubes,  about  four  feet  in  length,  the 
lower  ends  of  which  are  buried  in  the  earth, 
and  connected  by  means  of  channels  with 
the  hole  in  which  the  fire  is  made.  The 
pistons  are  formed  of  bunches  of  feathers  tied 
to  bamboos,  and  the  blower  works  them  al- 
ternately up  and  down,  so  as  to  produce  a 
tolerably  constant  blast.  It  is  remarkable 
that  the  bellows  of  the  Chinese  itinerant 
jeweller  are  fitted  with  feather  pistons.  It 
is  most  probable  that  these  bellows  have 
been  borrowed  from  the  more  eastern 
islands. 

As  to  the  actual  working  of  the  metal,  it 
bears  a curious  similitude  to  that  which  is 
employed  in  savage  Africa.  The  anvil  is 
generally  a stone,  unless  the  native  smiths 
can  procure  an  iron  “ pig  ” or  a piece  of  a 
broken  anchor.  They  can  work  in  silver 
and  copper  as  well  as  iron,  melting  the  two 
former  metals  and  running  them  into  moulds, 
to  be  afterward  beaten  and  worked  into 
shape. 

The  architecture  of  these  tribes  is  rather 
remarkable.  Like  the  generality  of  houses 
in  New  Guinea,  the  huts  are  raised  on 
stakes  in  order  to  preserve  them  from  ver- 
min; but  those  of  the  Dory  people  are  sim- 
ilarly elevated  in  order  to  preserve  them 
from  water.  These  natives  have  a curious 
predilection  for  building  their  huts  on  the 
sea-shore,  and  place  them  below  the  level  of 
low  water.  They  begin  this  curious  style 
of  architecture  by  building  a long  pier,  or 
rather  jetty,  which  extends  far  into  the  sea, 
and  which  keeps  open  a communication 
between  the  house  and  the  shore. 

At  the  end  of  this  jetty  the  hut  itself  is 
situated,  and  is  made  of  boarded  walls  and 
a thatched  roof.  Great  as  is  the  labor  that 
is  bestowed  upon  it,  the  house  does  not 
come  up  to  our  ideas  of  comfort.  In  the 
first  place,  the  floors  are  made  of  rough 
spars,  placed  parallel  to  each  other,  but  still 
far  enough  apart  to  cause  some  uneasiness, 
not  to  say  danger,  to  an  unpractised  walker. 

A good  specimen  of  a Dory  house  is 
about  seventy  feet  long,  twenty-five  wide, 
and  fifteen  high.  Along  the  centre  runs  a 
tolerably  wide  passage,  and  at  either  side 
are  a number  of  rooms,  separated  from  each 
other  and  from  the  passage  by  mats.  At 
the  end  next  the  sea  there  are  no  walls,  but 
only  a roof,  so  that  a sort  of  verandah  is 
formed,  under  which  the  inhabitants  spend 
much  of  their  time  when  they  are  not 
actively  employed.  Such  a house  as  this  is 
usually  occupied  by  some  forty  or  fifty  indi- 
viduals, cousisting  of  about  twenty  men, 


together  with  the  wives  and  families  of 
those  who  are  married.  All  cooking  is  car- 
ried on  by  the  different  families  in  their 
own  chambers,  each  of  which  is  furnished 
with  its  own  fireplace. 

The  dress  of  the  Dory  natives  varies 
but  little  from  that  of  other  Papuans  of 
New  Guinea.  The  men,  however,  often 
ornament  their  bodies  with  raised  scars  like 
those  of  the  Australians,  and  they  are  fond 
of  tattooing  their  breasts  and  arms  with 
figures  of  their  weapons.  They  are  fond  of 
ornaments,  such  as  shells,  twisted  wire,  and 
armlets  of  plaited  rattan.  They  ingeniously 
utilize  the  latter  ornament  by  plaiting  a 
very  thick  and  strong  bracelet,  and  wearing 
it  on  the  left  wrist  and  fore-arm,  so  as  to 
protect  the  wearer  from  the  recoil  of  the 
bowstring. 

Though  not  a warlike  people,  they  always 
go  armed,  carrying  the  invariable  parang, 
or  chopper,  which,  as  its  very  name  imparts, 
is  procured  from  the  Malay  tribes.  These 
parangs  are  chiefly  made  in  Borneo,  as  we 
shall  see  when  we  come  to  treat  of  the 
Dyaks.  The  Dory  Papuans  do  not  seem  to 
fight,  as  do  some  savage  tribes,  for  the  mere 
love  of  combat;  the  chief  object  of  warfare 
being  the  capture  of  slaves,  each  of  whom 
is  valued  at  fifty  shillings. 

This  value  is,  however,  a conventional 
term;  and  when  a bargain  is  made  with  the 
Dory  people  for  so  many  slaves,  in  most 
cases  the  conventional  money  value  is  in- 
tended, and  not  the  actual  slaves.  In  fact, 
the  word  “ slaves  ” is  used  much  as  we  use 
the  word  “ horses  ” in  reckoning  the  power 
of  a steam-engine,  or  “ tons  ” in  describing 
the  capacity  of  a ship.  Perhaps  the  words 
“ pony  ” and  “ monkey,”  of  modern  sporting 
slang,  are  better  illustrations. 

Still,  slavery  is  rife  among  the  Dory  peo- 
ple, who  sometimes  make  a raid  into  a dis- 
trict, capture  a village,  and  carry  off  the 
inhabitants  into  servitude.  They  do  not, 
however,  treat  their  captives  badly,  but  feed 
them  well,  and  seem  to  consider  them 
partly  in  the  light  of  domestic  servants,  and 
partly  as  available  capital,  or  as  a means  of 
exchange  when  any  of  their  own  friends 
are  taken  prisoners  by  hostile  tribes. 

The  government  of  the  Dory  tribes  is 
nominally  a delegated  chieftainship,  but  in 
reality  a sort  of  oligarchy.  There  is  a cer- 
tain dignitary,  called  the  Sultan  of  Tidore, 
under  whose  sway  this  part  of  the  country 
is  supposed  to  be,  and  from  him  the  chief  of 
the  Dory  tribes  receives  his  rank.  When 
the  chief  dies,  one  of  his  relatives  goes  to 
convey  the  news  to  the  Sultan,  taking  with 
him  a present  of  slaves  and  birds  of  para- 
dise as  tokens  of  allegiance.  This  man  is 
almost  always  appointed  to  the  vacant  place, 
and  is  bound  to  pay  a certain  tribute  of 
slaves,  provisions,  and  war  canoes,  the  latter 
being  employed  in  collecting  the  Sultan’s 
taxes,  Should  he  fail  to  comply  with  these 


• -V-- 

;-y  v; 

If  it'-i '■  ?-"'' 


• ' >f-  * 


■<  : 

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. /-s^r.  ‘;  . 

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Yr.'Vi’-. ■ .' 
■ - 
(fi.fjiX  U. '■  • 


J-'-’ift'EBfr? 


t'  !,-iP 


riii 


M 


■ -r.t'.''  , .^T.  }■/  ■ •■  ‘ 

■;  ■ 

E, ’/«isi.'i;  ■:>  , 

■Tfif'.-  ■ ... 

THE  KARWAK,  OR  HOUSEHOLD  GOD. 


917 


conditions,  his  village  would  be  attacked  by 
the  Sultan’s  fleet,  and  the  whole  district  ran- 
sacked; so  that  the  position  of  chief  has  its 
anxieties  as  well  as  its  privileges. 

His  authority  is  more  nominal  than  real, 
for  he  decides  nothing  but  unimportant 
matters,  leaving  more  weighty  subjects  to  a 
council  of  elders,  who,  as  a rule,  administer 
justice  with  impartiality.  Their  laws  are 
really  good  and  sensible,  and,  though 
lenient,  are  based  on  the  principle  of  the 
old  Jewish  law,  the  eye  for  the  eye  and  the 
tooth  for  the  tooth. 

Marriages  are  managed  in  a very  simple 
manner,  the  bride  and  bridegroom  sitting 
opposite  each  other,  in  front  of  an  idol,  and 
the  former  giving  the  latter  some  betel-leaf 
and  tobacco.  His  acceptance  of  the  pres- 
ent, and  taking  the  hand  of  the  giver,  con- 
stitute the  whole  of  the  ceremony. 

The  idol  which  has  been  mentioned  is 
called  the  Karwar,  and  is  found  in  every 
house  except  those  which  belong  to 
Mohammedan  natives.  The  Karwar  is  a 
wooden  figure,  about  eighteen  inches  in 
height,  large-headed,  wide-mouthed,  and 
long-nosed,  — this  peculiarity  of  the  Papuan 
face  being  exaggerated.  It  is  represented 
as  holding  a shield,  and  wearing  a calico 
wrapper  on  the  body  and  a handkerchief  on 
the  head. 

The  Karwar  plays  an  important  part  in 
the  life  of  a Dory  native.  It  is  present  at 
his  birth,  takes  part  in  his  funeral,  and,  as 
we  have  seen,  is  witness  to  his  marriage. 
In  all  cases  of  perplexity  the  Karwar  is 
consulted,  the  devotee  stating  his  inten- 
tions, and  abandoning  them  if  he  should 
feel  nervous,  such  a sensation  being  sup- 
posed to  be  the  Karwar’s  answer.  There 
are  plenty  of  fetishes,  but  these  are  only 
supplementary  to  the  Karwar. 

Without  going  into  the  details  of  the 
various  tribes  which  inhabit  this  part  of  the 
earth,  we  will  glance  at  a few  of  the  most 
interesting  customs. 

These  Papuans  have  a strong  love  for 
flowers,  especially  those  which  possess  a 
powerful  scent.  They  twine  such  flowers 
in  their  hair,  weave  them  into  garlands  for 
their  necks,  and  carry  them  in  their  brace- 
lets and  armlets. 

They  are  fond  of  singing  and  music,  and, 
as  far  as  has  been  ascertained,  are  in  the 
habit  of  composing  extempore  songs,  as  well 
as  singing  those  ditties  which  they  know  by 
heart.  As  for  their  musical  instruments, 
they  consist  chiefly  of  the  cylindrical  drum, 
a trumpet  made  of  a triton  shell,  and  a sort 
of  Pandean  pipe,  composed  of  six  or  seven 
reeds  of  diflerent  lengths  lashed  firmly  to- 
gether.^ There  is  also  a wind  instrument, 
which  is  nothing  but  a bamboo  tube  some 
two  feet  in  length. 

Accompanied  by  these  instruments,  they 
perform  their  curious  dances,  one  of  which 
has  been  well  described  by  Mr.  M’Gillivray, 


“ They  advanced  and  retreated  together  by 
sudden  jerks,  beating  to  quick  or  short  time 
as  required,  and  chanting  an  accompanying 
song,  the  cadence  rising  and  falling  accord- 
ing to  the  action.  The  attitude  was  a sin- 
gular one  — the  back  straight,  chin  pro- 
truded, knees  bent  in  a crouching  position, 
and  the  arms  advanced. 

‘‘On  another  occasion,  one  of  the  same 
men  exhibited  himself  before  us  in  a war 
dance.  In  one  hand  he  held  a large  wooden 
shield,  nearly  three  feet  in  length,  and 
rather  more  than  one  in  width,  and  in  the 
other  a formidable  looking  weapon,  two  feet 
in  length  — a portion  of  the  snout  of  the 
sword-fish,  with  long,  sham  teeth  project- 
ing on  each  side.  Placing  himself  in  a 
crouching  attitude,  with  one  hand  covered 
by  the  shield,  and  holding  his  weapon  in  a 
position  to  strike,  he  advanced  rapidly  in  a 
succession  of  short  bounds,  striking  the 
inner  side  of  his  shield  with  his  left  knee 
at  each  jerk,  causing  the  large  cowries  hung 
round  his  waist  and  ankles  to  rattle  vio- 
lently. At  the  same  time,  with  fierce  ges- 
tures, he  loudly  chanted  a song  of  defiance. 
The  remainder  of  the  pantomime  was  ex- 
pressive of  attack  and  defence,  and  exulta- 
tion after  victory. 

“ But  a still  more  curious  dance  was  once 
performed  a few  nights  ago  by  a party  of 
natives  who  had  left  the  ship  after  sunset, 
and  landed  abreast  of  the  anchorage.  On 
seeing  a number  of  lights  along  the  beach, 
we  at  first  thought  they  proceeded  from 
a fishing  party,  but  on  looking  through  a 
night-glass  the  group  was  seen  to  consist  of 
above  a dozen  people,  each  carrying  a blaz- 
ing torch,  and  going  through  the  move- 
ments of  the  dance.  At  one  time  they 
extended  rapidly  into  line,  at  another  closed, 
dividing  into  two  parties,  advancing  and 
retreating,  crossing  and  recrossing,  and 
mixing  up  with  each  other.  This  continued 
for  half  an  hour,  and,  it  having  apparently 
been  got  up  for  our  amusement,  a rocket 
was  sent  up  for  theirs,  and  a blue  light 
burned,  but  the  dancing  had  ceased,  and 
the  lights  disappeared.” 

An  accompanying  illustration  represents 
this  wild  and  curious  scene.  In  the  fore- 
ground are  the  dancers,  each  with  his  torch 
in  his  hand,  and  indulging  in  the  grotesque 
movements  of  the  dance.  To  the  left  are 
seen  the  musicians,  one  playing  on  the  bam- 
boo pipe,  and  the  other  beating  the  drum 
which  has  before  been  mentioned.  One  of 
these  drums  is  lying  in  the  foreground.  It 
is  a hollow  cylinder  of  palm  wood,  about  two 
feet  in  length  and  four  inches  in  diameter. 
One  end  is  covered  with  lizard-skin,  and 
along  the  side  there  run  longitudinal  slits. 
The  native  name  for  this  drum  is  “ baiatii.” 

The  funeral  ceremonies  appear  to  difier 
according  to  the  locality.  Among  the  Dory 
people,  when  a man  dies,  the  body  is  rolled 
in  white  calico,  and  laid  on  its  side  in  a 


918 


KEW  GUINEA. 


grave,  its  head  resting  on  an  earthenware 
dish.  The  weapons  and  ornaments  of  the 
dead  man  are  laid  in  the  grave,  which  is 
then  filled  up,  and  a thatched  roof  erected 
over  it. 

Should  the  deceased  be  a head  of  a family, 
the  Karwar  is  brought  to  perform  its  last 
duties.  When  the  rnan  is  buried,  the  Kar- 
war is  placed  near  the  grave,  and  violently 


execrated  by  all  the  mourners  for  allowing 
its  charge  to  die.  The  thatched  roof  being 
finished,  the  idol  is  laid  upon  it,  and  idol 
and  roof  are  left  to  decay  together.  As  is 
usual  with  savage  tribes,  funeral  feasts  are 
held  at  the  time  of  burial  and  for  some  days 
afterward,  those  which  celebrate  the  deaths 
of  chiefs  being  kept  up  for  a whole  month. 


CHAPTER  XCn. 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS. 

THE  AJITAS,  OR  AHITAS. 


POSITION  AND  DIMENSIONS  OF  THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS  — THE  MALAYS  AND  THE  NEGBITOS,  OR  AJITAS 
— RESEMBLANCE  TO  THE  BOSJESMAN  — THE  BOW  AND  POISONED  ARROWS  — SKILL  IN  ARCHERY 
— THE  SAVAGE  INSTINCT  — MEETING  A PARTY  OF  AJITAS  — THEIR  APPEARANCE,  AND  CHIRPING 
SOUND  OF  THEIR  LANGUAGE — CONCILIATING  THE  ABORIGINES — GOVERNMENT  OF  THE  AJITAS  — 
THEIR  ACTIVITY  IN  HUNTING  — NOMADIC  PROPENSITIES  OF  THE  AJITAS — REVERENCE  FOR  THE 
DEAD  — A QUARREL,  AND  ITS  CAUSE. 


To  the  north-west  of  Kev/  Guinea  lie  sev- 
eral islands,  which  are  grouped  together 
under  the  general  name  of  Philippines. 
They  consist  of  a considerable  number  of 
islands,  of  which  the  northern  island,  called 
Luza,  and  the  southern  island,  called  Magin- 
dano,  are  by  far  the  largest.' 

The  inhabitants  of  the  Philippines  are  of 
two  kinds;  namely,  the  Malays  and  the 
ISTegritos.  The  former  are  evidently  not 
the  aboriginal  inhabitants,  but  have  voy- 
aged to  the  islands  in  their  canoes  and 
formed  a number  of  settlements.  As  in  the 
course  of  the  work  we  shall  see  much  of  the 
Malay  race,  we  will  pass  them  by  for  the 
present,  and  only  notice  the  Kegritos,  or 
little  negroes,  so  called  by  the  Spanish  on 
account  of  their  dark  skins  and  small  size. 

This  strange  little  race  is  mostly  known 
by  a name  which  is  given  in  different  forms. 
By  some  writers  it  is  spelt  Ajitas,  by  some 
Ahitas,  and  by  others  Itas.  Of  these  differ- 
ent forms  I select  the  first,  which,  by  the 
way,  is  pronounced  as  if  it  were  spelled 
Aheetas. 

The  Ajitas  are  quite  as  small  as  the  Bos- 
jesmans  of  Southern  Africa,  their  average 
height  being  four  feet  six  inches.  They  are 
well  shaped,  and  their  skins,  though  of  a very 
dark  hue,  are  not  so  black  as  those  of  the 
negro  tribes.  The  features  are  tolerably 
good,  except  that  the  nose  is  broad  and 
rather  flat,  and  that  there  is  a marked  defi- 
ciency of  chin.  The  hair  is  woolly,  like  that 
of  other  Papuans,  and,  as  they  do  not  know 
how  to  dress  it,  they  wear  it  in  a sort  of  mop 
45  (9; 


round  the  head.  The  eyes  are  remarkable 
for  a decided  yellow  tinge. 

In  common  with  other  savages  who  lead 
an  uncertain  kind  of  life,  fasting  sometimes 
for  two  days  together,  and  then  gorging 
themselves  like  wolves,  they  are  apt  to  have 
their  limbs  and  projecting  stomachs  with  a 
recurved  back  such  as  is  the  case  with  the 
Bosjesman,  the  back  being  bent  like  the 
letter  S.  Their  shape  is  in  no  way  con- 
cealed by  their  dress,  which  is  nothing  more 
than  a wide  belt  of  plaited  bark  fastened 
round  the  waist. 

In  many  respects  there  is  a great  similar- 
ity between  the  Bosjesman  and  the  Ajita. 
The  latter  live  by  the  chase  and  by  plunder, 
having  no  idea  of  agriculture.  They  always 
go  armed,  their  weapons  being  bamboo 
lances  and  bows  and  arrows,  the  latter 
being  poisoned.  The  effect  of  the  poison 
with  which  they  are  tipped  is  to  produce  an 
unextinguishable  thirst  in  the  animal,  which 
seeks  the  nearest  water,  drinks,  and  dies. 
As  soon  as  it  is  dead,  the  hunter  cuts  away 
the  flesh  from  around  the  wound,  as  the 
poison  would  otherwise  communicate  so 
bitter  a taste  to  the  whole  carcass  that  the 
flesh  could  not  be  eaten. 

Their  bows  are  but  slight,  as  are  their  ar- 
rows, the  poison  doing  the  work  of  death, 
and  the  depth  of  the  wound  being  of  no  con- 
sequence. They  are  skilful  archers,  having 
the  bow  and  arrow  in  their  hands  from  in- 
fancy, and  practising  at  any  object  that  may 
take  their  attention.  Both  sexes  use  the 
bow,  and  the  little  boys  and  girls  are  fond  of 


920 


THE  AJITAS. 


wading  along  the  banks  of  streams  and  shoot- 
ing the  fish. 

Like  the  Bosjesman,  th*e  Ajita  is  always 
at  feud  with  th^  dther  races  that  inhabit 
the  same  country,  and,  small  as  he  is,  makes 
himself  dreaded  by  reason  of  his  poisoned 
weapons.  Sometimes  Ajitas  are  taken  pris- 
oners, and  are  generally  enslaved.  As  they 
are  light,  active,  and  not  bad-looking,  they 
are  often  employed  as  servants  by  the  digni- 
taries of  Manilla. 

One  of  these  people  was  in  the  household 
of  an  Archbishop  of  Manilla,  and  was  edu- 
cated by  him  with  great  care.  To  all  ap- 
pearance he  was  thoroughly  civilized,  and 
at  last  was  ordained  priest.  But  the  in- 
stincts of  his  savage  nature  were  too  strong 
for  him,  and  the  man  escaped  from  his  posi- 
tion and  civilized  society,  threw  olf  his  gar- 
ments, and  rejoined  his  savage  relatives. 
Such  instances  are  continually  occurring, 
and  it  is  almost  impossible  to  retain  an  Ajita 
in  civilized  society,  no  matter  how  well  he 
may  be  treated,  or  how  young  he  may  be 
when  captured. 

The  habits  of  the  Ajitas  are  essentially  of 
a savage  character,  and,  as  a rule,  travellers 
in  the  Philippines  are  obliged  to  be  very 
careful  lest  they  should  suddenly  be  set 
upon  by  these  dangerous  little  creatures. 
Sometimes,  however,  they  can  be  gentle, 
and  even  hospitable,  and  an  instance  of  such 
conduct  is  related  by  M.  de  la  Gironiere, 
part  of  whose  narrative  has  been  translated 
and  quoted  by  Mr.  Earle:  “ We  directed 
our  course  toward  the  north,  among  moun- 
tains always  covered  with  thick  forests,  and 
which,  like  those  we  had  just  quitted,  pre- 
sented no  traced  route,  excepting  a few  nar- 
row pathways  beaten  by  wild  beasts.  W e 
advanced  with  caution,  for  we  were  now  in 
the  parts  inhabited  by  the  Ajitas.  At  night 
we  concealed  our  fires,  and  one  of  us  always 
acted  as  sentinel,  for  what  we  feared  most 
was  a surprise. 

“ One  morning,  while  pursuing  our  way 
in  silence,  we  heard  before  us  a chorus  of 
squeaking  tones,  which  had  more  resem- 
blance to  the  cries  of  birds  than  to  the  hu- 
man voice.  We  kept  on  our  ground,  con- 
cealing our  approach  as  much  as  possible 
with  the  aid  of  the  trees  and  brambles.  All 
at  once  we  perceived  at  a little  distance 
about  forty  savages,  of  all  sexes  and  ages, 
who  had  absolutely  the  air  of  animals.  They 
W'ere  on  the  banks  of  a rivulet,  surrounding 
a great  fire.  W e made  several  steps  in  ad- 
vance, and  presented  the  butt-end  of  our 
guns  toward  them.  As  soon  as  they  per- 
ceived us,  they  set  up  shrill  cries  and  pre- 
pared to  take  "to  flight;  but  I made  signs  to 
them,  by  showing  them  some  packets  of  ci- 
gars, that  we  wished  to  offer  them  for  their 
acceptance. 

“ 1 had  fortunately  received  at  Binango- 
nan  all  the  instructions  necessary  for  know- 
ing how  to  open  a communication  with 


them.  As  soon  as  they  comprehended  us, 
they  ranged  themselves  into  a line,  like  men 
preparing  for  a review;  this  was  the  signal 
that  we  might  approach.  We  went  up  to 
them  with  our  cigars  in  our  hands,  and  I 
commenced  distributing  them  from  one  ex- 
tremity of  the  line.  It  was  very  important 
that  we  should  make  friends  with  them,  and 
give  each  an  equal  share,  according  to  their 
custom.  The  distribution  being  over,  an  al- 
liance was  cemented,  and  peace  concluded, 
when  they  commenced  smoking. 

“ A deer  was  hanging  to  a tree,  from 
which  the  chief  cut  three  large  slices  with  a 
knife  of  bamboo,  and  threw  them  upon  the 
fire,  and,  drawing  them  out  an  instant  after- 
ward, presented  a piece  to  each  of  us.  The 
exterior  was  slightly  burned  and  sprinkled 
with  ashes,  but  the  interior  was  perfectly 
raw  and  bloody.  It  would  not  do,  however, 
to  show  the  repugnance  I felt  at  making  a 
repast  scarcely  better  than  that  of  a canni- 
bal, for  my  hosts  would  have  been  scandal- 
ized, and  I wished  to  live  in  good  corre- 
spondence with  them  for  some  days.  I 
therefore  ate  my  piece  of  venison,  which, 
after  all,  was  not  ill  flavored,  and  my  Indian 
having  followed  my  example,  our  good  repute 
was  established,  and  treason  on  their  part 
no  longer  possible.” 

M.  (ie  la  Gironiere  showed  his  wisdom  in 
accommodating  himself  to  circumstances, 
and  in  sacrificing  his  own  predilections  in 
favor  of  expediency ; and  if  all  travellers  had 
acted  in  a similar  manner,  we  should  have 
known  much  more  of  savage  manners  and 
customs  than  we  do  at  the  present  time. 
After  propitiating  his  little  black  hosts  by 
tact  and  kindness,  he  remained  among  them 
for  some  time,  and  by  means  of  an  interpre- 
ter, whom  he  was  fortunate  enough  to  ob- 
tain, continued  to  procure  a considerable 
amount  of  information  concerning  a people 
of  whom  scarcely  anything  had  been  pre- 
viously known  since  their  existence. 

The  Ajitas  live  in  small  tribes,  consisting 
of  some  fifty  or  sixty  individuals.  They 
have  no  fixed  residence,  but  wander  about 
the  country  according  to  the  amount  of  game 
which  they  find.  They  have  not  the*  least 
notion  of  house-building,  and  in  this  re- 
spect are  even  below  the  aborigines  of  Au- 
stralia, and  at  night  they  crowd  round  the 
fire  and  lie  as  close  to  it  as  possible.  This 
fire  is  the  central  point  of  the  tribe,  the  old 
people  and  children  assembling  round  it  dur- 
ing the  day  while  the  adults  are  hunting  for 
game;  and  if  the  hunters  should  be  able  to 
bring  in  enough  food  to  last  for  some  days, 
they  remain  round  the  fire  until  it  is  all  con- 
sumed. 

There  seems  to  be  no  particular  form  of 
government  among  the  Ajitas,  who  always 
choose  one  of  the  oldest  men  to  be  the  chief 
of  each  little  tribe,  and  do  not  acknowledge 
any  principal  chief  or  king.  Age  is  re- 
spected among  them,  and  in  this  point  the 


REYEREKCE  FOR  THE  DEAD. 


V 


921 


Ajitas  show  their  superiority  over  many 
savage  tribes.  The  language  of  the  Ajitas 
is  said  to  resemble  the  chirping  of  birds 
rather  than  the  voice  of  mankind,  but  it 
must  be  remembered  that  the  same  was  said 
of  the  Bosjesmeii’s  language  when  European 
travellers  first  came  among  them.  Any 
language  which  is  heard  for  the  first  time 
affects  the  ear  unpleasantly,  and  even  those 
of  Europe  are  generally  stigmtitized  by  for- 
eigners as  gabbling  or  grunting,  according 
to  the  pitch  of  the  voice.  Of  the  structure 
of  the  Ajitas’  language  nothing  is  yet 
known. 

In  one  point  they  are  superior  to  many 
savage  people.  A man  has  but  one  wife, 
and  both  are  faithful  in  the  married  state. 
When  a young  man  wishes  to  marry,  he 
asks  the  consent  of  her  parents,  who,  on  a 
fixed  day,  send  her  into  the  woods  alone 
before  sunrise,  and  after  an  hour  the  young 
man  goes  after  her.  If  he  can  find  her,  and 
bring  her  back  before  sunset,  the  marriage 
is  acknowledged;  but  if  he  cannot  succeed 
in  his  search,  he  must  yield  all  claims  to 
her.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  real  choice 
lies  with  the  girl,  who  can  always  conceal 
herself  if  she  dislikes  the  intended  bride- 
groom, or,  even  if  he  did  find  her,  could 
refuse  to  come  back  with  him  until  the  stip- 
ulated time  has  passed. 

The  religion  of  the  Ajitas  seems  to  be,  as 
far  as  can  be  ascertained  on  a subject  from 
which  a savage  always  shrinks,  a mere 
fetishism;  any  object,  such  as  an  oddly- 
shaped  tree  trunk  or  stone,  being  worshipped 
for  a day,  and  then  forsaken  in  favor  of  some 
other  idol. 

Any  real  revf  vence  in  the  nature  of  the 
Ajitas  seems  6e  given  to  the  dead,  whom 


they  hold  in  veneration.  Year  after  year 
they  will  resort  to  the  burial-places  of  {heir 
friends  for  the  purpose  of  laying  betel-nut 
and  tobacco  upon  tlie  grave.  Over  each 
spot  where  a warrior  is  buried  liis  bow  and 
arrows  are  hung,  the  Ajitas  having  an  idea 
that  at  night  the  man  leaves  his  grave,  and 
hunts  until  the  morning.  Owing  to  this 
reverence  for  the  dead,  M.  de  la  Gironiere’s 
expedition  nearly  came  to  a fatal  termina- 
tion. They  had  succeeded  in  procuring  a 
skeleton  from  the  burial-place,  when  the 
theft  was  discovered  by  the  Ajitas,  who  at 
once  set  upon  them,  and  fairly  chased  them 
out  of  their  country,  the  poisoned  arrows 
proving  to  be  weapons  too  formidable  to  be 
resisted,  especially  when  used  by  foes  as 
active  as  monkeys,  who  could  pour  their 
arrows  on  their  foes,  while  they  scarcely 
exposed  an  inch  of  their  little  dark  bodies  to 
the  enemy. 

It  is  owing  to  another  form  of  this  venera- 
tion for  the  dead  that  travellers  have  so 
often  come  in  collision  with  the  Ajitas. 
When  a warrior  dies,  his  companions  are 
bound  to  take  their  weapons  and  roam 
through  the  country,  for  the  purpose  of 
killing  the  first  living  thing  that  they  meet, 
whether  man  or  beast.  As  they  pass  along, 
they  break  the  boughs  in  a peculiar  manner 
as  warnings  to  others,  for  even  one  of  their 
own  tribe  would  be  sacrificed  if  he  fell  in 
their  way.  Travellers  from  other  countries 
would  either  fail  to  see,  or,  if  they  saw,  to 
understand,  the  meaning  of  these  little 
broken  twigs,  and  in  consequence  have 
been  attacked  by  the  Ajitas,  not  from  any 
unfriendly  feelings,  but  in  fulfilment  of  a 
national  custom. 


CHAPTER  XCin. 


FIJI. 

APPEARANCE  AND  DRESS  OF  THE  FIJIANS. 


POSITION  OF  THE  FIJI  ISLANDS — GENERAL  APPEARANCE  OF  THE  NATIVES  — THEIR  PECULIAR  HAIR, 
AND  VARIOUS  MODES  OF  DRESSING  IT  — HAIR-DYES — THE  FIJIAN  MIRROR  — WIG-MAKING  — THE 
AMBASSADOR  AND  HIS  MESSAGE  — THE  FIJIAN  TURBAN  — WATER-PROOF  HEADDRESSES  — DRESS 
OF  THE  FIJIANS  — THE  “mASI,”  AND  METHOD  OF  WEARING  IT  — EAR-ORNAMENTS  — NECKLACES 
AND  FLOWERS  — TATTOOING  AND  PAINT  — PATTERNS  USED  FOR  THE  FACE  — DRESS  OF  THE  WOMEN 
— THE  ROUGHNESS  OF  THE  SKIN  AND  USE  OF  PAINT  — HAIR-DRESSING  — MAKING  MASI  AND  MODE 
OF  PRODUCING  PATTERNS  — INGENIOUS  MODE  OF  STENCILLING  — THE  WOMAN’S  APRON,  OR  “ LIKU,” 
AND  MODE  OF  WEARING  IT. 


To  describe  the  inhabitants  of  all  the  multi- 
tudinous islands  of  Pol5mesia  would  be  an 
agreeable,  but  impossible  task,  our  space 
confining  us  within  limits  which  may  not  be 
transgressed.  We  will  therefore  pass  at 
once  to  the  large  and  important  group  of 
islands  which  is  popularly  known  by  the 
name  of  Fiji. 

This  group  of  islands  lies  due  north  of 
New  Zealand,  and  to  the  eastward  of  New 
Guinea,  so  that  they  are  just  below  the 
Equator.  The  collective  name  of  the 
islands  has  been  variously  given,  such  as 
Fiji,  Beetee,  Feegee,  Fidge,  Fidschi,  Yihi, 
and  Yiti.  Of  all  these  names,  the  first  and 
the  last  are  correct,  the  northern  portion  of 
the  islands  being  known  as  Fiji,  and  the 
southern  as  Yiti.  The  reader  must  remem- 
ber that  these  names  are  pronounced  as  if 
written  Feegee  and  Yeetee. 

The  inhabitants  of  Fiji  are  a fine  race  of 
savages,  tolerably  well  formed,  and  with 
dark,  though  not  black  skin.  Like  other 
Papuans,  they  are  remarkable  for  their 
thick,  bushy  hair,  wdiich  they  dress  in  a 
singular  variety  of  patterns.  As  the  appear- 
ance and  costume  of  savage  races  are  the 
first  points  which  strike -a  stranger,  we  will 
at  once  proceed  to  describe  them. 

The  most  conspicuous  part  of  a Fijian’s 
general  appearance  is  his  headdress,  in  the 
arrangement  of  which  he  gives  the  reins  to 
his  fancy,  and  invents  the  most  extraordi- 
nary variations  of  form  and  color.  Exam- 
ples of  the  Fijian  headdress  will  be  seen  in 
most  of  the  illustrations.  But  as  it  would 
be  tedious  to  describe  them  as  they  occur,  I 


will  mention  a few  of  the  most  prominent 
varieties. 

The  hair  of  the  Papuan  race  is  always 
stiff,  wiry,  and  plentiful,  and  grows  to  a con- 
siderable length;  so  that  it  necessarily  as- 
sumes a bushy  form  if  suffered  to  grow 
according  to  its  own  will.  The  Fijian,  how- 
ever, thinks  that  nature  is  to  be  improved 
by  art,  and  accordingly  lavishes  all  the  ' ^ 
resources  of  a somewhat  artistic  character 
on  his  hair.  To  train  the  hair  into  any  of  ’ '' 
the  graceful  and  flowing  methods  which  dis- 
tinguish  those  soft-haired  races  would  be 
utterly  impossible  for  a Fijian.  He  goes  on  J 
quite  the  opposite  principle,  and,  true  to  real  i 
artistic  feeling,  tries  to  develop  to  the  utmost 
those  characteristics  which  rightly  belong  to  t 
him,  instead  of  endeavoring  to  produce  ef-  ft 
fects  which  would  not  be  consonant  with  W 
their  surroundings.  B 

The  principle  on  which  a Fijian  coiffure  is 
arranged  is,  that  every  hair  is  presi^med  to  jH 
grow  naturally  at  right  angles  to  tl.'e  skin,  B 
and  to  stand  out  stiffly  and  boldly.  Sup-  m 
posing,  then,  that  each  hair  could  be  induced  S 
to  follow  its  own  course,  without  being  en-  W 
tangled  by  others,  it  is  evident  that  the  whole 
head  of  hair  would  form  a large  globular  /^ 
mass,  surrounding  the  face.  It  is,  therefore, 
the  business  of  the  Fijian  hair-dresser  to  aJ 
accept  this  as  the  normal  form  of  the  hair,  * 
and  to  change  or  modify  it  as  he  thinks  best. 

It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  various 
modes  of  Fijian  hair-dressing  better  than  has 
been  done  by  Mr.  Williams,  who  resided  in  a 
Fiji  for  thirteen  years.  “ Most  of  the  chiefs  jp 
have  a hair-dresser,  to  whose  care  bis  B 


•■■i  ■; 

P-. 

?'•■  ■ 

St 


r 


(2.)  FIJIAN  CANOE  IN  A BREEZE.  (See  page  932.) 


(1.)  THE  AMBASSADOR’S  MESSAGE.  (See  page  925.) 


(924) 


AMBASSADOR  AND  IIIS  MESSAGE. 


92.5 


l^r’s  hair  is  intrusted,  often  demanding 
_ fatteu&n,  and  at  certain  stages  of  pro.- 
kvili  requii^g  several  hours’  labor  each  day. 
Dumigydi,  jthi^ti^  the  operator’s  hands  are 

tapu  m)m  toi|§\ing  his  food,  but  not  from 
workiifg  in  lh^;^rden. 

“ The’diair  and  often  quite  wiry, 

an^  so  dressc(li%'at  it  will  retain  the  position 
in  which  it  is  Tlaced,  even  when  projecting 
from  the  h5al,  a -di^nce  of  six  or  eight 
inches.  OmF^stranger,’^!!  seeing  their  per- 
formance in  t^is  dep^irtmcnt,  exclaims, 
‘“^Vhat  astonislniig. . wigs!  ’ another  thinks, 
‘ Surely  the  heau  i^cd  ot  hair-dressing  must 
exist  in  Fiji;’  a third,. ‘ Tlieir  heads  surpass 
imagination.’  ” No'  wou^er,  then,  that  they 
defy  description. 

“ Whatever  may  be  said  about  the  ap- 
pearance'being  unnatural,  the  best  coiffures 
have  a surprising  and  almost  geometrical 
accuracy  of  outline,  combined  with  a round 
softness  of  surface  and  uniformity  of  dye 
which  display  extraordinary  care,  and  merit 
some  praise.  They  seem  to  be  carved  out 
of  some  solid  substance,  and  are  variously 
colored.  Jet-black,  blue-black,  ashy  white, 
and  several  shades  of  red  prevail.  Among 
young  people,  bright  red  and  flaxen  are.  in 
favor.  Sometimes  two  or  more  colors  meet 
on  the  same  head.  Some  heads  are  finished, 
both  as  to  shape  and  color,  nearly  like  an 
English  counsellor’s  wig. 

“ In  some,  the  hair  is  a spherical  mass  of 
jet  black  hair,  with  a white  roll  in  front,  as 
broad  as  the  hand;  or,  in  lieu  of  this,  a white, 
oblong  braid  occupies  the  length  of  the  fore- 
head, the  black  passing  down  on  either  side. 
In  each  case  the  black  projects  further  than 
the  white  hair.  Some  heads  have  all  the  or- 
namenTation  behind,  consisting  of  a cord  of 
twisted  coils,  ending  in  tassels.  In  others, 
the  cords  give  place  to  a large  red  roll  or  a 
sandy  projection  falling  on  the  neck.  On 
one  head,  all  the  hair  is  of  one  uniform  length, 
but  one-tliird  in  front  is  ashy  or  sandy,  and 
the  rest  black,  a sharply  defined  separation 
dividing  the  two  colors. 

“Not  a few  are  so  ingeniously  grotesque 
as  to  appear  as  if  done  purposely  to  excite 
laughter.  One  has  a large  knot  of  fiery  hair 
on  his  crown,  all  the  rest  of  the  head  being 
bald.  Another  has  the  most  of  his  hair  cut 
away,  leaving  three  or  four  rows  of  small 
clusters,  as  if  his  head  were  planted  with 
small  paint  brushes.  A third  has  his  head 
bare,  except  where  a black  patch  projects 
over  each  temple.  One,  two,  or  three  cords 
of  twisted  hair  often  fall  from  the  right 
temple,  a foot  or  eighteen  inches  long.  Some 
men  wear  a number  of  these  braids  so  as  to 
form  a curtain  at  the  back  of  the  neck,  reach- 
ing from  one  ear  to  the  other. 

“ A mode  that  requires  great  care  has  the 
hair  wrought  into  distinct  locks,  radiating 
from  the  head.  Each  lock  is  a perfect  cone, 
about  seven  inches  in  length,  having  the 
base  outward,  so  tliat  the  surface  of  the  hair 


is  marked  out  into  a great  number  of  small 
circles,  the  ends  being  turned  in,  in  each  lock, 
toward  the  centre  of  the  cone.  In  another 
kindred  style,  the  locks  are  pyramidal,  the 
sides  and  angles  of  each  being  as  regular  as 
though  formed  of  wood.  All  round  the  head 
they  look  like  square  black  blocks,  the  upper 
tier  projecting  horizontally  from  the  crown, 
and  a flat  space  being  left  at  the  top  of  the 
head.  When  the  hair,  however,  is  not  more 
than  four  inches  long,  this  flat  does  not  exist, 
but  the  surface  consists  of  a regular  suc- 
cession of  squares  or  circles.  The  violent 
motions  of  the  dance  do  not  disturb  these 
elaborate  preparations,  but  great  care  is 
taken  to  preserve  them  from  the  eflects  of 
the  dew  or  rain.” 

Whenever  the  Fijian  desires  to  know 
whether  his  headdress  is  in  proper  order,  he 
has  recourse  to  his  mirror.  This  is  not  a 
portable,  but  a fixed  article  of  manufacture, 
and  is  necessarily  situated  in  the  open  air. 
When  the  native  sees  a large  tree  with  a 
sloping  trunk,  he  cuts  in  the  upper  part  of 
the  trunk  sev-eral  deep  hollows,  and  arranges 
the  leaves  of  the  tree  so  that  the  water  from 
the  foliage  drips  into  them,  and  keeps  them 
full.  These  are  his  mirrors,  and  by  their 
aid  he  examines  his  hair,  sees  if  the  outline 
be  quite  correct,  and,  if  he  be  dissatisfied, 
arranges  it  with  his  long-handled  comb,  and 
then  replaces  the  comb  in  his  mop  of  a head, 
carefully  sticking  it  over  one  ear  as  a soldier 
does  his  forage  cap. 

Not  content  with  having  the  hair  plaited 
and  frizzed  out  as  has  already  been  described, 
many  of  the  Fijians  wear  great  wigs  over 
their  own  hair,  thus  increasing  the  size  of 
their  heads  to  the  most  inordinate  dimen- 
sions. The  natives  are  excellent  wig-makers 
and,  as  their  object  is  not  to  imitate  nature, 
but  to  produce  as  fantastic  an  effect  as  pos- 
sible, it  is  evident  that  the  result  of  their 
labor  is  often  very  ludicrous.  As  is  the  case 
with  their  own  hair,  they  dye  these  .wigs  of 
various  colors,  red  and  white  being  the 
favorite  hues. 

Three  examples  of  these  curious  head- 
dresses are  shown  in  illustration  No.  1,  oh 
preceding  page,  which  represents  an  ambas- 
sador delivering  a message  from  his  chief  to 
some  man  of  consequence.  Savages  such 
as  these  have  no  idea  of  writing,  but,  lest 
they  should  forget  the  various  terms  of  their 
message,  they  have  recourse  to  a simple 
memoria  technica^  consisting  of  a bundle  of 
sticks,  no  two  being  of  the  same  length. 

Each  of  these  sticks  answers  to  one  of 
the  terras  of  the  message,  which  is  repeated 
once  or  twice  to  the  ambassador,  who  reck- 
ons them  over  on  his  sticks.  When  he 
delivers  his  message,  he  unties  the  bundle, 
selects  the  sticks  in  their  order,  and,  laying 
them  down  in  succession,  delivers  the  mes- 
sage without  a mistake. 

In  the  illustration,  the  principal  figure 
represents  the  ambassador,  the  others  being 


926 


FIJI. 


his  attendants.  He  has  laid  down  several 
of  the  sticks,  and  is  delivering  the  message 
belonging  to  one  of  them,  while  he  is  hold- 
ing the  rest  in  his  left  hand.  His  headdress 
is  of  that  remarkable  kind  which  consists  of 
a number  of  conical  locks  of  hair  — a fash- 
ion which  denotes  a man  of  rank,  as  no 
other  could  afford  to  have  such  a coiffure 
kept  in  order.  The  man  seated  next  to  the 
ambassador  has  his  hair  in  two  colors,  the 
greater  part  being  dark  and  frizzed  out 
from  the  head,  while  a couple  of  rolls  of  a 
lighter  hue  pass  over  the  forehead.  The 
central  figure  exhibits  a favorite  mode  of 
hair-dressing,  in  which  the  hair  is  clipped 
very  short,  except  in  certain  spots,  in  which 
it  is  allowed  to  grow,  so  as  to  form  a series 
of  brush-like  tufts. 

Men  of  consequence  mostly  protect  their 
enormous  mops  of  hair  by  a sort  of  thin 
turban,  which  is  wrapped  round  them.  The 
turban  is  made  of  a piece  of  very  delicate 
bark  cloth,  or  masi,  nearly  as  thin  as  gauze, 
and  perfectly  white.  It  is  sometimes  six 
feet  in  length,  but  varies  according  to  the 
quantity  of  hair.  It  is  twisted  round  the 
head  in  different  fashions,  but  is  mostly 
fastened  by  a bow  on  the  forehead,  or  on 
the  top  of  the  head.  Several  examples  of 
the  turban  will  be  seen  in  the  course  of  the 
following  pages.  Men  of  rank  often  wear 
the  masi  of  such  length  that  the  ends  fall 
down  behind  like  a scarf. 

In  order  to  preserve  their  hair  from 
being  displaced  by  rain,  they  use  a water- 
proof covering  of  their  own  invention.  This 
is  a young  banana  leaf,  which  is  heated  over 
a fire,  and  then  becomes  as  thin,  transpa- 
rent, and  impervious  to  water  as  oiled  silk. 
The  light  turban  offers  no  protection  what- 
ever, being  soaked  as  easily  as  tissue  paper, 
which  it  somewhat  resembles. 

Material  similar  to  that  which  is  worn  on 
the  head  is  used  for  the  dress.  The  masi 
which  is  employed  for  this  purpose  is  mostly 
from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  in  length,  though 
a wealthy  man  will  sometimes  wear  a masi 
of  nearly  three  hundred  feet  long.  In  this 
case,  it  is  made  of  very  delicate  material. 
It  is  put  on  in  a very  simple  manner,  part 
being  wound  round  the  loins,  and  the  rest 
passed  under  the  legs  and  tucked  into  the 
belt,  so  as  to  hang  as  low  as  the  knees  in 
front,  and  to  fall  as  low  as  possible  behind. 
A wealthy  man  v,dll  often  have  his  masi 
trailing  far  behind  him  like  a train.  This  is 
all  the  dress  which  a Fiji  man  needs.  Cloth- 
ing as  a protection  from  the  weather  is 
needless,  owing  to  the  geniality  of  the  cli- 
mate, and  the  masi  is  worn  simply  as  a mat- 
ter of  fashion. 

Ornaments  are  vrorn  in  great  profusion, 
and  are  of  the  kinds  which  seem  dear  to  all 
savage  races.  Ear  ornaments  of  portentous 
size  are  worn  by  the  inhabitants  of  Fiji, 
some  of  them  stretching  the  lobe  to  such  an 
extent  that  a man’s  two  fists  could  be  placed 


in  the  opening.  The  Fijians  also 
breast  ornaments,  very  similar  in  shap 
appearance  to  the  large  dibbi-dil;bi  whil 
worn  by  the  Northern  Australjiaff^,  anf^^Bhw^ 
evidently  been  borrowed  frono. 
race.  Any  glittering  objects  pan  be  'n^de 
into  necklaces,  which  often  Combine  the 
most  incongruous  objects^  suej^  as  Europ^n 
beads,  bits  of  tortoise-shell,  d4gs’  teeth,  bjjs’- 
jaws,  and  the  like.  f 

Flowers  are  plentifully  worn  ^y  the  Fijid|ri, 
who  keeps  up  a constant  stq)ply  of  these' 
natural  ornaments,  weayih^  them  info 
strings  and  chaplets,  and‘|^§sing  them,  lil^ 
belts,  over  oiiq^  shoulder  and  under  the 
other.  In  the  ‘illustration  on  page  937th, 
which  represents’  the  payment  of  taxes,  sev- 
eral girls  are  seen  a^rned  with  these  gar- 


lands. 

Tattooing  is  almost  entirely  confined  to 
the  women,  and  even  in  them  is  but  little 
seen,  the  greater  part  of  the  patterns  being 
covered  by  the  lihu  or  fringe  apron.  When 
young,  the  women  usually  tattoo  their  fin- 
gers with  lines  and  stars  in  order  to  make 
them  look  ornamental  as  they  present  food 
to  the  chief,  and,  after  they  become  mothers, 
they  add  a blue  patch  at  each  corner  of  the 
mouth.  The  operation  is  a painful  one, 
though  not  so  torturing  as  that  which  is 
employed  in  New  Zealand,  the  pattern 
being  made  by  the  punctures  of  a sharp- 
toothed  instrument,  and  not  by  the  edge  of 
a chisel  driven  completely  through  the  skin. 

Paint  is  used  very  largely,  the  three  prin- 
cipal colors  being  black,  white,  and  red. 
With  these  three  tints  they  contrive  to  pro- 
duce a variety  of  effect  on  their  faces,  that 
is  only  to  be  rivalled  by  the  fancy  displayed 
in  their  hair-dressing.  Sometimes  the  face  ^ 
is  all  scarlet  with  the  exception  of  the  nose, 
which  is  black,  and  sometimes  the  face  is 
divided  like  a quartered  heraldic  shield,  and 
painted  red  and  black,  or  white,  red,  and 
black  in  the  different  quarterings.  Some 
men  will  have  one  side  of  the  face  black  and 
the  other  white,  while  others  paint  their 
countenances  black  as  far  as  the  nose,  and 
finish  them  off  with  white. 

Keversing  the  first-mentioned  pattern, 
the  Fijian  dandy  will  occasionally  paint  his 
face  black  and  his  nose  red,  or  will  have  a 
black  face,  a white  nose,  a scarlet  ring  round 
each  eye,  and  a white  crescent  on  the  fore- 
head. Sometimes  he  will  wear  a white  face 
covered  with  round  scarlet  spots  like  those 
on  a toy  horse;  or  will  substitute  for  the 
round  spots  a large  patch  on  each  cheek  and 
another  round  the  mouth,  just  like  the  face 
of  a theatrical  clown. 

Some  very  curious  effects  are  produced  by 
lines.  A white  face  with  a single  broad 
black  stripe  from  the  forehead  to  the  chin 
has  a very  remarkable  appearance,  and  so 
has  a face  of  which  one  side  is  painted  lon- 
gitudinally with  black  stripes  on  a white 
ground,  and  the  other  half  with  transverse 


THE  MANUFACTURE  OF  MASL 


927 


stripes  of  the  same  colors.  A similar  pat- 
tern is  sometimes  produced  witli  black  upon 
red.  Perhaps  the  oddest  of  all  the  patterns 
is  formed  by  painting  the  face  white,  and 
upon  the  wliite  drawing  a number  of  undu- 
lating lines  from  the  forehead  downward, 
the  lines  crossing  each  other  so  as  to  form  a 
sort  of  rippling  network  over  the  face. 

So  much  for  the  dress  of  the  men.  That 
of  the  women  is  dilierent  in  every  way. 
Though  possessing  the  same  kind  of  stiff, 
wiry,  profuse  hair  as  the  men,  they  do  not 
trouble  themselves  to  weave  it  into  such 
fantastic  designs,  but  mostly  content  them- 
selves with  combing  it  out  so  as  to  project 
as  far  as  possible  on  every  side.  Sometimes 
they  twist  it  into  a series  of  locks,  which  are 
allowed  to  fall  on  the  head  merely  at  ran- 
dom, like  the  thrums  of  a mop. 

Paint  is  employed  b}’^  them  as  by  the  men, 
though  not  with  such  profusion.  Scarlet 
seems  to  be  their  favorite  color  in  paint, 
and  to  this  predilection  Mr.  Pickering  was 
indebted  for  opportunities  of  ascertaining 
by  touch  the  peculiar  roughness  of  the 
Papuan  skin.  The  Fijians,  an  essentiall}’' 
ceremonious  and  punctilious  people,  will 
not  allow  themselves  to  be  handled,  and  Mr. 
Pickering  was  rather  perplexed  as  to  the 
means  of  ascertaining  whether  this  rough- 
ness belonged  to  the  race,  or  whether  it 
were  only  a peculiarity  belonging  to  indi- 
viduals. The  love  of  scarlet  paint  here 
came  to  his  assistance.  The  vermilion  pre- 
pared by  European  art  was  so  much  supe- 
rior to  the  pigments  of  Fiji,  that  the  natives 
were  only  too  glad  to  have  so  brilliant  a 
color  put  on  their  faces  and  bodies.  Ac- 
cordingly men  and  women,  old  and  young, 
pressed  forward  to  have  a little  vermilion 
rubbed  on  them,  and  the  mothers,  after  hav- 
ing their  own  faces  painted,  held  out  their 
infants  to  participate  in  the  same  benefit. 

The  native  cloth,  or  masi,  which  has 
already  been  mentioned,  is  made  from  the 
inner  bark  of  the  malo  tree,  and  is  manufac- 
tured in  a simple  and  ingenious  manner. 

As  at  the  present  day  English  fabrics  are 
largely  imported  into  Fiji,  and  are  rapidly 
supplanting  the  delicate  and  becoming  na- 
tive manufactures,  the  art  of  making  the 
masi  will  soon  become  extinct  in  Fiji,  as 
has  been  the  case  in  other  islands  where 
Europeans  have  gained  a footing.  I shall 
therefore  devote  a few  lines  to  the  descrip- 
tion of  its  manufacture. 

The  natives  cut  off  the  bark  in  long  strips, 
and  soak  them  in  water  for  some  time,  until 
the  inner  bark  can  be  separated  from  the 
outer,  an  operation  which  is  performed  with 
the  edge  of  a shell.  After  it  has  been  re- 
moved from  the  coarse  outer  bark,  it  is  kept 
in  water  so  as  to  preserve  it  in  the  necessary 
state  of  moisture;  and  when  a sufficient 
quantity  is  collected,  the  operation  of  beat- 
ing it  begins. 

Masi  is  beaten  upon  a log  of  wood  flat- 


tened on  the  upper  surface,  and  so  arranges 
as  to  spring  a little  with  the  blows  of  thi, 
mallet.  This  tool  does  not  resemble  ouf 
mallet  with  a handle  and  a head,  but  is  sim- 
ply a piece  of  wood  about  fourteen  inches  in 
length  and  two  in  thickness,  rounded  at  one 
end  so  as  to  form  a handle,  and  squared  for 
the  remainder  of  its  length.  Three  sides  of 
this  mallet,  or  iki,  as  it  is  called,  are  cov- 
ered with  longitudinal  grooves,  while  the 
fourth  side  is  left  plain.  Those  specimens 
that  I have  seen  have  the  sides  not  quite 
flat,  but  very  slightly  convex,  perhaps  by 
use,  perhaps  rounded  intentionally.  A masi 
maker  has  several  of  these  mallets,  some- 
times as  many  as  six  or  seven,  each  having 
some  difference  in  the  fluting,  and  with  them 
she  contrives  to  produce  a fabric  that  has 
all  the  effect  of  woven  linens  among  our- 
selves, the  pattern  being  incorporated  with 
the  material. 

There  are  in  my  collection  several  spec- 
imens of  masi,  one  of  which  is  singularly 
beautiful.  It  is  thin,  snowy  white,  and  soft 
as  silk,  and,  even  at  a distance,  must  have 
looked  very  graceful  when  wrapped  round 
the  dark  body  of  a Fijian  warrior.  But  it  is 
only  on  a closer  examination  that  the  real 
beauty  of  the  fabric  is  displayed.  Instead 
of  merely  beating  the  masi  after  the  usual 
fashion,  so  as  to  impress  upon  it  the  longi- 
tudinal grooves  of  the  mallet,  the  native 
manufacturer  has  contrived  to  change  the 
position  of  her  mallet  at  every  blow,  so  as  to 
produce  a zigzag  pattern  on  the  fabric,  very 
much  like  the  well-known  Greek  i:>attern  of 
European  decorators.  It  is  beautifully  reg- 
ular, and,  when  the  fabric  is  held  up  to  the 
light,  looks  like  the  water  mark  in  paper. 

The  plasticity  of  the  malo  bark  is  really 
wonderful.  A strip  of  two  inches  in  length 
•can  be  beaten  to  the  width  of  eighteen 
inches,  its  length  being  slightly  reduced  as 
the  width  increases.  As  the  material  is 
very  thin  and  flimsy,  a single  piece  being, 
when  beaten  out,  no  thicker  than  tissue  pa- 
per, two  or  more  pieces  are  usually  laid  on 
each  other  and  beaten  so  as  to  form  a single 
thickness,  the  natural  gluten  which  this  ma- 
terial contains  being  sufficient  to  unite  them 
as  if  they  had  been  one  piece.  Some  spec- 
imens of  their  larger  mantles,  now  in  my 
collection,  are  as  thick  as  stout  brown  paper, 
and  very  much  tougher,  appearing  both  to 
the  eye  and  the  touch  as  if  made  of  leather. 

When  a large  masi  has  to  be  made,  many 
lengths  of  the  bark  are  united  to  each  other, 
the  ends  being  soaked  in  arrowu’oot  starch, 
laid  carefully  over  each  other,  and  then  sub- 
jected to  the  mallet,  which  forces  the  two 
pieces  of  bark  to  unite  as  if  they  were  one 
substance,  and  does  not  exhibit  the  least  trace 
of  the  junction.  As  I have  already  men- 
tioned, some  of  these  masis  are  of  very  great 
length.  Mr.  Williams  measured  one  which 
was  for  the  use  of  the  king  on  festival  days, 
and  found  its  length  to  be  flve  hundred  and 


928 


FIJI. 


forty  feet.  Many  of  the  large,  and  at  the 
same  time  thin  masis,  are  used  as  mosquito 
curtains,  and  in  that  case  are  decorated  with 
patterns  of  dusky  red  and  black.  The  pat- 
terns generally  commence  at  the  centre, 
and  are  gradually  extended  toward  the 
edges.  The  mode  of  making  these  patterns 
is  well  described  by  Mr.  Williams  : — 

“Upon  a convex  board,  several  feet  long, 
are  arranged  parallel,  at  about  a finger’s 
width  apart,  thin  straight  strips  of  bamboo, 
a quarter  of  an  inch  wide ; and  by  the  side  of 
these,  curved  pieces,  formed  of  the  mid-rib 
of  cocoa-nut  leaflets,  are  arranged.  Over 
the  board  thus  prepared  the  cloth  is  laid,  and 
rubbed  over  with  a dye  obtained  from  the 
laud  {Aleurites  triloba).  The  cloth,  of 
course,  takes  the  dye  upon  those  parts  which 
receive  pressure,  being  supported  by  the 
strips  beneath,  and  thus  shows  the  same 
pattern  in  the  color  employed.  A stronger 
preparation  of  the  same  dye,  laid  on  with  a 
sort  of  brush,  is  used  to  divide  the  squares 
into  oblong  compartments,  with  large  round 
or  radiated  dots  in  the  centre.  The  kesa,  or 
dye,  when  good,  dries  bright. 

“ Blank  borders,  two  or  three  feet  wide, 
are  still  left  on  each  side  of  the  square,  and 
to  elaborate  the  ornamentation  of  these  so 
as  to  excite  applause  is  the  pride  of  every 
Fijian  lady.  There  is  now  an  entire  change 
of  apparatus.  The  operator  works  on  a plain 
board;  the  red  dye  gives  place  to  a jet  black; 
her  pattern  is  now  formed  by  a strip  of  ba- 
nana leaf  placed  on  the  upper  surface  of  the 
cloth.  Out  of  the  leaf  is  cut  the  pattern,  not 
more  than  an  inch  long,  which  she  wishes 
to  print  upon  the  border,  and  holds  by  her 
first  and  middle  finger,  pressing- it  down  with 
the  thumb.  Then,  taking,  in  her  right  hand 
a soft  pad  of  cloth  steeped  in  dye,  she  rubs 
it  firmly  over  the  stencil,  and  a fair,  sharp 
figure  is  made. 

“ The  practised  fingers  of  the  women 
move  quickly,  but  it  is  after  all  a tedious 
process.  In  the  work  above  described,  the 
Lakemba  women  excel.  On  the  island  of 
Matuku  very  pretty  curtains  are  made,  but 
the  pattern  is  large,  and  covers  the  entire 
square,  while  the  spaces  between  the  black 
lines  are  filled  in  with  red  and  yellow.” 

W e now  pass  to  the  liku,  or  fringed  girdle 
of  the  women.  This  is  made  of  various  ma- 
terials, and  much  trouble  is  usually  ex- 


pended in  its  manufacture.  The  ordinary 
likus  are  little  more  than  a number  of  slight 
thongs  fixed  to  a belt,  and  allowed  to  hang 
down  for  several  inches.  When  worn,  it  is 
passed  round  the  waist  and  tied,  not  behind, 
but  on  one  side,  and  on  festivals  the  bark 
cord  by  which  it  is  fastened  is  allowed  to 
hang  so  low  that  it  often  trails  on  the  ground 
as  the  wearer  walks  along. 

The  thongs  are  made  of  the  bark  of  a spe- 
cies of  hibiscus,  called  by  the  natives  van, 
and  used  for  many  purposes,  of  long  flexible 
roots  like  that  of  the  cascus  grass,  and  of 
different  grasses.  One  kind  of  liku  which  is 
rather  fashionable,  is  made  of  a vegetable 
parasite,  called  by  the  natives  waloa.  The 
thongs  of  this  liku  are  not  thicker  than 
packthread,  and  when  fresh,  are  as  flexible 
as  silk.  In  process  of  time,  however,  they 
become  brittle,  and  are  apt  to  break.  The 
color  of  this  material  is  deep  glossy  black. 

There  are  in  my  collection  two  specimens 
of  the  liku,  one  of  them  being  made  of  the 
fashionable  v-aloa.  The  other  is  the  com- 
mon liku.  It  is  made  of  split  grass,  the 
blades  of  which  are  more  than  three  feet  in 
length.  In  order  to  make  them  into  the 
garment  they  have  been  doubled,  and  the 
loops  woven  into  a narrow  plaited  belt  of 
the  same  material.  The  better  kind  of  likus 
are,  however,  made  with  far  greater  care 
than  is  bestowed  on  this  article.  There  is 
but  little  difterence  in  the  thongs,  the  chief 
labor  being  bestowed  on  the  belt.  In  some 
cases  the  belt  of  the  liku  is  four  inches  in 
width,  and  is  plaited  into  elegant  patterns, 
plaiting  being  an  art  in  which  the  natives 
excel. 

In  general  shape  the  liku  never  varies, 
being  worn  by  girls  and  women  alike.  As 
long  as  a girl  is  unmarried,  she  wears  a liku 
the  fringe  of  which  is  not  more  than  three 
inches  in  depth,  and  the  whole  article  is  so 
scanty  that  when  tied  round  the  waist  the 
ends  do  not  meet  at  the  hips  by  several 
inches.  As  soon  as  the  girl  is  married,  she 
changes  her  liku  in  token  of  her  new  rank, 
and  wears  a garment  with  a fringe  that 
reaches  half-way  to  her  knees,  and  which 
entirely  surrounds  the  body.  After  she  has 
become  a mother,  she  wears  an  apron  Avhich 
quite  reaches  to  the  knees,  and  sometimes 
falls  below  them. 


CHAPTEE  XCIY, 


FIJI  — Continued. 

MANUFACTURES. 

MAT  MAKING  — SAILS  FOR  THE  CANOES— FLOOR  MATS  AND  BEDDING — ROPE  AND  STRING  — SINNET  A7 

ITS  VARIOUS  USES— THE  NETTING  NEEDLE  AND  MESH  — FANS  AND  SUNSHADES —THE  ORATOR'S 
FLAPPER  — BASKET  WORK  — FIJIAN  POTTERY,  AND  NATIVE  ART  — POTTERY  RESTRICTED  TO  THE 
WOMEN  — THEIR  SIMPLE  TOOLS  AND  IMPERFECT  MATERIALS — MODE  OF  “ FIRING  ” THE  VESSELS 
— GLAZING  THE  WATER  VESSELS — FIJIAN  FISHERMEN — VARIOUS  KINDS  OF  NETS,  AND  MODES 
OF  USING  THEM  — THE  TURTLE  FISHERY — A BOLD  DIVER — CONTRACTORS  FOR  TURTLE  — MODES 
OF  CATCHING  THE  REPTILE  — A “hEAD”  OF  TURTLE  AND  ITS  VALUE — DANGERS  OF  THE 
FISHERY  — FIJIAN  CANOES,  AND  MODE  OF  MANAGING  THEM — BUILDING  CANOES  — INGENIOUS 
METHOD  OF  JOINING  THE  PLANKS  — TONGA  CARPENTERS  — THE  FIJIANS  INFERIOR  SAILORS  TG 
THE  TONGANS  — FIJIAN  TRADERS. 


Mats  of  various  kinds  are  made  by  the 
women,  and  they  display  as  much  ingenuity 
in  mat-making  as  in  the  manufacture  of  masi. 
Mats  are  employed  for  many  purposes.  The 
sails  of  the  Fijian  canoes  are  always  made 
of  matting,  which  is  woven  in  lengths  and 
then  sewed  together  afterward,  just  as  is  the 
case  with  our  own  canvas  sails.  The  width 
of  the  strips  varies  from  two  to  four  feet,  and 
their  length  from  three  to  a hundred  yards. 
On  an  average,  however,  the  usual  length  of 
these  strips  is  twenty  feet,  that  being  the 
ordinary  length  of  a sail.  Sail  mats  are 
necessarily  rather  coarse,  and  are  made  from 
the  leaf  of  the  cocoa-nut  palm. 

Then  there  are  floor-mats,  which  are  used 
as  carpets  in  the  houses.  These  vary  in 
size  according  to  the  dimensions  of  the  house, 
but  twenty  feet  by  sixteen  is  a very  ordinary 
measurement.  They  are  generally  adorned 
with  a border  or  pattern  round  the  edges, 
this  border  being  about  six  inches  wide,  and 
often  decorated  with  feathers  and  scraps  of 
any  colored  material  that  can  be  procured. 
Mats  of  a similar  character,  but  much  finer 
texture,  are  used  as  bedding;  the  best  kind, 
which  is  called  oao,  being  of  a very  fine  tex- 
ture. 

The  native  love  of  ornament  is  in  no  way 
better  displayed  than  in  their  rope  and 
string  making.  The  best  rope  is  formed 
from  several  strands  of  sinnet.  This  is  a sort 
of  plait  made  from  the  fibre  of  the  cocoa-nut. 
The  fibre  is  carefully  removed  from  the  nut, 


baked,  and  combed  out  like  wool.  Cordage 
is  made  by  twisting  sinnet  together,  and 
some  of  the  Fijian  cords  are  nearly  as  thick 
as  a cable,  and  possessed  of  extraordinary 
elasticity  and  strength.  The  sinnet  is  used 
in  a great  variety  of  offices,  houses  being 
built  and  the  planks  of  the  canoes  tied 
together  with  this  most  useful  material. 

When  made,  the  sinnet  is  made  into  great 
rolls,  some  of  them  being  of  gigantic  dimen- 
sions. Mr.  Williams  saw  one  which  was 
twelve  feet  long,  and  nearly  seven  feet  in 
diameter.  These  rolls  are  differently  shaped, 
and  each  shape  is  known  by  its  own  name, 
such  as  the  double  cone,  the  plain  hank,  the 
oval  ball,  the  honeycomb  ball,  and  the  va- 
riegated roll.  These  rolls  are  given  as  pres- 
ents, and  offered  to  the  chiefs  as  tribute, 
together  with  other  property.  In  the  large 
illustration  on  page  937,  which  represents  a 
tax-paying  scene,  one  or  two  of  these  rolls 
are  shown. 

Sinnet  is  the  favorite  material  for  net 
making,  but  as  it  is  costly,  nets  are  often 
constructed  of  the  hibiscus  bark.  Another 
material  is  a sort  of  creeper  named  yaka^ 
v/hich  is  steeped  in  water  to  dissolve  the 
green  matter,  then  scraped  to  clean  the 
fibres,  and,  lastly,  twisted  into  strings.  It  is 
remarkable  that  the  netting  needle  and 
mesh  are  exactly  similar  to  those  which  are 
employed  by  ourselves,  and  the  same  may 
be  said  of  the  mesh  and  needle  of  the  Esqui- 
maux. 


930 


FIJI. 


The  same  ingenuity  in  plaiting  which  is 
expended  in  the  making  and  rolling  of  sin- 
net  asserts  itself  in  various  other  manufac- 
tures, such  as  basket  and  fan  making.  In 
the  latter  art  the  Fijian  excels,  and,  as  the 
fan  is  almost  as  important  to  the  Fijian  as 
to  the  Japanese,  much  play  of  fancy  is  ex- 
hibited in  fan  making.  Dissimilar  as  are 
these  fans  in  shape,  there  is  always  a sort  of 
character  about  them  which  denotes  their 
origin  to  a practised  eye. 

I have  a specimen  in  my  collection,  which 
is  a very  good  type  of  the  Fijian  fan.  It  is 
two  feet  in  length,  and  rather  more  than  a 
foot  broad  in  the  widest  part.  The  handle 
is  made  of  cocoa-nut  wood,  and  extends 
nearly  to  the  end  of  the  fan,  so  as  to  form  a 
support  through  its  entire  length.  It  is  fas- 
tened to  the  fan  by  double  bands  of  the  finest 
and  most  beautifully  plaited  sinnet.  The  ma- 
terial of  which  the  fan  is  composed  is  cocoa- 
nut  leaf,  divided  into  doubled  strips  about 
the  third  of  an  inch  in  width  near  the  base 
of  the  fan,  and  gradually  decreasing  toward 
its  tip.  A strong  band  of  the  same  material 
runs  round  the  edges  of  the  fan,  and  the  two 
ends  of  this  band  are  secured  to  the  handle 
by  the  same  sinnet  as  has  been  iust  men- 
tioned. 

Such  a fan  as  this  is  employed  rather  as  a 
sunshade  or  parasol  than  a fan,  and  is  held 
over  the  head  when  the  owner  happens  to 
be  seated  in  the  sunshine.  It  is  very  light, 
and  is  really  a much  more  efficient  imple- 
ment than  its  appearance  intimates. 

The  form  of  the  fan  is  exceedingly  variable. 
Sometimes  they  are  triangular,  with  the 
handle  projecting  from  one  of  the  angles, 
and  sometimes  they  are  square,  but  with 
the  handle  passing  diagonally  across  them. 
Various  modifications  of  the  battledoor  are 
in  much  favor,  and  there  is  one  form  which 
almost  exactly  resembles  that  of  the  Japan- 
ese handscreen. 

It  is  rather  remarkable  that  the  aborigines 
of  tropical  America,  such  as  the  Caribs,  the 
Accowais,  and  the  like,  make  fans  of  pre- 
cisely similar  material  and  structure,  except 
that  the  handle  is  not  separately  made  of 
wood,  but  is  formed  from  the  ends  of  the 
leaf-strips  of  which  the  implement  is  made. 

There  is  another  curious  article  of  manu- 
facture which  is  properly  Fijian,  but  extends 
through  several  of  the  Polynesian  group. 
It  is  the  orator’s  flapper,  w^hich  the  native 
holds  in  his  hand  while  he  speaks  in  council. 
An  engraving  showing  its  form  is  given  on 
the  919th  page.  The  handle  is  carved  into 
various  patterns,  and  mostly,  though  not 
invariably,  is  terminated  by  a rude  repre- 
sentation of  a couple  of  human  figures 
seated  back  to  back.  Sometimes  the  entire 
handle  is  covered  with  sinnet,  plaited  in  the 
most  delicate  patterns,  as  none  but  a Fijian 
can  plait.  The  tuft  at  the  end  is  formed  of 
cocoa-nut  fibre,  which  has  first  been  soaked 
in  water,  next  rolled  round  a small  twig, 


and  then  dried.  "When  it  is  unwound  from 
the  stick,  it  has  a crisp,  wrinkled  appear- 
ance, very  like  that  of  the  Fijian’s  hair,  and 
is  probably  intended  to  imitate  it.  In  the 
specimens  of  my  collection,  some  have  sin- 
net-covered  handles,  and  some  carved  han- 
dles, while  some  have  the  tuft  black,  and 
others  sandy  red,  just  as  is  the  case  with  the 
hair  of  the  natives. 

In  their  basket  making,  the  Fijians  are 
equally  lavish  of  their  artistic  powers,  weav- 
ing them  in  patterns  of  such  elaborate  intri- 
cacy as  to  put  the  best  European  makers  to 
shame,  and  then,  as  if  not  satisfied  with  the 
amount  of  work  bestowed  upon  them,  cover- 
ing all  the  edges  with  sinnet,  braided  into 
really  artistic  patterns. 

Indeed,  the  Fijians  are  born  artists.  Their 
work,  although  sometimes  grotesque,  is  al- 
ways artistic,  because  always  appropriate. 
They  carry  this  feeling  of  art  into  the  mate- 
rial whose  plasticity  allows  the  greatest 
freedom  of  manipulation ; namely,  earthen- 
ware. Some  of  the  vessels  wdiich  are  in- 
tended for  cooking  are  quite  plain,  while 
others  which  are  made  for  other  purposes 
are  of  elegant  shape,  and  covered  with  orna- 
ments. Mr.  Williams  suggests,  with  much 
probability,  that  the  cooking  pots  are  made 
in  imitation  of  the  cells  of  a species  of  black 
bee  which  inhabits  the  Fiji  group  of  islands. 

Several  specimens  of  Fijian  pottery  are  in 
the  British  Museum.  As  examples  of  intui- 
tive art  they  are  far  superior  in  outline  and 
ornament  to  the  generality  of  decorated 
earthenware  in  civilized  countries.  A con- 
ventional imitation  of  nature  is  the  principle 
which  is  employed  by  the  Fijian  potters, 
who  find  their  chief  patterns  in  flowers, 
leaves,  and  fruits,  thus  obtaining  the  most 
graceful  curves,  joined  to  great  certainty 
and  precision  of  outline. 

Elide  as  is  the  manipulation  of  the  potter, 
and  coarse  as  is  the  material,  the  design  of 
the  vessel  is  sure  to  be  bold  and  vigorous, 
putting  to  shame  the  feeble  prettiness  with 
whichVe  are  too  familiar  in  this  country. 
Going  to  nature  for  their  models,  the  Fijian 
potters  display  a wmnderful  power,  fertility, 
and  originality  of  design.  In  any  country, 
an  artist  who  really  studies  nature  is  sure 
to  produce  works  that  are  fresh  and  original; 
and  in  a country  like  Fiji,  which  is  within 
the  tropics,  and  in  which  the  magnificent 
vegetation  of  the  tropics  springs  up  in  luxu- 
riant profusion,  it  is  likely  that  an  artist, 
however  rude  he  may  be,  who  studies  in 
such  a school,  will  produce  works  of  genuine 
merit. 

The  art  of  pottery  is  confined  to  the 
women,  and  is  practically  restricted  to  the 
wives  and  daughters  of  fishermen.  The 
material  employed  by  them  is  a red  or  blue 
clay  mixed  with  sand,  and  their  implements 
are  merely  an  annular  cushion,  a flat  stone, 
one  or  tivo  wooden  scrapers,  a round  stone 
to  hold  against  the  inside  of  the  vessel,  and 


FIJIAN  POTTERY  AND  NATIVE  ART. 


931 


a sharp  stick.  They  have  no  wheel:  and 
yet,  in  spite  of  such  disadvantages,  they  con- 
trive to  produce  vessels  so  true  in  outline, 
that  few  persons,  unless  they  are  practi- 
cally acquainted  with  pottery,  could  believe 
that  they  were  merely  rounded  by  the  eye. 

The  shapes  of  nearly  all  the  vessels  are 
very  elegant,  as  is  likely  to  be  the  case  from 
the  models  employed  by  the  maker.  They 
are  often  wonderfully  elaborate  specimens 
of  workmanship.  Permanently  covered 
vessels,  with  a hole  in  the  lid,  are  very  com- 
mon, and  Mr.  Williams  saw  one  jar  as  large 
as  a hogshead,  that  was  furnished  with  four 
openings  for  the  purpose  of  filling  and 
emptying  it  rapidly.  The  most  remarkable 
examples  are  the  compound  vessels,  several 
being  united  together  at  the  point  where 
they  touch,  and  further  connected  by  arched 
handles.  In  some  cases,  even  the  handles 
are  hollow,  and  have  an  opening  at  the  top, 
so  that  the  vessels  can  be  filled  or  emptied 
through  them.  This  compound  form  has 
lately  been  copied  by  Europeans. 

Considering  the  amount  of  labor  and  artis- 
tic skill  which  is  given  to  pottery,  it  is  a pity 
that  the  natives  are  not  better  off  for  mate- 
rial and  firing.  The  material  is  very  coarse, 
and  the  very  imperfect  mode  of  baking  fails 
to  give  to  the  vessels  the  hard  and  almost 
imperishable  quality  which  distinguishes 
properly  prepared  earthenware. 

After  the  vessels  have  been  shaped,  and 
the  decorative  patterns  traced  on  them  with 
a sharp  stick,  they  are  placed  on  the  ground 
close  together,  but  not  touching  each  other, 
and  covered  with  a quantity  of  dried  leaves, 
grass,  reeds,  and  similar  materials.  The 
pile  is  then  lighted,  and  when  it  has  burned 
itself  out  the  baking  is  supposed  to  be  fin- 
ished. Those  pots  that  are  to  be  glazed  are 
rubbed,  while  still  hot,  with  kawri,  the  same 
resin  which  has  already  been  mentioned  in 
the  account  of  New  Zealand. 

As  may  be  expected  in  an  island  popula- 
tion, the  Fijians  are  expert  fishermen,  and 
employ  various  means  of  securing  their  prey. 
Nets,  weighted  at  one  edge  with  shells  and 
floated  at  the  other  with  pieces  of  light 
wood,  are  much  used  ; and  so  are  the  hook, 
the  creel,  and  the  weir.  In  some  places  a 
very  remarkable  net,  or  rather  an  imitation 
of  a net,  called  the  rau,  is  used.  To  the 
long,  flexible  stems  of  creepers  are  fastened 
a quantity  of  split  cocoa-nut  leaves,  so  as  to 
make  a fringe  of  considerable  depth  and 
very  great  length,  one  of  these  raus  some- 
times measuring  nearly  ten  thousand  feet 
from  one  end  to  the  other. 

When  completed,  the  rau  is  taken  out  to 
sea  and  thrown  into  the  water,  the  ends 
being  attached  to  canoes,  which  stretch  it 
to  a straight  line.  They  then  make  for  a 
small  bay,  across  which  the  rau  can  be 
drawn,  and  then  capture  all  the  fish  by 
smaller  nets  or  spears.  Sometimes  they  do 


not  trouble  themselves  to  return  to  the 
shore,  but  bring  the  net  round  in  a circle, 
the  fish  being  so  afraid  of  the  leafy  fringe 
that  they  avoid  it,  and  keep  themselves  in 
the  middle  of  the  toils. 

The  principal  use  of  the  net  is,  however, 
in  turtle  fishing,  a sport  which  may  be 
almost  called  an  art.  The  turtle  fishers  sup- 
ply themselves  with  sinnet  nets,  some  ten 
feet  in  width,  and  one  or  two  hundred  yards 
in  length.  While  the  turtle  are  feeding 
upon  the  shore,  the  fishermen  carry  out  the 
net  and  shoot  it  to  seaward,  so  that  when 
the  turtle  returns  to  the  sea  after  feeding,  it 
is  sure  to  be  intercepted  by  the  net,  which 
has  large  meshes,  in  order  to  entangle  the 
flippers  of  the  reptile. 

When  the  fishermen  feel  that  the  turtle 
is  fairly  caught,  they  proceed  to  get  it  on 
board,  a task  of  very  great  difficulty  and 
some  danger,  inasmuch  as  the  turtle  is  in  its 
own  element,  and  the  men  are  obliged  to 
dive  and  conduct  their  operations  under 
water.  The  most  active  diver  tries  to  seize 
the  end  of  one  of  the  fore-flippers,  and  pulls 
it  violently  downward,  knowing  that  the 
instinctive  desire  to  rid  itself  of  the  incon- 
venience will  cause  the  reptile  to  rise.  Of 
course  the  diver  can  only  retain  his  hold  for 
a limited  time,  but  as  soon  as  he  rises  to  the 
surface  for  breath  another  takes  his  place. 
Should  the  turtle  be  a vicious  one,  as  is  often 
the  case,  one  of  the  divers  grasps  it  across 
the  head,  fixing  his  finger  and  thumb  in  the 
sockets  of  the  eyes,  so  as  to  prevent  the 
creature  from  doing  mischief. 

Finding  itself  thus  hampered,  the  turtle 
rises  to  the  surface,  w^hen  it  is  seized  by  the 
other  fishermen  who  are  in  the  canoe, 
hauled  on  board,  and  laid  on  its  back,  in 
which  position  it  is  utterly  helpless.  The 
successful  fishermen  then  blow  loud  blasts 
of  triumph  on  their  conch-shell  trumpets, 
and  bring  their  prize  to  land. 

In  consequence  of  the  number  of  men 
who  are  employed  in  this  pursuit,  the  men 
almost  invariably  fish  in  parties,  who  are 
engaged  by  some  individual.  Sometimes 
they  are  the  servants  of  a chief,  and  fish  on 
his  account,  all  the  captured  turtles  belong- 
ing to  him,  but  the  fishermen  always  receive 
a present  of  some  kind  when  they  have 
been  successful.  Should  the  fishers  be  free 
men,  they  hire  themselves,  their  nets,  and 
canoe  to  some  one  who  will  pay  the  regular 
price,  for  which  they  are  bound  to  make  ten 
expeditions.  Should  they  be  entirely  unsuc- 
cessful, they  get  nothing,  but  each  time  that 
they  bring  a turtle  ashore  they  receive  a 
present  from  the  hirer,  who  is  obliged,  after 
the  completion  of  the  fishing,  to  give  the 
men  a handsome  present.  Sometimes  sev- 
eral turtles  are  taken  in  a single  day;  but  the 
business  is  a very  precarious  one,  even  the 
best  fishermen  returning  day  after  day  with- 
out catching  a single  turtle. 

Some  of  the  modes  of  catching  the  turtle 


932 


FIJI. 


are  very  ingenious.  When  the  men  have 
no  net,  they  chase  the  reptile  as  they  best 
can,  keeping  the  shadow  of  the  sail  just 
behind  it  so  as  to  frighten  it,  and  keep  it 
continually  on  the  move.  They  will  pursue 
it  in  this  way  for  a long  time,  until  the 
creature  is  so  exhausted  that  it  can  be  cap- 
tured by  a few  divers  without  the  aid  of  a 
net.  When  brought  home,  the  turtles  are 
kept  in  pens  and  killed  as  wanted. 

Although  the  flesh  of  the  turtle  is  highly 
esteemed,  and  the  green  fat  is  appreciated 
nearly  as  much  as  in  England,  the  chief 
value  of  the  turtle  lies  in  its  shell,  the  thir- 
teen plates  of  which  are  called  a “ head,”  and 
sold  to  the  traders  by  weight.  A “ head  ” 
weighing  three  pounds  is  a fair  one,  a head 
that  weighs  four  pounds  is  exceptionally 
good,  while  one  that  exceeds  five  pounds  is 
hardly  ever  seen. 

The  dangers  that  beset  the  turtle  fishery 
are  many.  Chief  among  them  is  the  shark, 
which  is  very  plentiful  on  these  coasts,  and 
which  is  equally  fond  of  men  and  turtle,  so 
that  when  it  sees  a turtle  entangled  in  the 
net  it  makes  an  attack,  and  is  as  likely  to 
take  off  the  limb  of  one  of  the  divers  as  to 
seize  the  reptile.  Another  fertile  source  of 
danger  lies  in  the  structure  of  the  coral 
reefs,  which  form  the  principal  shores  of 
these  islands.  They  are  full  of  hollows  and 
crannies,  and  it  sometimes  happens  that  a 
diver  becomes  entangled  in  them,  and  is  not 
able  to  extricate  himself  in  time  to  save  his 
life. 

As  the  canoes  return  home  after  turtle 
fishing,  the  women  come  down  to  the  shore 
and  meet  them.  Should  the  expedition  be 
successful,  the  men  return  with  songs  and 
shouts  of  triumph,  as  if  they  were  bringing 
home  the  bodies  of  slain  foes,  on  wliich 
occasion,  as  we  shall  presently  see,  a scene 
of  horrid  rejoicing  takes  place.  Should  they 
be  unsuccessful,  they  return  in  sad  silence. 

In  the  former  case,  the  women  welcome 
the  successful  fishermen  with  songs  and 
dances,  and  sometimes  become  rather  rough 
in  the  exuberance  of  their  delight.  Mr. 
Williams  once  witnessed  an  amusing  scene, 
in  which  the  women  brought  a quantity  of 
bitter  oranges  down  to  the  shore,  and  when 
the  fishermen  were  about  to  land,  pelted 
them  so  mercilessly  that  the  men  were  in 
self-defence  obliged  to  drive  their  aggressors 
off  the  beach. 

As  the  canoe  has  so  often  been  mentioned 
in  connection  with  fishing,  it  will  be  now 
described.  In  principle  it  resembles  the 
form  which  prevails  among  the  great  Poly- 
nesian group,  though  in  detail  it  differs  from 
many  of  the  ordinary  vessels.  All  the  canoes 
possess  modifications  of  the  outrigger,  but 
the  best  example  is  the  double  canoe,  where 
two  boats  are  placed  side  by  side  in  such  a 
manner  that  one  of  them  acts  as  the  out- 
rigger and  the  other  as  the  canoe. 

If  the  reader  will  refer  to  illustration  No. 


1,  on  the  924th  page,  he  will  be  able  to 
understand  the  general  appearance  of  this 
curious  vessel.  The  two  canoes  are  covered 
over,  so  as  to  keep  out  Uie  water,  and  are 
connected  by  a platform  wliich  projects  over 
the  outer  edges  of  both  boats.  Ilatchways 
are  cut  through  the  platform,  so  as  to  enable 
the  sailors  to  pass  into  the  interior  of  the 
canoes.  In  the  illustration  a man  is 
seen  emerging  from  the  hatch  of  the  outer 
canoe.  Upon  this  platform  is  erected  a sort 
of  deck-house  for  the  principal  person  on 
board,  and  on  the  top  of  the  deck-house  is  a 
platform,  on  which  stands  the  captain  of  the 
vessel,  so  that  he  may  give  his  orders  from 
this  elevated  position,  like  the  captain  of  a 
steamboat  on  the  paddle-box  or  bridge. 
This  position  also  enables  him  to  trace  the 
course  of  the  turtle,  if  they  should  be  en- 
gaged in  the  profitable  chase  of  that  reptile. 

The  mode  of  managing  the  vessel  is  ex- 
tremely ingenious.  The  short  mast  works 
on  a pivot  at  the  foot,  and  can  be  slacked 
over  to  either  end  of  the  vessel.  When  the 
canoe  is  about  to  get  under  way,  the  long 
yard  is  drawn  up  to  the  head  of  the  mast, 
and  the  latter  inclined,  so  that  the  mast,  the 
yard,  and  the  deck  form  a triangle.  The 
halyards  are  then  made  fast,  and  act  as 
stays.  When  the  vessel  is  wanted  to  go 
about,  the  mast  is  slacked  off'  to  the  other 
end,  so  that  the  stern  becomes  the  bow,  the 
tack  and  the  sheet  change  places,  and  away 
goes  the  vessel  on  the  other  course. 

It  will  be  seen  that  such  a canoe  sails 
equally  well  in  either  direction,  and,  there- 
fore, that  it  can  be  steered  from  either  end. 
The  rudder  is  a very  large  oar,  some  twenty 
feet  in  length,  of  which  the  blade  occupies 
eight,  and  is  sixteen  inches  wide.  The  lev- 
erage of  such  an  oar  is  tremendous,  and,  in 
a stiff  gale,  several  men  are  required  to 
work  it.  In  order  to  relieve  them  in  some 
degree,  rudder-bands  are  used;  but  even 
with  this  assistance  the  men  have  great 
difficulty  in  keeping  the  canoe  to  her  course, 
and  are  nearly  sure  to  receive  some  very 
sharp  blows  in  the  side  from  the  handle  of 
the  steering  oar.  Sometimes  a sudden  gust 
of  wind,  or  a large  wave,  will  bring  round 
the  rudder  with  such  violence  that  the 
handle  strikes  a man  in  the  side  and  kills 
him.  With  all  these  drawbacks,  canoe  sail- 
ing is  a favorite  occupation  with  the  Fijians, 
who  are  as  merry  as  possible  while  on 
board,  singing  songs  to  encourage  the 
steersman,  watching  the  waves  and  giving 
notice  of  them,  and  adding  to  the  joyous 
tumult  by  beating  any  drum  that  they  may 
happen  to  have  on  board.  Even  when  the 
wind  fails,  and  the  canoe  has  to  be  propelled 
by  poling  if  she  should  be  in  shoal  water, 
or  by  sculling  if  she  should  be  too  far  out  at 
sea  for  the  poles,  the  crew  do  their  work  in 
gangs,  which  are  relieved  at  regular  inter- 
vals, those  who  are  resting  singing  songs 
and  encouraging  those  who  are  at  work. 


FIJIAK  CAKOES. 


933 


Sculling  one  of  these  large  canoes  is 
rather  heavy  work,  the  great  paddles  being 
worked  from  side  to  side  in  perfect  unison, 
the  men  moving  their  feet  in  accordance 
with  the  rhythm  of  their  comrades’  song. 
As  many  as  eight  sculls  are  sometimes 
employed  at  the  same  time,  should  the 
canoe  be  a large  one  and  the  crew  tolerably 
numerous.  The  sculling  oars  pass  through 
holes  in  the  deck,  an  equal  number  being 
out  fore  and  aft. 

The  mode  of  building  these  canoes  is  so 
ingenious  that  I will  try  to  describe  it, 
though  without  a plentiful  use  of  diagrams 
description  is  very  difficult.  Canoes  of 
moderate  size  are  cut  out  of  single  logs; 
and  in  these  there  is  nothing  particularly 
worthy  of  remark.  But  when  the  native 
ship-builder  wishes  to  construct  one  of  the 
great  war  canoes,  he  has  to  exercise  all 
the  skill  of  his  craft. 

Here  it  must  be  mentioned,  that  the 
canoe  makers  form  a sort  of  clan  of  their 
own,  and  have  their  own  chief,  who  is 
always  a man  eminent  for  skill  in  his  pro- 
fession. The  experienced  Fijians  know  the 
workmanship  of  these  men  as  well  as  our 
artists  know  the  touch  and  style  of  a cele- 
brated sculptor  or  painter,  and  contemplate 
both  the  man  and  his  workmanship  with 
respectful  admiration. 

The  first  process  in  canoe  building  is  to 
lay  the  keel,  which  is  made  of  several  pieces 
of  wood  carefully  “scarfed”  together;  and 
upon  it  the  planking  is  fixed,  without  re- 
quiring ribs,  as  in  our  boats.  The  most 
ingenious  part  of  boat  building  is  the  way 
that  the  planks  are  fastened,  or  rather  tied 
together,  without  a vestige  of  the  sinnet 
appearing  on  the  outside.  Along  the  inside 
edge  of  each  plank  runs  a bold  flange, 
through  which  a number  of  holes  are  bored 
downward  at  regular  distances,  so  that 
when  two  planks  are  placed  together,  the 
holes  in  the  flanges  exactly  coincide,  and  a 
cord  can  be  run  through  them. 

When  a plank  has  been  made,  and  all  the 
flange  holes  bored,  the  edges  are  smeared 
with  a sort  of  white  pitch,  upon  which  is 
laid  a strip  of  fine  mask  This  of  course 
covers  the  holes,  which  are  reopened  by 
means  of  a small  fire-stick.  The  planks 
thus  prepared  are  called  “vonos.”  When 
the  vono  is  ready,  it  is  lifted  to  its  place, 
and  very  carefully  adjusted,  so  that  all  the 
holes  exactly  coincide.  The  best  and  strong- 
est sinnet  is  next  passed  eight  or  ten  times 
through  the  hole,  drawn  as  tight  as  possi- 
ble, and  then  tied.  • It  will  be  seen,  there- 
fore, that  all  the  tying  is  done  inside  the 
vessel.  In  order  to  tighten  the  sinnet  still 
more,  a number  of  little  wedges  are  inserted 
under  it  in  different  directions,  and  are 
driven  home  with  the  mallet. 

^ By  this  process  the  planks  are  brought  so 
tightly  together  that,  when  the  carpenter 
comes  to  smooth  off  the  outside  of  the  ves- 


sel with  his  adze,  he  often  has  to  look  very 
closely  before  he  can  see  the  line  of  junc- 
tion. Caulking  is  thero^bre  needless,  the 
white  pitch  and  masi  rendering  the  junction 
of  the  planks  completely  water{)roof.  The 
vonos  are  by  no  means  equal  in  size,  some 
being  twenty  feet  in  length,  while  others 
are  barely  thirty  inches,  but  all  are  con- 
nected in  exactly  the  same  manner. 

The  gunwales,  and  other  parts  above  the 
water  mark,  do  not  require  so  much  care, 
and  are  fastened  without  flanges,  a strip  of 
wood  or  “bead”  being  laid  upon  the  junc- 
tion, and  the  sinnet  bands  passing  over  and 
over  it  and  drawn  tight  with  wedges,  and 
the  holes  carefully  caulked  with  fibre  and 
pitch.  When  the  canoe  is  completed,  it  is 
beautifully  finished  off,  the  whole  of  the 
outside  being  first  carefully  trimmed  with 
the  adze,  and  then  polished  with  pumice 
stone,  so  that  it  looks  as  if  it  were  made  of 
one  piece  of  wood. 

Ornament  is  freely  used  in  the  best 
canoes,  especially  in  the  two  projecting 
ends,  which  are  carved  in  patterns,  and 
frequently  inlaid  with  white  shells  belong- 
ing to  the  genus  Ovulum  or  egg  shells. 
This  form  of  canoe  has  gradually  super- 
seded the  more  clumsy  forms  that  were 
once  in  use  in  Tonga  and  the  neighboring 
islands.  The  Tongans  often  made  voyages 
to  Fiji,  being  better  and  bolder  sailors, 
though  their  canoes  were  inferior;  and, 
having  been  struck  with  the  superiority  of 
Fijian  boat-building,  have  by  degrees  built 
their  own  vessels  after  Fijian  models.  Be- 
ing also  remarkably  good  carpenters,  they 
have  taken  to  boat  building  even  in  Fiji 
itself,  and  have  in  a great  measure  ousted 
the  native  builders,  being  able  to  work  bet- 
ter and  quicker,  and  for  less  pay. 

In  spite  of  their  excellent  canoes,  and 
their  skill  in  managing  their  vessels,  the 
Fijians  are  not  bold  sailors,  and,  according 
to  Mr.  Williams,  “ none  have  yet  taken  their 
canoes  beyond  the  boundaries  of  their  own 
group.”  He  knew  one  old  man  named  Toa- 
levu  (Great  Fowl)  who  had  a fancy  that  he 
could  make  a profitable  trading  expedition 
westward,  and  who  accordingly  loaded  his 
canoe  with  pottery  and  masi,  and  started 
off.  After  two  or  three  days,  however,  he 
became  frightened,  and  made  the  best  of 
his  way  back  again,  only  to  become  a stand- 
ing warning  to  rash  voyagers.  Yet  in 
waters  which  they  know  the  Fijians  are 
excellent  sailors,  and  the  women  appear  to 
be  as  bold  and  skilful  as  the  men,  assisting 
in  steering,  managing  the  sail,  and  even  in 
the  laborious  task  of  sculling  or  poling. 

Owing  to  their  excellence  in  canoe  build- 
ing, the  Fijians  carry  on  a brisk  trade  with 
other  islands,  supplying  them  not  only  with 
the  canoes,  but  with  the  masts,  sails,  sinnet, 
and  other  nautical  appliances,  receiving  in 
exchange  the  whales’  teeth,  shells,  weapop*', 
and  other  valued  commodities. 


CHAPTER  XCV, 


njl  — Continued. 


GOVERNMENT  AND  SOCIAL  LIFE. 

A NATF7E  LEGEND  — THE  KAT  GOD,  AND  HIS  mSHAPS  ON  A JOURNEY  — EVASION  OF  A HUMILIATING 
CUSTOM  — MODERN  CHANGES  OP  GOVERNMENT —THE  VARIOUS  RANKS  OF  CHIEFS  AND  PEOPLE  — 
THE  SYSTEM  OF  VASU,  OR  NEPOTISM  EXTRAORDINARY^  — SINGULAR  POWER  OF  THE  VASU — THE 
^ SYSTEM  A HINDRANCE  TO  INDUSTRY — THE  VASU  AS  AN  AYIBASSADOR  — PAYMENT  OF  TAXES  — 

PRESENTATION  OF  THE  CANOE  — TRIBUTE  PAID  IN  KIND  AND  IN  LABOR  — THE  TENURE  OP 
LAND  — A SINGULAR  CUSTOM  — ATTACHMENT  TO  THE  SOIL  — THE  DISAPPOINTED  PURCHASER  — THE 
FAMILY  THE  TYPE  OF  FIJIAN  GOVERNMENT  — CODE  OF  ETIQUETTE  AMONG  THE  FIJIANS  — THE 
COURT  LANGUAGE— THE  “tAMA,”  AND  ITS  MODIFICATIONS  — MEETING  A SUPERIOR  — THE  “bALE- 
MURl”  CUSTOM  — THE  POLITE  NATIVE  WHO  DID  NOT  GET  A MUSKET — HOW  GREAT  CHIEFS 
VISIT  EACH  OTHER  — ORATORY,  AND  MODES  OF  GREETING  — STRICTNESS  OF  THE  CODE  OF  ETI- 
QUETTE—THE  YOUNG  CHIEF  AND  THE  GUANA’ S TAIL  — A FlJIAN  FEAST  — THE  VAST  OVENS, 
AND  MODE  OF  MAKING  THEM  — PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  FEAST  — ARRANGEMENTS  FOR  THE 
BANQUET  — VARIETY  OF  DISHES  — MODE  OF  DRINKING  — HOW  TO  OPEN  A COCOA-NUT  — CANNI- 
BALISM — THE  KING  TH AKOMBAU  — PRESUMED  ORIGIN  OF  CANNIBALISM  — NATIVE  LEGEND  — THE 
CANNIBAL  FORKS  — OPPORTUNITIES  FOR  HUMAN  SACRIFICES  — “TAKING  DOWN  THE  MAST  ” — AN 
UNFORTUNATE  MISTAKE. 


Owing  to  the  geographical  nature  of  the 
Fiji  group,  which  consists  of  seven  groups 
of  islands,  some  of  them  very  large  and 
some  very  small,  the  mode  of  government 
has  never  been  monarchical,  the  country 
being  ruled  by  a number  of  chiefs  of  greater 
or  less  importance,  according  to  the  amount 
of  territory  over  which  their  sway  extended. 
The  various  islands  had  in  former  days  hut 
little  connection  with  each  other.  At  the 
present  time,  more  intercourse  takes  place, 
and  in  one  instance  the  visit  involves  a sin- 
gular and  ludicrous  ceremonial. 

One  of  the  gods  belonging  to  Somo-somo, 
named  Kg-gurai,  went  to  visit  Mbau  a spot 
on  the  eastern  coast  of  Viti  Lemi,  one  of  the 
greater  islands,  and  to  pay  his  respects  to 
tlie  god  of  that  place.  He  was  accompanied 
by  a Vuna  god  named  Vatu-Mundre,  who 
gave  him  a bamboo  by  way  of  a vessel,  and 
undertook  to  guide  him  on  his  journey. 
Ng-gurai  then  entered  into  the  body  of  a 
rat,  seated  himself  on  the  bamboo,  and  set 
off  on  his  journey.  After  they  had  sailed 
for  some  time,  Hg-gurai  lost  his  way  on 
account  of  wanting  to  call  at  every  island 
which  he  passed,  and  at  last,  just  as  he  ar- 
rived on  the  Mbau  shore,  he  was  washed 


off  the  bamboo  and  nearly  drowned  in  the 
surf. 

From  this  fate  he  was  rescued  by  a Mbau 
woman,  who  took  him  into  the  chiefs  house, 
and  put  him  among  the  cooks  on  the  hearth, 
where  he  sat  shivering  for  four  days.  Mean- 
while, Vatu-Mundre  arrived  at  his  destina- 
tion, and  was  received  in  royal  manner  by 
the  Mbau  god,  who  tried  in  vain  to  induce 
him  to  become  tributary  to  him. 

After  a proper  interval,  the  Mbau  god 
returned  the  visit  of  Vatu-Mundre,  who  had 
craftily  greased  the  path,  so  that  when  his 
visitor  became  animated,  his  feet  slipped, 
and  he  fell  on  his  back.  Vatu-Mundre  then 
took  advantage  of  his  situation,  and  forced 
his  visitor  to  become  his  tributary. 

In  consequence  of  this  affair,  the  Mbau 
people  pay  a homage  to  the  natives  of  Vuna, 
but  indemnify  themselves  by  exacting  a most 
humiliating  homage  from  the  men  of  Somo- 
somo,  though  in  fact  Somo-somo  is  the 
acknowledged  superior  of  Vuna. 

Whenever  a Somo-somo  canoe  goes  to 
Mbau,  the  sail  must  be  lowered  at  a certain 
distance  from  shore,  and  the  crew  must 
paddle  in  a sitting  position.  To  keep  up 
the  sail  or  to  paddle  in  the  usual  standing 


THE  VASU. 


935 


position  would  cost  them  their  lives.  As 
soon  as  they  come  within  hearing  of  the 
shore  they  have  to  shout  the  Tama,  i.  e.  the 
reverential  salutation  of  an  inferior  to  a 
superior,  and  to  reiterate  it  at  short  intervals. 

Arrived  on  shore,  they  are  not  allowed  to 
enter  a house,  but  are  kept  in  the  open  air 
for  four  days,  during  which  time  they  are 
obliged  to  wear  their  worst  dresses,  move 
about  in  a stooping  attitude,  and  to  say  the 
Tama  in  a low  and  trembling  voice,  in  imi- 
tation of  the  shivering  rat-god.  After  the 
four  days  have  expired,  they  may  enter 
houses  and  dress  in  better  clothes,  but  are 
still  obliged  to  walk  in  a half-bent  attitude. 
When  a Mbau  man  meets  one  of  these 
crouching  visitors,  he  cries  out,  “ Ho!  Ho!  ” 
in  a jeering  manner,  and  asks  the  Somo- 
somo  man  whether  his  god  is  yet  at  liberty. 
The  unfortunate  visitor  is  then  obliged  to 
place  his  hand  on  his  heart,  stoop  half-way 
to  the  ground,  and  say  humbly  thatNg-gurai 
is  allowed  his  liberty„ 

Naturally  disliking  this  oppressive  and 
humiliating  custom,  the  people  of  Somo- 
somo  have  of  late  years  managed  to  evade 
it  by  means  of  foreign  vessels.  The  custom 
of  lowering  the  sail  and  paddling  while 
seated  was  not  binding  on  people  of  other 
countries,  and  so  they  contrived  to  visit 
Mbau  on  board  of  Tongan  canoes,  or,  better 
still,  English  ship-boats. 

Of  late  years  the  government  has  assumed 
a feudal  aspect,  the  chiefs  of  large  districts 
being  considered  as  kings,  and  having  under 
them  a number  of  inferior  chiefs  who  are 
tributary  to  them,  and  bound  to  furnish  men 
and  arms  when  the  king  declares  war.  Ac- 
cording to  Mr.  Williams,  the  Fijians  may  be 
ranked  under  six  distinct  orders.  First 
come  the  kings,  and  next  to  them  the  chiefs 
of  separate  large  islands  or  districts.  Then 
come  the  chiefs  of  towns,  the  priests,  and 
the  Mata-ni-vanuas,  or  aides-de-camp  of  the 
great  chiefs.  Next  to  them  come  the  chiefs 
of  professions,  such  as  canoe  building  and 
turtle  fishing,  and  with  them  are  ranked 
any  distinguished  warriors  of  low  birth. 
The  fifth  rank  includes  all  the  commonalty, 
and  the  sixth  consists  of  the  slaves,  who  are 
always  captives. 

As  is  often  the  case  in  countries  where 
polygamy  is  practised,  the  law  of  descent 
passes  through  the  female  line,  the  succes- 
sor of  the  king  or  chief  being  always  the  son 
of  a woman  of  high  rank. 

The  oddest  part  of  Fijian  political  econ- 
omy is  the^  system  of  Yasu,  or  nephew  — a 
system  which  may  be  described  as  nepotism 
carried  ^ to  the  greatest  possible  extreme. 
Mr.  Williams’s  description  of  the  Yasu  is 
very  curious.  “The  word  means  a nephew, 
or  niece,  but  becomes  a title  of  office  in  the 
case  of  the  male,  who  in  some  localities  has 
the  extraordinary  privilege  of  appropriating 
whatever  he  chooses  belonging  to  his  uncle, 
or  those  under  his  uncle’s  power. 


“ Yasus  are  of  three  kinds  : the  Yasu- 
taulcei^  the  Vasu-levu  and  tlie  Yasu;  — the 
last  is  a common  name,  belonging  to  any 
nephew  whatever.  Yasu-taukei  is  a term 
applied  to  any  Yasu  whose  mother  is  a lady 
of  the  land  in  which  he  was  l)orn.  The  fact 
of  Mbau  being  at  the  head  of  Fijian  rank 
gives  the  Queen  of  Mbau  a pre-eminence 
over  all  Fijian  ladies,  and  her  son  a place 
nominally  over  all  Yasus. 

“No  material  difference  exists  between  the 
power  of  a Yasu-taukei  and  a Yasu-levu, 
which  latter  title  is  given  to  every  Yasu 
born  of  a woman  of  rank,  and  having  a first- 
class  chief  for  his  father.  A Yasu-taukei 
can  claim  anything  belonging  to  a native  of 
his  mother’s  land,  excepting  the  wives, 
home,  and  land  of  a chief.  Yasus  cannot 
be  considered  apart  from  the  civil  polity  of 
the  group,  forming,  as  they  do,  one  of  its  in- 
tegral parts,  and  supplying  the  high-pressure 
power  of  Fijian  despotism. 

“ In  grasping  at  dominant  influence,  the 
chiefs  have  created  a power,  which  ever  and 
anon  turns  round  and  grips  them  with  no 
gentle  hand.  However  high  a chief  may 
rank,  however  powerful  a king  may  be,  if  he 
has  a nephew,  he  has  a master,  one  who 
will  not  be  content  with  the  name,  but  who 
will  exercise  his  prerogative  to  the  full 
seizing  whatever  will  take  his  fancy,  regard- 
less of  its  value  or  the  owner’s  inconven- 
ience in  its  loss.  Eesistance  is  not  to  be 
thought  of,  and  objection  is  only  offered  in 
extreme  cases.  A striking  instance  of  the 
power  of  the  Yasu  occurred  in  the  case  of 
Thokonauto,  a Rewa  chief,  who,  during  a 
quarrel  with  an  uncle,  used  the  right  of 
Yasu,  and  actually  supplied  himself  with 
ammunition  from  his  enemy’s  stores.  . . . 

“ Descending  in  the  social  scale,  the  Yasu 
is  a hindrance  to  industry,  few  being  willing 
to  labor  unrewarded  for  another’s  benefit. 
One  illustration  will  suffice.  An  industrious 
uncle  builds  a canoe  in  which  he  has  not 
made  half-a-dozen  trips,  when  an  idle 
nephew  mounts  the  deck,  sounds  his  trum- 
pet-shell, and  the  blast  announces  to  all 
within  hearing  that  the  canoe  has  that  in- 
stant changed  masters.” 

The  Yasu  of  a king  is  necessarily  a per- 
sonage of  very  great  importance  ; and  when 
he  acts  as  delegate  for  the  king,  he  is  in- 
vested for  the  time  with  royal  dignity.  He 
is  sent,  for  example,  to  other  places  to  col- 
lect property,  which  is  handed  over  to-  his 
king  as  tribute  ; and  were  it  not  for  a check 
which  the  king  has  over  him,  he  might 
be  tempted  to  enrich  himself  by  exacting 
more  from  the  people  than  they  ought  to 
give.  In  this  case,  however,  the  Yasu  is 
held  amenable  to  the  king,  and  should  he 
exceed  his  proper  powers,  is  heavily  fined. 

Taxes,  to  which  reference  is  here  made, 
are  paid  in  a manner  diftering  materially 
from  the  mode  adopted  in  more  civilized 
countries.  In  Europe,  for  example,  no  one 


936 


FIJI. 


pays  a t*x  if  he  can  possibly  escape  from  it, 
and  the  visits  of  the  tax-gatherer  are  looked 
upon  as  periodical  vexations.  In  Fiji  the 
case  is  different.  People  take  a pride  in 
paying  taxes,  and  the  days  of  payment  are 
days  of  high  festival. 

On  the  appointed  day  the  king  prepares  a 
great  feast,  and  the  people  assemble  in  vast 
multitudes  with  their  goods,  such  as  rolls  of 
sinnet,  masi,  whales’  teeth,  reeds,  women’s 
dresses  — and  often  accompanied  by  their 
wearers  — ornaments,  weapons,  and  the  like, 
and  present  themselves  in  turn  before  the 
king.  Each  man  is  clad  in  his  very  best 
raiment,  is  painted  in  the  highest  style  of 
art,  and  displays  the  latest  fashion  in  hair- 
dressing. W ith  songs  and  dances  the  people 
approach  their  monarch,  and  lay  their  pres- 
ents before  him,  returning  to  the  banquet 
which  he  has  prepared  for  them. 

It  is  hardly  possible  to  imagine  a more 
animated  scene  than  that  which  occurs  when 
the  tribute  from  a distant  place  is  taken  to 
the  king,  especially  if,  as  is  often  the  case,  a 
valuable  article,  such  as  a large  war  canoe, 
is  presented  as  part  of  the  tribute.  A fleet 
of  canoes,  containing  several  hundred  people 
and  great  quantities  of  property,  makes  its 
appearance  off  the  coast,  and  is  received  with 
great  hospitality,  as  well  may  be  the  case. 
The  king  having  seated  himself  on  a large 
masi  cai’])et,  the  principal  chief  of  the  trib- 
ute bearers  comes  before  him,  accompanied 
by  his  men  bringing  the  presents  with  them 
in  proper  ceremonial,  the  chief  himself  car- 
rying, in  the  folds  of  his  robe,  a whale’s 
tooth,  which  is  considered  as-  the  symbol  of 
the  canoe  which  is  about  to  be  presented, 
and  which  is  called  by  the  same  name  as  the 
canoe  which  it  represents. 

Approaching  the  king  with  the  prescribed 
gestures,  the  chief  kneels  before  him,  and 
first  offers  to  his  master  all  the  property 
which  has  been  detDOsited  on  the  ground. 
He  then  takes  from  the  folds  of  his  volu- 
minous dress,  which,  as  the  reader  may  re- 
member, is  often  several  hundred  feet  in 
length,  the  whale’s  tooth,  and  makes  an 
appropriate  speech.  He  compliments  the 
king  on  the  prosperity  which  is  enjoyed  by 
all  districts  under  his  sway,  acknowledging 
their  entire  submission,  and  hoping  that 
they  may  be  allowed  to  live  in  order  to 
build  canoes  for  him.  As  an  earnest  of  this 
wish,  he  presents  the  king  with  anew  canoe, 
and,  so  saying,  he  gives  the  king  the  sym- 
bolical whale’s  tooth,  calling  it  by  the  name 
of  the  vessel.  On  receiving  the  tooth,  the 
king  graciously  gives  them  his  permission 
to  live,  whereupon  all  present  clap  their 
hands  and  shout,  the  cry  of  the  receivers 
being  different  from  that  which  is  employed 
by  the  givers. 

" In  the  following  illustration  one  of  these 
animated  scenes  is  represented. 

Nearly  in  the  centre  is  the  king  seated  on 
the  masi  carpet,  having  his  back  to  the 


spectator  in  order  to  show  the  mode  in 
which  the  flowing  robes  of  a great  man  are 
arranged.  In  front  of  him  kneels  the  chief 
of  the  tax-paying  expedition,  who  is  in  the 
act  of  offering  to  the  king  the  symbolical 
whale’s  tooth.  One  or  two  similar  teeth  lie 
by  his  side,  and  form  a part  of  the  present. 
In  the  distance  is  the  flotilla  of  canoes,  in 
which  the  tax-paying  party  have  come  ; and 
near  the  shore  is  the  new  war  canoe,  which 
forms  the  chief  part  of  the  offering. 

In  the  foreground  are  seen  the  various 
articles  of  property  which  constitute  taxes, 
such  as  yams,  rolls  of  cloth  and  sinnet, 
baskets,  articles  of  dress,  and  young  women, 
the  last  being  dressed  in  the  finest  of  likus, 
and  being  decorated,  not  only  with  their  or- 
dinary ornaments,  but  with  wreaths  and  gar- 
lands of  flowers.  Behind  the  oftering  chief 
are  his  followers,  also  kneeling  as  a mark  of 
respect  for  the  king;  and  on  the  left  hand 
are  the  spectators  of  the  ceremony,  in  front 
of  whom  sit  their  chiefs  and  leading  men. 

Tribute  is  not  only  paid  in  property,  but 
in  labor,  those  who  accompany  the  tax-pay- 
ing chief  being  required  to  give  their  labor 
for  several  weeks.  They  work  in  the  fields, 
they  thatch  houses,  they  help  in  canoe  build- 
ing, they  go  on  fishing  expeditions,  and  at 
the  end  of  the  stipulated  time  they  receive  a 
present,  and  return  to  their  homes. 

Should  the  king  take  it  into  his  head  to  go 
and  fetch  the  taxes  himself,  his  visit  becomes 
terribly  burdensome  to  those  whom  he 
honors  with  his  presence.  He  will  be  ac- 
companied by  some  twenty  or  thirty  canoes, 
manned  by  a thousand  men  or  so,  and  all 
those  people  have  to  be  entertained  by  the 
chief  whom  he  visits.  It  is  true  that  he 
always  makes  a present  W'hen  he  concludes 
his  visit,  but  the  present  is  entirely  in- 
adequate to  the  cost  of  his. entertainment. 

The  tenure  of  land  is  nearly  as  ditficult  a 
question  in  Fiji  as  in  New  Zealand.  It  is 
difficult  enough  when  discussed  between 
natives,  but  when  the  matter  is  complicated 
by  a quarrel  between  natives  and  colonists, 
it  becomes  a very  apple  of  discord.  Neither 
party  can  quite  understand  the  other.  The 
European  colonist  who  buys  land  from  a 
native  chief  purchases,  according  to  his 
ideas,  a complete  property  in  the  land,  and 
control  over  it.  The  native  who  sells  it  has 
never  conceived  such  an  idea  as  the  total 
alienation  of  land,  and,  in  consequence,  if  the 
purchaser  should  happen  to  leave  any  part 
of  the  land  unoccupied,  the  natives  will  build 
their  houses  upon  it,  and  till  it  as  before. 
Then  as  in  process  of  time  the  proprietor 
wants  to  use  his  ground  for  his  own  purposes, 
the  natives  refuse  to  be  ejected,  and  there  is  a 
quarrel. 

The  state  of  the  case  is  very  well  put  by 
Dr.  Pritchard:  “ Every  inch  of  land  in  Fiji 

has  its  owner.  Every  parcel  or  tract  of 
ground  has  a name,  and  the  boundaries  are 
defined  and  well-known.  The  proprietor- 


PRESENTATION  OF  THE  CANOE. 
(See  page  936.) 


(937) 


A TEDIOUS  CODE  OF  ETIQUETTE. 


939 


ship  rests  in  families,  the  heads  of  families 
being  the  representatives  of  the  title.  Every 
member  of  the  family  can  use  the  lands  at- 
taching to  the  family.  Thus  the  heads  of 
families  are  the  nominal  owners,  the  whole 
family  are  the  actual  occupiers.  The  family 
land  maintains  the  whole  family,  and  the 
members  maintain  the  head  of  the  family. 

“ A chief  holds  his  lands  under  precisely 
the  same  tenure,  as  head  of  his  family,  and 
his  personal  rights  attain  only  to  the  land 
pertaining  to  his  family,  in  which  right  every 
member  of  his  family  shares  so  far  as  on  any 
ortion  of  the  land.  But  the  chief  is  also 
ead  of  his  tribe,  and,  as  such,  certain  rights 
to  the  whole  lands  of  the  tribe  appertain  to 
him.  The  tribe  is  a family,  and  the  chief  is 
the  head  of  the  family. 

“ The  families  of  a tribe  maintain  the  chief. 
In  war  they  give  him  their  services,  and 
follow  him  to  the  fight.  In  peace  they  sup- 
ply him  with  food.  In  this  way,  the  whole 
tribe  attains  a certain  collective  interest  in 
all  the  lands  held  by  each  family;  and  every 
parcel  of  land  alienated  contracts  the  source 
whence  the  collective  tribal  support  of  the 
chief  is  drawn.  From  this  complicated 
tenure  it  is  clear  that  the  alienation  of  land, 
however  large  or  small  the  tract,  can  be  made 
valid  only  by  the  collective  act  of  the  whole 
tribe,  in  the  persons  of  the  ruling  chief  and 
the  heads  of  families.  Eandom  and  reckless 
land  transactions  under  these  circumstances 
would  be  simply  another  seizure  of  Kaboth’s 
vineyard,  for  which  the  price  of  blood  would 
inevitably  have  to  be  paid.” 

Another  cause  of  misunderstanding  lies  in 
a peculiar  attachment  which  the  Fijian  has 
to  the  soil.  When  he  sells  a piece  of  land, 
it  is  an  understood  thing  between  the  buyer 
and  seller  that  the  latter  shall  have  the  ex- 
clusive right  of  working  on  the  ground,  that 
none  but  he  shall  be  employed  to  till  the 
ground,  or  build  houses  upon  it.  The  white 
settlers  who  understand  the  customs  of  the 
natives  have  accepted  the  condition,  and 
find  that  it  answers  tolerably  well.  Those 
who  are  unacquainted  with  native  ideas  have 
often  suffered  severely  for  their  ignorance, 
and,  when  they  have  brought  a gang  of  their 
own  workmen  to  put  up  a house  on  the  newly 
purchased  land,  have  been  fairly  driven  out 
by  armed  parties  of  natives. 

Mr.  Pritchard  narrates  an  amusing  an- 
ecdote, which  illustrates  the  working  of  this 
principle.  A missionary  had  purchased 
some  land  according  to  the  code  of  laws  which 
had  been  agreed  upon  by  the  native  chiefs 
and  the  colonists;  all  the  natives  who  be- 
longed to  the  family  having  been  consulted, 
and  agreed  to  the  purchase.  As  a matter  of 
course,  they  expected  that  the  work  of  clear- 
ing the  ground  and  building  the  house  would 
be  given  to  them.  Being  ignorant  of  this 
custom,  the  purchaser  took  some  of  his  own 
. people,  but  was  immediately  surrounded  by 
a body  of  armed  savages,  who  flourished  their 
46 


clubs  and  spears,  and  frightened  him  so  much 
that  he  retreated  to  his  boat,  and  made  ofl*. 
When  he  was  well  out  of  range,  all  those  who 
had  muskets  fired  them  in  the  direction  of 
the  boat,  as  if  to  show  that  their  intention 
was  not  to  kill  but  merely  to  intimidate. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  foregoing  pas- 
sages, that  the  whole  government  of  Fiji  is 
a repetition  of  one  principle,  namely,  that 
of  the  family.  The  head  of  a family  is  the 
nominal  possessor  of  the  land.  All  the 
members  of  the  family  use  the  land,  and 
support  their  head,  as  a return  for  the  use 
of  the  land.  Districts  again  are  considered 
as  families,  the  chief  being  the  head,  and 
being  supported  by  the  district.  The  king, 
again,  is  considered  as  the  father  of  all  the 
chiefs,  and  the  nominal  owner  of  all  the  land 
in  his  dominions,  and  he  is  therefore  entitled 
to  be  supported  by  the  taxation  which  has 
been  described.  Practically,  however,  he 
has  no  more  right  to  land  than  any  other 
head  of  a family. 

From  the  preceding  observations  the 
reader  may  see  that  a definite  code  of  eti- 
quette prevails  among  the  Fiji  islands. 
Indeed,  there  is  no  part  of  the  world  where 
etiquette  is  carried  to  a greater  extent,  or 
where  it  is  more  intimately  interwoven  with 
every  action  of  ordinary  life.  If,  for  exam- 
ple, one  man  meets  another  on  a path,  both 
having,  as  usual,  their  clubs  on  their  shoul- 
ders, as  they  approach  each  other  they  lower 
their  clubs  to  their  knees,  as  a token  that 
they  are  at  peace,  and  pass  on.  Ketaining 
the  club  on  the  shoulder  would  be  equiva- 
lent to  a challenge  to  fight. 

The  leading,  characteristic  of  this  code  of 
etiquette  is  the  reverence  for  the  chief,  a 
reverence  which  is  carried  to  such  a pitch 
that  in  battle  a chief  sometimes  comes  out 
unhurt  simply  because  his  opponents  were 
so  much  awe-stricken  by  his  rank  that  they 
did  not  dare  to  strike  him.  Each  superior 
therefore  partakes  of  the  chiefly  character 
as  far  as  his  inferiors  are  concerned,  and 
expects  the  appropriate  acknowledgments 
of  rank. 

This  extraordinary  reverence  is  carried  so 
far  that  it  has  invented  a language  of  eti- 
quette, no  one  with  any  pretensions  to  good 
breeding  speaking  in  ordinary  language  of 
a chief,  of  a chiefs  head  or  limbs,  of  a chiefs 
dress,  or  indeed  of  any  action  performed  'by 
a chief,  but  supplying  a paraphrastic  and 
hyperbolical  phraseology,  of  which  our  own 
court  language  is  but  a faint  shadow.  The 
Tama,  which  has  before  been  mentioned,  is 
the  right  of  a chief,  and  is  therefore  uttered 
by  men  of  inferior  rank,  not  Only  when  they 
meet  the  chief  himself,  but  when  they  come 
within  a certain  distance  of  his  village.  So 
elaborate  is  this  code  of  ceremony  that,  dis- 
courteous as  it  might  be  to  omit  the  Tama 
when  due,  it  would  be  thought  doubly  so  to 
utter  it  on  occasions  when  it  was  not  due. 
For  example,  the  Tama  is  not  used  toward 


940 


FIJI. 


the  close  of  the  day,  or  when  the  chief  is 
either  making  a sail  or  watching  a sail  maker 
at  work;  and  if  the  Tama  were  uttered  on 
any  such  occasion,  it  would  be  resented  as 
an  insult. 

Passing  a superior  on  the  wrong  side, 
and  sailing  by  his  canoe  on  the  outrigger 
side,  are  considered  as  solecisms  in  man- 
ners, while  passing  behind  a chief  is  so 
deadly  an  insult  that  the  man  who  dared 
do  such  a deed  would  run  the  risk  of  getting 
his  brains  knocked  out  on  the  spot,  or,  if  he 
were  a rich  man,  would  have  to  pay  a very 
heavy  fine,  or  “ soro,”  by  way  of  compensa- 
tion. The  reason  of  this  rule  is  evident 
enough.  The  Fijian  is  apt  to  be  treacherous, 
and  when  he  attacks  another  always  tries  to 
take  him  unawares,  and  steals  on  him,  if 
possible,  from  behind.  It  is  therefore  a 
rule,  that  any  one  passing  behind  a superior 
is  looked  upon  as  contemplating  assassina- 
tion, and  makes  himself  liable  to  the  appro- 
priate penalty. 

If  a man  should  meet  a chief,  the  inferior 
withdraws  from  the  path,  lays  his  club  on 
the  ground,  and  crouches  in  a bent  position 
until  the  great  man  has  passed  by.  If,  how- 
ever, the  two  men  should  be  of  tolerably 
equal  rank,  the  inferior  merely  stands  aside, 
bends  his  body  slightly,  and  rubs  the  left 
arm  with  the  right  hand,  or  grasps  his 
beard  and  keeps  his  eyes  fixed  on  the 
ground. 

The  act  of  giving  anything  to  the  chief, 
touching  him  or  his  dress,  or  anything  above 
his  head,  or  receiving  anything  from  him,  or 
hearing  a gracious  message  from  him,  is  ac- 
companied by  a gentle  clapping  of  the  hands. 
Standing  in  the  presence  of  a chief  is  not 
permitted.  Any  one  who  addresses  him 
must  kneel;  and  if  they  move  about,  must 
either  do  so  on  tiieir  knees,  or  at  least  in  a 
crouching  attitude. 

In  some  cases  the  code  of  etiquette  is 
carried  to  an  extreme  which  appears  to  us 
exceedingly  ludicrous.  If  a superior  fall, 
or  in  any  other  way  makes  himself  look 
awkward,  all  his  inferiors  who  are  present 
immediately  do  the  same  thing,  and  expect 
a fee  as  recognition  of  their  politeness. 

Mr.  Williams  narrates  an  amusing  anec- 
dote of  this  branch  of  etiquette,  which  is 
called  bale-muri  (pronounced  bahleh-moo- 
ree),  i.  e.  follow  in  falling.  “ One  day  I 
came  to  a long  bridge  formed  of  a single 
cocoa-nut  tree,  which  was  thrown  across  a 
rapid  stream,  the  opposite  bank  of  which 
was  two  or  three  feet  lower,  so  that  the 
declivity  was  too  steep  to  be  comfortable. 
The  pole  was  also  wet  and  slippery:  and 
thus  my  crossing  safely  was  very  doubtful. 

“ Just  as  I commenced  the  experiment,  a 
heathen  said  with  much  animation,  ‘ to-day 
I shall  have  a musket.’  I had,  however, 
just  then  to  heed  my  steps  more  than  his 
words,  and  so  succeeded  in  reaching  the 
other  side  safely.  When  I asked  him  why 


he  spoke  of  a musket;  the  man  replied,  ‘ I ; 
felt  certain  you  would  fall  in  attempting  to 
go  over,  and  I should  have  fallen  after  you 
(that  is,  appeared  to  be  equally  clumsy); 
and  as  the  bridge  is  high,  the  w^ater  rapid, 
and  you  a gentleman,  you  would  not  have 
thought  of  giving  me  less  than  a musket.’  ” 
Ludicrous  as  this  custom  appears,  it  is  based 
upon  a true  sense  of  courtesy,  a desire  to 
spare  the  feelings  of  others. 

When  one  person  of  rank  visits  another, 
a number  of  ceremonies  are  performed  in 
regular  order.  Should  the  visit  be  paid  in  a 
canoe,  as  is  mostly  the  case,  a herald  is  sent 
a few  days  previously  to  give  notice  of  his 
coming,  so  as  to  avoid  taking  the  intended 
host  by  surprise.  As  soon  as  the  canoe 
comes  in  sight,  a herald  is  sent  out  to  in- 
quire the  name  and  rank  of  the  visitor,  who 
is  met  on  the  shore  by  a deputation  of  petty 
chiefs,  headed  by  one  of  the  Matas,  or  aides- 
de-camp.  If  the  visitor  be  a personage  of 
very  high  rank,  the  Matas  will  go  ten  miles 
to  meet  him. 

As  soon  as  the  visitor  and  his  retinue  have 
reached  the  house  of  their  entertainer,  they 
seat  themselves,  and  the  host,  after  clapping 
his  hands  gently  in  token  of  salutation, 
welcomes  them  in  a set  form  of  words,  such 
as  “ Come  with  peace  the  chief  from  Mbau,”  , 
or  “ Somo-somo,”  as  the  case  may  be. 

A series  of  similar  remarks  is  made  by  * 
both  parties,  the  main  point  being  that  ; 
Fijian  oratory  is  the  driest  and  dullest  of  i 
performances,  ahvays  broken  up  into  short 
sentences,  without  any  apparent  connection  , 
between  them,  and  further  hindered  by  the  t 
attitude  of  courtesy  which  the  speaker  has  ? 
to  adopt.  It  is  impossible  for  the  finest 
orator  in  the  world  to  make  an  effective  ; 
speech  if  he  has  to  deliver  it  in  a kneeling 
position,  with  his  body  bent  forward,  his  , 
hands  holding  his  beard,  and  his  eyes  di-  ' 
rected  to  the  ground.  In  some  parts  of  Fiji  | 
etiquette  requires  that  the  orator’s  back  \ 
should  be  toward  the  chief  wdiom  he  is  i 
addressing.  Hobody  takes  the  trouble  to  j 
listen  to  these  speeches,  or  is  expected  to  do  o 
so,  the  chiefs  often  talking  over  indifferent  I 
matters  while  the  proper  number  of  speeches 
are  rehearsed. 

The  ceremonies  on  leave-taking  are  quite 
as  long,  as  intricate,  and  as  tedious;  and, 
when  the  speeches  are  over,  the  two_  great 
men  salute  each  other  after  the  fashion  of 
their  country,  by  pressing  their  faces  to- 
gether, and  drawing  in  the  breath  with  a 
loud  noise,  as  if  smelling  each  other.  A 
chief  of  inferior  rank  salutes  his  superior’s 
hand,  and  not  his  face. 

When  the  visitors  start  upon  their  return 
journey,  the  host  accompanies  them  for  a 
part  of  the  way,  the  distance  being  regu-  • 
lated  by  their  relative  rank.  If  they  should 
have  come  by  sea,  the  proper  etiquette^  is 
for  the  host  to  go  on  board,  together  with 
some  of  his  chief  men,  and  to  accompany 


PREPARATIONS  FOR  A FEAST. 


941 


his  visitors  to  a certain  distance  from  land, 
when  they  all  jump  into  the  sea  and  swim 
ashore. 

As  is  the  case  in  all  countries,  whether 
savage  or  civilized,  the  code  of  etiquette  is 
rigidly  enforced  at  meal-times.  Even  the 
greatest  chief,  if  present  at  a banquet,  be- 
haves in  as  deferential  a manner  as  the 
commonest  man  present.  Though  he  may 
be  in  his  own  dominions,  and  though  he 
may  hold  absolute  sway  over  every  man 
and  woman  within  sight,  he  will  not  venture 
to  taste  a morsel  of  food  until  it  has  first 
been  offered  to  him.  Many  years  ago  one 
chief  did  so,  and,  in  consequence,  the  Fijians 
have  hated  his  very  name  ever  since. 

So  great  would  be  the  breach  of  manners 
by  such  a proceeding,  that  the  life  of  the 
offender  would  be  endangered  by  it.  On 
one  occasion  it  did  cost  the  chief  his  life, 
lie  inadvertently  ate  a piece  of  cocoa-nut 
v/hich  had  not  been  offered  to  him;  and  this 
insult  so  rankled  in  the  mind  of  one  of  his 
officers,  who  was  in  attendance,  that  he  ran 
away  from  his  own  chief,  and  joined  another 
who  was  at  war  with  him.  A battle  took 
place,  the  offending  chief  was  worsted,  and 
was  running  for  his  life,  when  he  met  the 
insulted  officer,  and  asked  for  his  assistance. 
The  man  was  inclined  to  give  it,  but  the  in- 
sult could  not  be  forgotten,  and  so,  with  an 
apology  for  the  duty  which  he  was  called  on 
to  perform,  he  knocked  out  his  former  mas- 
ter’s brains  with  his  club. 

A still  more  astonishing  instance  of  this 
feeling  is  mentioned  by  Mr.  Williams.  A 
3'oung  chief  and  his  father-in-law  were 
about  to  dine  together,  and  a baked  guana 
v/as  provided  for  each.  The  guana  is  a liz- 
ard which  has  a long  and  slender  tail.  In 
passing  by  his  relative’s  guana,  the  young 
man  accidentally  broke  off  the  end  of  its 
tail,  which  would  necessarily  be  rendered 
brittle  by  cooking.  This  was  held  to  be  so 
gross  an  insult,  that  the  offender  paid  for  it 
with  his  life. 

Etiquette  is  shown  to  its  fullest  extent 
when  a king  or  principal  chief  gives  a great 
banquet.  As  with  the  New  Zealanders, 
such  a feast  is  contemplated  for  many 
months  previously;  vegetables  are  planted 
expressly  for  it,  and  no  one  is  allowed  to 
kill  pigs  or  gather  fruit,  lest  there  should 
not  be  a sufficient  quantity  of  provisions. 

Just  before  the  day  of  festival,  the  'final 
preparations  are  made.  Messages  are  sent 
to  all  the  neighboring  tribes,  or  rather  to 
the  chiefs,  who  communicate  them  to  the 
people.  The  turtle  fishers  bestir  themselves 
to  got  their  nets  and  canoes  in  order,  and, 
as  soon  as  they  are  ready,  start  off  to  sea. 
Yams  and  other  root  crops  are  dug  up,  the 
ovens  made,  and  the  fuel  chopped  and 
brought  ready  for  use. 

These  ovens  are  of  enormous  size,  as  each 
is  capable  of  cooking  a number  of  pigs,  tur- 
tles, and  vast  quantities  of  vegetables.  With 


all  our  skill  in  cooking,  it  is  to  be  doubted 
whether  we  are  not  excelled  by  the  Fijians 
in  the  art  of  cooking  large  quantities  of 
meat  at  a time.  The  ovens  are  simply  holes 
dug  in  the  ground,  some  ten  feet  in  depth 
and  fifteen  feet  or  so  in  diameter. 

The  mode  of  cooking  is  very  simjfie.  A 
small  fire  is  made  at  the  bottom  of  the  pit, 
which  is  then  filled  with  firewood,  and  as 
soon  as  the  wood  is  thoroughly  on  fire,  large 
stones  are  placed  on  it.  When  the  wood 
has  all  burned  away,  the  pigs,  turtles,  and 
vegetables  are  laid  on  the  hot. stones,  some 
of  which  are  introduced  into  the  interior  of 
each  animal,  so  that  it  may  be  the  more 
thoroughly  cooked.  The  oven  is  then  filled 
up  with  boughs  and  green  leaves,  and  upon 
the  leaves  is  placed  a thick  covering  of 
earth.  The  oven  regulates  its  own  time  of 
cooking,  for  as  soon  as  steam  rises  through 
the  earthy  covering,  the  contents  of  tiie 
oven  are  known  to  be  properly  cooked. 

For  the  two  or  three  days  preceding  the 
feast,  all  the  people  are  full  of  activity. 
They  take  a pride  in  the  liberality  of  their 
chief,  and  each  man  brings  as  many  pigs, 
yams,  turtles,  and  other  kinds  of  food  as  he 
can  manage  to  put  together.  The  king  him- 
self takes  the  direction  of  affairs,  his  orders 
being  communicated  to  the  people  by  his 
Matas,  or  aides-de-camp.  Day  and  night  go 
on  the  preparations,  the  pigs  squealing  as 
they  are  chased  before  being  killed,  the 
men  hard  at  work  digging  the  ovens,  some 
loosening  the  earth  with  long  pointed  sticks, 
others  carrying  off  the  loosened  soil  in 
baskets,  while  the  flames  that  blaze  from 
the  completed  ovens  enable  the  workmen  to 
continue  their  labors  throughout  the  night. 

On  these  occasions  the  Fijians  dispense 
wdth  their  ordinary  feelings  respecting  cook- 
ing. In  Fiji,  as  in  New  Zealand,  cooking  is 
despised,  and  the  word  “ cook  ” is  used  as  a 
term  of  reproach  and  derision.  In  conse- 
quence of  this  feeling,  all  cooking  is  per- 
formed by  the  slaves.  But  on  the  eve  of  a 
great  feast  this  feeling  is  laid  aside,  and 
every  man  helps  to  cook  the  food.  Even 
the  king  himself  assists  in  feeding  the  ovens 
with  fuel,  arranging  the  pigs,  stirring  the 
contents  of  the  cooking  pots,  and  perform- 
ing offices  which,  on  the  following  day,  none 
but  a slave  will  perform. 

By  the  time  that  the  cooking  is  com- 
pleted, the  various  tribes  have  assembled, 
and  the  ovens  are  then  opened  and  the  food 
taken  out.  It  is  then  arranged  in  separate 
heaps,  a layer  of  cocoa-nut  leaves  being 
placed  on  the  ground  by  way  of  dish.  On 
the  leaves  is  placed  a layer  of  cocoa-nuts, 
then  come  the  yams  and  potatoes,  then  pud- 
dings, and  at  the  tojD  of  all  several  pigs. 
The  quantity  of  provisions  thus  brought  to- 
gether is  enormous.  Mr.  Williams  men- 
tions that  at  one  feast,  at  which  he  was 
present,  two  hundred  men  were  employed 
for  nearly  six  hours  in  piling  up  the  food. 


942 


FIJI. 


There  were  six  heaps  of  food,  and  among 
their  contents  were  about  fifty  tons  of 
cooked  yams  and  potatoes,  fifteen  tons  of 
pudding,  seventy  turtles,  and  about  two 
hundred  tons  of  uncooked  yams.  There 
was  one  pudding  which  measured  twenty- 
one  feet  in  circumference. 

Profusion  is  the  rule  upon  these  occa- 
sions, and  the  more  food  that  a chief  produ- 
ces, the  more  honor  he  receives.  One  chief 
gained  the  honorable  name  of  High  Pork, 
because  he  once  provided  such  vast  quanti- 
ties of  food  that  before  it  could  be  finished 
decomposition  had  begun  in  the  pork. 

All  being  arranged,  the  distribution  now 
begins,  and  is  carried  out  with  that  preci- 
sion of  etiquette  which  pervades  all  society 
in  Fiji.  The  various  tribes  and  their  chiefs 
being  seated,  the  Tui-rara,  or  master  of  the 
ceremonies,  orders  the  food  to  be  divided 
into  as  many  portions  as  there  are  tribes, 
regulating  the  amount  by  the  importance  of 
the  tribe.  He  then  takes  the  tribes  in  suc- 
cession, and  calls  their  names.  As  he  calls 
each  tribe,  the  people  return  their  thanks, 
and  a number  of  young  men  are  sent  to 
fetch  the  food.  This  goes  on  until  the  whole 
of  the  food  has  been  given  away,  when  a 
further  distribution  takes  place  among  the 
tribes,  each  village  first  taking  a share  and 
then  each  family  receiving  its  proper  por- 
tion, which  is  handed  to  Its  head. 

It  is  evident  that  the  Tui-rara  has  no  sine- 
cure. He  must  possess  the  most  intimate 
knowledge  of  all  the  tribes,  and  the  ranks 
of  their  respective  chiefs,  and  must  at  the 
same  time  be  on  the  alert  to  distinguish  any 
stranger  that  may  make  his  appearance. 
Should  he  be  a foreigner,  he  is  considered  a 
chief,  and  a chiefs  portion,  i.  e.  a quantity 
sufficient  for  twenty  Fijians  or  sixty  Eng- 
lishmen, is  sent  to  him.  Of  course  he  gives 
the  greater  part  away,  but  in  so  doing  he 
acts  the  part  of  a chief.  It  is,  in  fact,  the 
old  story  of  Beniamin’s  mess  translated  into 
Fijian. 

The  men  always  eat  their  food  in  the 
open  air,  but  send  the  women’s  portion  to 
the  houses  to  be  eaten  within  doors. 

The  first  illustration  on  the  next  page  will 
ive  an  idea  of  a Fijian  feast.  On  the  left 
and  is  seen  the  master  of  the  ceremonies, 
calling  the  name  of  a tribe,  and  in  the 
centre  are  seen  the  young  men  running  to 
fetch  the  food.  In  the  foreground  is  the 
portion  of  their  tribe,  consisting  of  pigs, 
yams,  turtles,  and  so  forth.  In  front  of 
them  are  some  of  the  curious  drums,  which 
will  be  presently  described,  and  in  the  dis- 
tance are  seen  the  members  of  the  different 
tribes,  some  eating,  and  others  waiting  for 
their  portion.  The  curious  building  in  the 
background  is  one  of  the  Bures,  or  temples, 
which  will  be  presently  described. 

From  the  preceding  description  it  will  be 
seen  that  the  Fijians  are  not  bad  cooks,  and 
that  the  number  of  dishes  which  they  pro- 


duce is  by  no  means  small.  The  variety  of 
the  dishes  is,  however,  much  greater  than 
has  been  mentioned.  They  eat  many  kinds 
of  fish,  together  with  almost  every  living 
creature  that  they  find  in  the  coral  reefs. 
Some  of  their  preparations  very  much  re- 
semble those  to  which  we  are  accustomed  in 
England.  For  example,  a sort  of  shrimp 
sandwich  is  made  by  putting  a layer  of 
shrimps  between  two  taro  leaves.  Several 
kinds  of  bread  are  known,  and  nearly  thirty 
kinds  of  puddings.  Turtle  soup  is  in  great 
favor,  and  so  are  various  other  soups. 

The  Fijians  even  make  sauces  to  be  eaten 
with  various  kinds  of  food,  the  sweet  juice 
of  the  sugar-cane  being  much  used  for  this 
purpose.  They  also  have  a sort  of  an  imi- 
tation of  tea,  infusing  sundry  leaves  and 
grasses  in  boiling  water,  and  drinking  it 
when  it  becomes  sufficiently  cool.  Most  of 
their  food  is  cooked;  but,  like  ourselves, 
they  prefer  some  food  in  an  uncooked  state. 
Small  fish,  for  example,  are  eaten  alive,  just 
as  we  eat  oysters. 

They  mostly  drink  water,  or  the  milk  of 
the  cocoa-nut.  To  drink  water  in  native 
fashion  is  not  very  easy.  They  keep  it  in 
long  bamboo  tubes,  so  that  when  it  is  raised 
to  the  lips  the  greatest  care  is  required  lest 
it  should  suddenly  deluge  the  face  and 
body. 

Cocoa-nuts  are  opened  in  rather  a curi- 
ous manner.  A stout  stick  is  sharpened  at 
both  ends,  and  one  end  driven  firmly  into 
the  ground.  Taking  the  nut  in  both  hands, 
the  native  dashes  it  on  the  stick,  which 
splits  open  the  thick  husk,  and  allows  the 
nut  to  be  extracted.  With  a stone,  or  even 
with  another  cocoa-nut  in  case  a stone 
should  not  be  at  hand,  the  native  hammers 
away  round  the  pointed  end,  and  contrives 
to  knock  off  a small  round  lid,  which  is  then 
removed,  leaving  a natural  drinking-cup  in 
his  hand. 

We  now  come  to  the  terrible  subject  of 
cannibalism,  on  which  no  more  will  be  said 
than  is  necessary  to  illustrate  the  character 
of  the  people. 

The  Fijians  are  even  more  devoted  to 
cannibalism  than  the  New  Zealanders,  and 
their  records  are  still  more  appalling.  A 
New  Zealander  has  sometimes  the  grace  to 
feel  ashamed  of  mentioning  the  subject  in 
the  hearing  of  an  European,  whereas  it  is 
impossible  to  make  a Fijian  really  feel  that 
in  eating  human  flesh  he  has  committed  an 
unworthy  act.  He  sees,  indeed,  that  the 
white  men  exhibit  great  disgust  at  canni- 
balism, but  in  his  heart  he  despises  them  for 
wasting  such  luxurious  food  as  human  flesh. 

Even  the  Christianized  natives  have  to 
be  watched  carefully  lest  they  should  be 
tempted  by  old  habits,  and  revert  to  the  cus- 
tom which  they  had  promised  to  abjure. 
For  example,  Thakombau,  the  King  of  Mbad, 
became  a Christian,  or  at  least  pretended  to 


(1.)  A FIJIAN  FEAST.  (See  pa^e  942.) 


(2.)  THE  FATE  OF  THE  BOASTER.  (See  page  952.) 

(did) 


riJIAi^  LOVE  FOR  “LOKG  PIG.” 


945 


do  so.  He  was  not  a particularly  creditable 
convert.  Some  time  after  he  had  an- 
nounced himself  to  be  a Christian,  he  went 
in  his  war  canoe  to  one  of  the  districts  under 
his  sway.  He  was  received  with  the  horri- 
bly barbarous  ceremonial  by  which  a very 
great  chief  is  honored,  conch-shell  trum- 
pets blowing  before  him,  and  the  people 
shouting  their  songs  of  welcome.  Thus  ac- 
companied, he  walked  through  a double  row 
of  living  victims  — men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren of  all  ages  — suspended  by  their  feet, 
and  placed  there  to  give  the  king  his  choice. 
The  hopeful  convert  was  pleased  to  accept 
the  offering,  touching  with  his  club  as  he 
passed  along  those  victims  which  seemed 
most  to  his  taste. 

The  natives  are  clever  enough  at  conceal- 
ing the  existence  of  cannibalism  when  they 
find  that  it  shocks  the  white  men.  An  Euro- 
pean cotton-grower,  who  had  tried  unsuc- 
cessfully to  introduce  the  culture  of  cotton 
into  Fiji,  found,  after  a tolerably  long  resi- 
dence, that  four  or  five  human  beings  were 
killed  and  eaten  weekly.  There  was  plenty 
of  food  in  the  place,  pigs  were  numerous, 
and  fish,  fruit,  and  vegetables  abundant. 
But  the  people  ate  human  bodies  as  often  as 
they  could  get  them,  not  from  any  supersti- 
tious motive,  but  simply  because  they  pre- 
ferred human  flesh  to  pork. 

Many  of  the  people  actually  take  a pride 
in  the  number  of  human  bodies  which  they 
have  eaten.  One  chief  was  looked  upon 
with  great  respect  on  account  of  his  feats  of 
cannibalism,  and  the  people  gave  him  a title 
of  honor.  They  called  him  the  Turtle-pond, 
comparing  his  insatiable  stomach  to  the 
pond  in  which  turtles  are  kept;  and  so  proud 
were  they  of  his  deeds,  that  they  even  gave 
a name  of  honor  to  the  bodies  brought  for 
his  consumption,  calling  them  the  “Con- 
tents of  the  Turtle-pond.”  This  man  was 
accustomed  to  eat  a human  body  himself, 
suffering  no  one  to  share  it  with  him.  After 
his  family  were  grown  up,  he  bethought 
himself  of  registering  his  unholy  meals  by 
placing  a stone  on  the  ground  as  soon  as  he 
had  finished  the  body.  His  son  showed  these 
stones  to  an  English  clergyman,  who  counted 
them,  and  found  that  there  were  very  nearly 
nine  hundred. 

One  man  gained  a great  name  among  his 
people  by  an  act  of  peculiar  atrocity.  He 
told  his  wife  to  build  an  oven,  to  fetch  fire- 
wood for  heating  it,  and  to  prepare  a bam- 
boo knife.  As  soon  as  she  had  concluded 
her  labors  her  husband  killed  her,  and  baked 
her  in  the  oven  which  her  own  hands  had 
prepared,  and  afterward  ate  her.  Some- 
times a man  has  been  known  to  take  a vic- 
tim, bind  him  hand  and  foot,  cut  slices  from 
his  arms  and  legs,  and  eat  them  before  his 
eyes.  Indeed,  the  Fijians  are  so  inordi- 
nately vain,  that  they  will  do  anything,  no 
matter  how  horrible,  in  order  to  gain  a name 
among  their  people ; and  Dr.  Pritchard,  who 


knows  them  thoroughly,  expresses  his  won- 
der that  some  chief  did  not  eat  slices  from 
his  own  limbs. 

Cannibalism  is  ingrained  in  the  very  na- 
ture of  a Fijian,  and  extends  through  all 
classes  of  society.  It  is  true  that  there  are 
some  persons  who  have  never  eaten  flesh, 
but  there  is  always  a reason  for  it.  Women, 
for  example,  are  seldom  permitted  to  eat 
“bakolo,”  as  human  flesh  is  termed,  and 
there  are  a few  men  who  have  refrained  from 
cannibalism  through  superstition.  Every 
Fijian  has  his  special  god,  who  is  supposed 
to  have  his  residence  in  some  animal.  One 
god,  for  example,  lives  in  a rat,  as  we  have 
already  seen;  another  in  a shark;  and  so  on. 
The  worshipper  of  that  god  never  eats  the 
animal  in  which  his  divinity  resides;  and  as 
some  gods  are  supposed  to  reside  in  human 
bodies,  their  worshippers  never  eat  the  flesh 
of  man. 

According  to  the  accounts  of  some  of  the 
older  chiefs,  whom  we  may  believe  or  not, 
as  we  like,  there  was  once  a time  when  can- 
nibalism did  not  exist.  Many  years  ago, 
some  strangers  from  a distant  land  were 
blown  upon  the  shores  of  Fiji,  and  received 
hospitably  by  the  islanders,  who  incorpo- 
rated them  into  their  own  tribes,  and  made 
much  of  them.  But,  in  process  of  time, 
these  people  became  too  powerful,  killed  the 
Fijian  chiefs,  took  their  wives  and  property, 
and  usurped  their  office. 

In  this  emergency  the  people  consulted 
the  priests,  who  said  that  the  Fijians  had 
brought  their  misfortunes  upon  themselves. 
They  had  allowed  strangers  to  live,  whereas 
“Fiji  for  the  Fijians ” was  the  golden  rule, 
and  from  that  time  every  male  stranger  was 
to  be  killed  and  eaten,  and  every  woman 
taken  as  a wife. 

Only  one  people  was  free  from  fliis  law. 
The  Tongans,  instead  of  being  killed  and 
eaten,  were  always  welcomed,  and  their 
visits  encouraged,  as  they  passed  backward 
and  forward  in  their  canoes,  and  brought 
with  them  fine  mats  and  other  articles  for 
barter.  So  much  have  these  people  inter- 
mingled, that  in  the  eastern  islands,  which 
are  nearest  to  those  of  Tonga,  there  is  a 
decided  mixture  of  Tongan  blood.  With 
this  exception,  however,  the  Fijians  Went 
on  the  same  principle  as  the  Ephesians  of 
Shakespeare  — 

“ If  any  Syracusan  born 
Come  to  the  bay  of  Ephesus,  he  dies ; ’* 

save  that,  instead  of  merely  putting  to  death 
those  who  came  from  one  country,  they 
only  excepted  one  country  from  the  univer- 
sal law. 

The  reader  may  remember  that  a sort  of 
respect  is  paid  to  a human  body  used  for 
food.  Educated  people  speak  of  it  in  the 
court  language,  and,  instead  of  using  any 
vulgar  term,  such  as  a human  body,  they 


946 


FIJI. 


employ  the  metaphorical  language,  and  call 
it  the  “long  pig.”  As  a general  rule,  the 
vessels  in  which  human  flesh  is  cooked  are 
reserved  expressly  for  that  purpose,  and 
both  the  vessel  in  which  it  is  cooked  and 
the  dish  from  which  it  is  eaten  are  held  as 
tapu. 

So  highly  is  “ hakolo  ” honored,  that  it  is 
eaten,  not  with  fingers,  but  with  a fork,  and 
the  implement  in  question  is  handed  down 
from  father  to  son,  like  the  merais  and 
tikis  of  the  New  Zealander.  These  forks 
are  quite  unlike  those  which  are  used  in 
England.  They  mostly  have  four  prongs, 
but  these  prongs,  instead  of  being  set  in  a 
line,  are  generally  arranged  in  a circle  or 
triangle  as  the  case  may  be.  They  are 
carved  out  of  some  very  hard  wood,  and, 
when  they  have  become  venerable  by  rea- 
son of  age  or  of  the  rank  of  their  proprietor, 
they  receive  names  of  honor.  For  example, 
the  cannibal  chief  who  ate  nearly  nine  hun- 
dred human  bodies  had  a fork  which  was 
named  “ Undro-undro,”  the  title  signifying 
a small  person  carrying  a great  burden. 
The  fork  was  a small  object,  but  it  had  car- 
ried to  the  lips  of  its  master  the  bodies  of 
nearly  nine  hundred  human  beings. 

As  the  Fijians  set  such  a value  on  human 
flesh,  it  is  to  be  expected  that  they  will 
invent  a varietv  of  excuses  for  obtaining  it. 
For  example  when  a chief  builds  a house, 
he  kills  at  least  one  human  victim  to  cele- 
brate the  event.  If  he  builds  a large  w^ar 
canoe,  a series  of  sacriflces  takes  place.  A 
man  is  killed,  for  example,  when  the  keel  is 
laid,  and,  if  the  chief  be  a very  powerful 
one,  he  will  kill  a victim  as  each  plank  is 
fixed  in  its  place.  Even  when  it  is  finislied 
the  slaughter  is  not  over,  as,  in  the  first 
]dace,  the  planks  of  the  new  vessel  have  to 
be  washed  with  human  blood,  and,  in  the 
next,  the  launch  must  be  commemorated 
in  the  same  way  as  the  building.  One  chief 
gained  some  notoriety  by  binding  a number 
of  men,  and  laying  them  side  by  side  along 
the  shore  to  act  as  rollers  over  which  the 
canoe  was  taken  from  the  land  into  the  sea. 
The  weight  of  the  canoe  killed  the  men, 
who  were  afterward  baked  and  eaten. 

Even  after  the  canoe  is  launched,  excuses 
are  found  for  carrying  on  the  system  of 
human  butchery.  Whenever  it  touches  at 
a place  for  the  first  time,  a man  must  be 
sacrificed  in  honor  of  taking  down  the  mast, 
this  being  done  to  show  that  the  vessel 
means  to  make  some  stay  at  the  place.  If  a 
chief  should  arrive  in  a new  canoe,  and 
keep  up  his  mast,  the  people  understand  the 
signal,  and  bring  on  board  a newly-slain 
victim,  so  that  the  mast  may  be  taken 
down. 

On  one  occasion,  when  a war  canoe  had 
been  built  at  Somo-somo,  the  missionaries 
exerted  themselves  so  successfully  that  the 
canoe  was  launched  without  the  sacrifice  of 
a single  life.  Eventually,  however,  their 


well-intentioned  interference  rather  in- 
creased than  diminished  the  number  of  vic- 
tims. When  the  canoe  arrived  at  Mbau, 
the  chiefs  were  so  vexed  that  it  had  reached 
them  unhonored  by  human  blood  that  they 
straightway  attacked  a village,  killed  some 
fourteen  or  fifteen  men,  and  ate  them  in 
order  to  do  honor  to  the  ceremony  of  taking 
down  the  mast. 

Sometimes,  in  order  to  secure  a victim 
whenever  one  is  wanted,  the  chiefs  pick  out 
secretly  a certain  number  of  men,  and  put 
them,  so  to  speak,  on  the  black  list.  When- 
ever a sacrifice  is  needed,  all  the  execution- 
ers have  to  do  is  to  find  out  how  many 
victims  are  wanted,  and  then  to  go  and  kill 
the  requisite  number  of  the  black-list  men. 

Whole  towns  are  sometimes  put  on  the 
black  list,  a curious  example  of  which  cus- 
tom is  given  by  Mr.  Williams.  “Vakam- 
bua,  chief  of  Mbau,  thus  doomed  Tavua, 
and  gave  a whale’s  tooth  to  a Nggara  chief, 
that  he  might  at  a fitting  time  punish  that 
place.  Years  passed  away,  and  a reconcilia- 
tion took  place  between  Mbau  and  Tavua, 
but,  unhappily,  the  Mbau  chief  failed  to 
neutralize  the  engagement  made  vriih  the 
Nggara.  A day  came  when  human  bodies 
were  wanted,  and  the  thoughts  of  those 
who  held  the  tooth  were  turned  toward 
Tavua.  They  invited  the  people  of  that 
place  to  a friendly  exchange  of  food,  and 
slew  twenty-three  of  their  unsuspecting 
victims. 

“ When  the  treacherous  Nggarans  had 
gratified  their  own  appetites  by  pieces  of 
the  flesh  cut  off  and  roasted  on  the  spot,  the 
bodies  were  taken  to  Yakambua,  who  was 
greatl}^  astonished,  expressed  much  regret 
that  such  a slaughter  should  have  grown 
out  of  his  carelessness,  and  then  shared  the 
bodies  to  be  eaten.” 

The  Fijian  can  seldom  resist  meat,  and 
that  he  should  resist  “ bakolo  ” could  not  be 
expected  of  him.  In  Mrs.  Smythe’s  “ Ten 
Months  in  the  Fiji  Islands,”  an  amusing 
instance  of  this  predilection  is  recorded. 
“ A white  man  had  shot  and  carried  off  a 
pig  belonging  to  a Fijian,  who,  being  a con- 
vert, went  to  a native  teacher  named  Oba- 
diah,  and  asked  him  to  go  to  the  delinquent 
and  remonstrate  with  him.  The  teacher 
put  on  his  black  coat,  went  to  the  man’s 
house,  and  with  much  earnestness  pointed 
out  to  him  the  iniquity  of  the  deed,  asking 
him  how  he  would  have  liked  it  had  a Fijian 
killed  one  of  his  own  pigs.  The  man  lis- 
tened very  respectfully,  and  allowed  the 
error  of  his  ways,  acknowledging  that  the 
teacher  had  put  the  matter  in  a new  light. 
‘ But,’  said  he  ‘ the  pig  is  now  dead,  and  we 
cannot  bring  it  to  life  again.  Shall  we 
throw  it  out  and  let  it  go  to  waste,  or,  as  it 
is  just  baked,  and  you  have  not  breakfasted, 
shall  we  not  sit  down,  and  you  will  ask  a 
blessing?  ’ 

“ Obadiah,  taken  by  surprise  by  Q ’s 


BLESSING  ASKED  OYER  STOLEN  PIG. 


947 


penitence,  and  the  compliment  paid  to  his 
own  clerical  functions,  and  swayed  perhaps 
a little  by  the  irresistible  love  of  all  Fijians 
for  roast  jDork,  bowed  his  head,  and  reveren- 
tially said  a long  prayer,  after  which  the 


two  set  heartily  to  work  on  the  pig.”  When 
the  teacher  went  to  the  missionary  to  report 
his  successful  labors,  he  was  quite  aston- 
ished at  being  charged  with  complicity  with 
the  thief. 


CHAPTEK  XCVI, 


FIJI  — Continued. 


WAR  AND  AMUSEMENTS. 

WEAPONS  OF  THE  FIJIANS — THE  SLING,  AND  MODE  OF  USING  IT — THE  CLUB,  AND  ITS  VARIOUS  MODI- 
FICATIONS— GRADUAL  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  CLUB  INTO  THE  PADDLE  — MODE  OF  MAKING  THE 
CLUBS,  AND  PREPARATION  OF  THE  TREES  — ORNAMENTS  OF  THE  CLUBS,  AND  THEIR  NAMES  — 
FIJIAN  SPEARS  — THEIR  TERRIBLE  BARBS  — OBJECTS  OF  WAR  — THE  REVIEW  — THE  FATE  OF 
THE  BOASTER  — INGENIOUS  ENGINEERING— CRUELTY  TOWARD  PRISONERS — “ CONSECRATION  ” OF 
A WARRIOR,  AND  HIS  NEW  NAME  — DOMESTIC  LIFE  — CEREMONIES  AT  BIRTH  — TRAINING  IN 
REVENGE  — AMUSEMENTS  — VARIOUS  GAMES  — RIRIKI  — WOMEN  AGAINST  MEN  — DANCES  AND 
SONGS  — MARRIAGE  FESTIVITIES  — WEDDING  OF  A CHIEF’S  DAUGHTER  — DOMESTIC  DISCIPLINE  — 
THE  king’s  staff  — FESTIVITIES  AT  HOUSE  BUILDING — MODE  OF  THATCHING  AND  DECORATINa 
THE  HOUSES — A PRACTICAL  JOKE. 


In  accordance  with  the  plan  on  which  this 
work  has  been  arranged,  Fijian  warfare  will 
be  described  as  it  was  before  fire-arms  were 
introduced,  and  had  changed  the  ancient 
style  of  warfare. 

The  original  weapons  of  the  Fijian  are  the 
club,  the  axe  (which,  by  the  way,  is  little 
more  than  a modification  of  the  club),  the 
bow,  the  sling,  and  the  spear.  In  most  of 
these  weapons  is  exhibited  the  fancifully 
artistic  nature  of  the  manufacturers.  The' 
sling  is  perhaps  the  only  weapon  from  which 
ornament  is  almost  wholly  absent.  !pike  the 
corresponding  weapon  of  the  New^Caledo- 
nians,  it  carries  stones  of  tolerable  weight 
and  great  hardness,  and,  when  wielded  by  a 
skilful  hand,  becomes  no  inefficient  weapon 
even  against  fire-arms  themselves.  A stone 
hurled  from  a Fijian  sling  has  been  known 
to  render  a musket  useless,  the  stone  having 
struck  the  barrel,  and  bent  and  indented  it 
as  much  as  would  have  been  done  by  a bullet. 

The  chief  weapon  of  the  Fijian  is  the  club, 
and  upon  this  he  lavishes  all  the  artistic 
power  at  his  command,  covering  nearly  the 
whole  of  it  with  the  most  intricate  and  deli- 
cately executed  carvings.  Some  clubs  are 
straight,  like  thick  cudgels,  others  are 
curved.  Those  which  are  knobbed  at  the 
end  have  an  infinite  variety  in  the  knob,  as 
we  shall  presently  see.  Some  are  more  or 
less  flattened,  while  there  are  some  which 
are  so  flat  and  so  broad  that  it  is  not  easy  at 
first  sight  to  determine  whether  they  are 
clubs  or  paddles.  Some  are  so  large  that 


they  require  the  whole  exertion  of  a muscu-  ‘ 
lar  man  to  wield  them,  while  others  are  so  i 
short  that  they  are  kept  stuck  in  the  girdle,  | 
and  used  as  missiles,  precisely  as  the  short 
knob-kerries  are  used  by  the  South  Africans.  i 
A Fijian  will  often  carry  two  or  more  of  < 
these  clubs  in  his  girdle.  « 

Some  of  the  most  characteristic  forms  of 
Fijian  dubs  are  given  on  the  following  page,  : 
all  being  drawn  from  specimens  in  my  col- 
lection. Fig.  1 represents  a club,  and  is 
evidently  modified  from  a gnarled  and  ' 
knotted  branch,  and  by  comparing  a num-  I 
ber  of  specimens  together  it  is  easy  to  trace 
the  progress  of  manufacture.  This  form  of  < 
club  is  also  to  be  found  among  the  Papuans  j 
of  New  Guinea,  the  natives  of  the  Outanata  ' 
district  carrying  it.  With  the  exception  of  i 
the  deep  transverse  cuts,  there  is  no  attempt 
at  ornament.  It  is  tolerably  heav}^,  though 
not  very  large,  and  requires  two  hands  to  be 
wielded  properly. 

Figure  2 represents  one  of  the  paddle-like  ’ ' 
clubs  which  have  just  been  mentioned.  The 
blade  is  not  an  inch  in  thickness  in  the  mid- 
dle, and  it  gradually  slopes  off  to  either  side, 
so  as  to  form  a tolerably  sharp  edge.  With 
the  exception  of  the  handle,  it  is  entirely 
covered  with  carving ; the  dentated  pattern, 
which  seems  common  to  nearly  all  savage 
art,  being  very  conspicuous.  It  is  extremely 
weighty,  and,  to  an  European,  appears  a 
very  awkward  instrument,  except  perhaps 
that  the  broad  blade  might  be  utilized  as  a 
shield. 


(948) 


SFEAR.  (See  page  952.; 


(4.)  FIJIAN  CLUBS.  (See  page  948.) 

(949) 


• 


. V 


mm 

OF  TF!S 


13  » 


, ' ■ ■ - ^ 
t , ■ 

f • '■  . . ■ , V 


^T' 


THE  CLUB,  AND  ITS  VARIOUS  FORMS. 


951 


Fig.  3 is  a club,  which  may  be  considered 
as  a sort  of  intermediate  form  between  the 
two  already  mentioned.  Like  the  last,  it 
has  a broad  blade,  but  is  evidently  a club 
and  not  a paddle.  The  blade  is  strength- 
ened by  a bold  ridge  running  along  the 
centre.  In  order  to  show  the  mode  in 
which  it  is  flattened,  a side  view  of  the 
lower  part  is  shown  at  flg.  a,  and  a cross 
section  of  the  blade  is  given  at  fig.  5.  This 
kind  of  club  is  modified  in  various  ways,  but 
is  always  made  on  the  same  principle,  i.  e. 
a round  handle  and  a flattened  paddle-like 
end,  sometimes  nearly  plain,  as  in  the  above 
mentioned  specimens,  and  sometimes  fur- 
nished with  knobs,  teeth,  and  spikes  pro- 
jecting from  the  sides.  In  some  cases  it 
assumes  the  shape  of  a crescent,  and  looks, 
indeed,  much  like  a cheese  knife  very  much 
magnified. 

Another  very  characteristic  shape  is  given 
in  fig.  4.  As  may  be  imagined  from  the  illus- 
tration, it  is  very  weighty,  so  that  even  to 
carry  it  about  must  be  rather  troublesome. 
It  is  covered  with  carvings  in  the  most  lavish 
manner,  and  such  value  has  been  set  by  the 
manufacturer  upon  the  weapon,  that  he  has 
even  taken  the  trouble  to  invent  different 
patterns  for  the  opposite  sides. 

The  peculiar  form  of  this  club  is  evi- 
dently due  to  the  structure  of  the  branch 
from  which  it  was  cut,  the  projecting  portion 
being  the  base  of  another  branch.  Although 
in  many  specimens  — my  own  among  the 
number  — the  club  has  been  carved  from  a 
great  log  of  solid  wood,  the  form  has  evi- 
dently been  borrowed  from  the  junction  of 
two  branches.  The  edge  of  the  club  is  cut 
into  slight  teeth,  and  just  within  the  edge 
are  a number  of  round  holes,  set  in  a line. 
A tolerably  bold  ridge  runs  along  the  head 
of  the  club  and  follows  its  curve,  and  through 
4his  ridge  are  also  bored  a i ‘imber  of  holes, 
apparently  for  the  purpose  of  attaching 
bunches  of  feathers,  or  other  ornaments,  to 
the  weapon. 

The  most  characteristic  club  of  Fiji  is, 
however,  that  of  which  an  example  is  given 
in  fig.  5.  It  is  made  from  the  stem  and  part 
of  the  root  of  a young  tree.  In  this  part  of 
the  world  there  are  certain  trees  which  grow 
in  a manner  which  to  us  seems  very  peculiar. 
As  is  the  case  with  many  trees,  it  sends  a 
tap-root  deeply  into  the  earth,  and  is  further 
supported  by  a number  of  smaller  roots 
which  diverge  from  it  on  all  sides,  and  retain 
It  in  its  upright  position,  just  as  a mast  is 
upheld  by  the  standing  rigging. 

While  the  tree  is  very  young,  it  is  drawn 
down  nearly  horizontally,  and  fixed  in  that 
position,  so  as  to  be  bent  nearly  at  right 
angles  close  to  the  earth.  When  it  has 
grown  to  the  thickness  of  a man’s  wrist,  the 
top  is  cut  off  and  the  roots  dug  out  of  the 
ground.  The  tap-root  is  then  scraped  down 
to  a point,  and  all  the  smaller  roots  are  cut  off 
to  within  an  inch  and  a half  of  the  tap-root, 


so  as  to  form  a radiating  mass  of  spikes, 
which  arc  sharpened,  and  thus  present  the 
appearance  shown  in  the  illustration. 

Such  a club  as  this  is  an  exceedingly  val- 
uable weapon,  and  the  greatest  care  is  taken 
in  its  manufacture.  The  spike  at  the  end  is 
scraped  and  rounded  until  it  assumes  a per- 
fectly regular  shape,  and  is  then  polished 
until  it  shines  like  a well-rubbed  piece  of 
mahogany.  The  radiating  spikelets  are  each 
trimmed  with  the  greatest  nicety,  so  that,  in 
whatever  direction  the  weapon  is  viewed, 
they  all  radiate  with  exact  regularity. 

The  handle  is  polished  as  carefully  as  the 
lower  spike,  and  in  most  cases  is  adorned 
with  elaborately  carved  patterns.  In  many 
clubs  it  is  completely  covered  with  black  and 
white  sinnet  made  expressly  for  this  purpose, 
and  plaited  in  patterns  as  elaborate  as  those 
which  are  carved.  Some  of  the  best  clubs 
are  further  ornamented  by  having  scarlet 
feathers  worked  in  with  sinnet.  There  are, 
indeed,  scarcely  any  bounds  to  the  decoration 
of  clubs,  many  of  which  are  inlaid  with  shell, 
or  hogs’  tusks,  or  whales’  teeth,  or  even  the 
teeth  of  men.  These  latter  ornaments  are 
chiefly  reserved  for  the  knobs  of  the  small 
missile  club. 

Beside  these,  there  is  an  infinite  variety 
of  forms,  some  of  the  clubs  exactly  resem- 
bling the  steel  maces  of  the  days  of  chivalry, 
others  being  first  squared  and  then  cut  into 
pyramidal  form,  while  others  look  just  like 
enormous  mushrooms.  Some  of  them  have 
the  handles  completely  covered  with  wicker- 
work; but,  as  a rule,  these  highly  ornamental 
Weapons  are  not  for  use  but  for  show,  like 
the  court  sword  of  the  present  day. 

Some  of  the  names  given  to  these  clubs 
are  highly  suggestive.  For  example,  one 
was  called  “ W eeping  urges  me  to  action,” 
others  “ Disperser,”  “ Smasher,”  and  so  forth. 
Those  which  belong  to  well-known  chiefs 
or  distinguished  warriors  are  used  much  as 
cards  among  ourselves.  If,  for  example,  a 
great  chief  desires  to  pay  a visit,  he  Avill  send 
his  club  as  an  intimation  that  the  owner  will 
follow.  Or,  if  one  chief  asks  another  for  aid 
in  war,  the  ordinary  mode  of  showing  that 
the  application  is  favorably  received  is  for 
the  latter  to  send  his  club  by  the  ambassador 
who  brought  the  message. 

There  is  as  great  variety  of  spears  as  of 
clubs.  Spears  are  almost  invariably  of  great 
length,  some  measuring  fourteen  or  fifteen 
feet  in  length.  They  are  made  from  hard 
wood  and  are  almost  invariably  armed  with  a 
series  of  barbs.  In  the  manufacture  and 
arrangement  of  the  barbs,  the  Fijians  show 
wonderful  ingenuity.  Mostly,  they  are  not 
from  the  same  piece  of  wood  as  the  spear, 
itself,  but  in  many  weapons  they  are  made 
of  other  materials.  The  sharp  tail-bone  of 
the  sting-ray  is  a favorite  material,  both  for 
the  points  and  barbs  of  spears,  probably 
because  it  is  very  hard,  and  so  brittle  that  it 
is  nearly  sure  to  break  off  in  the  wound. 


952 


FIJI. 


Other  barbs  are  made  of  a wood  which  has 
the  property  of  sv/elling  up  when  moistened, 
and  bursting  in  the  wound,  so  that  it  can 
hardly  be  extracted.  Such  spears  as  this 
are  called  by  a very  ominous  title,  “ The 
priest  is  too  late.”  Some  of  the  spears  are 
not  only  carved  in  various  patterns,  but  have 
the  heads  cut  into  a hind  of  bold  open  work 
pattern,  which  has  a very  elegant  appear- 
ance, though  it  must  detract  greatly  from 
the  strength  of  the  weapon.  One  of  the  or- 
dinary Fijian  spears  is  shown  on  page  949, 
and  is  taken  from  specimens  in  my  collection, 
in  which  there  are  several  others,  but  all  of 
a similar  character. 

Many  of  the  weapons  have  more  than  one 
point.  In  the  specimens  which  I have,  the 
points  are  rather  more  than  a yard  in  length, 
and  are  made  of  separate  pieces  of  wood,  in- 
geniously dovetailed  into  the  shaft  of  the 
spear,  and  held  in  their  place  by  lashings  of 
sinnet.  In  my  specimen,  the  manufacturer 
has  been  so  lavish  of  his  labor,  that  he  has 
not  only  woven  the  sinnet  into  elegant  j^at- 
terns,  but  has  continued  them  along  the 
whole  of  the  shaft,  covering  it  with  a sort  of 
mixture  of  the  zigzag  and  the  dentated  pat- 
terns. There  are  also  spears  with  several 
points,  each  point  being  barbed  or  deeply 
serrated  on  the  inside  cap.  These  are  not 
for  war,  but  for  fishing  purposes.  As  for 
the  war  in  which  these  weapons  are  used,  it 
is  hardly  deserving  of  the  name. 

When  two  chiefs  have  decided  on  going 
to  war,  messengers  pass  between  them,  and 
both  sides  beat  up  recruits  for  their  armies 
and  offer  gifts  to  the  gods.  Whales’  teeth 
and  food  form  the  chief  part  of  these  offer- 
ings, and  the  latter  is  often  given  in  vast 
quantities.  Independent  chiefs  often  take 
advantage  of  war  to  increase  their  property. 
Such  a chief,  for  example,  though  urged  by 
both  sides  to  join  them,  trims  and  hesitates, 
and  bides  his  time.  One  party  will  then 
send  him  a bribe,  and  as  soon  as  the  other 
party  hear  of  it,  they  send  a larger  bribe,  in 
order  to  “ press  down  ” the  former  gift.  The 
result  usually  is,  that  the  recipient  keeps 
both  bribes,  and  eventually  declines  to  fight 
on  either  side. 

The  forces  are  gathered  by  a series  of  re- 
views, held  as  the  army  marches.  These 
reviews  form  the  great  charm  of  war,  as 
any  amount  of  boasting  may  be  done  with- 
out the  slightest  risk.  Each  warrior  rushes 
up  to  the  commanding  chief,  brandishes  his 
weapons,  and  boasts  of  the  great  deeds  which 
he  is  going  to  do;  all  the  warriors  being  in 
their  very  best,  wnth  bodies  covered  with 
black  powder,  so  as  to  contrast  with  the 
snow-white  masi,  and  their  faces  painted  as 
none  but  a Fijian  can  paint  them,  in  order 
to  look  as  martial  as  possible. 

The  chief  often  ridicules  the  pretensions 
of  these  men,  insinuating  that  they  will  be 
more  ready  to  run  away  than  to  %ht;  but 
this  is  only  for  the  purpose  of  inciting  them 


to  display  their  courage,  and,  by  way  of  in- 
ducing them  to  fight  well,  large  gifts  are 
promised  to  those  who  distinguish  them- 
selves in  battle. 

Sometimes  a warrior,  carried  away  by  the 
excitement  of  the  moment,  boasts  that  he 
will  kill  the  enemy’s  chief,  eat  his  flesh,  and 
make  a drinking-cup  of  his  skull.  This  is  gen- 
erally a very  foolish  proceeding.  The  men- 
aced chief  is  sure  to  hear  of  it,  and  to  prom- 
ise a large  reward  if  the  boaster  be  taken 
alive. 

Should  he  be  captured,  his  fate  is  certain. 
His  hands  are  bound  behind  him,  and  a 
large  bundle  of  dried  cocoa-nut  leaves  is 
fastened  tightly  across  his  shoulders,  pro- 
jecting for  several  feet  on  either  side.  The 
ends  of  the  leaves  are  then  lighted,  and  the 
poor  wretch  is  left  to  die,  the  spectators 
laughing  and  jeering  at  him  as  he  runs 
about,  maddened  by  the  torment.  This 
punishment  is  called  b}^  a name  Vvdnch  sig- 
nifies carrying  fuel.  The  artist  has  repre- 
sented in  the  lower  engraving,  on  the  943d 
page,  this  frightful  fate  of  the  boaster. 

The  party  that  are  attacked  usually  retire 
into  a native  fort,  the  structure  of  which 
often  shows  great  engineering  skill.  The 
Fijians  are  very  apt  at  selecting  a spot  which 
is  difficult  of  access,  and  fortifying  it  in  such 
a manner  that  two  or  three  men  could  hold 
it  against  a thousand.  Mr.  Williams  visited 
one  of  these  forts,  and  found  that  the  ap- 
proach to  it  was  not  without  danger,  even 
in  time  of  peace.  The  only  path  to  the  fort 
led  through  thick  and  tangled  vegetation, 
and  terminated  on  the  edge  of  a precipice. 
The  entrance  to  the  fort  was  on  the  face  of 
the  precipice,  several  yards  from  the  end  of 
the  path,  and  there  was  no  mode  of  getting 
to  it  except  by  crawling  along  the  perpen- 
dicular rock  by  means  of  little  holes  in 
which  the  toes  and  fingers  could  be  in-, 
serted. 

When  the  natives  cannot  find  a place  of 
such  natural  strength,  they  have  a way  of 
defending  the  entrance  by  a series  of  gates 
with  traverses  between  them,  so  that  any 
enemies  who  forced  the  first  gate  were 
obliged  to  go  for  some  distance  through  a 
narrow  passage  which  was  pierced  with  loop- 
holes, through  which  spears  could  be  thrust 
and  arrows  shot.  Even  if  they  succeeded  in 
passing  the  second  gate,  a similaf*  gauntlet  • 
had  to  be  run  before  they  could  reach  the 
third.  Thorny  trees  are  in  great  request 
for  the  outer  defences  of  these  forts,  the 
bare-skinned  natives  greatly  dreading  the 
prickly  walls,  which  every  j^ear  grow  more 
dense  and  less  penetrable. 

Knowing  the  strength  of  the  forts,  the 
natives  do  not  care  about  assaulting  tliern, 
and,  as  they  advance  to  the  walls,  avail 
themselves  of  every  cover.  They  then  yell 
and  shout  derisive  taunts  at  the  enemy, 
challenging  them  to  come  out  and  fight 
Sometimes  the  challenge  is  answered,  a 


consj:ceati(6n  of  a warkior. 

( 


953 


number  of  warriors  issuing  from  the  Jfort 
and  each  selecting  an  adversary  ; often,  r^ow- 


fast 


ever 


as  they 
his  e 
stealthily 
fight. 

Should  a fort  be  taken, 
dreadful,  and  is  nothing  but  a massacre,  the 
greater  number  being  killed,  and  the  rest 
reserved  to  be  put  to  death  by  torture.  One 
favorite  mode  of  torture  is  to  stun  the  un- 


head 
in  open 


the  slaughter  is 


happy  captive  with  a club,  and  to  throw 
him  into  a heated  oven  by  way  of  bringing 
him  back  to  his  senses.  The  struggles  of 
the  unfortunate  man  as  the  fierce  heat  re- 
stores him  to  consciousness  are  greeted 
with  laughter  and  jeers  by  the  delighted 
spectators.  Others  are  bound  hand  and 
foot  and  given  to  the  sons  of  .chiefs  as  sub- 
jects on  which  they  can  try  their  skill  at  tor- 
turing. 

As  these  expeditions  are  nearly  always 
made  in  canoes,  the  return  of  the  war  party 
is  seen  from  a great  distance,  and  all  the 
population  assemble  on  the  beach  to  wel- 
come the  victorious  warriors,  the  women 
dancing  and  singing  songs  of  triumph  in 
honor  of  the  conquerors.  A horrible  scene 
then  takes  place,  too  horrible  indeed  to  be 
described;  the  bodies  of  the  dead  are  offered 
in  the  temples,  the  ovens  are  prepared,  and 
for  some  days  unbridled  license  reigns  su- 
preme. 

In  connexion  with  warfare  must  be  men- 
tioned a curious  custom  of  giving  a new 
name  to  men  who  have  killed  any  of  the 
enemy  during  the  campaign.  Whether  the 
enemy  be  an  armed  warrior  slain  in  fair 
fight,  an  unarmed  man  knocked  down  by 
stealth,  a woman,  or  even  a little  child,  sig- 
nifies nothing.  The  warrior  has  clubbed  an 
enemy,  and  has  a right  to  his  new  name  of 
honor.  Should  he  have  killed  a chief,  he 
takes  the  name  of  his  victim,  and  sometimes 
I his  own  chief  honors  him  by  calling  the  man 
' his  flag,  his  canoe,  his  comb,  &c.  Of  the 
consecration  ceremony,  wherein  the  new 
name  is  given,  Mr.  Williams  once  saw  a 
very  excellent  example  at  Somo-somo,  the 
i subject  of  consecration  being  a young  chief. 

■ “ The  king  and  leading  men  having  taken 

' their  seats  in  the  public  square,  fourteen 
mats  were  brought  and  spread  out,  and 
upon  these  were  placed  a bale  of  cloth  and 
two  whale’s  teeth.  Near  by  was  laid  a sail 
mat,  and  on  it  several  men’s  dresses.  The 
young  chief  now  made  his  appearance,  bear- 
ing in  one  hand  a large  pine-apple  club,  and 
in  the  other  a common  reed,  while  his  long 
train  of  masi  dragged  on  the  ground  behind 
him. 

1 “On  his  reaching  the  mats,  an  old  man 
took  the  reed  out  of  the  hero’s  hand,  and 
despatched  a youth  to  deposit  it  carefully  in 
the  temple  of  the  war  god.  The  king  then 


ordered  the  young  chief  to  stand  upon  the 
bale  of  cloth;  and  while  he  obeyed,  a num- 
ber of  women  came  into  the  square,  bring- 
ing small  dishes  of  turmeric  mixed  with  oil, 
which  they  placed  before  the  youth,  and 
retired  with  a song.  The  masi  was  • now 
removed  by  the  chief  himself,  an  attendant 
substituting  one  much  larger  in  its  stead. 
The  king’s  Mata  (aide-de-camp)  next  se- 
lected several  dishes  of  the  colored  oil,  and 
anointed  the  warrior  from  the  roots  of  the 
hair  to  his  heels. 

“ At  this  stage  of  the  proceedings  one  of 
the  spectators  stepped  forward  and  ex- 
changed clubs  with  the  anointed,  and  soon 
another  did  the  same.  Then  one  left  him  a 
gun  in  place  of  the  club,  and  many  similar 
changes  were  effected,  under  a belief  that 
the  weapons  thus  passing  through  his  hands 
derived  some  virtue. 

“ The  mats  were  now  removed,  and  a por- 
tion of  them  sent  to  the  temple,  some  of  the 
turmeric  being  sent  after  them.  The  king 
and  old  men,  followed  by  the  young  man 
and  two  men  sounding  conchs,  now  pro- 
ceeded to  the  seaside,  where  the  anointed 
one  passed  through  the  ancients  to  the  wa- 
ter’s edge,  returned,  while  the  king  and 
those  with  him  counted  one,  two,  three, 
four,  five,  and  each  then  threw  a stone  into 
the  sea.  The  whole  company  now  went 
back  to  the  town  with  blasts  of  the  trumpet 
shells,  and  a peculiar  hooting  of  the  men. 

“ Custom  requires  that  a hut  should  be 
built,  in  which  the  anointed  man  and  his 
companions  may  pass  the  next  three  nights, 
during  which  time  the  newly  named  hero 
must  not  lie  down,  but  sleep  as  ho  sits;  he 
must  not  change  his  masi,  or  remove  the 
turmeric,  or  enter  a house  in  which  there  is 
a woman,  until  that  period  has  elapsed.  In 
the  case  now  described,  the  hut  had  not 
been  built,  and  the  young  chief  was  permit- 
ted to  use  the  temple  of  the  god  of  war  in- 
stead. 

“ During  the  three  days  he  was  on  an  in- 
cessant march,  followed  by  half  a score  lads 
reddened  like  himself.  After  three  weeks 
he'  paid  me  a visit,  on  the  first  day  of  his 
being  permitted  to  enter  a house  in  which 
there  was  a female.  He  informed  me  his 
new  name  was  Kuila^  or  Flag.” 

When  a name  of  honor  has  thus  been 
given  to  a man,  the  complimentary  title  of 
Koroi,  or  consecrated,  is  prefixed  to  it. 

The  battles  of  the  Fijians  are  not,  as  a 
rule,  remarkable  for  the  slaughter  that  takes 
place.  They  are,  in  fact,  little  but  a series 
of  single  combats.  When  a man  falls,  his 
friends  try  to  get  him  off  the  ground  to  save 
his  life,  if  possible,  or  to  be  able  to  bury  the 
body  if  he  should  die ; while  the  enemy  use 
their  best  endeavors  to  secure  the  wounded 
man  in  order  to  bake  and  eat  him.  No  dis- 
honor is  attached  to  the  fact  of  a slain  man 
being  eaten.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  a proof 
of  his  courage,  for  none  hut  those  who  die 


954 


FIJI. 


bravely  in  battle  are  eaten  in  the  feast 
which  follows  upon  the  victory,  the  bodies 
of  slain  cowards  being  contemptuously 
thrown  into  the  bush. 

We  now  come  to  a more  pleasing  part  of 
Fijian  character,  namely,  the  various  inci- 
dents of  domestic  life. 

As  soon  as  the  Fijian  child  comes  into  the 
world,  it  is  taken  from  the  mother,  and 
given  to  another  woman  for  three  days,  dur- 
ing which  time  she  lies  at  her  ease.  The 
first  clothing  which  the  child  receives  is  a 
thick  coating  of  turmeric  oil,  and  the  first 
food  which  it  knows  is  either  the  juice  of 
sugar-cane  or  of  cocoa-nut.  A name  is  given 
to  the  child  as  soon  as  possible  after  its  birth, 
and  these  names  are  generally  significant  of 
some  event  that  has  happened  either  to  the 
child  itself  or  to  some  member  of  its  fam- 

iiy- 

Though  the  Fijian  children  spend  the 
great  part  of  their  time  in  the  open  air, 
and  are  untrammelled  by  clothing,  they  are 
liable  to  a very  unpleasant  disease  called 
the  “ thoko,”  which  somewhat  resembles  the 
“ yaws  ” of  the  negro  tribes.  The  parents 
are  rather  glad  than  sorry  to  see  their  chil- 
dren afflicted  with  this  disease,  as  they  be- 
lieve that  it  forms  a necessary  adjunct  to  in- 
fantile health,  and  that  a child  who  escapes 
the  thoko  is  sure  to  be  sickly  and  feeble  when 
it  grows  up. 

The  Fijian  child  receives  no  training,  un- 
less encouragement  of  every  bad  passion 
may  be  called  by  that  name.  Kevenge  is 
impressed  upon  the  child’s  mind  from  its 
earliest  infancy,  and  most  horrible  are  the 
means  which  are  sometimes  employed  for 
this  purpose.  In  riper  years  the  duty  of  re- 
venge is  kept  always  before  his  eyes.  Should 
one  man  insult  another,  the  offended  individ- 
ual keeps  himself  constantly  reminded  of 
the  offence  by  placing  some  object  in  his 
sight,  and  not  removing  it  until  he  has 
avenged  himself. 

Sometimes  he  will  effect  the  same  purpose 
by  depriving  himself  of  some  luxury  until 
he  has  had  his  revenge.  One  man,  for  ex- 
ample, will  plait  his  hair  in  a particular 
manner,  another  will  hang  some  article  of 
dress  in  his  house,  while  another  will  re- 
fuse to  dance,  or  to  eat  of  some  particular 
kind  of  food.  One  chief,  for  example,  hung 
a roll  of  tobacco  on  the  roof  of  his  house, 
with  the  intention  of  refusing  to  smoke  until 
he  had  killed  his  enemy  and  could  smoke 
that  tobacco  over  the  dead  body.  Another 
refrained  from  speaking,  and  would  only  an- 
swer by  whistling. 

The  knowledge  of  this  custom  makes  the 
Fijians  a most  nervous  race.  Should  a 
strange  canoe  appear  off  the  coast,  the  in- 
habitants of  the  villages  are  all  in  a stir, 
some  escaping  to  the  woods,  and  others  con- 
cealing their  food  and  other  valuables  in 
secret  storehouses.  They  do  not  like  to 


wall 


evening.  Mr.  Williams 
i^ompani 

dispc  " ' ' ' 
more  by 

tives 

the  rushed 

tumultuouSpiRIII^^^HHiHB^*  On  one 

occasion,  a numbe^^^^lRiiwerectesg^fl^ 
large  canoe  into  the  sea,  when  one  of  tliem" 
espied  a slight  crack  on  one  side.  He 
whispered  his  discovery  to  the  man  next 
him," he  to  the  next,  and  so  on,  and  in  a few 
minutes  every  man  had  run  away  from  the 


boat, 


fearing 


lest  the  owner  should  charsre 


him  with  having  done  the  damage. 

The  amusements  of  the  Fijians  are  rather 
more  varied  than  is  usually  the  case  among 
savages.  Some  of  them  are  identical  with 
many  of  our  own  children’s  games,  such  as 
“ hide  and  seek,”  “ blind  man’s  buff,”  and  a 
sort  of  “ hop,  skip,  and  jump.”  A sort  of 
“pitch  and  toss,”  is  also  in  vogue,  the  substi- 
tute for  pence  being  the  flat,  circular  fruit 
of  a species  of  mimosa. 

They  have  one  game  which  bears  some 
resemblance  to  that  of  the  “kangaroo-rat” 
of  Australia,  which  has  been  described  on 
page  730.  The  players  have  a reed  about 
four  feet  in  length,  at  one  end  of  which  is  an 
oval  piece  of  hard  and  heavy  wood  some  six 
inches  in  length.  This  instrument  is  held 
between  the  thumb  and  middle  finger,  the 
end  of  the  forefinger  being  applied  to  its  ex- 
tremity. "With  a peculiar  underhand  jerk 
the  player  drives  it  horizontall}^  so  that  it 
glides  over  the  ground  for  a considerable 
distance,  the  player  who  sends  the  missile 
farthest  being  the  winner.  In  order  that 
this  favorite  game  may  be  constantly  played, 
each  village  has  attached  to  it  a long  strip 
of  smooth  sward,  which  is  kept  sedulously 
trimmed,  so  that  the  missile  may  skim 
along  with  as  little  resistance  as  possible. 

Then  there  is  the  swing.  This  is  made 
much  like  the  New  Zealand  swing,  but  is 
used  in  a different  manner.  Instead  of  be- 
ing held  by  the  hands  alone,  the  rope  has  a 
loop  at  the  end,  into  which  the  swinger  in- 
serts his  foot.  Sometimes,  it  has  a large 
knot,  on  which  both  feet  can  be  supported. 
Drawing  the  rope  to  the  top  of  a conven- 
ient bank,  the  swinger  grasps  it  with  his 
hands,  leaps  in  the  air,  places  his  foot  in  the 
loop,  and  goes  sweeping  through  an  enor- 
mous arc,  the  radius  of  which  often  exceeds 
fifty  feet.  In  some  cases  the  swing  is  fixed 
by  the  water  side,  and  the  more  daring  of 
the  performers  loosen  their  grasp  at  the 
proper  moment,  aud  are  hurled  through  the 
air  into  the  water. 

One  favorite  game,  called  Ririki,  is  played 
after  the  following  fashion  ; — Close  to  the 
water’s  edge  is  fixed  a stout  post,  and  on  this 
is  laid  the  trunk  of  a tall  cocoa-nut  tree,  so 
that  its  base  rests  on  the  ground,  and  the 
tip  projects  over  the  water.  The  game  con- 
sists in  running  at  full  speed  up  this  in- 


> jumping  into  the  w; 


BETROTHAL 


swimming 
rocess.  This, 

c^»xie  ~t\'  answered,  they  run  « 

^ole  Fijian  liking  to  come  ; 

if*o«<amn  ^iid  kiiock  him  on  th, 
the  inclineetter  than  to  oppose 
people  are  admirable  swimiii  a,^  hav- 

ing been  accustomed  to  swim  aj,  suon  as  they 
could  walk,  disport  themselves  in  the  water 
with  as  much  ease  as  on  land.  They  are 
fond  of  swimming  out  to  sea  in  parties,  and 
join  in  various  aquatic  games,  such  as  trying 
to  push  each  other  under  water,  diving,  rac- 
ing, and  so  forth. 

Some  of  their  sports  are  rather  rough. 
They  have  one  game  which  bears  a certain 
resemblance  to  snow-balling,  except  that  the 
missiles  are  bitter  oranges  instead  of  snow- 
balls. In  some  places  they  jerk  stones  at 
each  other  by  means  of  elastic  bamboos,  and 
do  so  with  such  force  that  considerable  pain 
is  caused  when  the  missile  strikes  the  bare 
skin. 

Sometimes  a sort  of  mock  battle  takes 
place.  When  food  is  brought  to  the  men, 
the  women  suddenly  rush  upon  them,  try  to 
drive  them  away,  and  to  seize  the  food. 
Eough  as  the  women  may  be,  the  men  sel- 
dom retaliate,  except  by  taking  their  assail- 
ants round  the  waists  and  throwing  them 
on  the  ground.  Mr.  Williams  mentions  one 
instance  when  a woman  actually  shot  a man 
dead  with  an  arrow,  turning  the  mock  fight 
into  a sad  reality.  Several  cases  are  known 
where  the  men  have  been  so  severely 
handled  that  they  have  afterward  died  of 
their  wounds. 

On  certain  occasions  an  amusing  game  is 
played  by  the  young  men.  A thin  earthen- 
ware vessel  is  filled  with  water  and  sus- 
pended from  a bou"h,  and  a number  of 
young  men  with  their  eyes  blindfolded,  try 
to  break  the  vessel  by  striking  at  it  with 
long  sticks. 

Music  and  dancing  are  greatly  studied 
among  the  Fijians,  and  any  one  who  knows 
a new  dance  is  sure  to  earn  plenty  of  goods 
by  teaching  it.  Their  musical  instruments 
are  very  poor,  consisting  of  drums,  pipes, 
and  trumpets.  The  first-mentioned  instru- 
ments are  nothing  more  than  wooden  cylin- 
ders, through  one  side  of  which  a groove  is 
cut  about  an  inch  or  so  in  width.  The  pipes 
are  of  two  kinds;  namely,  a sort  of  pandean 
pipe  made  of  several  strips  of  bamboo  fas- 
tened together,  and  the  fiute.  This  latter  in- 
strument is  played  by  placing  the  aperture 
close  to  one  nostril,  and  breathing  through 
it  while  the  other  is  stopped  with  the  thumb 
of  the  left  hand.  The  trumpets  are  merely 
conch-shells  blown  through  a hole  in  the 
side. 

The  dances  are  very  carefully  got  up,  and 
more  resemble  military  movements  than 
dances,  the  similitude  being  increased  by 
the  martial  array  of  the  dancers,  who  are  ail 


955 


• , ’ ' . ..  ' /ar,  their  faces  painted  with 

, ' ••  " ytodies  powdered  with  black, 

' " . ' c:st  clubs  or  spears  in  their  hands. 

• . ' .-vecute  intricate  manoeuvres,  march- 
in  various  figures,  wheeling,  halting, 
and  stamping  their  feet  in  exact  time  to  the 
rhythm  of  the  song  and  the  beat  of  the 
drum.  Sometimes  several  hundred  men 
are  engaged  in  the  dance,  while  the  mush 
cians  are  twenty  or  thirty  in  number. 

The  scene  at  one  of  these  dances  is  very 
picturesque,  but  it  wants  the  furious  energy 
which  gives  such  fiery  animation  to  the  war 
dance  of  the  New  Zealanders,  the  move- 
ments, though  correct  in  point  of  time, 
being  comparatively  dull  and  heavy.  In 
order  to  enliven  it  a little  more,  a profes- 
sional bufibon  is  usually  introduced  upon 
the  scene,  wdio  performs  sundry  grotesque 
movements,  and  is  usually  applauded  for  his 
exertions. 

Music  and  dancing  are  always  used  at  the 
celebration  of  a marriage,  and,  as  may  be 
imagined  from  the  punctilious  nature  of  the 
Fijian,  there  is  no  lack  of  ceremony  on  the 
occasion. 

Mostly,  girls  are  betrothed  when  they  are 
quite  infants,  no  regard  being  paid  to  dis- 
parity of  age  between  themselves  and  their 
intended  husbands.  The  form  of  betrothal 
is  rather  curious,  and  consists  in  the  mother 
of  the ‘child  taking  a small  liku,  or  woman’s 
girdle,  and  presenting  it  to  the  man,  who 
from  that  moment  takes  her  daughter  under 
his  protection  until  she  is  old  enough  to  be 
married. 

In  those  cases  where  a young  man  takes  a 
liking  to  a young  woman,  he  asks  her  of  her 
father,  making  at  the  same  time  a small 
present  as  a matter  of  form.  Should  the 
application  be  successful,  an  interchange  of 
presents  then  takes  place  between  the 
friends  of  both  parties,  and  in  a few  days 
follows  the  ceremony  called  “warming,” 
which  consists  in  conveying  to  the  house  of 
the  bride  some  food  prepared  by  the  in- 
tended husband.  In  most  parts  of  Fiji,  the 
bride  has  a complete  holiday  for  four  days, 
sitting  quietly  at  home,  dressed  in  her  finest 
apparel,  and  painted  with  turmeric  and  oil. 
At  the  expiration  of  thje  four  days,  she  is 
taken  by  a number  of  married  women  to 
the  sea,  where  they  all  join  in  fishing,  and 
afterward  cook  the  fish  that  they  have  taken. 
The  cooking  being  completed,  the  bride- 
groom is  sent  for,  and  the  betrothed  couple 
eat  together,  each  giving  the  other  a por- 
tion of  food. 

After  this  ceremony  comes  a period  dur- 
ing which  the  bridegroom  is  employed  in 
building  a house  for  his  intended  wife,  and 
the  girl  undergoes  the  painful  tattooing 
which  marks  her  as  having  taken  her  place 
among  women.  During  this  time,  she  re- 
mains within  the  house  so  as  to  shield  her 
complexion  from  the  sun.  The  house  being 
completed,  all  the  friends  of  both  families 


956 


are  gathered  together,  anu  a i 

takes  place,  at  which  the  givers  make  j,l'been  tak^ 
point  of  honor  to  be  as  lavish  as  possible/ 

At  the  end  of  this  feast,  the  girl  is  formall/ 
handed  over  to  her  husband,  and  exchanges 
her  narrow  liku  for  the  broader  garment 
befitting  her  new  condition. 

When  the  daughter  of  an  important  chief 
is  married,  her  father  always  gives  her  a 
number  of  female  attendants,  sometimes  as 
many  as  twelve  or  fifteen  accompanying  the 
bride  to  her  home.  They  are  placed  under 
the  charge  of  an  elderly  woman  who  acts  as 
their  superintendent,  and  are  called  by  a 
name  which  signifies  a pet  servant.  There 
is  always  a great  scene  at  the  departure  of  a 
bride  to  her  home,  all  her  relations  and 
friends  crowding  round  her,  and  kissing  her 
until  she  is  nearly  smothered  by  their 
caresses. 

An  interesting  description  of  the  presen- 
tation of  a bride  is  given  by  Mr.  Williams, 
and  the  artist  has  reproduced  the  scene  in 
the  engraving  No.  1,  on  the  next  page. 

“ She  was  brought  in  at  the  principal  en- 
trance by  the  king’s  aunt  and  a few  matrons, 
and  then,  led  only  by  the  old  lady,  ap- 
proached the  king.  She  was  an  interesting 
girl  of  fifteen,  glistening  with  oil,  wearing  a 
new  liku,  and  a necklace  of  curved  ivory 
points,  radiating  from  her  neck,  and  turning 
upward.  The  king  then  received  from  his 
aunt  the  girl,  with  two  whale’s  tq^th,  which 
she  carried  in  her  hand.  When  she  was 
seated  at  his  feet,  hiis  majesty  repeated  a list 
of  their  gods,  and  finished  by  praying  that  the 
girl  might  live,  and  bring  forth  male  children. 

“ To  her  friends,  two  men  who  had  come 
Ml  at  the  back  door,  he  gave  a musket,  beg- 
ging them  not  to  think  hardly  of  his  having 
taken  their  child,  as  the  step  was  connected 
with  the  good  of  the  land,  in  which  their 
interests,  as  well  as  his  own,  were  involved. 

The  musket,  which  was  about  equivalent  to 
the  necklace,  the  men  received  with  bent 
heads,  muttering  a short  pra}^er,  the  close  of 
which  was  exactly  the  same  as  they  had 
offered  for  years,  ‘Death  to  Natawa.’  Tui- 
kilakila  then  took  off  the  girl’s  necklace  and 
kissed  her.  The  gayest  moment  of  her  life, 
as  far  as  dress  was  concerned,  was  past;  and 
I felt  that  the  untying  of  that  polished  orna- 
ment from  her  neck  was  the  first  down- 
ward step  to  a dreary  future.  Perhaps  her 
forebodings  were  like  mine,  for  she  wept, 
and  the ‘tears  which  glanced  off  her  bosom 
and  rested  in  distinct  drops  on  her  oily  legs 


were  seen  by  the  king,  who  said,  ‘ Do  not 
weep.  Are  you  going  to  leave  your  own 
land?  You  are  but  going  a voyage,  soon  to 
return.  Do  not  think  it  a hardship  to  go  to 
Mbau.  Here  j^ou  have  to  work  hard;  there 
you  will  rest.  Here  you  fare  indifferently; 
there  you  will  eat  the  best  of  food.  Only  do 
not  weep  to  spoil  yourself.’  As  he  thus 
spoke,  he  played  with  her  curly  locks,  com- 
plimenting her  on  her  face  and  figure.  She 


d him  of  a sister  of  hei 
to  Mbau  in  years  pasi 
, -^■fcinly  reasonJcu^il  ^ , 

She  had  certMiiting  "01 'ti^^^ner  te^ 
the  cordition  of , Pijian  wives  is  not  a'^ 
enviable  one.  ' As  is  the  case  with  most 
countries  in  which  polygamy  is  pri^.olised,  th( 
wives  are  apt  to  be  very  jcaj^vus  of  eacj_ 
other,  and  to  quarrel  among  tliemselvesT 
Generally,  their  squabbles  are  treated  with 
contemptuous  indifference  by  the  husbarrd 
as  long  as  they  do  not  annoy  him  person- 
ally; but  if  he  should  feel  himself  angered, 
he  speedily  checks  the  tumult  by  belabor- 
ing all  parties  alike  with  a very  sufficient 
stick  which  he  keeps  for  the  purpose.  One 
chief  had  a cudgel  as  thick  as  a broomstick, 
in  which  he  seemed  to  take  no  little  pride, 
having  carved  and  inlaid  it  with  ivory. 

Women  are  not  held  in  any  great  esti- 
mation, whether  they  be  single  or  married. 
A rather  ludicrous  example  of  the  value  set 
by  Fijians  upon,  women  occurred  in  the 
course  of  traffic  between  Europeans  and  na- 
tives. A chief  had  bargained  with  the  cap- 
tain of  a ship  for  a musket,  the  price  of 
which  was  to  be  two  pigs.  The  chief  went 
off  with  his  musket,  but  could  only  find  one 
pig.  So  he  honorably  kept  his  bargain  by 
sending  the  one  pig  and  a young  woman  in- 
stead of  the  other. 

In  the  description  of  the  ceremonies  at- 
tendant upon  a wedding,  mention  was  made 
of  the  custom  of  building  a house  for  the 
bride.  The  form  of  Fijian  houses  varies 
according  to  locality.  In  some  places  they 
are  sharp-ridged  and  gabled,  like  those 
which  have  already  been  described  when 
treating  of  New  Guinea.  In  others  they  are 
round,  and  in  others  conical.  Some  are 
built  on  posts,  and  others  simply  on  the 
ground.  As  is  the  case  throughout  all  Poly- 
nesia, the  houses  are  made  of  a wooden 
framework  lashed  together,  and  covered 
with  a thatch  of  reeds.  Many  of  these 
houses  are  of  great  size,  more  than  a hun- 
dred feet  in  length  and  about  fortj'  in  width. 
A house  that  is  meant  to  endure  for 
any  length  of  time  is  made  of  a wood  called 
by  the  natives  vesi,  which  is  exactly  similar 
to  the  greenheart  of  India,  and  a sort  of 
sandal  wood  is  also  used  for  the  same  pur- 
pose. 

The  walls  are  generally  made  of  reeds  ar- 
ranged in  three  layers,  the  middle  layer 
being  horizontal  and  the  outer  and  inner 
layers  perpendicular.  They  are  tied  or 


sewed  together  with  sinnet,  and  it  is  the 


Fijian  architect’s  pride  to  weave  the  sinnet 
into  elegant  patterns.  Some  men  are  cele- 
brated for  their  skill  in  inserting  and  exe- 
cuting these  patterns,  and  go  about  from 
place  to  place  as  they  are  wanted.  Even  the 
posts  that  support  the  edifice  are  often  cov- 
ered with  reeds,  bound  together  in  the  same 
ingenious  manner.  The  door  is  always  a 
small  one,  probabl}^  for  the  same  reason  that 
induces  a Kaffir  to  make  so  low  an  en- 


V';7  la, 


' '"•.  5- 


UBrnny 

Of  fMC 


MODE  OF  TIIxVTCIIIKG  HOUSES. 


959 


trance  to  his  hut;  namely,  fear  of  ene- 
mies. 

The  thatch  is  sometimes  of  cocoa-nut  or 
sugar-cane  leaves,  and  sometimes  of  grass, 
while  in  a few  of  the  best  houses  both  are 
used.  The  leaves  are  doubled  over  reeds 
and  sewed  together,  so  as  to  form  lengths  of 
about  five  or  six  feet.  Grass  thatch  is  fixed 
almost  exactly  as  straw  is  used  in  England 
being  laid  on  the  roof  in  bundles,  and  held’ 
down  by  long  mangrove  branches,  and  tied 
firmly  with  rattan. 

House  thatching  is  one  of  the  most  ani- 
mated scenes  that  can  be  imagined.  As 
soon  as  the  roof  is  finished,  notice  is  given  that 
the  thatchers  are  wanted,  and  then  straight- 
way assemble  a gang  of  merry  laborers, 
varying  in  number  according  to  the  size  of 
the  house,  as  many  as  three  hundred  some- 
times uniting  to  thatch  a very  large  house. 
Some  bring  the  leaves  and  grass,  others 
bind  and  sew  them  into  the  proper  form, 
and  others  take  them  to  the  thatchers. 
Those  who  actually  apply  the  reeds  always 
arrange  themselves  in  pairs  on  the  roof,  one 
outside  and  the  other  inside  the  building,  so 
that  one  can  take  the  end  of  the  lashing  as 
it  is  pushed  through  the  thatch  by  his  com- 
rade, draw  it  tight,  and  return  it  to  him. 
The  reader  may  find  house  thatching  repre- 
sented in  a spirited  engraving,  on  the  957th 
page. 

The  noise  that  arises  from  a large  house 
during  the  process  of  thatchihg  is  almost 
deafening,  hfaturally,  the  Fijian  has  a 
great  genius  for  shouting,  and  on  such  oc- 
casions he  fairly  outdoes  himself.  Some  call 
for  more  grass,  leaves,  mangrove  rods  and 
rattans ; others  from  below  shout  in  reply  to 
them.  Those  who  bring  the  materials  must 
needs  shout  as  they  clamber  to  the  roof,  and 
every  one  throws  in  a few  yells  occasionally 
by  way  of  encouragement  to  his  compan- 
ions. 

The  most  characteristic  part  of  a Fijian 
house  is  the  ridge  pole  which  runs  along  the 
top  of  the  roof.  It  projects  at  either  end  for 
a considerable  distance,  and  in  first-class 
buildings  is  worked  into  a trumpet-like 
shape  at  the  extremities.  These  projecting 
ends  are  mostly  blackened,  and  decorated 
with  large  white  cowrie  shells.  A sort  of 
cable  made  of  grass  and  bound  with  vine- 
stalks  is  generally  laid  on  the  ridge  pole, 
and  in  many  cases  is  finished  off  with  a row 
of  tassels,  and  nearly  covered  with  patterns 
worked  in  sinnet. 

Some,  though  not  all,  the  houses  have 
openings  by  way  of  windows,  which  can  be 
closed  by  means  of  mats  fastened  over  them 
like  curtains.  Within  the  house,  and  nearly 
in  the  centre,  is  the  fireplace,  which  is  sunk 
in  the  ground  to  a foot  or  so  in  depth,  and 
surrounded  by  a sort  of  fender  made  of  hard 


wood.  In  very  large  houses,  the  fireplace 
is  ten  or  twelve  feet  square,  and  is  covered 
by  a wooden  framework  of  several  tiers,  on 
which  cooking  pots  and  similar  utensils  can 
be  kept.  There  is  no  chimney,  nor  even  a 
hole  in  the  roof,  so  that  all  the  smoke  from 
the  fireplace  ascends  to  the  roof,  and  finds 
its  way  out  through  the  thatch  as  it  best  can. 
In  nearly  every  case  the  doorway  is  fur- 
nished with  a projecting  roof. 

In  connection  with  roof  thatching,  a char- 
acteristic joke  is  recorded  of  the  Mbau  peo- 
ple. The  short  missile  club  is  called  ula, 
and  the  act  of  hurling  it  is  called  ulaula. 
The  latter  word,  however,  also  signifies 
house  thatching.  By  way  of  a practical 
joke,  the  people  of  Mbau  sent  to  those  of 
Tailevu,  asking  them  to  come  and  ulaula. 
The  latter,  taking  the  word  in  its  ordinary 
sense,  accepted  the  invitation,  and  came, 
expecting  the  usual  scene  of  merriment, 
when  to  their  surprise,  they  were  saluted 
by  a volley  of  ulas  hurled  at  them  by  their 
entertainers. 

The  furniture  of  a Fijian  house  is  simple. 
At  one  end  is  a raised  dais,  on  wliich  the 
master  of  the  house  sleeps  by  night  and 
reclines  by  day.  It  is  covered  with  mats, 
and  over  it  are  hung  the  sheets  of  thin  masi 
which  are  used  as  mosquito  curtains.  On 
this  dais  are  generally  one  or'  two  pillows. 
These  implements  are  not  unlike  those  of 
the  Kaffirs,  being  nothing  more  than  cylin- 
drical bars  of  wood  supported  on  legs  at 
either  end.  Some  of  them  are  from  four  to 
five  feet  in  length.  This  form  of  pillow  is 
used  on  account  of  the  mop-like  headdress 
of  the  natives,  which  would  be  pressed  out 
of  all  shape  were  it  laid  on  an  ordinary  pil- 
low. 

On  the  hearth  are  several  large  earthen- 
ware cooking  pots,  oval  in  shape,  and  each 
set  on  three  stones.  As  tlie  quantity  of 
food  in  them  diminishes,  they  are  gradually 
tilted,  so  that  when  they  contain  but  very 
little  food  they  lie  quite  on  their  sides. 
Kear  the  hearth  lies  the  thick  concave 
board  on  which  bread  is  kneaded,  and  close 
to  the  board  are  the  smooth  round  stones 
by  which  the  operation  of  kneading  is  con- 
ducted. The  small  hand  nets  used  for  fish- 
ing are  kept  near  the  fire,  together  with  the 
knives  and  other  implements  used  in  pre- 
paring food.  Several  earthen  water  jars  are 
always  placed  near  the  fire.  They  may  be 
distinguished  by  their  glazed  surfaces,  and 
are  placed  carefolly  on  a thick  bed  of  grass. 
A few  bamboo  vessels  containing  salt  and 
fresh  water,  are  generally  placed  near  the 
larger  jars.  Bound  the  foot  of  the  wall  are 
ranged  a series  of  bowls  and  jars,  which 
contain  the  arrowroot  and  similar  articles  of 
food. 


CHAPTER  XCVn, 


FIJI — Continued* 


RELIGION  AND  FUNERAL  RITES. 

THE  OODS  TrflfrU  AfiODUS — YISIT  OF  THE  HANl)  CHAB  — FIJIAnTpKIESTS  AKD  THEIR  DfSIGNIA  — 

CONS0LTING  THE  DEITY  — VARIOUS  MODES  OF  DIVINATION  — THE  DIFFICULT  PASSAGE  TO  HEAVEN 
— NATIVE  TEMPLES,  THEIR  STRUCTURE  AND  USES  — FEASTS  GIVEN  TO  THE  GODS  — SACRED 
STONES  — MURDER  OF  THE  AGED  AND  SICK  — A STRANGE  MARK  OF  AFFECTION  — PROVIDING  THE 
DEAD  WITH  ATTENDANTS — BURIAL  OF  A LIVING  KING  — A TERRIBLE  SCENE — VOYAGE  TO  THE 
CEMETERY,  AND  THE  FUNERAL — SIMILARITY  BETWEEN  THE  CUSTOMS  OF  FIJI  AND  INDIA  — MODE 
OF  MOURNING  — THE  SUCCESSIVE  RITES  AFTER  A FUNERAL  — THE  CUSTOM  OF  LOLOKU  — TOMB 
OF  A chief’s  wife. 


The  religion,  or  rather  the  superstition,  of 
the  Fijians  is  much  like  that  of  other  poly- 
theists. The  people  acknowledge  vast  num- 
bers of  gods  of  greater  or  lesser  power; 
most,  if  not  all,  of  which  are  symbolized 
under  some  natural  form,  such  as  a hawk,  a 
tree,  or  the  like.  Every  Fijian  considers 
himself  under  the  protection  of  some  espe- 
cial god,  and,  as  has  been  stated,  will  not 
eat  the  animal  which  is  his  symbol. 

An  amusing  instance  of  the  reverence 
paid  to  the  symbols  of  the  gods  occurred  at 
Tilioa.  A very  powerful  god,  who  is  wor- 
shipped at  that  place,  resides  in  a land  crab, 
but,  as  that  crustacean  is  scarcely  ever  seen 
in  the  locality,  there  are  but  few  opportuni- 
ties of  paying  the  proper  worship.  When- 
ever any  one  saw  a land  crab,  he  immedi- 
ately ran  to  the  priest,  and  forthwith  the 
whole  place  was  in  a commotion.  The  peo- 
ple assembled  to  pay  their  respects  to  their 
deity,  and  a number  of  cocoa-nuts  were 
gathered,  strung  together,  and  humbly  pre- 
sented to  the  crab  deity  in  order  to  propi- 
tiate him,  and  to  induce  him  to  give  them 
fair  weather  and  a healthy  season. 

As  to  the  particular  doctrines  of  the 
Fijian  religion,  it  is  scarcely  possible  to 
learn  much  about  them.  In  the  first  place, 
the  people  know  nothing,  and  the  priests, 
who  know  but  little,  dislike  communicating 
their  knowledge.  Even  the  Christian  con- 
verts can  seldom  be  induced  to  speak  on  the 
subject  with  any  degree  of  truth. 


The  priests  are  known  by  their  official 
insignia,  which  consists  of  an  oval  frontlet 
of  scarlet  feathers,  and  a long-toothed  comb 
made  of  separate  pieces  of  wood  ingeniously 
fastened  together.  Several  of  these  combs 
are  in  my  collection,  and  are  excellent 
examples  of  the  artistic  capabilities  of  the 
makers.  No  two  of  them  are  alike,  the  deli- 
cate thread  which  fastens  them  together 
being  woven  in  a singular  variety  of  pat- 
terns. The  threads  are  nearly  as  fine  as 
hairs,  and  an  additional  beauty  is  given  to 
the  pattern  by  using  alternately  a deep 
black  and  a glittering  yellow  thread. 

The  priests  communicate  with  their  dei- 
ties by  throwing  themselves  into  a sort  of 
ecstatic  state,  technically  called  “shaking,” 
in  which  the  whole  body  is  convulsed,  and 
the  utterances  which  come  from  the  foam- 
ing lips  are  held  to  be  the  responses  of  the 
god.  A vivid  idea  of  this  mode  of  consult- 
ing a deity  is  given  by  Mr.  Williams  in  the 
valuable  work  to  which  reference  has  often 
been  made. 

“ Nothing  like  regular  worship  or  habitual 
reverence  is  found,  and  a principle  of  fear 
seems  the  only  motive  for  religious  observ- 
ances; and  this  is  fully  practised  on  by  the 
priests,  through  whom  alone  the  people  have 
access  to  the  gods,  when  they  wish  to  pre- 
sent petitions  affecting  their  social  or  indi- 
vidual interest.  When  matters  of  importance 
are  involved,  the  soro  or  offering  consists 
of  large  quantities  of  food,  together  with 


(960) 


VAKIOUS  MODES  OF  DIYINATIOK. 


whales’  teeth.  In  smaller  affairs  a tooth, 
club,  mat,  or  spear,  is  enough.  Young  nuts 
covered  with  turmeric  powder  formed  the 
meanest  offering  I have  known.  On  one 
occasion,  when  Tuikilakila  asked  the  help 
of  the  Somo-somo  gods  in  war,  he  built  the 
war  god  a large  new  temple,  and  presented 
a quantity  of  cooked  food,  with  sixty  turtles, 
beside  whales’  teeth. 

“Part  of  the  offering  — the  sigana  — is 
set  apart  for  the  deity,  the  rest  forming  a 
feast  of  which  all  may  partake.  The  portion 
devoted  to  the  god  is  eaten  by  his  priest  and 
by  old  men,  but  to  youths  and  women  it  is 
tapu. 

“ Strangers  wishing  to  consult  a god  cut  a 
quantity  of  fire  wood  for  the  temple.  Some- 
times only  a dish  of  yams  or  a whale’s  tooth 
is  presented.  It  is  not  absolutely  necessary 
for  the  transaction  to  take  place  at  a temple. 
I have  known  priests  to  become  inspired  in 
a private  house  or  in  the  open  air;  indeed, 
in  some  parts  of  Fiji,  the  latter  is  usually  the 
case. 

“One  who  intends  to  consult  the  oracle 
dresses  and  oils  himself,  and,  accompanied 
by  a few  others,  goes  to  the  priest,  who,  we 
will  suppose,  has  been  previously  informed 
of  the  intended  visit,  and  is  lying  near  the 
sacred  corner  getting  ready  his  response. 
When  the  party  arrives,  he  rises  and  sits  so 
that  his  back  is  near  to  the  white  cloth  by 
which  the  god  visits  him,  while  the  others 
occupy  the  opposite  side  of  the  Bure.  The 
principal  person  presents  a whale’s  tooth, 
states  the  purpose  of  his  visit,  and  expresses 
a hope  that  the  god  will  regard  him  with 
favor.  Sometimes  there  is  placed  before 
the  priest  a dish  of  scented  oil  with  which 
he  anoints  himself,  and  then  receives  the 
tooth,  regarding  it  with  deep  and  serious 
attention. 

“ Unbroken  silence  follows.  The  priest 
becomes  absorbed  in  thought,  and  all  eyes 
watch  him  with  unblinking  steadiness.  In 
a few  minutes  he  trembles;  slight  distortions 
are  seen  in  his  face,  and  twitching  move- 
ments in  his  limbs.  These  increase  to  a 
violent  muscular  action,  which  spreads  until 
the  whole  frame  is  strongly  convulsed,  and 
the  man  shivers  as  with  a strong  ague  fit.  In 
some  islands  this  is  accompanied  with  mur- 
murs and  sobs,  the  veins  are  greatly  en- 
larged, and  the  circulation  of  the  blood 
quickened. 

“ The  priest  is  now  possessed  by  his  god, 
and  all  his  words  and  actions  are  considered 
as  no  longer  his  own,  but  those  of  the  deity 
who  has  entered  into  him.  Shrill  cries  of 
‘Koi  au!  Koi  au!’  (‘It  is  I!  It  is  I!’)  fill  the 
air,  and  the  god  is  supposed  thus  to  notify 
his  approach.  While  giving  the  answer,  the 
priest’s  eyes  stand  out  and  roll  as  if  in  a 
frenzy;  his  voice  is  unnatural,  his  face  pale, 
his  lips  livid,  his  breathing  depressed,  and  his 
entire  appearance  like  that  of  a furious  mad- 
man. The  sweat  runs  from  every  pore,  and 
47 


tears  start  from  his  strained  eyes;  after  which 
the  symptoms  gradually  disappear.  The 
priest  looks  round  with  a vacant  stare,  and  as 
the  god  says  ‘ I depart,’  announces  his  actual 
departure  by  violently  flinging  himself  down 
on  the  mat,  or  by  suddenly  striking  the 
ground  with  a club,  when  those  at  a distance 
are  informed  by  blasts  on  the  conch,  or  the 
firing  of  a musket,  that  the  deity  has  re- 
turned into  the  world  of  spirits.” 

In  many  cases  it  is  evident  that  the  priests 
enact  deliberate  impositions,  but  it  is  also 
certain  that  in  many  others  they  are  com- 
pletely under  the  dominion  of  frenzy,  and 
that  they  do  not  recollect  afterward  the 
words  which  they  uttered  while  in  their 
delirious  state.  “ My  own  mind,”  said  one 
of  them,  “departs  from  me,  and  then,  when 
it  is  truly  gone,  my  god  speaks  by  me.” 

Various  modes  of  divination  are  employed 
by  the  Fijian  priests.  They  have,  for  ex- 
ample, divination  by  the  leaf,  by  the  reed, 
by  the  nut,  and  by  water.  The  leaf  is  tested 
by  taking  it  between  the  front  teeth  and 
biting  it.  If  it  be  completely  severed,  the 
omen  is  good;  if  it  hang  together,  even  by  a 
single  fibre,  the  omen  is  unfavorable.  One 
priest  had  a very  strange  mode  of  divination 
by  the  leaf.  He  had  two  magic  leaves,  which 
he  placed  on  the  sides  of  the  applicant,  and 
then  left  them.  If  the  leaf  on  the  right  side 
stung  the  skin,  the  omen  was  good;  but  if 
any  plots  or  treacheries  were  hatched,  the 
leaf  stung  the  man  on  the  left  side,  and  so 
warned  him  of  the  danger.  Another  mode 
of  divination  by  the  leaf  is  to  bite  it,  and 
judge  by  the  flavor  whether  the  omen  be 
adverse  or  the  contrary. 

The  reed  test  is  managed  as  follows.  A 
number  of  short  reeds  are  cut,  and  laid  in  a 
row  on  the  ground,  a name  being  given  to 
each.  The  priest  then  holds  his  right  foot 
over  each,  and  the  response  is  given  by  the 
trembling  of  the  foot. 

The  water  test  is  performed  by  holding 
the  straightened  arm  slightly  upward,  and 
pouring  a few  drops  of  water  on  the  wrist. 
If  the  water  should  run  to  the  shoulder,  the 
response  is  favorable;  should  it  fall  off  at  the 
elbow,  the  answer  is  adverse. 

The  next  test  is  performed  by  laying  a 
cocoa-nut  on  a small  surface  and  spinning 
it.  When  it  stops,  the  response  is  given  by 
the  direction  in  which  the  eye  points. 

According  to  Fijian  notions,  the  passage 
to  Buruto  or  heaven  is  a very  difficult  one, 
except  for  great  chiefs,  and  the  only  plan  by 
which  a man  of  inferior  rank  can  hope  to  ob- 
tain admission  is  by  telling  the  god  a lie,  and 
proclaiming  himself  a chief  with  so  much 
apparent  truthfulness  that  he  is  believed,  and 
allowed  to  pass.  Taking  on  his  shoulder  his 
war  club  and  a whale’s  tooth,  the  Fijian 
spirit  goes  to  the  end  of  the  world,  where 
grows  a sacred  pine,  and  throws  the  tooth  at 
it.  Should  he  miss  it,  he  can  go  no  further; 
but  if  he  hit  it,  he  travels  on  to  a spot  where 


9G2 


FIJI. 


he  awaits  the  arrival  of  the  women  who 
were  murdered  at  his  death. 

Escorted  by  them,  he  proceeds  until  he  is 
met  and  opposed  a god  called  Eavuyalo, 
whom  he  tights  with  his  club.  Should  he 
fail,  he  is  killed  and  eaten  by  the  god,  and 
there  is  an  end  of  him.  Should  he  conquer, 
he  proceeds  until  he  finds  a canoe,  into 
vv'hich  he  gets,  and  is  conveyed  to  the  lofty 
spot  where  the  chief  god,  Kdengei,  lives. 
Over  the  precipice  extends  the  long  steering 
oar  of  the  god’s  canoe.  He  is  then  asked 
his  name  and  rank,  when  he  replies  with  a 
circumstantial  account  of  his  grandeur  and 
magnificence,  of  the  countries  over  which 
he  has  ruled,  of  the  deeds  which  he  did  in 
war,  and  of  the  devastation  which  he  caused. 
He  is  then  told  to  take  his  seat  on  the  blade 
of  the  oar.  Should  his  story  have  been  be- 
lieved, he  is  conveyed  to  Buruto;  but  should 
IMdengei  disbelieve  his  story,  the  oar  is  tilted 
up,  and  he  is  hurled  down  the  precipice  into 
the  water  below  whence  he  never  emerges. 

It  has  been  mentioned  that  the  spirit  has 
to  wait  for  the  escort  of  his  wives.  This  is 
in  order  to  prove  that  he  is  a married,  man, 
bachelors  having  no  hope  of  admission  into 
Buruto.  Should  a wifeless  man  start  on  his 
journey,  he  is  confronted  by  a goddess,  called 
the  Great  Woman,  who  has  a special  hatred 
of  bachelors,  and,  as  soon  as  she  sees  one, 
flies  at  him  and  tries  to  tear  him  in  pieces. 
Sometimes  she  misses  him  in  her  eagerness; 
but,  even  in  such  a case,  he  has  to  deal  with 
another  god,  who  hides  himself  in  the  spirit 
path,  and,  as  the  soul  of  the  bachelor  passes 
by,  he  springs  on  the  wretched  being,  and 
dashes  him  to  atoms  against  a stone. 

The  Bures  or  temples  of  the  gods  abound 
in  Fiji,  at  least  one  Bure  being  found  in 
every  village,  and  some  of  the  villages 
having  many  of  these  buildings.  They  are 
made  of  the  same  material  as  the  houses, 
but  with  much  more  care.  Instead  of  being 
merely  set  on  the  ground,  they  are  placed 
on  the  top  of  a mound  of  earth,  sometimes 
only  slightly  elevated,  and  sometimes  twenty 
feet  or  more  in  height. 

The  natives  think  no  labor  too  great  for 
the  decoration  of  a Burd,  and  it  is  in  those 
buildings  that  their  marvellous  skill  in  plait- 
ing sinnet  is  best  shown.  Every  beam,  post, 
and  pillar  is  entirely  covered  with  sinnet 
plaited  into  the  most  beautiful  patterns,  black 
and  red  being  the  favorite  colors;  and  even 
the  reeds  which  line  the  window  frames,  and 
fill  up  the  interstices  between  the  pillars,  are 
hidden  in  the  plaited  sinnet  with  which  they 
are  covered.  So  lavish  are  the  natives  of 
their  work,  that  they  are  not  content  with 
covering  the  pillars  and  reeds  with  sinnet 
work,  but  they  make  large  plaited  cords 
of  the  same  material,  and  hang  them  in  fes- 
toons from  the  eaves. 

It  has  already  been  mentioned  that  the 
best  houses  have  the  ends  of  the  ridge-poles 
decorated  with  cowries,  but  those  of  the 


Bure  are  adorned  with  long  strings  of  cow- 
ries that  sometimes  reach  the  ground.  Or- 
dinary laths  are  thought  too  common  to  be 
used  in  thatching  temples,  and  the  beauti- 
fully carved  spears  of  warriors  are  employed 
instead  of  simple  wood.  When  the  Bure  is 
erected  on  a high  mound,  entrance  is  gained 
to  it  by  means  of  a very  thick  plank  cut  into 
notched  steps. 

Although  the  Bures  are  considered  as 
temples,  and  dedicated  to  the  god,  they  are 
mostly  used  for  secular  purposes.  Visitors 
from  a distance  are  generally  quartered  in 
them,  and  in  many  instances  the  principal 
men  of  the  village  make  the  Bure  their  sleep- 
ing-place. Councils  are  held  in  the  Bures, 
and  entertainments  are  given  in  them,  of 
■which  the  oflerings  to  the  god  form  a large 
part.  Sometimes,  as  has  been  mentioned,  a 
chief  who  wishes  to  propitiate  some  deity 
offers  a great  quantity  of  food  in  his  temple, 
and  this  food  is  consumed  in  a general  feast. 
A certain  portion  is  dedicated  to  the  god, 
and  may  only  be  eaten  by  the  priests  and 
the  old  men,  but  the  remainder  may  be  eaten 
by  any  one. 

Kone  of  the  food  is  left  to  perish,  the 
Fijians  having  a convenient  belief  which 
combines  piety  with  self-indulgence.  The 
god  is  supposed  to  be  a great  eater,  but  only 
to  consume  the  soul  of  the  provisions,  so 
that  when  food  is  cooked  and  offered,  the 
god  eats  the  soul  and  the  people  the  bod}'. 
The  chief  god,  Kdengei,  used  to  be  both 
greedy  and  dainty  in  his  demands  for  food. 
He  sometimes  ate  two  hundred  hogs  and  a 
hundred  turtles  at  a single  feast,  and  was 
continually  insisting  on  human  sacrifices. 
In  order  to  procure  these,  no  respect  was 
paid  to  persons,  and  so  infatuated  were  the 
people  that,  to  keep  up  Kdengei’s  su})plies 
of  human  food,  chiefs  were  known  to  kill 
their  own  wives. 

No  regular  worship  is  ever  offered  in  the 
Bures,  which,  indeed,  are  often  left  to  fall 
into  decay  until  some  one  desires  to  consult 
or  propitiate  the  god,  when  the  building  is 
repaired  and  cleaned  for  the  occasion.  As 
may  be  expected,  during  the  building  of  the 
Bure  several  human  sacrifices  are  offered. 

If  the  reader  will  refer  to  the  drawing  of 
the  Bure  on  the  following  page,  he  will  see 
that  in  front  of  it  are  two  oddly-shaped 
objects.  These  are  examples  of  the  sacred 
stones,  several  of  which  are  to  be  found  in 
various  parts  of  Fiji.  They  are  considered 
as  the  dwelling-place  of  certain  gods,  and 
are  held  to  be  either  male  or  female,  ac- 
cording to  the  sex  of  the  deity  who  inhabits 
them.  Should  the  god  be  of  the  female  sex, 
the  fact  is  known  % a woman’s  apron  or 
liku  being  tied  round  the  stone.  One  such 
god  is  a very  useful  one,  because  he  hates 
mosquitoes,  and  keeps  them  away  from  the 
spot  in  which  he  dwells.  Food  is  prepared 
and  offered  to  those  sacred  stones,  the  god 
as  usual,  eating  the  spirit  of  the  food,  and  th# 


i 


(1.)  A BURE,  OR  TEMPLE.  (See  page  9C2.) 


(2.)  CANOE  HOUSE  AT  MAKIRA  BAY.  (See  page  970.) 


(963) 


MUKDER  OF  THE  AGED  AND  SICK. 


965 


priest  and  officers  consuming  its  outward 
form. 

We  now  come  to  the  funeral  ceremonies 
of  Fiji,  taking  those  of  the  chiefs  as  types  of 
the  whole. 

Amon^  the  Fijians  a very  singular  super- 
stition reigns.  When  men  or  womenbecome 
infirm  with  age,  they  are  considered  to  have 
lived  their  full  time  on  earth,  and  prep- 
arations are  made  for  their  burial.  So  in- 
grained is  this  belief,  that  if  a man  finds 
himself  becoming  feeble  with  age  or  disease, 
he  requests  his  sons  to  strangle  him,  and 
with  this  request  they  think  themselves  bound 
to  comply.  Indeed,  if  they  think  that  he  is 
too  slow  in  making  the  request,  they  suggest 
to  him  that  he  has  lived  long  enough,  and 
ought  to  rest  in  the  grave.  Such  conduct 
seems  to  imply  that  they  are  destitute  of 
affection,  but  in  reality  it  is  their  way  of 
showing  their  love  for  their  parent. 

They  are  really  a most  afiTectionate  race 
of  people.  A young  chief  has  been  seen  to 
sob  with  overpowering  emotion  at  parting 
from  his  father  for  a short  time,  and  yet, 
were  his  parents  to  become  ill  or  infirm,  he 
would  think  it  his  duty  to  apply  the  fatal 
rope  with  his  own  hands.  To  be  strangled 
by  one’s  children,  or  to  be  buried  alive  by 
them,  is  considered  the  most  honorable 
mode  of  death.  The  reason  for  this  strange 
custom  seems  to  be  that  the  Fijians  believe 
the  condition  of  the  spirit  in  the  next  world 
to  be  exactly  the  same  as  that  of  the  in- 
dividual when  in  life.  Consequently,  affec- 
tionate children  are  unwilling  to  allow  their 
parents  to  pass  into  the  next  world  in  an  in- 
firm state  of  body,  and  therefore  strangle 
them  out  of  sheer  kindness. 

From  a similar  notion  of  kindness,  they 
also  strangle  the  favorite  wives  and  at- 
tendants of'  the  dead  chief,  so  as  to  provide 
him  with  the  followers  to  whom  he  has  been 
accustomed.  They  also  kill  a powerful  war- 
rior, in  order  that  he  may  go  before  his 
chief  through  the  passage  into  the  spirit 
land,  and  drive  away  the  evil  spirits  who 
oppose  the  progress  of  a new  comer.  These 
victims  go  by  the  name  of  “grass,”  and  are 
laid  at  the  bottom  of  the  grave;  the  warrior 
painted  and  dressed  for  battle,  with  his 
favorite  club  by  his  side,  the  women  arranged 
in  folds  of  the  finest  masi,  and  the  servants 
with  their  implements  in  their  hands;  so 
that  the  inhabitants  of  the  spirit  world  may 
see  how  great  a chief  has  come  among  them. 

All  their  preparations  are  carried  on  in  a 
quiet  and  orderly  manner,  the  victims  never 
attempting  to  escape  from  their  fate,  but 
vying  with  each  other  for  the  honor  of 
accompanying  their  chief.  In  some  cases, 
when  a chief  has  died  young,  his  mother  has 
insisted  on  sharing  his  grave.  So  deeply  do 
the  Fijians  feel  the  necessity  for  this  sacri- 
fice that  the  custom  has  been  a greater  bar- 
rier against  Christianity  even  than  canni- 


balism or  polygamy,  and  even  those  natives 
who  have  been  converted  to  Christianity  are 
always  uneasy  on  the  subject.  On  one  occa- 
sion a Christian  chief  was  shot,  and  by  the 
same  volley  a young  man  was  killed.  The 
Christian  natives  were  delighted  with  the 
latter  catastrophe,  inasmuch  as  it  provided 
an  attendant  for  their  slain  chief. 

The  scene  which  takes  place  when  a great 
chief  is  expected  to  die  has  been  described 
by  Mr.  Williams  with  great  power.  The 
King  of  Somo-somo,  a magnificent  specimen 
of  the  savage,  was  becoming  infirm  through 
age,  and  toward  the  middle  of  August  1845 
was  unable  to  do  more  than  walk  about  a 
little ; — 

“ I visited  him  on  the  21st,  and  was  sur- 
prised to  find  him  much  better  than  he  had 
been  two  days  before.  On  being  told,  there- 
fore, on  the  24th  that  the  king  was  dead,  and 
that  preparations  were  being  made  for  his 
interment,  I could  scarcely  credit  the  report. 
The  ominous  word  preparing  urged  me  to 
hasten  without  delay  to  the  scene  of  action, 
but  my  utmost  speed  failed  to  bring  me  to 
Nasima  — the  king’s  house  — in  time.  The 
moment  I entered  it  was  evident  that,  as  far 
as  concerned  two  of  the  women,  I was  too 
late  to  save  thoir  lives.  The  effect  of  that 
scene  was  overwhelming.  Scores  of  delib- 
erate murderers  in  the  very  act  surrounded 
me:  yet  there  was  no  confusion,  and,  except 
a word  from  him  who  presided,  no  noise, 
only  an  unearthly,  horrid  stillness.  Nature 
seemed  to  lend  her  aid  and  to  deepen  the 
dread  effect ; there  was  not  a breath  stirring 
in  the  air,  and  the  half-subdued  light  in  that 
hall  of  death  showed  every  object  with 
unusual  distinctness. 

“ All  was  motionless  as  sculpture,  and  a 
strange  feeling  came  upon  me,  as  though  I 
was  myself  becoming  a statue.  To  speak 
was  impossible  ; I was  unconscious  that  I 
breathed;  and  involuntarily,  or  rather 
against  my  will,  I sunk  to  the  floor,  assuming 
the  cowering  posture  of  those  who  were 
actually  engaged  in  murder.  My  arrival 
was  during  a hush,  just  at  the  crisis  of  death, 
and  to  that  strange  silence  must  be  attrib- 
uted my  emotions;  and  I was  but  too  familiar 
with  murders  of  this  kind,  neither  w^as  there 
anything  novel  in  the  apparatus  employed. 
Occupying  the  centre  of  that  large  room 
were  two  groups,  the  business  of  whom 
could  not  be  mistaken. 

“All  sat  on  the  floor;  the  middle  figure 
of  each  group  being  held  in  a sitting  posture 
by  several  females,  and  hidden  by  a large 
veil.  On  either  side  of  each  veiled  figure 
was  a company  of  eight  or  ten  strong  men, 
one  company  hauling  against  the  other  on  a 
white  cord  which  was  passed  twice  round 
the  neck  of  the  doomed  one,  who  thus  in  a 
few  minutes  ceased  to  live.  As  my  self- 
command  was  returning  to  me  the  group 
furthest  from  me  began  to  move;  the  men 
slackened  their  hold,  and  the  attendant 


960 


FIJI. 


women  removed  the  large  covering,  making 
it  into  a couch  for  the  victim. 

“ As  that  veil  was  lifted  some  of  the  men 
beheld  the  distorted  features  of  a mother 
whom  they  had  helped  to  murder,  and  smiled 
with  satisfaction  as  the  corpse  was  laid  out 
for  decoration.  Convulsion  strongly  on  the 
part  of  the  poor  creature  near  me  showed 
that  she  still  lived.  She  was  a stout  woman, 
and  some  of  the  executioners  jocosely  in- 
vited those  who  sat  near  to  have  pity  and 
help  them.  At  length  a woman  said,  ‘ she 
is  cold.’  The  fatal  cord  fell,  and  as  the  cov- 
ering was  raised  I saw  dead  the  oldest  wife 
and  unwearied  attendant  of  the  old  king.” 

Leaving  the  house  of  murder,  Mr.  Wil- 
liams went  to  the  hut  of  the  deceased  king, 
determining  to  see  his  successor,  and  beg 
him  to  spare  the  lives  of  the  intended  victims. 

To  his  horror  and  astonishment,  he  found 
that  the  king  was  still  alive.  He  was  lying 
on  his  couch,  very  feeble,  but  perfectly  con- 
scious, every  now  and  then  placing  his  hand 
to  his  side  as  he  was  racked  by  cough.  The 
young  king  was  full  of  grief.  He  embraced 
his  visitor  with  much  emotion,  saying,  “ See, 
the  father  of  us  two  is  dead.”  It  was  useless 
to  dispute  the  point.  The  poor  old  king 
certainly  did  move  and  speak  and  eat;  but, 
according  to  the  son’s  ideas,  the  movements 
were  only  mechanical,  the  spirit  having  left 
the  body. 

So  the  preparations  for  his  funeral  went 
on.  His  chief  wife  and  an  assistant  employed 
themselves  in  covering  his  body  with  black 
powder,  as  if  dressing  him  for  the  war  dance, 
and  fastening  upon  his  arms  and  legs  a num- 
ber of  long  strips  of. white  masi,  tied  in 
rosettes,  with  the  ends  streaming  on  the 
ground.  They  had  already  clad  him  in  a 
new  masi  of  immense  size,  the  white  folds  of 
which  were  wrapped  round  his  feet.  In 
place  of  the  usual  masi  turban,  a scarlet 
handkerchief  was  bound  on  his  hair  with  a 
circlet  of  white  cowrie-shells,  and  strings  of 
the  same  shells  decorated  his  arms,  while 
round  his  neck  was  an  ivory  necklace,  made 
of  long  curved  claw-like  pieces  of  whale’s 
teeth. 

The  reader  may  perhaps  wonder  that  the 
chief  wife  of  the  king  was  suffered  to  live. 
The  fact  was  that  the  young  king  would  not 
allow  her  to  be  killed,  because  no  execu- 
tioner of  sufficient  rank  could  be  found.  She 
lamented  her  hard  lot  in  being  forbidden  to 
accompany  her  husband  to  the  spirit  land, 
and  begged  to  be  strangled,  but  without 
success. 

Presently  the  sound  of  two  conch-shell 
trumpets  was  heard  outside  the  house,  this 
being  the  official  intimation  that  the  old 
king  was  dead,  and  the  new  king  was  then 
formally  acknowledged  by  the  chiefs  who 
were  present.  He  seemed  overcome  with 
grief,  and,  gazing  on  the  body  of  his  father’s 
attendant,  he  exclaimed,  “Alas,  Moalevu! 
There  lies  a woman  truly  wearied,  not  only 


in  the  day  but  in  the  night  also;  the  fire 
consumed  the  fuel  gathered  by  her  hands. 
If  we  awoke  in  the  still  night,  the  sound  of 
our  feet  reached  her  ears,  and,  if  spoken  to 
harshly,  she  continued  to  labor  only.  Mo- 
alevu! Alas,  Moalevu!  ” 

The  bodies  of  the  murdered  women  were 
then  rolled  up  in  mats,  placed  on  a bier,  and 
carried  out  of  the  door,  but  the  old  king  was 
taken  through  a breach  made  in  the  wall  of 
the  house.  The  bodies  w^ere  carried  down 
to  the  seaside  and  placed  in  a canoe,  the 
king  being  on  the  deck,  attended  by  his  wife 
and  the  Mata,  who  fanned  him  and  kept  oil 
the  insects. 

When  they  arrived  at  Weilangi,  the  place 
of  sepulture,  they  found  the  grave  already 
dug,  and  lined  with  mats.  The  bodies  of  the 
women  were  laid  side  by  side  in  the  grave, 
and  on  them  the  dying  king.  The  shell 
ornaments  were  then  taken  from  him,  and 
he  W'as  entirely  enveloped  in  mats,  after 
which  the  earth  was  filled  in,  and  thus  he 
was  buried  alive.  The  poor  old  man  was 
even  heard  to  cough  after  a quantity  of  earth 
had  been  heaped  on  him. 

This  final  scene  is  represented  in  an 
illustration  on  the  980th  page.  In  the  fore- 
ground is  seen  the  open  grave,  with  the 
bodies  of  the  murdered  women  lying  in  it  as 
“ grass.”  The  still  living  king  is  being  borne 
to  the  grave  by  the  attendants,  while  his  suc- 
cessor sits  mournfully  surveying  a scene 
which  he  knows  will  be  re-enacted  in  his  own 
case,  should  he  live  to  be  old  and  infirm. 
Just  above  the  grave  are  the  rolls  of  fine 
mats  with  which  the  body  of  the  king  is  to  be 
covered  before  the  earth  is  filled  in;  and  in 
the  background  appears  the  mast  of  the  canoe 
which  brought  the  party  to  the  burial- 
ground. 

The  reader  cannot  but  notice  the  resem- 
blance between  this  Fijian  custom  of 
strangling  the  wives  and  the  well-known 
suttee  of  India.  In  both  cases  the  women 
are  the  foremost  to  demand  death,  and  for 
the  same  reason.  Just  as  the  Hindoo 
women  arrange  their  own  funeral  pile,  and 
light  it  with  their  own  hands,  the  Fijian 
woman  helps  to  dig  her  own  grave,  lines 
it  with  mats  and  then  seats  herself  in  it. 

The  fact  is,  that  the  woman  has  positively 
no  choice  in  the  matter;  a wife  who  sur- 
vives her  husband  is  condemned  to  a life  of 
neglect,  suffering,  and  insult,  so  that  the 
short  agony  of  immediate  death  is  prefera- 
ble to  such  a fate,  especially  as  by  yielding 
to  the  national  custom  she  believes  that  she 
shall  secure  a happy  and  honored  life  in  the 
spirit  land.  ’ Moreover,  her  relatives  are 
bound  by  custom  to  insist  upon  her  death, 
as,  if  they  did  not  follow  this  custom,  they 
would  be  accused  of  disrespect  toward  her 
husband  and  his  family,  and  would  run  the 
risk  of  being  clubbed  in  revenge. 

In  consequence  of  this  horrid  custom,  the 
population  of  Fiji  has  been  greatly  checked, 


CUSTOM  OF  LOLOKU. 


96> 


for  not  only  is  there  the  direct  sacrifice  of  life, 
but  much  indirect  loss  is  occasioned.  Many 
of  the  murdered  women  are  mothers,  whose 
children  die  for  want  of  maternal  care,  so 
that,  what  with  the  perpetual  feuds  and 
continual  murders,  the  custom  of  cannibal- 
ism, the  sacrifice  of  wives  with  their  hus- 
bands, the  strangling  of  the  old  or  sick, 
and  the  death  of  children  by  neglect,  very 
few  Fijians  die  from  natural  causes.  Mr. 
Williams  mentions  that  in  a class  of  nine 
children  under  his  charge,  the  parents  had 
all  been  murdered  with  the  exception  of  two, 
and  these  had  been  condemned  to  death,  and 
only  saved  through  the  exertions  of  the  mis- 
sionaries. 

After  a king  is  buried,  sundry  ceremonies 
are  observed.  For  twenty  days  or  so,  no 
one  eats  until  the  evening,  the  people  shave 
their  heads  either  partially  or  entirely,  and 
the  women  cut  off  their  fingers,  which  are 
inserted  in  split  reeds,  and  stuck  along  the 
eaves  of  the  royal  house.  Those  who  are 
nearly  related  to  the  dead  king  show  their 
grief  by  refusing  to  wear  their  usual  dress, 
and  substituting  rude  garments  of  leaves. 
They  often  deny  themselves  the  luxury  of  a 
mat  to  lie  upon,  and  pass  their  nights  on  the 
grave  of  their  friend.  The  coast  is  rendered 
tapu  for  a certain  distance,  no  one  being  al- 
lowed to  fish  until  the  proper  time  has 
elapsed,  and  the  cocoa-nut  trees  are  placed 
Under  a similar  restriction. 

Various  strange  rites  take  place  on  cer- 
tain days  after  the  funeral.  On  the  fourth 
day  the  friends  assemble,  and  celebrate  the 
melancholy  ceremony  called  the  “jumping 
of  maggots,”  *in  which  they  symbolize  the 
progress  of  corruption.  Next  evening  is 
one  of  a directly  opposite  character,  called 
the  “ causing  to  laugh,”  in  which  the  imme- 
diate friends  and  relatives  of  the  dead  are 
entertained  with  comic  games.  On  the 
tenth  day  the  women  have  an  amusing  cere- 
mony of  their  own.  Arming  themselves 
with  whips,  switches,  or  cords,  they  fall  upon 
every  man  whom  they  meet,  without  respect 
to  age  or  rank,  the  greatest  chiefs  only  being 
exempt  from  this  persecution.  The  men  are 
not  allowed  to  retaliate,  except  by  flinging 
mud  at  their  assailants,  and  those  who  have 
witnessed  the  scene  say  that  nothing  more 
ludicrous  can  bo  imagined  than  to  see  grave, 
elderly  men  running  in  all  directions,  pur- 
sued by  the  women  with  their  whips  and 
switches.. 

The  last  ceremony  is  the  completion  of 
some  special  work  begun  in  honor  of  the 
dead.  It  may  be  the  erection  of  a house,  the 


making  of  a huge  ball  of  sinnet,  a great  bale 
of  cloth,  and,  in  any  case,  it  bears  the  name 
of  the  person  in  whose  honor  it  was  under- 
taken. Building  large  canoes  is  a favorite 
form  of  this  custom,  and,  during  the  whole 
time  that  the  work  is  in  progress,  the  canoe 
is  put  to  sleep  at  night  by  the  beating  of 
drums,  and  awakened  every  morning  in  a 
similar  manner,  when  the  carpenters  come 
to  their  work. 

A curious  ceremony  takes  place  in  Fiji 
when  one  of  the  principal  chiefs  has  died. 
It  is  called  the  loloku  of  the  sail,  and  is  a sort 
of  a signal  of  honor.  Whenever  a canoe 
approaches  the  coast  for  the  first  time  since 
the  death  of  the  chief,  the  vessel  is  obliged 
to  show  the  loloku.  This  is  generally  a long 
strip  of  masi  tied  to  the  head  of  the  mast, 
and  as  soon  as  the  canoe  touches  the  land, 
both  the  sail  and  masi  are  thrown  into  the 
water.  Sometimes,  when  the  owner  of  the 
canoe  is  tolerably  rich,  he  adds  to  the  simple 
loloku  a whale’s  tooth,  which  is  flung  from 
the  mast-head  into  the  water,  when  the  peo- 
ple dive  and  scramble  for  it. 

Should  the  chief  perish  at  sea,  or  be  killed 
in  a warlike  expedition,  and  be  eaten  by  his 
enemies,  the  loloku  is  shown  as  carefully  as 
if  he  had  been  buried  on  shore,  and  his 
relatives  try  to  compensate  him  for  his  ad- 
verse fate,  by  killing  an  unusual  number  of 
women  as  his  attendants.  Nearly  twenty 
women  have  thus  been  sacrificed  on  the 
death  of  a young  chief  who  was  drowned  at 
sea. 

The  graves  of  chiefs  and  their  wives  are 
marked  by  tombs.  These  are  sometimes 
nothing  but  stones  at  the  head  and  foot  of 
the  grave,  or  large  cairns  of  stones  piled  on 
the  deceased.  Sometimes  they  are  roofs 
from  three  to  six  feet  in  height,  decorated, 
after  Fijian  custom,  with  patterns  worked 
in  sinnet. 

One  tomb,  that  of  a chief’s  wife,  was  a 
very  remarkable  one.  Her  husband  had  a 
large  mound  of  earth  thrown  up,  and  faced 
with  stones.  On  the  top  of  the  mound  was 
a double  canoe,  forty  feet  in  length,  held 
firmly  in  its  place  by  being  imbedded  in 
earth.  Fine  shingle  was  strewn  on  the 
deck,  and  mats  were  spread  on  the  shingle 
for  the  reception  of  the  body.  Sand  was 
then  heaped  over  the  canoe,  and  on  the 
sand  was  laid  the  body  of  a lit";le  child  of 
whom  the  deceased  woman  had  been  very 
fond.  Over  all  was  then  built  r large  roof, 
made  of  mahogany,  and  adorned  with  white 
cowrie-shells. 


CHAPTER  XCVIII, 


THE  SOLOMOK  ISLANDS  AND  NEW  HEBRIDES. 

CHARACTER,  DRESS,  CUSTOMS. 


POSITION  OF  THE  SOLOMON  ISLANDS  — EEASON  FOR  THE  NAME  OF  THE  GROUP  — CHARACTER  OF  THE 
NATIVES — CANNIBALISM  — DRESS  AND  ORNAMENTS  — NEW  IRELAND  AND  NEW  BRITAIN  — NOMAD 
CHARACTER  OF  THE  NATIVES — CAVE  HOUSES  — THE  ADMIRALTY  ISLANDS  — DISTINGUISHING 
MARKS  OF  THE  CHIEFS,  AND  THEIR  DOMINION  OVER  THE  PEORLE — THE  BOUKA  ISLAND  — THE 
NEW  HEBRIDES — MODE  OF  GOVERNMENT,  AND  DIVERSITY  OF  LANGUAGE  — THE  INHABITANTS  OF 
VAT^  — CURIOUS  DRESS  OF  THE  WOMEN  — ORNAMENTS  OF  THE  HOUSES  — TAUNA  AND  ERRUMANGA 
— TRADE  IN  SANDAL  WOOD  — ANEITEUM  AND  VANIKORO. 


Between  New  Guinea  and  the  Fiji  group 
lie  the  Solomon  (or  Salomon)  Islands.  They 
were  discovered,  as  far  as  we  know,  by 
Alvero  de  Mendana,  who  touched  upon 
them  in  the  year  1567.  Being  desirous  of 
inducing  his  countrymen,  who  held  in  those 
days  the  chief  place  among  sailors,  to  visit 
and  colonize  so  fertile  a land,  he  concocted 
a pious  fraud,  and  called  the  group  by  the 
name  of  Solomon  Islands,  as  being  the 
Ophir  from  which  Solomon’s  ships  brought 
the  vast  quantities  of  gold  with  which  he 
adorned  the  Temple  and  his  own  palace. 

His  scheme  failed,  inasmuch  as,  when  he 
again  went  in  search  of  the  islands,  he 
could  not  find  them,  the  imperfect  astro- 
nomical instruments  of  that  day  being  far 
inferior  to  those  of  the  present  time,  by 
means  of  which  a competent  observer  can 
tell  Vv'ithin  a few  yards  his  exact  place  on 
tlie  earth. 

The  natives  of  the  Solomon  Islands  are 
so  fierce  and  treacherous,  that  compara- 
tively little  has  as  yet  been  learned  about 
them.  They  have  displayed  a great  genius 
for  lulling  voyagers  into  a fancied  security, 
and  then  murdering  and  eating  them;  so 
that  the  Spaniards  lost  nothing  by  Men- 
dana’s  inability  to  find  the  islands  again. 
They  contrived  lately  to  entrap  a gentleman 
who  visited  their  islands  in  his  yacht,  and 
murdered  him  while  he  was  on  shore,  shoot- 
ing  pigeons.  They  have  committed  so 
many  murders  on  seamen,  and  even  cap- 
tured so  many  vessels,  that  the  greatest 
precautions  are  now  taken  by  those  who 
visit  their  shores. 


Perhaps  the  reader  may  wonder  that  any 
one  should  take  the  trouble  of  \isiting  so 
inhospitable  a place;  but  the  fact  is  that 
the  hawk’s-bill  turtle,  so  valued  as  supply- 
ing the  tortoise-shell  of  commerce,  is  plen- 
tiful on  the  coasts,  and  captured  by  the 
natives,  who  reserve  the  shell  for  barter 
with  European  ships. 

When  ships  anchor  off  the  coast,  the  na- 
tives put  oft*  in  canoes;  but  only  a certain 
number  are  allowed  to  approach,  the  ham- 
mock nettings  being  triced  up  so  as  to  pre- 
vent the  natives  from  boarding  the  vessel. 
Only  the  principal  chief  is  allowed  to  come 
on  board,  and  through  him  the  bargains  are 
made.  These  are  very  tedious,  as  the  na- 
tives will  insist  on  haggling  separately  over 
each  piece  of  tortoise-shell,  instead  of  sell- 
ing the  whole  “ head  ” at  once,  as  is  done  at 
other  places.  The  usual  articles  of  mer- 
chandise are  employed  in  the  trade,  such  as 
glass  bottles,  beads,  axes,  cloth,  knives,  and 
similar  objects. 

The  natives  are  very  dark,  and  may  even 
be  called  black,  with  thick  and  crisp  hair. 
That  they  are  cannibals  has  already  been 
mentioned.  They  are  such  inordinate  lov- 
ers of  human  flesh  that,  according  to  the 
accounts  of  some  travellers,  which  may 
however  have  been  exaggerated,  they  make 
it  their  customary  diet.  It  is  evident,  how- 
ever, that  this  statement  must  be  somewhat 
overdrawn,  as  no  people  inhabiting  a lim- 
ited country  could  make  human  flesh  the 
chief  article  of  diet  without  gradual  exter- 
mination. That  they  prefer  it  to  all  other 
food  is  likely  enough,  and  in  this  they  only 


DKESS  AND  OENAMENTS. 


9G3 


follow  the  example  of  the  Papuans.  Men- 
dana  mentions  that  the  chief  of  one  of  the 
islands  sent  him  a handsome  present  of  a 
quarter  of  a boy,  and  that  he  gave  great 
offence  to  the  natives  by  burying  instead  of 
eating  it. 

They  do  certainly  use  great  quantities  of 
this  horrible  diet,  and  one  traveller  mentions 
that,  in  visiting  their  houses,  he  has  seen 
human  heads,  legs,  and  arms  hung  from  the 
rafters,  just  as  joints  of  meat  are  hung  in  a 
larder.  The  houses  bear  token  in  other 
ways  of  the  cannabalistic  habits  of  the 
natives,  being  ornamented  with  skulls  and 
similar  relics  of  bygone  feasts,  together 
with  other  ornaments. 

The  Solomon  Islanders  are  not  handsome 
people,  and  do  not  add  to  their  beauty  by 
their  modes  of  adornment.  Their  inveter- 
ate use  of  the  betel-nut  blackens  their  teeth, 
and  their  faces  are  disfigured  with  streaks 
and  patches  of  white  paint,  which  has  a hor- 
ribly ghastly  appearance  against  the  black 
skin.  They  are  fond  of  wearing  numerous 
ornaments  in  their  ears,  the  lobes  of  which 
are  perforated,  and  so  distended  that  they 
can  wear  in  them  circular  blocks  of  wood 
nine  inches  in  circumference.  Their  chief 
ornament  is,  however,  an  armlet  made  from 
a large  shell  found  on  the  reefs.  Shells  of 
sufficient  size  for  this  purpose  are  extremely 
rare,  and  are  prized  even  more  than  whales’ 
teeth  among  the  Fijians  and  neighboring 
people.  W ars  are  often  caused  by  a strug- 
gle for  the  possession  of  a single  armlet; 
while,  in  comparison  with  so  valuable  an 
article,  human  life  is  looked  upon  as  utterly 
worthless.  Very  great  chiefs  and  warriors 
wear  several  of  these  rings  on  their  arms; 
but  they  do  so  with  the  full  knowledge  that 
their  finery  is  as  perilous  as  it  is  valuable, 
and  that  they  are  likely  to  be  murdered 
merely  for  the  sake  of  their  ornaments. 

The  Solomon  Islanders  care  little  for 
clothing,  their  whole  dress  being  simply  a 
piece  of  matting  tied  round  the  waist;  and 
it  is  rather  a remarkable  fact  that  they  pur- 
sue the  same  art  of  staining  the  hair  yellow, 
white,  or  red,  or  discharging  all  color  out  of 
it,  that  is  practised  by  the  Fijians. 

Warlike  as  well  as  fierce,  they  possess  a 
variety  of  weapons;  such  as  clubs  of  differ- 
ent kinds,  spears,  bows  and  arrows.  In 
order  to  guard  themselves  against  the  mis- 
sile weapons,  they  carry  shields  made  of 
rushes,  woven  so  thickly  and  tightly  to- 
gether that  they  are  able  to  resist  the 
arrows  and  to  render  the  spears  almost 
harmless. 

That  they  possess  canoes  may  be  inferred 
from  the  fact  that  they  inhabit  islands  of  such 
diminutive  size.  These  canoes  are  made 
in  a most  ingenious  manner,  and  are  con- 
structed in  a mode  that  gives  a clue  to  the 
peculiar  shape  which  is  so  often  seen  among 
the  islands  of  Polynesia.  Both  at  the  stem 
and  stern  the  ends  of  the  canoe  are  very 


much  raised.  This  structure’ is  not  only  for 
ornament,  though  decoration  is  freely  used 
in  it,  but  is  principally  intended  for  defence. 
When  the  crew  attack  an  enemy,  or  are 
attacked,  they  always  take  care  to  present 
the  bow  or  stern  of  the  canoe  to  the  foe,  and 
thus  are  in  a great  measure  protected  by 
the  raised  ends. 

As  is  the  case  with  most  of  these  oceanic 
peoples,  the  inhabitants  of  the  Solomon 
Islands  profusely  adorn  the  sides  of  their 
canoes  with  carvings,  feathers,  and  inlay- 
ings. For  the  last-mentioned  purpose  white 
shells  are  liberally  used,  and  tortoise-shell  is 
also  employed.  Sometimes  these  portions 
of  the  canoe  are  carved  so  as  to  resemble 
the  human  face,  the  eyes  being  made  of 
mother-of-pearl,  the  ears  of  tortoise-shell, 
and  the  chin  furnished  with  a long  beard. 

In  one  of  these  canoes  Captain  Bougan- 
ville  found  a great  quantity  of  weapons  and 
implements,  such  as  spears,  bows  and  ar- 
rows, shields,  and  fishing  nets.  The  shape 
of  the  shields  was  nearly  oval,  and  the  ar- 
rows were  tipped  with  sharp  fish  bones. 
Various  articles  of  food  were  also  found  in 
the  boat,  such  as  cocoa-nuts  and  other  fruits, 
among  which  was  the  somewhat  startling 
object  of  a human  jaw-bone  partially 
cooked. 

Amoistg  the  same  group  of  islands  are 
New  Ireland  and  New  Britain,  both  of 
which,  by  the  way,  seemed  to  have  been 
named  on  the  lucus  a non  lucendo  principle, 
inasmuch  as  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  find 
any  part  of  the  world  less  like  Ireland  or 
Britain  in  general  than  these  little  islands. 

In  their  dress  and  ornaments  the  inhabi- 
tants differ  but  little  from  the  Solomon  Isl- 
anders, except  that  the  chiefs  wear  circular 
ornaments  of  pearl  almost  exactly  like  the 
dibbi-dibbi  of  North  Australia.  Tortoise- 
shell is  also  used  for  the  purpose. 

These  tribes  seem  to  be  continually  on 
the  move,  the  warriors  being  ordered  by  the 
chiefs  from  stations  much  like  our  own  reg- 
iments at  home,  and  being  accompanied  by 
their  wives  and  families.  In  their  various 
migrations  the  men  are  bound  to  look  to 
the  interests  of  their  families;  and  if  they 
neglect  to  do  so,  the  case  is  brought  before 
a council  of  chiefs,  who  investigate  the  mat- 
ter. Should  the  accusation  be  proved,  the 
delinquent  is  condemned  to  run  the  gaunt- 
let, a punishment  which  is  inflicted  in  ex- 
actly the  same  mode  as  has  been  employed 
in  Europe. 

All  the  inhabitants  of  the  village,  men, 
women,  and  children,  are  drawn  up  in  a 
double  line,  and  each  is  furnished  with  a 
bundle  of  twigs  bound  together  like  the 
birches  of  schools.  The  culprit  is  placed  at 
one  end  of  this  line,  and  at  a signal  from 
the  chief  he  is  obliged  to  run  through  it  a 
certain  number  of  times,  receiving  a blow 
from  every  one  as  he  passes.  Sharp  and  se- 


970 


SOLOMON  ISLANDS. 


vere  as  is  this  law,  it  shows  no  small  amount 
of  political  wisdom,  and  lifts  the  people  in  a 
degree  from  mere  savage  life.  Among  ordi- 
nary savages  the  man  is  everything  and  the 
women  and  children  nothing,  and  that  in 
these  remote  islands  they  should  be  placed 
under  the  protection  of  the  government 
shows  a considerable  advance  toward  civili- 
zation. There  is,  moreover,  an  ingenious 
retributive  justice  in  the  mode  of  punish- 
ment. By  deserting  his  family,  the  man 
throws  the  burden  of  their  maintenance  on 
the  community,  and  it  is,  therefore,  thought 
only  fair  that  the  punishment  should  also 
be  left  to  the  community. 

The  architecture  of  these  people  is  good, 
and  we  shall  presently  see  an  example  of  it. 
When  a new  village  is  to  be  built  a large 
space  is  cleared,  in  the  middle  of  which  is 
the  council  house,  a large  circular  edifice, 
supported  on  red  pillars,  and  distinguished 
by  having  on  the  roof  a number  of  tall 
poles,  each  bearing  on  its  point  a human 
skull.  The  floor  is  carpeted  with  fine  mats, 
colored  with  turmeric,  and  adorned  with 
birds’  feathers  W'oven  into  it. 

The  dwelling-houses  are  made  in  a very 
different  manner.  The  native  architect 
begins  by  digging  a large  square  hole  in  the 
ground  some  five  feet  deep,  and  over  this 
pit  he  erects  the  house,  which  is  rather  low, 
in  consequence  of  the  depth  gained  in  the 
basement.  The  thatch  is  of  weeds,  and  is 
covered  with  a thick  coating  of  clay,  which 
serves  the  double  purpose  of  rendering  the 
hut  fire-proof  and  of  keeping  the  interior 
cool. 

The  weapons  of  the  warriors  are  much 
the  same  as  those  of  the  other  islands,  but 
slings  are  also  employed,  and  the  spears  are 
generally  tipped  with  sharp  flint.  Like 
most  of  the  Papuans,  the  victorious  party 
eat  the  enemies  whom  they  kill  in  battle. 

Owing  to  the  character  of  these  islanders, 
little  is  known  of  their  religion.  That  they 
have  some  form  of  worship  is  evident  from 
the  fact  that  they  make  great  wooden  idols, 
sometimes  ten  or  more  feet  in  height,  and 
plant  them  in  different  parts  of  the  country. 
The  illustration  No.  2,  on  the  949th  page, 
represents  one  of  these  idols.  To  these 
idols  offerings  of  food  are  constantly  made ; 
and,  as  such  offerings  are  never  taken  away, 
the  odor  of  decomposing  figs,  fowls,  and 
fruit  betrays  the  presence  of  the  idol  at  a 
great  distance.  In  one  of  the  islands,  called 
Ysabel,  the  natives  are  said  to  worship 
snakes,  toads,  and  various  reptiles. 

The  most  eastward  of  this  group,  San 
Christoval,  is  about  seventy  miles  long  and 
twenty  wide.  In  No.  2,  on  page  963,  is 
given  a view  taken  in  Makira  harbor,  in  or- 
der to  show  the  ingenious  houses  which  the 
natives  build  for  the  protection  of  their 
canoes.  As  may  be  seen,  the  house  is  capa- 
ble of  accumulating  a considerable  number 


of  the  beautifully  carved  vessels,  and  is  elab- 
orately adorned,  after  the  native  fashion, 
with  idols  in  images,  human  skulls,  tufts  of 
feathers,  and  similar  ornaments. 

The  extremest  of  the  group  are  those 
which  are  known  by  the  name  of  the  Admi- 
ralty Islands. 

The  natives  of  these  islands  make  use  of 
a sort  of  obsidian,  which  they  split  into  frag- 
ments and  use  as  we  use  steel.  Por  exam- 
ple, they  make  razors  of  it,  with  which  they 
shave  every  part  of  their  bodies  excepting 
the  head,  on  which  the  hair  is  allowed  to 
grow,  and  is  tied  up  in  a knot  on  the  top  of 
tlie  head.  The  hair  is  often  colored  with 
red  ochre  and  oil.  They  use  the  same  ma- 
terial as  heads  to  their  spears,  tying  the 
head  to  the  shaft  with  plaited  string  coated 
with  gum.  The  clothing  of  the  Admiralty 
Islanders  is  very  simple,  the  wmmen  wearing 
a piece  of  matting  tied  round  the  waist,  and 
the  men  nothing  but  a large  white  shell. 
They  have  bracelets  and  armlets  made  of 
plaited  fibre,  and  a belt  of  similar  material 
round  the  w^aist.  Some  of  them  make  their 
bracelets  of  large  sea-ear  shells,  grinding 
out  the  middle  and  rounding  the  edges;  and 
ornaments  of  a similar  character  are  hung 
in  the  ears,  wLich  are  often  dragged  down 
to  such  an  extent  that  the  low^er  tips  of  the 
lobes  almost  rest  on  the  shoulders.  This 
enormous  size  is  attained  at  the  cost  of 
much  trouble,  an  elastic  hoop  being  con- 
stantly kept  in  the  aperture  so  as  to  keep  it 
gradually  distended.  A few  of  the  natives 
also  have  the  septum  of  the  nose  pierced, 
and  hang  upon  it  a string,  to  the  end  of 
which  are  fastened  teeth.  The  chiefs  are 
distinguished  by  a double  row  of  little  shells 
on  the  forehead,  and  seem  to  exercise  con- 
siderable authority  over  their  inferiors. 

When  Captain  D’Entrecasteaux  visited 
the  place,  his  boats  approached  the  shore, 
whereon  a number  of  natives  were  collected, 
and  the  captain  made  signs  of  peace.  A 
chief,  distinguished  by  the  insignia  of  rank 
on  his  forehead,  ordered  one  of  the  natives 
to  swum  to  the  boats  with  some  cocoa-nuts. 
“ The  fear  of  approaching  persons  of  whose 
intentions  he  w^as  ignorant,  made  the  isl- 
ander, swimming  and  defenceless,  hesitate 
a moment.  But  the  chief,  w'ho  doubtless 
was  little  accustomed  to  have  his  will  dis- 
obeyed, did  not  allow  him  to  reflect.  Blow's 
from  a cudgel,  which  he  held  in  his  hand, 
immediately  succeeded  his  order,  and  en- 
forced instant  obedience.  . . . 

“ B}"  way  of  comforting  the  poor  fellow, 
our  people  gave  him  some  bits  of  red  stuff,  a 
few  nails,  and  a knife,  with  whicli  he  was 
greatly  pleased.  No  sooner  had  he  returned 
to  the  island,  than  curiosity  collected  all  the 
rest  around  him,  every  one  wishing  to  see 
our  presents.  Canoes  were  immediately 
launched,  many  natives  took  to  the  water 
and  swj»>m,  and  in  a short  time  there  w^as 


THE  BOUKA  ISLAKD. 


971 


a great  concourse  round  our  boats.  We 
were  surprised  to  see  that  neither  the  force 
of  the  surf  nor  of  the  breakers  discouraged 
them  from  the  attempt. 

“ There  was  another  chief  distinguished 
by  the  same  ornaments  as  he  who  has  been 
already  mentioned,  and  also  by  the  blows 
which  he  inflicted  with  his  cudgel  upon 
those  to  whom  he  gave  his  orders.” 

The  canoes  of  these  people  are  furnished 
with  a double  outrigger,  only  one  touching 
the  water,  and  the  other  projecting  at  an 
equal  distance  on  the  opposite  side.  They 
are  connected  by  a platform,  on  which  the 
commander  stands  when  the  sail  is  lowered 
and  laid  on  the  second  outrigger.  When 
the  sail  is  hoisted,  he  stands  on  the  place 
where  it  had  been  laid.  Each  outrigger 
projects  about  eight  feet  from  the  gunwale. 
The  paddles  are  about  six  feet  in  length,  and 
are  furnished  with  a broad  blade,  which  is 
made  separately  from  the  handle,  and  firmly 
lashed  to  it  with  cord. 

The  sail  is  made  of  matting,  and  about 
thirteen  feet  square.  The  mast  is  twenty 
feet  in  height,  and  when  the  canoe  is  to  be 
pushed  to  its  full  speed,  the  sail  is  hoisted 
diagonally,  with  one  angle  projecting  a yard 
above  the  top  of  the  mast.  When  the  na- 
tives desire  to  go  slowly,  they  only  hoist  a 
few  feet  of  the  sail,  the  rest  of  it  lying  in  the 
canoe ; and  by  thus  hoisting  or  lowering  the 
sail  they  can  regulate  their  speed  much  as 
they  like.  When  the  sail  is  hoisted  to  its 
fullest  extent,  the  canoe  can  beat  the  swift- 
est sailing  ships.  The  ordinary  length  of 
a canoe  is  about  thirty-two  feet,  and  the 
extreme  breadth  is  only  twenty-six  inches. 

The  Admiralty  Islanders  chew  the  pepper 
leaf,  with  the  addition  of  lime,  which  they 
keep  in  a little  calabash,  but  do  not  seem  to 
add  the  cocoa-nut.  Only  the  chiefs  appear 
to  practise  this  habit,  probably  on  account 
of  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  the  proper  ma- 
terials. 

O^TE  of  these  islands,  named  Bouka,  was 
visited  by  Captain  D’Entrecasteaux  in  1792. 
The  natives  are  black,  tall,  powerful,  and 
quite  naked.  The  face  is  rather  broad  and 
flat,  the  nose  projects  but  little,  the  mouth 
is  large,  and  the  lips  peculiarly  thin.  They 
pluck  all  the  hair  .off  the  body,  and  only 
allow  that  of  the  head  to  grow,  sometimes 
powdering  it  with  red  chalk.  Red  and 
white  paint  are  freely  used  on  their  bodies, 
and  their  ears  are  pierced  and  loaded  with 
large  shells,  which  drag  them  nearly  to  the 
shoulders.  Round  the  waist  they  wear  a 
cord  which  passes  round  the  body  several 
times,  and  some  of  them  have  a custom  of 
binding  the  upper  arm  in  a similar  manner, 
placing  some  flat  pieces  of  wood  between 
the  arm  and  the  ligature. 

These  people  are  good  canoe  men,  and, 
when  they  man  their  large  war  canoes, 
exhibit  a discipline  which  is  hardly  to  be 


expected  among  savages.  Between  every 
two  paddlers  on  each  side  stands  a warrior 
armed  with  bow  and  arrows,  while  interme- 
diate parties  of  warriors  stand  with  their 
faces  toward  the  stern,  so  as  to  observe  the 
enemy  and  fight  during  a retreat.  Two  of 
the  crew  are  told  oft'  to  bale  out  the  water, 
which  beats  continually  over  the  side  of  the 
canoe  when  the  wind  blows  freshly. 

The  bow  is  remarkable  for  having  the 
string  coated  with  a sort  of  resinous  sub- 
stance in  order  to  preserve  it,  the  middle  of 
the  cord  being  skilfully  wrapped  with  bark 
to  guard  it  against  injury  from  the  nock  of 
the  arrow.  The  arrows  are  made  of  two 
pieces,  the  head  being  shaped  from  a hard 
and  heavy  wood,  and  the  shaft  being  a reed. 
The  place  where  they  are  joined  is  strength- 
ened by  a ligature  of  bark.  The  butt  of  the 
arrow  is  wrapped  in  the  same  manner  to 
prevent  it  from  being  split  by  the  string. 
They  use  these  weapons  with  much  skill, 
and,  as  was  proved  by  Captain  D’Entrecas- 
teaux, are  able  to  kill  birds  with  them. 

The  natives  were  ready  to  part  with  their 
weapons  in  exchange  for  red  stuff,  biscuits, 
bottles,  and  other  commodities,  but  were 
rather  prone  to  cheat,  agreeing  to  deliver  a 
bow  for  a handkerchief,  and,  when  they  had 
got  the  handkerchief,  j^retending  that  the 
bargain  was  not  made  for  a bow  but  for  an 
arrow.  The  natives  of  Bouka  Island,  naked 
and  savage  as  they  are,  have  some  sort  of 
civilization  among  themselves,  as  is  evident 
from  the  fact  that  they  cultivate  the  cocoa- 
nut  palm,  large  plantations  of  which  useful 
tree  extend  to  the  water-side  along  a great 
portion  of  the  coast. 

Following  the  line  of  the  Solomon 
Islands  in  a south-easterly  direction,  we 
come  upon  another  group  of  islands  called 
the  New  Hebrides,  extending  for  some 
four  hundred  miles,  and  containing  a con- 
siderable number  of  islands  of  various  sizes. 
They  are  perhaps  best  known  from  the  fact 
that  one  of  them,  called  Errumanga,  was  the 
place  in  which  the  celebrated  missionary, 
John  Williams,  met  with  his  death.  These 
islands  attained  importance  in  a secular 
point  of  view  from  the  fact  that  several  of 
them  produce  sandal-wood,  and  therefore 
attract  to  them  a great  number  of  trading 
vessels  of  ditferent  countries,  with  whom 
a considerable  commerce  has  been  carried 
on. 

The  islands  are  mostly  of  a volcanic  na- 
ture, and  present  the  usual  variations  of  such 
localities,  some  parts  being  rough,  craggy, 
and  bare,  while  others  are  fertile  and  pro- 
lific to  a degree  that  can  scarcely  be  con- 
ceived by  those  who  have  never  seen  tropi- 
cal vegetation.  As  is  often  the  case  with 
islands  of  no  great  size  and  divided  from 
each  other  by  moderately  wide  channels, 
the  tribes  which  inhabit  them  differ  consid- 
erably in  their  language  and  manners,  and 


972 


KEW  HEBRIDES. 


are  in  a chronic  state  of  feud  with  each 
other.  They  are  just  far  enough  apart  to 
have  but  rare  and  infrequent  intercourse 
with  each  other,  and  so  gradually  diverge 
into  difterent  customs,  and  they  are  not  far 
enough  apart  to  isolate  them,  and  confer 
upon  them  a nationality. 

We  find  this  feeling  in  every  one  of  the 
innumerable  groups  of  islands  which  stud 
the  Pacific,  and,  as  we  shall  soon  see,  it  pre- 
vails even  among  those  groups  which  pre- 
serve the  same  language  and  customs.  In 
fact,  among  the  Polynesians  there  is  that 
very  feeling  of  local  jealousy  which  prevails 
even  in  civilized  countries,  and  which  is, 
though  necessarily  more  limited,  far  more 
rancorous  than  the  feelings  of  enmity  which 
prevail  between  mighty  nations. 

One  of  the  largest  of  these  islands  is  Vat]^, 
sometimes  called  Sandwich  Island.  This 
latter  term  should  not  be  used,  as  it  tends 
to  cause  confusion  between  a single  island 
of  the  New  Hebrides  and  the  great  group  of 
the  Sandwich  Islands,  which  are  inhabited 
by  a totally  different  race  of  men.  To 
strangers  Vate  is  very  unhealthy,  but  the 
causes  which  produce  malaria  also  produce 
a wonderful  fertility  of  vegetation.  This 
island  is  about  seventy  miles  in  circumfer- 
ence, and  is  remarkable  for  the  thick  growth 
of  forests  upon  its  lower  limits,  and  of  ver- 
dure upon  the  higher  portions  which  are  not 
so  well  fitted  for  trees.  The  natives  seem 
to  give  some  time  and  trouble  to  agricul- 
ture. 

The  inhabitants  are  black  of  skin,  but  tall 
and  well-formed,  and  their  dress  in  many 
points  reminds  the  observer  of  the  costume 
of  several  African  tribes.  That  of  the  men 
consists  of  a broad  belt  or  wu'apper  of  mat- 
ting wrought  in  patterns  colored  with  red, 
white,  and  black.  The  hair  is  generally 
gathered  up  into  a bunch  at  the  top  of  the 
head,  stained  yellow,  and  adorned  with  a 
plume  of  feathers. 

As  to  ornaments,  they  are  much  like  those 
which  have  already  been  mentioned  as  be- 
longing to  the  Solomon  Islanders.  The 
lobes  of  the  ears  are  always  much  distended, 
from  tlie  habit  of  wearing  in  them  heavy 
ornaments  cut  from  white  shells,  or  similar 
materials.  The  septum  of  the  nose  is  mostly 
pierced,  and  the  aperture  filled  with  a white 
stone.  Raised  scars  are  made  in  the  arms 
and  chest,  and  arranged  in  definite  patterns. 
Armlets  made  of  shells  are  used  by  these 
islanders.  Their  figure  and  costume  are 
well  represented  in  the  engraving  No.  1,  on 
the  973d  page. 

The  women  are  equally  well  made  with 
the  men,  and  the  general  fashion  of  the  dress 
is  much  the  same.  They  wear,  however,  a 
curious  addition  to  the  dress,  which  is  very 
much  like  that  of  the  Ovambo  women  of 
Africa.  Passing  round  the  waist  is  a belt 
some  seven  inches  wide,  made  of  plaited 
fibre  woven  into  neat  patterns.  From  this 


belt  depends  in  front  a square  apron  of  no 
great  size,  and  behind  is  attached  a broad 
strip  of  the  same  plaited  matting  as  that 
which  faces  the  belt.  It  descends  half-way 
down  the  leg,  and  is  finished  off  with  a fan- 
like fringe  of  plaited  grass,  some  eighteen 
inches  long,  and  of  proportionate  width. 
The  women,  as  well  as  the  men,  practise  the 
custom  of  making  raised  scars  on  their 
bodies.  They  differ  from  the  men  in  the 
mode  of  dressing  the  hair,  keeping  it  cut 
closely  to  the  head  instead  of  allowing  it  to 
grow  to  its  full  length  and  tying  it  up  in  a 
bunch. 

The  weapons  of  these  islanders  are  re- 
markable for  the  beauty  of  their  finish,  the 
barbs  of  the  arrows  being  neatly  carved,  and 
the  junction  of  the  head  and  shaft  being 
neatly  ornamented  with  plaited  grass  and 
feathers.  Indeed,  the  arrows  have  a curious 
resemblance  to  those  made  by  some  of  the 
tribes  of  tropical  America. 

Like  the  Solomon  Islanders,  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  New  Hebrides  have  large  coun- 
cil chambers  in  their  villages.  Instead, 
however,  of  being  circular,  they  are  gener- 
ally made  of  considerable  length,  sometimes 
measuring  as  much  as  a hundred  feet  from 
one  end  to  the  other.  They  are  entirely 
open  on  one  side.  For  some  reason  which 
seems  rather  obscure,  they  are  adorned 
with  bones  of  various  animals,  the  particular 
si:>ecies  from  which  they  are  taken  not  seem- 
ing to  be  of  any  consequence.  For  example, 
in  one  of  these  houses  may  be  seen  bunches 
of  bones  taken  indiscriminately  from  pigs, 
fowls,  and  fishes,  while  the  shells  of  lobsters 
and  other  Crustacea  are  mixed  with  them. 
It  is  believed  that  human  bones  are  not 
used  for  this  purpose. 

A Curious  contrast  to  these  tribes  is 
presented  by  the  inhabitants  of  another 
island  called  Tanna,  who  are  certainly  in- 
ferior to  those  of  Vate  in  stature  and  gen- 
eral appearance,  and  are  thought  to  be  so  in 
point  of  intellect.  They  have  a bad  reputa- 
tion, being  said  to  be  treacherous  and  cruel. 
That  they  are  also  reputed  to  be  cannibals 
is  no  matter  of  w^onder,  inasmuch  as  they 
belong  to  the  Papuan  race.  They  are  said 
to  rival  the  Fans  of  Africa  in  one  respect,, 
and  to  dig  up  the  bodies  of  the  buried  dead, 
in  order  to  eat  them. 

The  island  is  volcanic,  and  the  subterranean 
fires  seem  to  aid  the  already  exuberant  veg- 
etation of  the  tropics,  wdiich  in  Tanna  at- 
tains a development  that  is  almost  incredi- 
ble. 

The  inhabitants  of  Tanna  are  as  black  as 
those  of  Vate,  but  seem  to  have  no  other 
points  of  resemblance.  The  men  appear  to 
think  that  they  are  not  black  enough  by 
nature,  for  they  have  a w^ay  of  daubing  their 
sable  countenances  with  black  lead,  and 
painting  upon  the  black  groundwork  sundry 
patterns  in  red  ochre.  The  hair  is  frizzed 


(973) 


>V‘V-‘'"T  • ’‘'Tt-  ^ M fi.fr 

■ -■■’: -lam  »» 


>< 

’■^9 


DISCOVERY  OF  RELICS. 


975 


out  after  the  ordinary  Papuan  type  which  is 
dyed  a reddish  dun  color  by  means  of  lime. 

We  come  now  to  Errumanga.  It  has 
kept  up  its  traditional  ferocity.  Kot  content 
with  killing  the  first  missionary  who  set  his 
foot  on  their  shores,  the  people  many  years 
afterward  murdered  another  missionary  and 
his  wife.  This  second  murder  was  owing  to 
the  priests,  who  persuaded  the  people  that 
an  epidemic  which  had  done  much  damage 
among  the  natives  was  caused  by  the  mis- 
sionaries from  a strange  land.  The  ignorant 
people  readily  believed  this  statement,  and, 
wild  with  the  uncontrolled  fury  of  the  sav- 
age, they  murdered  both  the  accused  per- 
sons. The  deed  was  scarcely  done  before 
the  people  repented  of  it,  and  only  the  day 
after  the  murder,  when  the  bodies  were 
buried,  the  natives  stood  round  the  grave 
overwhelmed  with  grief,  the  most  sincere 
mourner  being  the  chief  of  the  district. 

TJie  murder  of  these  people,  unfortunate 
as  it  may  seem,  really  paved  the  way  for 
others  to  follow  in  their  footsteps;  and,  as  is 
generally  the  case  with  persecution,  the 
cause  only  gained  additional  strength  by  the 
attempts  made  to  repress  it  by  main  force. 

At  one  time  the  inhabitants  were  held  in 
such  dread  that  the  natives  were  not  allowed 
to  come  on  board  the  ships,  nor  were  the 
men  permitted  to  land.  A small  trade  was 
carried  on  in  sandal-wood,  which  the  natives 
carried  to  the  boats  by  swimming  through 
the  surf,  and  being  necessarily  unarmed, 
could  be  allowed  to  make  their  bargains 
without  suspicion  of  treachery.  Although, 
therefore,  the  savage  nature  of  the  inhab- 
itants has  occasionally  broken  out  and 
showed  itself  in  bloodshed,  the  very  fact 
that  Europeans  have  been  allowed  to  reside 
for  any  time  on  the  island  shows  a great 
improvement  in  the  character  of  the  na- 
tives. 

The  northernmost  island  of  the  group  is 
Aneiteum,  one  of  the  islands  which  pro- 
duce sandal-wood  in  great  plenty.  The 
natural  ferocity  and  suspicion  of  the  natives 
has  been  overcome  by  the  judicious  estab- 
lishment and  introduction  of  a factory,  to 
which  the  sandal-wood  is  taken  by  the  na- 
tives, and  from  which  it  is  sold  to  the  ships, 
which  find  here  a store  of  this  valuable  wood 
always  ready  for  them.  The  chief  market 
for  the  wood  is  found  in  China,  wdiere  it  is 
cut  into  various  articles  of  luxury  with  the 
customary  patience  which  characterizes  the 
artists  of  that  country.  The  success  of  this 
factory  shows  that  the  best  way  of  dealing 
with  savages  is  to  treat  them  precisely  as 
children  are  treated,  and  to  employ  in  all 
dealings  with  them  an  equal  mixture  of 
kindness  and  firmness,  making  allowances 
for  the  different  constitution  of  their  minds 


and  the  influence  of  savage  habits  upon  their 
conduct;  but  at  the  same  time  to  be  firm 
almost  to  severity,  and  never  to  permit  an 
encroachment.  The  safest  maxim  in  dealing 
with  savages  is  never  to  deceive  and  never 
to  trust. 

The  inhabitants  of  Malicolo  differ  con- 
siderably from  those  of  the  islands  which 
have  been  mentioned.  While  the  natives  of 
Yate  are  tall  and  finely  made,  those  of  Erru- 
manga scarcely  inferior  to  them,  and  those 
of  Tanna  stout  and  powerful,  though  com- 
paratively short  of  stature,  the  inhabitants 
of  Malicolo  are  small,  ill-proportioned  people, 
ugly  of  face,  and  disfiguring  themselves  by 
wearing  a belt  round  the  waist,  drawn  so 
tight  that  it  gives  them  an  hour-glass  or 
waspish  aspect. 

The  reader  may  perhaps  be  aware  that,  in 
the  year  1788,  the  vessels  Boussole  and  As- 
trolabe., commanded  by  the  celebrated  voy- 
ager La  Perouse,  disappeared,  and  nothing 
more  was  heard  of  them.  He  was  last 
seen  at  Botany  Bay,  where  he  had  arrived 
from  Tonga. 

In  1791  an  expedition,  consisting  of  two 
vessels,  the  Recherche  and  the  Esperance, 
was  fitted  out  under  the  command  of  Captain 
D’Entrecasteaux,  and  sent  out  in  search  of 
the  missing  vessels.  The  expedition  failed 
in  its  immediate  object,  though  in  the  course 
of  the  explorations  some  valuable  discoveries 
were  made. 

In  1792  D’Entrecasteaux’s  vessels  got 
among  the  New  Hebrides,  and  found  them- 
selves in  the  midst  of  coral  reefs  and  shoals 
of  which  they  knew  nothing,  and  which 
caused  no  small  alarm.  In  consequence  of 
the  danger  of  these  reefs,  the  captain  did  not 
touch  at  all  the  islands  which  were  seen,  but 
contented  himself  wutli  naming  them,  and 
marking  their  places  on  a chart.  As  it 
turned  out,  one  of  these  islands,  Yanikoro, 
or  Recherche  Island,  as  D’Entrecasteaux 
named  it,  was  the  place  on  which  La  Perouse 
was  wrecked,  so  that  the  expedition  actually 
passed  within  sight  of  the  very  spot  which 
was  the  object  of  their  voyage.  Indeed, 
D’Entrecasteaux  practically  completed  the 
voyage  which  La  Perouse  began,  and  his 
narrative  furnishes  a necessary  supplement 
to  that  of  the  voyager  in  search  of  whom  he 
sailed.  It  was  not  until  some  forty  years 
afterward  that  the  relics  were  discovered 
which  proved  beyond  a doubt  that  Yanikoro 
was  the  place  in  which  La  Perouse  and  his 
companions  perished.  Yanikoro  is  some- 
times called  Pitt’s  Island.  An  illustration 
is  given  on  the  973d  page,  which  represents 
a woman  of  Yanikoro,  and  her  child,  and  is  a 
type  of  the  expression  and  features  of  these 
islanders. 


CHAPTEE  XCIX. 


TONGA. 

GOVERISTMENT  AND  GRADATIONS  OF  RANK. 


TBIENDLY  RELATIONS  BETWEEN  TONGA  AND  FIJI  — THE  ARMY  OF  OCCUPATION — GENERAL  APPEAR- 
ANCE OF  THE  TONGANS— THEIR  DRESS  — THE  GNATOO,  AND  MODE  OF  WEARING  IT  — MAKING 
THE  GNATOO  — BEATING,  JOINING,  AND  PRINTING  THE  PIECES  — THE  DISTINCTION  BETWEEN 
GNATOO  AND  TAPPA  — ORNAMENTS  WORN  BY  THE  TONGANS — WHALE’S  TEETH,  AND  THE  VALUE 
SET  ON  THEM  — FINOW  AND  THE  TEETH  — DISTINCTIONS  OF  RANK  — SECULAR  AND  RELIGIOUS 
RANK  — THE  TOOI-TONGA,  HIS  ORIGIN  AND  PRIVILEGES  — THE  VEACHI  — THE  HOW,  OR  KING, 
OFTEN  INFERIOR  IN  RANK  TO  MANY  OF  HIS  CHIEFS — THE  EGI,  OR  NOBLES — THE  MATABOOLE8, 
THEIR  RANK  AND  DUTIES  — THE  MOOAS,  OR  GENTRY;  AND  THE  TOOAS,  OR  COMMON  PEOPLE^ 
MATRIMONIAL  ARRANGEMENTS  BETWEEN  PEOPLE  OF  DIFFERENT  RANKS  — TREATMENT  OF  WOMEN. 


Our  readers  may  remember  that,  in  the  ac- 
count of  the  Fiji  Islands,  it  was  mentioned 
that  there  was  one  nation  which  was  held  by 
the  Fijians  as  free  from  their  usual  custom 
of  killing  and  eating  all  visitors  to  their  coast. 
These  people  are  the  inhabitants  of  the  Ton- 
gan  group,  popularly  known  as  the  Friendly 
Islands.  Owing  to  their  courage  in  war 
and  superior  intellect,  they  have  performed 
toward  the  Fijians  the  same  part  that  has  so 
often  been  played  by  more  civilized  people. 
On  one  or  two  occasions  they  found  the 
Fijian  chiefs  hard  pressed  by  rebellion,  took 
the  part  of  their  hosts,  crushed  the  rebel 
forces,  and  restored  the  chiefs  to  power. 

A remarkable  instance  of  this  timely  aid 
occurred  as  late  as  1855.  Thakombau,  of 
whom  we  have  already  heard,  was  in  danger 
of  losing  his  life  and  throne  together  through 
a rebellion  led  by  a chief  named  Mara.  For- 
tunately, he  had  previously  given  a mag- 
nificent canoe  to  the  Tongan  king,  who 
sailed  over,  according  to  custom,  accom- 
panied with  a large  fleet,  in  order  to  receive 
the  royal  present  with  due  honor.  He  in- 
stantly led  his  forces  against  the  rebels, 
stormed  a fort  called  Kamba  which  was  held 
by  them,  took  it,  and  utterly  dispersed 
the  enemy,  Mara  himself  only  escaping  by 
running  over  the  sharp  shells  of  the  reef^, 
thereby  nearly  cutting  his  feet  to  pieces,  and 
swimming  to  a neighboring  town  on  the 
coast 

(976) 


After  this  exploit,  the  Tongan  chief  fol- 
lowed up  his  blow  by  sailing  to  the  island  of 
Taviuni,  where  another  rebellion  was  raging 
in  consequence  of  the  murder  of  the  chief 
by  his  sons.  He  put  an  end  to  this  rebellion 
also,  inquired  which  of  the  murdered  chiefs 
other  sons  had  the  best  claim  to  his  father’s 
rank,  and  installed  him  formally.  The  van- 
quished rebels,  finding  that  the  Tongan 
leader  was  too  strong  for  them,  tried  to 
entrap  him  in  an  ambuscade,  but  only  suc- 
ceeded in  murdering  one  of  his  chiefs.  The 
Tongans  immediately  landed  on  the  island, 
and  avenged  the  death  of  their  friends  in  a 
most  terrible  manner.  A large  party  of 
Tongan  warriors  was  afterward  left  under 
the  command  of  a chief  named  Maafu,  ‘a  re- 
lation of  the  king,  and  by  means  of  this  force 
the  rebels  were  efectually  suppressed. 

As  might  be  expected,  the  Tongans  took 
advantage  of  their  situation,  and  enacted 
over  again  the  fable  of  the  deer,  the  horse, 
and  the  man.  Some  four  hundred  of  them 
generally  remain  in  Fiji,  and  domineer  oyer 
the  natives  much  like  armies  of  occupation 
in  other  countries.  A Tongan  warrior  has 
not  the  least  scruple  in  going  to  a strange 
village,  entering  the  house  that  pleases  him 
best,  and  installing  himself  in  the  best  place 
with  the  simple  words:  “ This  part  of  the 

house  is  mine.”  He  takes  the  best  of  the 
food,  and,  if  he  builds  a canoe,  merely  acts 
as  foreman,  making  the  Fijians  do  all  the 


TONGAN  ORGAXIZATIOK. 


977 


hard  work.  There  is  nothing  that  the  Ton- 
gans  do,  however,  which  so  much  incenses 
the  natives  as  their  careless  habit  of*  shak- 
ing the  bread-fruit  trees  in  order  to  procure 
the  fruit,  which  ought  always  to  be  gathered 
by  hand. 

It  is  said,  and  perhaps  with  reason,  that 
the  Tongans  contemplate  the  complete  con- 
quest of  the  Fijian  group;  and  from  their 
experience,  courage,  and  discipline,  and  the 
fear  which  they  have  contrived  to  instil  into 
the  Fijians,  there  is  little  doubt  that  the  at- 
temptj  if  it  were  to  be  made,  would  be  a suc- 
cessful one.  The  Fijian  warrior  fights  on  his 
own  account,  each  man  separately,  while  the 
Tongans  act  in  unison;  so  that  the  Fijians 
who  have  fought  against  them  compare 
them  to  the  gods,  against  whom  it  is  useless 
to  struggle. 

As  may  be  gathered  from  these  particu- 
lars, the  Tongans  are  a superior  race  to  the 
Fijian.  They  are,  indeed,  a different  people 
altogether;  the  Fijians  belonging  to  the 
Papuan  race,  whereas  the  Tongans  belong 
to  the  Polynesian  race,  which  does  not  pos- 
sess the  very  crisp  hair  and  rough  skin  of 
the  Papuans;  and,  as  a rule,  is  much  lighter 
in  skin,  the  complexions  being  often  as  white 
as  that  of  many  Europeans.  They  are,  on  the 
whole  a singularly  handsome  set  of  people, 
the  beauty  not  being  limited  to  the  men,  as 
is  the  case  with  so  many  savage  tribes,  but 
ossessed  equally,  if  not  to  a superior  extent, 
y the  women.  The  portrait  of  a daugh- 
ter of  a Tongan  chief,  on  the  973d  page,  will 
verify  this  statement. 

The  dress  of  both  sexes  is  made  of  simi- 
lar materials,  but  is  differently  arranged. 
The  fabric  is  called  in  the  Tongan  language 
“ gnatoo,”  and  is  almost  identical  with  the 
Fijian  masi.  It  is  made  from  the  bark  of 
the  same  tree,  and  is  beaten  out  in  ver}" 
similar  fashion,  except  perhaps  that  the  Ton- 
gan women  are  more  particular  than  those 
of  Fiji  in  the  care  and  delicacy  with  which 
they  beat  out  the  bark  with  their  grooved 
mailets.  The  gnatoo  varies  somewhat  in 
quality  according  to  the  island  in  which  it  is 
made,  that  of  Yavau  being  considered  as  the 
finest. 

In  putting  on  the  gnatoo,  there  is  nearly 
as  much  diversity  as  in  the  arrangement  of 
a Scotch  plaid,  and  the  mode  in  which  it  is 
arranged  serves  to  denote  difference  of  rank. 
The  most  fashionable  mode,  which  is  prac- 
tised by  the  chiefs,  is  to  wrap  a portion  of  it 
round  the  loins  in  such  a manner  that  the 
folds  allow  fair  play  to  the  limbs,  and  then 
to  pass  the  remainder  round  the  waist  like  a 
broad  belt,  and  tuck  the  ends  under  the  belt 
in  front  of  the  body.  The  portion  which 
forms  the  belt  is  so  arranged  that  it  can  be 
loosened  at  any  moment  and  thrown  over 
the  head  and  shoulder.  This  is  always  done 
when  the  wearer  is  obliged  to  be  abroad  in 
the  night  time. 

The  gnatoo  of  the  men  measures  about 


eight  feet  in  length,  by  six  in  width.  Under 
the  gnatoo  is  a belt  made  of  the  same  ma- 
terial. Women  have  a larger  piece  of 
gnatoo  than  the  men,  and  arrange  it  in  folds 
which  are  as  graceful  as  those  of  antique 
art,  and  seem  as  likely  to  fall  oft’  the  person. 
This,  however,  is  never  the  case,  and,  even 
if  the  gnatoo  were  by  any  accident  to  slip, 
the  women  wear  under  it  a small  mat  or 
petticoat  about  a foot  in  depth. 

As  this  gnatoo  plays  so  important  a part 
in  the  clotliing  of  the  Polynesians,  its  man- 
ufacture will  now  be  described,  the  account 
being  taken  from  Mariner’s  valuable  his- 
tory of  the  Tongans  : — “A  circular  inci- 
sion being  made  round  the  tree  near  the  root 
with  a shell,  deep  enough  to  penetrate  the 
bark,  the  tree  is  broken  oft*  at  that  point, 
which  its  slenderness  readily  admits  of. 
When  a number  of  them  are  thus  laid  on  the 
ground,  they  are  left  in  the  sun  a couple  of 
days  to  become  partially  dry,  so  that  the 
inner  and  outer  bark  maj"  be  stripped  oft* 
together,  without  danger  of  leaving  any  of 
the  fibres  behind. 

“ The  bark  is  then  soaked  in  water  for  a 
day  and  a night,  and  scraped  carefully  with 
shells  for  the  purpose  of  removing  the  outer 
bark  or  epidermis,  which  is  thrown  away. 
The  inner  bark  is  then  rolled  up  lengthwise, 
and  soaked  in  water  for  another  day.  It 
now  swells,  becomes  tougher,  and  more 
capable  of  being  beaten  out  into  a fine  tex- 
ture. 

“ Being  thus  far  prepared,  the  operation 
of  too-too,  or  beating  commences.  This  part 
of  the  work  is  performed  by  means  of  a mal- 
let a foot  long  and  two  inches  thick,  in  the 
form  of  a parallelopipedon,  two  opposite 
sides  being  grooved  horizontally  to  the  depth 
and  breadth  of  about  a line,  with  intervals 
of  a quarter  of  an  inch. 

“ The  bark,  which  is  from  two  to  three  feet 
long,  and  one  to  three  inches  broad,  is  then 
laid  on  a beam  of  wood  about  six  feet  long 
and  nine  inches  in  breadth  and  thickness, 
which  is  supported  about  an  inch  from  the 
ground  by  pieces  of  wood  at  each  end,  so  as 
to  allow  of  a certain  degree  of  vibration. 
Two  or  three  women  generally  sit  at  the 
same  beam;  each  places  her  bark  trans- 
versely upon  the  beam  immediately  before 
her,  and  while  she  beats  with  her  right 
hand,  with  her  left  she  moves  it  slowly  to 
and  fro,  so  that  every  part  becomes  beaten 
alike.  The  grooved  side  of  the  mallet  is 
used  first,  and  the  smooth  side  afterward. 

“They  generally  beat  alternately,  and 
early  in  the  morning,  when  the  air  is  calm 
and  still,  the  beating  of  gnatoo  in  all  the 
plantations  has  a very  pleasing  effect. 
Some  sounds  being  near  at  hand,  and 
others  almost  lost  by  the  distance,  — some 
a little  more  acute,  and  others  more  grave, 
— and  all  with  remarkable  regularity,  pro- 
duce a remarkable  effect  that  is  very  agree- 
able, and  not  a little  heightened  by  the  sing- 


978 


TONGA. 


ing  of  the  birds  and  the  cheerful  influence 
of  the  scene.  When  one  hand  is  fatigued, 
the  mallet  is  dexterously  transferred  to  the 
other,  without  occasioning  the  smallest  sen- 
sible delay. 

“ In  the  course  of  about  half  an  hour,  it  is 
brought  to  a sufficient  degree  of  thinness, 
being  so  much  spread  laterally  as  to  be  now 
nearly  square  when  unfolded;  for  it  must  be 
observed  that  they  double  it  several  times 
during  the  process,  by  which  means  it 
spreads  more  equally  and  is  prevented  from 
breaking.  The  bark  thus  prepared  is  called 
fetagi^  and  is  mostly  put  aside  till  they  have  a 
sufficient  quantity  to  go  on  at  a future  time 
with  the  second  part  of  the  operation, 
which  is  called  cocanga,  or  printing  with 
coca. 

“ When  this  is  to  be  done,  a number  em- 
ploy themselves  in  gathering  the  berries  of 
the  toe,  the  pulp  of  which  serves  for  paste 
(but  the  mucilaginous  substance  of  the  ma- 
hoa  root  is  sometimes  substituted  for  it) ; at 
the  same  time  others  are  busy  scraping  off 
the  soft  bark  of  the  cocoa  tree  and  the  toodi- 
tool  tree,  either  of*  which,  when  wrung  out 
without  water  yields  a reddish-brown  juice, 
to  be  used  as  a dye. 

“ The  stamp  is  made  of  the  dried  leaves  of 
the  pdoongo  sewed  together  so  as  to  be  of 
a sufficient  size,  and  afterward  embroidered, 
according  to  various  devices,  with  the  wiry 
fibre  of  the  cocoa-nut  husk.  Making  these 
stamps  is  another  emplojunent  of  the  wo' 
men,  and  mostly  women  of  rank.  They  are 
generally  about  two  feet  long,  and  a foot  and 
a half  broad.  They  are  tied  on  to  the  con- 
vex side  of  half  cylinders  of  wood,  usually 
about  six  or  eight  feet  long,  to  admit  t^Vo  or 
three  similar  operations  to  go  on  at  the 
same  time. 

“ The  stamp  being  thus  fixed,  with  the 
embroidered  side  uppermost,  a piece  of  the 
prepared  bark  is  laid  on  it,  and  smeared  over 
with  a folded  piece  of  gnatoo  dipped  in  one 
of  the  reddish-brown  liquids  before  men- 
tioned, so  that  the  whole  surface  of  the  pre- 
pared bark  becomes  stained,  but  particu- 
larly those  parts  raised  by  the  design  in  the 
stamp.  Another  piece  of  gnatoo  is  now 
laid  upon  it,  but  not  quite  so  broad,  which 
adheres  by  virtue  of  the  mucilaginous 
quality  in  the  dye,  and  this  in  like  manner 
is  smeared  over;  then  a third  in  the  same 
way. 

“The  substance  is  now  three  layers  in 
thickness.  Others  are  then  added  to  increase 
it  in  length  and  breadth  by  pasting  the  edges 
of  these  over  the  first,  but  not  so  as  there 
shall  be  in  any  place  more  than  three  folds, 
which  is  easily  managed,  as  the  margin  of 
one  layer  falls  short  of  the  margin  of  the  one 
under  it. 

“ During  the  whole  process  each  layer  is 
stamped  separately,  so  that  the  pattern  may 
be  said  to  exist  in  the  very  substance  of  the 
gnatoo;  and  when  one  portion  is  thus 


printed  to  the  size  of  the  stamp,  the  material 
being  moved  farther  on,  the  next  por- 
tion, either  in  length  or  breadth,  becomes 
stamped,  the  pattern  beginning  close  to  the 
spot  where  the  other  ended.  Thus  they  go  on 
printing  and  enlarging  it  to  about  six  feet  in 
l3readth,  and  generally  about  forty  or  fifty 
yards  in  length.  It  is  then  carefully  folded  up 
and  baked  under  ground,  which  causes  the 
dye  to  become  rather  dark,  and  more  firmly 
fixed  in  the  fibre;  beside  which  it  deprives 
it  of  a peculiar  smoky  smell  which  belongs  to 
the  coca. 

“ When  it  has  been  thus  exposed  to  heat 
for  a few  hours,  it  is  spread  out  on  a grass 
plat,  or  on  the  sand  of  the  seashore,  and  the 
finishing  operation  of  toogi-hea  commences, 
i.  e.  staining  it  in  certain  places  with  the 
juice  of  the  hea,  which  constitutes  a bril- 
liant red  varnish.  This  is  done  in  straight 
lines  along  those  places  where  the  edges  of 
the  printed  portions  join  each  other,  and 
serves  to  conceal  the  little  irregularities 
there ; also  in  sundry  other  places,  in  the  form 
of  round  spots,  about  an  inch  and  a quarter 
in  diameter.  After  this  the  gnatoo  is  ex- 
posed one  night  to  the  dew,  and  the  next 
day,  being  dried  in  the  sun,  it  is  packed  up 
in  bales  to  be  used  when  required.  When 
gnatoo  is  not  printed  or  stained,  it  is  called 
fappa.” 

Yarious  ornaments  are  worn  by  both 
sexes  among  the  Tongans,  among  which 
may  be  enumerated  a kind  of  creeper,  with 
flowers  at  intervals  along  the  stem.  This  is 
passed  round  the  neck  or  the  waist,  and  has 
a singularly  graceful  and  becoming  appear- 
ance. The  most  valued  ornament  is,  how- 
ever, that  Avhich  is  made  of  the  ivory  of  the 
whale’s  teeth,  so  cut  as  to  resemble  in  min- 
iature the  tooth  itself.  They  are  of  differ- 
ent sizes,  varying  from  one  inch  to  four 
inches  in  length,  and  strung  together  by  a 
cord  passing  through  a hole  bored  in  their 
thick  ends. 

These  teeth  are  even  more  valued  in 
Tonga  than  in  Fiji,  and  a common  man 
would  not  dare  to  have  one  in  his  posses- 
sion, knowing  well  that  he  would  assuredly 
lose  his  life  on  the  very  first  occasion  that 
offered  the  slightest  opportunity  of  an  ac- 
cusation. Once  Finow,  the  King  of  Tonga, 
was  told  of  a whale  which  had  been  stranded 
on  a little  island  inhabited  only  by  a man 
and  his  wife.  When  Finow  reached  the 
place  he  found  that  the  teeth  had  been  re- 
moved, and  ordered  the  man  and  woman 
into  custody  on  the  charge  of  stealing  them. 
Both  denied  that  they  had  more  than  two 
teeth,  which  they  gave  up,  whereupon  the 
man  was  immediately  killed  with  a club,  and 
the  woman  threatened  with  a similar  fate. 
Under  fear  of  this  threat  she  produced  two 
more  teeth  which  she  had  hidden,  but,  re- 
fusing to  acknowledge  that  she  knew  of  any 
others,  met  with  the  same  fate  as  her  hus- 
band. Many  years  afterward  the  missing 


'.c  '!"  ■ - ■■<k  " 


(1.)  INTERIOR  OF  A TONGAN  HOUSE. 
(See  page  981.) 


(2.)  BURIAL  OF  A LIVING  KING. 
(See  page  966.) 


(080) 


GRADATIONS  OF  RxiNK. 


981 


teeth  were  discovered,  the  W'oman  having 
buried  them  in  the  ground.  This  anecdote 
shows  the  value  in  which  whales’  teeth  are 
held,  the  king  taking  the  trouble  to  go  in 
person  to  claim  them,  and  the  woman  allow- 
ing herself  to  be  killed  rather  than  part  with 
her  treasures. 

A good  idea  of  the  appearance  of  a Ton- 
gan  woman  of  rank  may  be  obtained  trom 
the  illustration  No.  1,  on  the  preceding  page, 
which  represents  the  interior  of  a chief’s 
house,  and  part  of  liis  faniily. 

In  the  foreground  is  one  of  the  odd 
wooden  pillows  which  are  so  much  in  vogue 
throughout  Polynesia;  while  one  of  the 
most  conspicuous  objects  is  a roll  of  narrow 
matting,  which  is  used  for  the  purpose  of 
surrounding  men  and  women  of  high  rank 
as  they  sit  on  the  floor.  Within  it  is 
seated  the  chief’s  wife,  in  the  graceful  atti- 
tude adopted  by  the  Tongans,  exhibiting  the 
simple  and  really  elegant  folds  of  the  gnatoo 
dress.  The  reader  will  observe  the  appar- 
ent looseness  with  which  the  dress  is  put  on, 
the  folds  lying  so  loosely  that  they  seem 
ready  to  slip  every  moment.  They  are,  how- 
ever, perfectly  tight,  and  there  is  not  the 
least  danger  of  their  slipping. 

Within  doors  the  children  never  wear  any 
clothing  until  they  are  two  years  old;  but 
when  they  go  out,  their  parents  always 
wrap  round  them  a piece  of  gnatoo  or  tappa. 
The  natives  are  exceedingly  fastidious  about 
their  dress,  criticising  every  fold  with  mi- 
nute care,  and  spending  a considerable  time 
in  arranging  them.  Even  when  bathing, 
they  always  array  themselves  in  a slight 
dress  made  for  such  occasions,  going  aside 
for  the  purpose  of  exchanging  the  usual 
gnatoo  for  an  apron  of  leaves  or  matting. 
So  disrespectful  is  utter  nudity  reckoned 
among  the  Tongans,  that  if  a man  be  obliged 
to  undress  near  the  spot  where  a chief  is 
buried,  the  leaf  apron  is  worn  while  the  dress 
is  changed. 

We  now  come  to  the  various  divisions  of 
rank  in  Tonga,  and  the  mode  of  government. 
Ranks  may  be  divided  into  two  distinct 
orders,  namely,  the  religious  and  the  civil. 
We  must  take  them  in  this  order,  because 
among  the  Tongans  religious  takes  the  pre- 
cedence of  civil  rank. 

By  far  the  greatest  man  in  point  of  rank 
is  the  Tooi-tonga.  This  word  literally  sig- 
nifies Chief  of  Tonga,  and  is  given  because 
the  man  who  bears  it  is  the  greatest  man  in 
Tonga,  which  is  the  chief  of  the  whole 
group  of  islands.  The  word  does  not  repre- 
sent a name,  but  a rank,  the  family  name 
being  Fatagehi,  and  the  rank  passes  down- 
ward by  legitimate  descent.  So  great  a 
man  is  the  Tooi-tonga,  that  in  his  presence 
no  man  may  stand,  but  is  obliged  to  sit 
down  in  the  attitude  of  respect.  Even  the 
king  is  not  exempt  from  this  law;  and  if  he 
should  happen  to  meet  the  Tooi-tonga,  he 


would  have  to  squat  down  humbly  until  the 
great  man  had  passed  by. 

The  Tooi-tonga  stands  alone  in  many 
particulars,  and,  according  to  our  ideas,  he 
has  plenty  of  dignity,  but  very  little  com- 
fort, leading  a life  somewhat  like  that  of  the 
spiritual  Emperor  of  Japan.  He  has  cer- 
tainly one  advantage  over  his  fellows:  he 
does  not  undergo  the  operation  of  tattooing, 
because  there  is  no  one  of  sufficiently  high 
rank  to  draw  the  blood  of  so  sacred  a per- 
sonage. lie  is  married  after  a manner  pe- 
culiar to  himself,  is  buried  in  a peculiar 
manner,  and  is  mourned  in  a peculiar  man- 
ner. He  is  so  sacred,  that  in  speaking  of 
him  another  language  is  use<J,  many  phrases 
being  reserved  expressly  for  the  Tooi-tonga. 
These  are  probably  relics  of  an  ancient  and 
nearly  lost  language,  as  is  the  case  with  the 
incantations  of  the  New  Zealand  priests. 

The  reason  for  this  extraordinary  venera- 
tion is,  that  the  Tooi-tonga  is  supposed  to 
be  a direct  descendant  of  a chief  god  who 
was  accustomed  to  visit  the  islands;  but 
whether  his  female  ancestor  was  a goddess 
or  a native  of  earth  is  an  open  question  with 
the  Tongans.  In  spite  of  all  the  veneration 
which  is  shown  to  him,  the  Tooi-tonga  has 
very  little  real  power,  and  in  this  respect  is 
far  surpassed  by  the  king,  and  equalled  by 
many  of  the  nobles. 

There  is  another  chief,  the  Yeachi,  who 
is  also  supposed  to  have  a divine  origin,  and 
is  therefore  held  in  higher  veneration  than 
any  of  the  chiefs,  but  is  inferior  to  the  Toon 
tonga.  It  is  true  that  in  his  presence  tha 
king  has  to  sit  on  the  ground  in  the  attitude 
of  humility,  and  that  he  is  considered  a 
being  next  in  rank  to  the  great  Tooi-tonga 
himself;  but  the  other  marks  of  veneration, 
such  as  a separate  language,  and  different 
modes  of  marriage,  burial,  and  mourning, 
are  not  paid  to  him;  and  in  power  he  is 
equalled  by  many  of  the  chiefs. 

Next  in  rank,  but  at  a very  great  dis- 
tance, come  the  priests.  These  men  receive 
their  name  from  their  capability  of  being 
inspired  by  certain  gods,  and,  except  when 
actually  inspired,  have  no  special  rank,  and 
are  paid  no  honor  except  such  as  may 
belong  to  them  as  private  individuals.  Mar- 
iner remarks  that  he  never  knew  a case  in 
whidi  a priest  was  a chief.  The  king  occa- 
sionally becomes  inspired,  because  there  is 
one  god  who  cannot  speak  except  by  the 
royal  mouth ; but  the  king  is  not,  in  conse- 
quence, considered  as  a priest.  Neither  are 
the  Tooi-tonga  and  Yeachi  considered  as 
priests,  nor  is  there  any  connexion  between 
them  and  the  priesthood. 

Should,  in  an  assembly,  a priest  become 
inspired,  he  is  immediately  held  in  the 
highest  veneration  as  long  as  the  inspiration 
lasts,  because  a god  is  supposed  to  be  speak- 
ing through  his  lips.  If,  on  such  an  occa- 
sion, the  king  should  be  present,  he  imme- 
diately leaves  his  place,  and  sits  humbly 


982 


TONGA. 


among  the  spectators.  Even  the  great 
Tooi-tonga  himself  acts  in  the  same  manner, 
and,  though  the  descendant  of  a god,  he  re- 
tires before  the  actual  presence  of  a divinity. 

So  much  for  the  spiritual  rank,  and  we 
now  pass  to  the  temporal  rank. 

The  highest  man  in  a secular  point  of 
view  is  the  How,  or  king,  who  is  the  most 
powerful  of  all  the  chiefs,  and  yet  may  be  in 
point  of  rank  inferior  to  the  poorest  of  his 
nobles,  or  Egis.  Rank  is  measured  in 
Tonga  by  relationship  to  the  Tooi-tonga  or 
Veachi,  the  relatives  of  the  former  being 
held  superior  to  those  of  the  latter  The 
consequence  is,  that  the  king  may  meet  a 
poor  man  who  has  scarcely  any  power,  and 
yet  who  is  so  high  in  rank  above  the  king 
that  the  latter  must  sit  down  till  his  supe- 
rior has  passed.  Should  he  not  do  so,  or 
should  he  by  any  accident  touch  anything 
that  belonged  to  his  superior,  the  tapu 
would  assume  its  sway,  and  he  would  not  be 
permitted  to  feed  himself  with  his  own 
hands  until  he  had  gone  to  his  superior,  and 
saluted  him  by  touching  his  feet. 

In  consequence  of  these  customs,  the  king 
avoids  associating  with  nobles  who  are  his 
superior  in  rank,  and  they  in  their  turn  keep 
out  of  his  way  as  far  as  possible,  so  as  not  to 
humiliate  him  by  making  him  sit  while  they 
stand.  ‘Originaily,  the  king  was  a descend- 
ant of  the  Tooi-tonga,  and  thus  was  equally 
high  in  spiritual  and  temporal  rank.  But 
when  the  throne  was  usurped  by  other  fam- 
ilies, the  king  still  retained  the  temporal 
power,  though  he  yielded  in  spiritual  rank 
to  others. 

Next  to  the  king  come  the  Egis,  or  no- 
bles. These  are  all  relations  of  the  Tooi- 
tonga,  the  Veachi,  or  the  king,  kinship  to 
the"  king  being  held  as  conferring  rank  be- 
cause he  holds  the  reins  of  power.  Rank 
descends  in  Tonga,  as  in  other  Polynesian 
islands,  through  the  female  line,  so  that  all 
the  children  of  an  Egi  woman  possess  the 
rank  of  Egi,  no  matter  who  may  be  the 
father. 

After  the  nobles  come  the  Matabooles, 
or  councillors,  who  are  the  companions  and 
advisers  of  the  chiefs,  and  take  their  rank 
from  that  of  the  chief  to  whom  they  are 
attached.  They  are  always  the  heads  of 
families,  and  are  mostly  men  of  mature  age 
and  experience,  so  that  their  advice  is 
highly  valued.  The  eldest  son  of  a Mata- 
boole  is  carefully  trained  to  take  his  father’s 
place  when  he  dies,  and  is  thoroughly  versed 
in  all  the  rites  and  ceremonies,  the  adminis- 
tration of  laws,  and  the  many  points  of  eti- 
quette about  which  the  Tongans  are  so  fas- 
tidious. He  also  learns  all  the  traditionary 
records  of  his  people,  and  by  the  time  that 
he  is  thirty  years  old  or  so  is  perfectly  ac- 
quainted with  his  profession.  But  until  his 
father  dies  he  has  no  rank,  and  is  merely 
one  of  the  ordinary  gentry,  who  will  now  be 
described. 


Last  of  all  those  who  possess  any  rank 
are  the  gentry,  or  Mooas.  All  the  sons  of 
Matabooles  are  Mooas,  and  act  as  assistants 
of  the  Matabooles,  aiding  on  great  ceremo- 
nies in  managing  the  dances,  distributing 
food,  and  so  forth.  Like  their  superiors, 
they  attach  themselves  to  the  service  of 
some  chief,  and  derive  their  relative  conse- 
quence from  his  rank.  As  a rule,  the  Mooas 
all  profess  some  art,  such  as  canoe  building, 
ivory  carving,  and  superintending  funeral 
rites,  in  which  three  occupations  the  Mata- 
booles also  take  part.  They  also  preside 
over  the  makers  of  stone  coffins,  the  makers 
of  nets,  the  fishermen,  and  the  architects, 
and  all  these  employments  are  hereditary. 

Just  as  the  children  and  brothers  of  Mat- 
abooles take  the  next  lowest  rank,  that  of 
Mooa,  so  do  those  of  Mooas  take  the  next 
lowest  rank,  and  arc  considered  as  Togas, 
or  plebeians.  In  this  case,  however,  the 
eldest  son  of  a Mooa  assumes  the  rank  of 
his  father  after  his  death,  and  is  therefore 
more  respected  than  his  brothers,  who  are 
regarded  like  younger  sons  among  our- 
selves. The  Tooas  do  all  the  menial  work, 
and  act  as  cooks,  barbers,  tattooers,  club-, 
carvers,  and  so  forth.  The  two  latter  occu- 
pations, however,  as  requiring  artistic  skifi, 
are  also  practised  by  Mooas. 

It  will  be  seen  from  this  brief  sketch  how 
elaborate,  and  yet  how  intelligible,  is  this 
system  of  the  Tongans,  even  when  compli- 
cated with  the  double  grades  of  spiritual 
and  temporal  rank.  This  respect  for  rank 
is  carried  even  into  the  privacy  of  home.  If, 
for  example,  an  Egi  woman  marries  a Mata- 
boole,  or  a Mooa,  she  retains  her  original 
rank,  which  is  shared  by  all  her  children, 
so  that  both  she  and  her  children  are  supe- 
rior to  the  husband  and  father.  He,  on  his 
part,  has  to  play  a double  role.  He  is  mas- 
ter in  his  own  house,  and  his  wife  submits 
to  him  as  implicitly  as  if  he  were  of  the 
same  rank  as  herself.  Yet  he  acknowledges 
the  superior  rank  both  of  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren, and,  before  he  even  ventures  to  feed 
himself  with  his  own  hands,  he  goes  through 
the  ceremony  of  touching  the  feet  of  his 
wife  or  either  of  his  children,  in  order  to 
free  himself  from  the  tapu. 

When  the  case  is  reversed,  and  a man  of 
high  rank  marries  a woman  of  an  inferior 
station,  she  does  not  rise  to  the  rank  of  her 
husband,  but  retains  her  original  station, 
which  is  inherited  by  her  children,  who,  to- 
gether with  herself,  have  to  touch  the  feet 
of  the  husband  whenever  they  eat.  They 
imagine  that  if  they  did  not  do  so  a terrible 
sickness  would  consume  them.  When  Mar- 
iner lived  among  the  Tongans,  he  did  not 
trouble  himself  about  the  tapu,  much  to  the 
horror  of  the  natives,  who  expected  that  the 
offended  gods  would  wreak  their  vengeance 
on  him.  Finding  that  he  suffered  no  harm, 
they  accounted  for  the  phenomenon  by  the 
fact  that  he  was  a white  man,  and  therefore 


TREATMENT  OF  WOMEN. 


983 


had  nothing  to  do  with  the  gods  of  the 
Tongans. 

In  consequence  of  the  strictness  of  this 
system,  Finow,  who  was  king  when  Mariner 
lived  among  the  Tongan  islands,  used  to  feel 
annoyed  if  even  a child  of  superior  rank 
were  brought  near  him,  and  used  angrily  to 
order  it  to  .be  taken  away.  Such  conduct, 
however,  would  not  be  thought  right  unless 
both  parties  were  nearly  equal  in  rank;  and 
if,  for  example,  the  Tooi-tonga’s  child  had 
been  brought  near  the  king,  he  would  at 
once  have  done  homage  after  the  customary 
fashion. 

Some  very  curious  modifications  of  this 
custom  prevail  throughout  Tongan  society. 
For  example,  any  one  may  choose  a foster- 
mother,  even  though  his  own  mother  be 
alive,  and  he  may  choose  her  from  any  rank. 
Generally  her  rank  is  inferior  to  that  of  her 
adopted  son,  but  even  this  connection  be- 
tween them  does  not  earn  for  her  any  par- 
ticular respect.  She  would  be  much  more 
honored  as  an  attendant  of  a young  chief 
than  as  his  foster-mother. 

So  elaborate  and  yet  simple  a system  im- 
plies a degree  of  refinement  which  we  could 
hardly  expect  among  savages.  In  conso- 
nance with  this  refinement  is  the  treatment 
of  women,  who  are  by  no  means  oppressed 
and  hard-worked  slaves,  as  is  the  case  with 
most  savage  nations.  • Consequently  the 
women  possess  a gentle  freedom  of  de- 
meanor and  grace,  of  form  which  are  never 
found  among  those  people  where  women  are 
merely  the  drudges  of  the  men.  So  long 
ago  as  1777,  Captain  Cook  noticed  that  the 
women  were  much  more  delicately  formed 
than  the  men,  that  they  were  beautifully 
proportioned,  and  that  the  hands  were  so 


small  and  soft  that  they  would  compare 
favorably  with  the  finest  examples  in  Eu- 
rope and  America.  Hard  and  constant 
labor,  such  as  is  usually  the  lot  of  savage 
wmmen,  deteriorates  the  form  greatly,  as  in- 
deed we  can  sec  among  ourselves,  by  com- 
paring together  a high-bred  lady  and  a field 
laborer.  The  two  hardly  seem  to  belong  to 
the  same  race,  or  scarcely  to  the  same  sex. 

The  Tongan  women  certainly  do  work, 
but  they  are  not  condemned  to  do  it  all,  the 
men  taking  the  hard  labor  on  themselves, 
and  leaving  the  women  the  lighter  tasks, 
such  as  beating  gnatoo,  plaiting  baskets, 
making  crockery,  and  the  like.  At  the 
great  dances,  the  women  are  not  only  al- 
lowed to  be  present,  but  assist  in  them,  tak- 
ing as  important  a share  as  the  men,  and 
infusing  into  the  dance  a really  cultivated 
grace  which  would  not  exist  without  them. 

The  light-colored  hue  of  the  skin,  which 
has  already  been  mentioned,  is  much  more 
common  among  the  women  than  the  men, 
for  the  reason  that  the  better  class  of 
women  take  more  care  of  themselves  than 
the  men;  and,  though  all  classes  live  for  the 
most  part  in  the  open  air,  the  wives  and 
daughters  of  powerful  and  wealthy  men  are 
careful  not  to  expose  themselves  to  the  sun 
more  than  is  absolutely  necessary,  so  that 
many  of  them,  instead  of  being  brown,  are 
of  a clear  olive  tint,  the  effect  of  which  is 
singularly  beautiful  when  contrasted  with 
their  dark  clustering  hair,  their  gnatoo  gar- 
ments, and  the  leaves  and  flowers  with 
which  they  adorn  themselves,  changing  them 
several  times  daily.  Altogether,  a Tongan 
chief  looks,  and  is,  a gentleman,  and  his  wife 
a lady. 


48 


CHAPTER  C. 


TOKGA — Continued, 

WAB  AND  CEREMONIES. 

HAT  ORAL  MILDNESS  OF  THE  TONGANS  — BOASTING  DISCOURAGED —WAR  APPARENTLY  LEARNED  FROM 
THE  FIJIANS  — FINOW’S-  SPEECH  TO  HIS  SOLDIERS,  AND  A NEW  DISCIPLINE  — FATE  OF  THE 
VANQUISHED — THE  DROWNED  CHIEFS— CEREMONIES  — KAVA-DRINKING  — STRICT  CODE  OF  ETI- 
QUETTE— PREPARATION  OF  THE  KAVA  — A GRACEFUL  PERFORMANCE  — DISTRIBUTION  OF  THE 
KAVA  — POINTS  OF  CEREMONY  — A TONGAN  PLANTATION  — SETTING  THE  YAMS  — CEREMONF  OF 
INACHI— THE  POLE  BEARERS  AND  THEIR  BURDEN  — THE  YAM  PILLARS  — LIFTING  THE  PIGS  — 
DISTRIBUTION  OP  PROVISIONS,  AND  CONCLUSION  OP  THE  CEREMONY  — TOW-TOW,  AND  ITS 
OBJECT  — PRESENTATION  OF  THE  OFFERING  — A GRAND  SCRAMBLE  — BOXING  AND  WRESTLING 
MATCHES  — GOOD-HUMORED  COMBATANTS  — FIGHTS  WITH  CLUBS  — THE  SAMOAN  AND  TONGAN 
RULES. 


By  nature  the  Tongans  are  gentle  and  kind- 
hearted,  and  present  a most  curious  mixture 
of  mildness  and  courage.  To  judge  by 
many  traits  of  character,  they  might  be  stig- 
matized as  effeminate,  while  by  others  they 
are  shown  to  possess  real  courage,  not 
merely  the  dashing  and  boastful  bravery 
which  is,  when  analyzed,  merely  bravado, 
and  which  is  only  maintained  by  the  hope 
of  gaining  applause.  The  Tongan  never 
boasts  of  his  own  courage,  nor  applauds  that 
of  another.  When  he  has  performed  a deed 
of  arms  which  would  set  a Fijian  boasting 
for  the  rest  of  his  life,  he  retires  quietly  into 
the  background  and  says  nothing  about  it. 
His  king  or  chief  may  acknowledge  it  if 
they  like,  but  he  will  be  silent  on  the  subject, 
and  never  refer  to  it. 

For  the  same  reason,  he  will  not  openly 
applaud  a deed  of  arms  done  by  one  of 
his  fellows.  He  will  regard  the  man  with 
"reat  respect,  and  show  by  his  demeanor  the 
honor  in  which  he  holds  him,  but  he  will 
not  speak  openly  on  the  subject.  Mariner 
relates  an  instance  in  which  a young  warrior 
named  Hali  Api  Api,  who  seems  to  have 
been  the  very  model  of  a gentleman,  per- 
formed a notable  deed  of  arms,  equally  re- 
markable for  courage  and  high-minded  gen- 
erosity. During  a council,  the  king  called 
him  out,  and  publicly  thanked  him  for  his 
conduct.  The  man  blushed  deeply,  as  if 
ashamed  at  this  public  recognition  of  his 
services,  saluted  the  king,  and  retired  to  his 


place  without  saying  a word.  Neither  did 
he  afterward  refer  either  to  his  exploit  or 
to  the  public  recognition  of  it. 

One  warrior  actually  declared  that  he 
would  go  up  to  a loaded  cannon  and  throw 
his  spear  into  it.  He  fulfilled  his  promise  to 
the  letter.  He  ran  up  within  ten  or 
twelve  yards  of  the  gun,  and,  as  the  match 
was  applied,  threw  himself  on  the  ground, 
so  that  the  shot  passed  over  him.  He  then 
sprang  up,  and,  in  spite  of  the  enemy’s 
weapons,  hurled  his  spear  at  the  can- 
non, and  struck  it  in  the  muzzle.  Having 
performed  this  feat,  he  quietly  retired,  and 
was  never  heard  to  refer  to  so  distinguished 
an  act  of  courage,  though  he  was  greatly  re- 
spected for  it  by  his  countrymen. 

We  need  not  wonder  that  such  men 
should  establish  a moral  influence  over  the 
boastful  but  not  warlike  Fijians,  and  that 
the  small  colony  established  in  the  Fiji 
group  should  virtually  be  its  masters.  Two 
hundred  years  ago,  the  Tongan  appears  to 
have  been  ignorant  of  weapons  and  warfare, 
and  to  have  borrowed  his  first  knowledge 
of  both  from  Fiji.  Consequently,  the  Ton- 
gan weapons  are  practically  those  of  Fiji, 
modified  somewhat  according  to  the  taste 
of  the  makers  but  evidently  derived  from  the 
same  source.  Captain  Cook,  who  visited  the 
islands  in  1777,  remarks  that  the  few  clubs 
and  spears  which  he  saw  among  the  Ton- 
gans were  of  Fiji  manufacture,  or  at  least 
made  after  the  Fiji  pattern.  Yet  by  a sort  of 


MUllDER  OF  PRISONERS. 


985 


poetical  justice,  the  Tongan  has  turned  the 
Fijian’s  weapons  against  himself,  and,  by 
his  superior  intellect  and  adventurous  cour- 
age, has  overcome  the  ferocious  people  of 
whom  he  was  formerly  in  dread. 

Since  the  introduction  of  fire-arms,  the 
superiority  of  the  Tongans  has  made  itself 
even  more  manifest,  the  Fijians  having  no 
idea  of  fighting  against  men  who  did  not 
run  away  when  fired  at,  but  rushed  on  in 
spite  of  the  weapons  opposed  to  them. 

It  is  possible  that  the  Tongans  may  have 
learned  this  mode  of  fighting  from  Mari- 
ner and  his  companions.  When  the  king 
Finow  was  about  to  make  war  upon  a 
neighboring  island,  he  assembled  the  war- 
riors and  made  them  an  address,  telling 
them  that  the  system  of  warfare  which  had 
been  previously  employed  was  a false  one. 
He  told  them  no  longer  to  advance  or  re- 
treat according  as  they  met  with  success  or 
repulse,  but  to  press  forward  at  all  risks; 
and,  even  if  a man  saw  the  point  of  a spear 
at  his  breast,  he  was  not  to  flinch  like  a 
coward,  but  to  press  forward,  and  at  risk  of 
his  own  life  to  kill  his  foe.  He  also  in- 
structed them  in  the  art  of  receiving  the 
onset  of  the  enemy  with  calmness,  instead 
of  indulging  in  cries  and  gesticulations,  tell- 
ing them  to  seat  themselves  on  the  ground 
as  the  enemy  approached,  as  if  perfectly 
unconcerned,  and  not  to  stir  until  ordered, 
even  if  they  threw  spears  or  shot  arrows. 
But  as  soon  as  they  got  the  word  to  advance 
they  were  to  leap  to  their  feet,  and  charge 
without  regard  to  consequences.  The  reader 
may  remember  that  this  is  exactly  the  stra- 
tegy which  was  employed  in  Africa  by  the 
great  Kaffir  chief  Tchaka. 

It  may  easily  be  imagined  how  such  a 
course  of  conduct  would  disconcert  their 
opponents,  and  the  Fijians  in  particular, 
with  whom  boasting  and  challenging  took 
the  place  of  valor.  Emboldened  by  the  ap- 
parent weakness  of  the, enemy,  they  would 
come  on  in  great  glee,  expecting  to  make  an 
easy  conquest,  and  then,  just  when  they 
raised  the  shout  of  victory,  they  found  them- 
selves suddenly  attacked  with  a disciplined 
fury  which  they  had  never  been  accustomed 
to  meet,  and  were  consequently  dispersed 
and  almost  annihilated  before  they  could 
well  realize  their  position. 

^ Though  tolerably  mild  toward  their  cap- 
lives,  the  Tongans  sometimes  display  an 
unexpected  ferocity.  On  one  occasion,  some 
of  Finow’s  men  surprised  and  captured  four 
of  the  enemy,  whom  they  imagined  to  be- 
long to  a party  who  had  annoyed  them 
greatly  by  hanging  on  their  track  and  cut- 
ting off  the  stragglers. 

At  first  they  wished  to  take  the  prisoners 
home  and  make  an  example  of  them,  but 
the  chief  of  the  party  suggested  that  they 
would  have  all  the  trouble  of  guarding  them, 
and  proposed  to  decapitate  them,  and  take 
their  heads  home.  One  of  them  objected  to 


the  proposal  on  the  ground  that  they  had  no 
knives,  but  another  man,  fertile  in  expedi- 
ents, picked  up  some  oyster-shells  that  were 
lying  about,  and  suggested  that  they  would 
answer  the  purpose. 

It  was  in  vain  that  the  victims  protested 
their  innocence,  and  begged  that  at  least 
they  might  be  clubbed  before  their  heads 
were  cut  off.  The  conquerors  coolly  took 
off  their  dresses  to  prevent  them  being 
stained  with  blood,  and  deliberately  sawed 
off  the  heads  of  the  captives  with  their  oys- 
ter-shells; beginning  at  the  back  of  the  neck, 
and  working  their  way  gradually  round. 
The  reason  for  this  course  of  action  seemed 
to  be  twofold  — first,  that  they  thought  they 
might  spoil  the  heads  by  the  club;  and 
secondly,  that  as  the  heads  must  be  cut  off 
at  all  events,  clubbing  the  captives  before- 
hand was  taking  needless  trouble. 

Indeed,  the  character  of  the  Tongan  pre- 
sents a curious  mixture  of  mildness  and 
cruelty,  the  latter  being  probably  as  much 
due  to  thoughtlessness  as  to  ferocity.  Once 
when  eighteen  rebels  had  been  captured, 
Finow  ordered  them  to  be  drowned.  This 
punishment  is  inflicted  by  taking  the  pris- 
oners out  to  sea,  bound  hand  and  foot,  and 
towing  some  worthless  canoes.  When  they 
are  far  enough  from  land,  the  culprits  are 
transferred  to  the  canoes,  which  are  then 
scuttled,  and  left  to  sink.  Care  is  taken  that 
the  holes  made  in  the  canoes  are  small,  so 
that  they  shall  be  as  long  as  possible  in 
sinking. 

On  that  occasion  twelve  of  the  prisoners 
begged  to  be  clubbed  instead  of  drowned, 
and  their  request  was  granted.  The  young 
men  divided  the  prisoners  among  them- 
selves, being  anxious  to  take  a lesson  in 
clubbing  a human  being,  which  would  serve 
them  when  they  came  to  make  use  of  the 
club  against  an  enemy.  The  twelve  were, 
accordingly,  despatched  with  the  club,  but 
the  others,  being  tried  warriors,  scorned  to 
ask  a favor,  and  were  drowned.  The  lead- 
ing chief  among  them  employed  the  short 
time  which  was  left  him  in  uttering  maledic- 
tions against  Finow  and  his  chiefs,  and  even 
when  the  water  came  up  to  his  mouth,  he 
threw  back  his  head  for  the  purpose  of  ut- 
tering another  curse. 

We  will  now  pass  to  a more  pleasant  sub- 
ject, namely,  the  various  ceremonies  in  which 
the  Tongan  delights.  Chief  among  these  is 
the  drinking  of  kava,  which  forms  an  impor- 
tant i>art  of  every  public  religious  rite,  and 
is  often  practised  in  private.  Kava  drinking 
is  known  throughout  the  greater  part  of 
Polynesia;  but  as  the  best  and  fullest  ac- 
count of  it  has  been  obtained  from  Mariner’s 
residence  in  Tonga,  a description  of  it  has 
been  reserved  for  the  present  occasion.  It 
must  first  be  premised  that  the  kava  is  made 
from  the  root  of  a tree  belonging  to  the 
pepper  tribe,  and  known  by  the  name  of 


980 


TOKGA. 


Piper  methysticu7n,  i.  e.  the  intoxicating  pep- 
per-tree. Disgusting  as  the  preparation  of 
the  kava  may  be  to  Europeans,  it  is  held  in 
such  high  estimation  by  the  Polynesians 
that  it  is  never  made  or  drunk  Avithout  a 
complicated  ceremony,  Avhich  is  the  same 
Avhether  the  party  be  a large  or  a small 
one. 

The  people  being  assembled,  the  man  of 
highest  rank  takes  his  place  under  the  eaves 
of  the  house,  sitting  with  his  back  to  the 
house  and  his  face  toward  the  marly,  or  open 
space  in  front,  and  having  a Mataboole  on 
either  side  of  him.  Next  to  these  Mata- 
booles,  Avho  undertake  the  arrangement  of 
the  festival,  sit  the  nobles  or  chiefs  of  high- 
est rank,  and  next  to  them  the  lower  chiefs, 
and  so  forth.  They  are  not,  hoAvever,  very 
particular  about  the  precise  order  in  which 
they  sit,  distinctions  of  rank  being  marked 
by  the  order  in  which  they  are  served. 

" This  is  the  business  of  the  presiding  Mata- 
booles,  and  as  the  distinctions  of  rank  are 
most  tenaciousl}"  observed,  it  is  evident  that 
the  duties  of  a Mataboole  are  of  a most  diffi- 
cult nature,  and  can  only  be  learned  by  long 
and  constant  practice.  If  the  men  sat  ac- 
cording to  their  rank,  nothing  Avould  be 
easier  than  the  task  of  serving  them  in 
order.  But  it  often  happens  that  a man  of 
high  rank  happens  to  come  late,  and,  as  he 
is  too  polite  to  disturb  those  of  lower  rank 
who  have  already  taken  their  places,  he  sits 
below  them,  knowing  that  his  rank  Avill  be 
recognized  at  the  proper  time. 

It  mostly  happens,  however,  that  when 
one  of  the  presiding  Matabooles  sees  a man 
occupying  a place  much  beloAV  that  to  which 
his  rank  entitles  him,  he  makes  sbme  one 
surrender  his  place  to  him,  or  even  turns  out 
altogether  a mai!  who  is  seated  in  a high 
place,  and  puts  the  chief  into  it.  The  peo- 
ple thus  gradually  extend  themselves  into  a 
ring,  sometimes  single,  but  often  several 
ranks  deep  when  the  party  is  a large  one, 
every  one  of  the  members  being  a man  of 
some  recognized  rank.  Behind  those  who 
form  the  bottom  of  the  ring  opposite  the 
presiding  chief,  sit  the  general  public,  who 
ma}'-  be  several  thousand  in  number.  It  is 
a remarkable  fact,  illustrating  the  rigid  code 
of  etiquette  which  prevails  among  the  Ton- 
gaiis,  that  no  one  can  sit  in  the  inner  ring  if 
a superior  relatiA^e  be  also  in  it;  and,  no 
matter  how  high  may  be  his  rank,  he  must 
leave  his  place,  and  sit  in  the  outer  circle,  if 
his  father  or  any  superior  relative  enters  the 
inner  ring. 

This  ring,  which  constitutes  the  essential 
knva  party,  is  formed  mostly  of  the  sons  of 
chiefs  and  Matabooles,  and  it  often  happens 
that  their  fathers,  even  if  they  be  chiefs  of 
the  highest  rank,  will  sit  in  the  outer  ring, 
rather  than  disturb  its  arrangements.  Even 
the  son  of  the  king  often  adopts  this  plan, 
and  assists  in  preparing  the  kava  like  any 
of  the  other  young  men. 


Exactly  opposite  to  the  king  is  placed  the 
kava  bowl,  and  behind  it  sits  the  man  who 
is  to  prepare  the  drink.  On  either  side  of 
him  sits  an  assistant,  one  of  whom  carries  a 
fan  wdierewith  to  drive  away  the  flies,  and 
another  takes  charge  of  the  water,  which  is 
kept  in  cocoa-nut  shells.  The  rank  of  the 
preparer  is  of  no  consequence.  Sometimes 
he  is  a Mooa  or  gentleman,  and  sometimes  a 
mere  cook;  but,  whoever  he  may  be,  he  is 
knoAvn  to  be  able  to  perform  his  difficult 
task  with  sufficient  strength  and  elegance. 

All  being  ready,  one  of  the  presiding 
Matabooles  sends  for  the  kava  root,  which 
is  then  scraped  quite  clean  and  cut  up  into 
small  pieces.  These  are  handed  to  the 
young  men  or  even  to  the  young  women 
present,  who  masticate  the  root,  contriving 
in  some  ingenious  way  to  keep  it  quite  dry 
during  the  process.  It  is  then  wrapped  in  a 
leaf,  and  passed  to  the  preparer,  ayIio  places 
it  in  the  boAvl,  carefully  lining  the  interior 
with  the  balls  of  chewed  root,  so  that  the 
exact  quantity  can  be  seen. 

When  all  the  kava  has  been  cheAved  and 
deposited,  the  preparer  tilts  the  boAvl  toAvard 
the  presiding  chief,  Avho  consults  with  his 
Matabooles,  and  if  he  thinks  there  is  not 
enough,  orders  the  boAAd  to  be  covered  over, 
and  sends  for  more  kava,  AAdiich  is  treated 
as  before.  Should  he  be  satisfied,  the  pre- 
parer kneads  all  the  kaA’^a  together,  and  the 
Mataboole  then  calls  for  AAater,  which  is 
poured  into  the  bowl  until  he  orders  the 
man  to  stop.  Next  comes  the  order  to  put 
in  the  fow.  This  is  a bundle  of  very  narroAV 
strips  of  bark  of  a tree  belonging  to  the 
genus  hibiscus,  and  it  has  been  compared  to 
the  AvilloAv  shavings  that  are  used  in  Eng- 
land to  decorate  fire-places  in  the  summer 
time.  The  assistant  takes  a quantity  of  this 
material,  and  lays  it  on  the  Avater,  spreading 
it  carefully,  so  that  it  lies  equally  on  the 
surface  of  the  liquid.  Now  begins  the 
important  part  of  the  proceeding  which 
tests  the  poAver  of  the  preparer. 

“In  the  first  place,  he  extends  his  left 
hand  to  the  farther  side  of  the  bovAd,  Avith 
his  fingers  pointing  doAvnAvard  and  the  palm 
toAvard  himself;  he  sinks  that  hand  carefully 
down  the  side  of  the  bowl,  carrying  Avith  it 
the  edge  of  the  fow;  at  the  same  time  his 
right  hand  is  performing  a similar  operation 
at  the  side  next  to  him,  the  fingers  pointing 
downAvard  and  the  palm  presenting  outAvard. 
He  does  this  sloAvly  from  side  to  side,  grad- 
ually descending  deeper  and  deeper  till 
his  fingers  meet  each  other  at  the  bottom, 
so  that  nearly  the  whole  of  the  fibres  of  the 
root  are  by  these  means  enclosed  in  the  fow, 
forming  as  it  were  a roll  of  above  tAvo  feet 
in  length  lying  along  the  bottom  from  side 
to  side,  the  edges  of  the  fow  meeting  each 
other  underneath. 

“ He  now  carefully  rolls  it  over,  so  that 
the  edges  overlapping  each  other,  or  rather 
intermingling,  come  uppermost.  He  next 


C> 

■ Of . M w 


T.-:,-  . . .^,  ■ 

■ r, 

■ ■■  .-,1; 


r- 


■ .• 

.■\v-,rt..'.;-.'- 

' ' 1 


THE  KAVA  PARTY. 
(See  page  969.) 


(986) 


THE  KAVA  PARTY. 


989 


doubles  in  the  two  ends  a>nd  rolls  it  care- 
fully over  again,  endeavoring  to  reduce  it  to 
a narrower  and  firmer  compass.  He  now 
brings  it  cautiously  out  of  the  fluid,  taking 
firm  hold  of  it  by  the  two  ends,  o'ife  in  each 
liand  (the  back  of  his  hands  being  upward), 
and  raising  it  breast  high  with  hi5  arms 
considerably  extended,  he  brings  his  right 
hand  toward  his  breast,  moving  it  gradually 
onward;  and  whilst  his  left  hand  is  coming 
round  toward  his  right  shoulder,  his  right 
hand  partially  twisting  the/oie,  lays  the  end 
which  it  holds  upon  the  left  elbow,  so  that 
the  fow  lies  thus  extended  upon  that  arm, 
one  end  being  still  grasped  by  the  left  hand. 

“ The  right  hand  being  at  liberty  is 
brought  under  the  left  fore-arm  (which  still 
remains  in  the  same  situation),  and  carried 
outwardly  toward  the  left  elbow,  that  it  may 
again  seize  in  that  situation  the  end  of  the 
foio.  The  right  hand  then  describes  a bold 
curve  outwardly  from  the  chest,  whilst  the 
left  comes  across  the  chest,  describing  a 
curve  nearer  to  him  and  in  the  opposite 
direction,  till  at  length  the  left  hand  is 
extended  from  him  and  the  right  hand 
approaches  to  the  left  shoulder,  gradually 
twisting  the  fow  by  the  turn  and  flexures 
principally  of  that  wrist:  this  double  motion 
is  then  retraced,  but  in  such  a way  (the  left 
wrist  now  principally  acting)  that  the  /oie, 
instead  of  being  untwisted,  is  still  more 
twisted,  and  is  at  length  again  placed  on  the 
left  arm,  while  he  takes  a new  and  less  con- 
strained hold. 

“ Thus  the  hands  and  arms  perform  a 
variety  of  curves  of  the  most  graceful 
description:  the  muscles  both  of  the  arms 
and  chest  are  seen  rising  as  they  are  called 
into  action,  displaying  what  would  be  a fine 
and  uncommon  subject  of  study  for  the 
painter : for  no  combinations  of  animal 
action  can  develop  the  swell  and  play  of  the 
muscles  with  m*ore  grace  and  better  effect. 

“ The  degree  of  strength  which  he  exerts 
when  there  is  a large  quantity  is  very  great, 
and  the  dexterity  with  which  he  accom- 
plishes the  whole  never  fails  to  excite  the 
attention  and  admiration  of  all  present. 
Every  tongue  is  mute,  and  every  eye  is 
updn  him,  watching  each  motion  of  his  arms 
as  they  describe  the  various  curvilinear  lines 
essential  to  the  success  of  the  operation. 
Sometimes  the  fibres  of  the  fow  are  heard 
to  crack  with  the  increasing  tension,  yet  the 
mass  is  seen  whole  and  entire,  becoming 
more  thin  as  it  becomes  more  twisted,  while 
the  infusion  drains  from  it  in  a regularly 
decreasing  quantity  till  at  length  it  denies  a 
single  drop.” 

The  illustration  on  the  preceding  page 
represents  this  portion  of  the  ceremony. 
On  the  right  hand  is  seen  the  presiding 
chief  seated  under  the  eaves  of  the  house, 
with  a Mataboole  on  either  side  of  him, 
and  just  beyond  him  extends  a portion  of 
the  inner  ring.  In  front  of  the  chief  sits 


the  performer,  who  is  wringing  out  the  kava, 
and  is  just  about  to  change  the  grasp  of  his 
right  hand,  according  to  Mariner’s  descrij)- 
tion.  On  either  side  sit  his  assistants,  both 
of  whom  are  engaged  in  fanning  away  the 
flies. 

Near  them  lie  the  cocoa-nut  shells  from 
which  the  water  has  been  poured.  Beyond 
the  inner  ring  are  seen  the  outer  rings  and 
the  general  population,  who  have  come  to 
witness  the  ceremony  and  get  their  chance 
of  it  stray  cup  of  kava  or  some  food. 

When  the  fotv  ceases  to  give  out  any  more 
fluid,  a second  and  third  are  used  in  the 
same  maimer,  so  that  not  a particle  of  the 
root  remains  in  the  liquid.  Should  more 
fow  or  watefv.be  wanted,  an  order  is  given, 
and  twenty  or  thirty  men  rush  off  for  it, 
going  and  returning  at  full  speed,  as  if  run- 
ning for  their  lives;  and  anything  else 
that  may  be  wanted  is  fetched  in  the  same 
manner. 

While  the  operator  is  going  through  his 
task,  those  who  are  in  tlie  outer  circle  and 
cannot  properly  see  him  occupy  themselves 
in  making  cups  from  which  the  kava  can  be 
drunk.  These  cups  are  made  of  the  unex- 
panded leaves  of  the  banana  tree,  cut  up 
into  squares  of  about  nine  inches  across. 
The  cups  are  made  in  a most  ingenious 
manner  by  plaiting  up  the  two  ends  and 
tying  them  with  a fibre  drawn  from  the 
stem  of  the  leaf.  The  Mataboole  then  or- 
ders provisions  to  be  served  out,  which  is 
done  in  an  orderly  manner.  To  the  general 
assembly  this  is  the  most  interesting  part 
of  the  ceremony,  for  they  have  but  little 
chance  of  getting  any  kava,  and  it  is  very 
likely  that  they  will  have  a share  of  food,  as 
the  regular  kava  drinkers  never  eat  more 
than  a morsel  or  two  at  these  entertain- 
ments. 

The  operator  having  done  his  part,  now 
comes  the  test  of  the  Mataboole’s  efficiency. 
The  kava  is  to  be  distributed  in  precisely 
the  proper  order,  a slip  in  this  respect  being 
sure  to  give  deep  offence.  Should  a visitor 
of  rank  be  present,  he  gets  the  first  cup,  the 
presiding  Mataboole  the  second,  and  the 
presiding  chief  the  third.  If,  however,  the 
kava  be  given  by  one  of  the  guests,  the 
donor  always  has  the  first  cup,  unless  there 
should  be  a visitor  of  superior  rank  to  him- 
self, in  which  case  the  donor  is  ignored  alto- 
gether, only  having  the  kava  according  to 
his  rank.  "No  person  is  allowed  to  have 
two  cups  from  the  same  bowl,  but  after  all 
the  inner  circle  and  their  relatives  are- 
served,  the  remainder  is  given  out  to  the 
people  as  far  as  it  will  go,  and  a second 
bowl  is  prepared.  It  will  be  seen  that,  if 
the  preparer  be  a man  of  low  rank,  he 
stands  a chance  of  never  tasting  the  liquid 
which  he  has  so  skilfully  prepared. 

The  second  bowl  is  prepared  in  precisely 
the  same  way  as  the  first,  except  that  the 
second  presiding  Mataboole  gives  the  or- 


990 


TONGA. 


ders;  and,  if  a third  or  fourth  howl  be 
ordered,  they  take  the  direction  alternately. 
When  the  second  bowl  is  prepared,  the  cups 
are  filled  and  handed  round  in  exactly  the 
same  order  as  before,  so  that  those  of  high 
rank  get  three  or  four  cups,  and  those  of 
lower  rank  only  one,  or  perhaps  none  at  all. 

It  is  a point  of  etiquette  that  no  chief 
ever  visits  the  kava  party  of  an  inferior 
chief,  as  in  that  case  the  latter  would  ^ 
obliged  to  retire  from  the  presidency  an^_ 
in  the  outer  ring.  When  the  Tooi-tbnga 
presides,  no  one  presumes  to  sit  within  six 
feet  of  him;  and  if  perchance  an  inspired 
priest  be  present,  he  takes  the  presidency, 
and  the  greatest  chief,  or  even  the  king 
himself,  is  obliged  to  retire  into  the  outer 
ring  on  such  occasions.  A priest  always 
presides  at  religious  ceremonies,  and  the 
kava  party  is  held  in  front  of  the  temple 
dedicated  to  the  particular  god  which  they 
are  about  to  consult.  But  in  some  cases  a 
god  has  no  priest,  and  in  those  cases  he  is 
supposed  to  preside  in  person,  though  invis- 
ibly, the  president’s  place  being  left  vacant 
for  him. 

The  reader  will  see  from  the  foregoing 
account  that  kava  is  a luxury  practically 
confined  to  the  highqr  classes.  The  great 
chiefs  and  Matabooles  drink  it  every  day, 
either  as  presidents  or  members  of  the 
inner  ring.  Those  of  loAver  rank  obtain  it 
occasionally;  while  the  Tooas  seldom  taste 
this  luxury,  except  by  taking  the  kava  after 
it  has  been  wrung  by  the  operator,  and  pre- 
paring it  afresh. 

As  the  reader  will  see,  it  is  impossible  to 
separate  the  secular  and  religious  life  of  the 
Tongans.  They  are  inextricably  woven 
together,  and  therefore  must  be  described 
together.  There  are  a vast  number  of  cere- 
monies in  which  these  two  elements  are 
united,  one  or  two  of  which  will  be  described, 
by  way  of  sample  of  the  rest.  The  first  is  the 
festival  of  Inachi,  a feast  of  firstfruits,  a cer- 
emony which  in  principle  is  found  through- 
out the  whole  earth,  though  the  details 
necessarily  differ.  In  the  present  case,  the 
offering  is  made  to  the  Tooi-tonga,  as  being 
at  once  the  descendant  and  representative 
of  the  gods. 

About  the  latter  end  of  July  the  ordinary 
yams  are  planted  in  the  ground;  but  those 
which  are  intended  for  the  feast  of  Inachi 
are  of  a different  kind,  coming  to  maturity 
earlier,  and  are  planted  about  a month 
sooner.  In  an  illustration  on  the  next 
page  we  may  see  how  the  yams  are  set  in 
the  ground,  and  may  get  a good  idea  of  a 
Tongan  plantation.  In  the  centre  of  the 
foreground  is  the  chief  to  whom  the  planta- 
tion belongs,  accompanied  by  his  little  boy. 
As  is  usual  wfith  men  of  rank  in  Tonga,  he 
bears  in  his  hand  a short,  many -barbed 
spear,  which  may  either  be  used  as  a walk- 
ing staff  or  as  a weapon.  The  former  is 
its  normal  use,  but  the  chiefs  sometimes 


find  the  advantage  of  having  with  them  a 
serviceable  weapon.  The  point  of  ihe  spear 
is  frequently,  armed  with  the  barbed  tail- 
bone  of  the  sting-ray.  When  Finow  caj)- 
tured  by' craft  the  rebel  chief  whose  death 
by  drowning  has  already  been  described,  his 
chie^ /difficulty  was  the  bone -tipped  speai 
which  the  chief  always  carried  with  him, 
ajard  of  which  he  was  temporarily  deprived 
by  a stratagem. 

One  of  iiis  laborers  is  talking  to  him^ 
having  in  his  hand  the  hoe  with  which  he 
has  been  making  holes  in  the  ground  for 
the  reception  of  the  yams.  Behind  him 
are  more  laborers,  employed  in  cutting  the 
yams  in  pieces,  and  planting  them  in  the 
holes.  Just  beyond  the  yam  plantation  is  a 
piece  of  ground  stocked  with  sugar-canes; 
and  beyond  the  sugar-canes  is  the  house  of 
the  chief,  known  by  the  superiority  of  its 
architecture.  The  house  is  built  near  the 
sea-shore,  and  close  to  the  beach  a canoe  is 
seen  hauled  up  on  its  support. 

The  greater  part  of  the  illustration  is  oc- 
cupied with  the  ingenious  spiked  fence 
within  which  the  storehouses  and  dwellings 
for  the  Tooas,  or  peasants,  are  placed.  As 
may  be  seen,  it  has  no  doors,  but  at  intervals 
the  fence  is  only  half  the  usual  height  and 
without  spikes,  and  is  crossed  by  means  of 
stiles,  two  of  which  are  given  in  the  illus- 
tration, one  to  show  the  exterior  and  the 
other  the  interior  of  the  fence.  Close  to  the 
further  stile  is  a young  tree,  surrounded  with 
a fencing  to  the  height  of  several  feet,  in 
order  to  guard  it,  while  growing,  from  the 
attacks  of  pigs  and  children. 

The  open  shed  is  one  of  the  peasants’ 
houses,  under  which  are  seated  a number  of 
women,  employed  in  making  mats;  while 
some  children  are  playing  and  fowls  feeding 
by  them.  Toward  the  further  end  of  the 
enclosure  is  shown  one  of  the  storehouses. 

As  soon  as  the  yams  are  ripe,  the  king 
sends  a message  to  the  Tooi-tonga,  asking 
him  to  fix  a day  for  the  ceremony,  which  is 
generally  settled  to  be  on  the  tenth  day  after 
the  request  is  made,  so  that  time  may  be 
given  for  notice  to  be  sent  to  all  the  islands. 
The  day  before  the  ceremony  of  Inachi,  the 
yams  are  dug  up  and  ornamented  with  scarlet 
streamers  made  of  the  inner  membrane  of 
the  pandanus  leaf.  These  are  in  long  and 
narrow  strips,  and  are  woven  spirally  over 
the  yams,  first  in  one  direction  and  then  the 
other,  so  as  to  produce  a neat  checkered  pat- 
tern, and  having  the  ends  hanging  loose. 

All  through  the  night  is  heard  the  sound 
of  the  conch  shell,  and  until  midnight  the 
men  and  women  answered  each  other  in  a 
song,  the  men  singing,  “ Rest,  doing  no 
work,”  and  the  women  responding,  “ Thou 
shalt  not  work.”  About  midnight  the  song 
ceases;  but  it  is  resumed  at  daybreak,  and 
continues  until  about  eight  A.  M.,  accom- 
panied with  plenty  of  conch  blowing.  The 
prohibition  of  work  is  so  imperative,  that  the 


(1.)  TONGAX  PLANTATION.  (See  page  990.) 


(2.)  CEREMONY  OB’  INACHI.  (See  page  993.) 


(901) 


\- 


o 


. > • » 


rm  ^ 


\ 


.■'-■I  --riyip 


■ • ■•\  ' ■ -;..s 

;a  i ■ 


• -'y<"  y 


THE  FEAST  OF  IKACIII. 


993 


people  are  not  even  allowed  to  leave  their 
nouses,  except  for  the  purpose  of  assisting 
in  the  ceremony. 

At  eight  A.  M.  the  ceremony  of  Indchi 
really  begins,  the  people  crowding  from  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  Tooi-tonga’s  island  toward 
the  capital  town,  and  canoes  approaching  in 
all  directions  from  other  islands.  Ail  are  in 
their  very  best,  with  new  clothes  and  ribbons ; 
while  the  men  carry  their  most  beautiful 
spears  and  clubs.  Each  party  carries  the 
yams  in  baskets,  which  are  taken  to  the  marly, 
or  large  central  space  of  the  village,  and 
there  laid  down  with  great  ceremony.  In 
the  marly  are  ready  laid  a number  of  poles, 
eight  or  nine  feet  in  length,  and  four  inches 
in  diameter,  and  upon  them  the  men  sling 
the  yams,  only  one  yam  being  hung  to  the 
middle  of  each  pole. 

Meanwhile  the  great  chiefs  and  Mata- 
booles  have  gone  to  the  grave  of  the  last 
Tooi-tonga,  should  it  happen  to  be  on  the 
island,  or,  should  he  have  been  buried  on 
another  island,  the  grave  of  any  of  his  family 
answers  the  purpose.  They  sit  there  in  a 
semicircle  before  the  grave,  their  heads 
bowed  and  their  hands  clasped,  waiting  for 
the  procession,  which  presently  arrives. 

First  come  two  boys  blowing  conch  shells, 
and  advancing  with  a slow  and  solemn  step; 
and  behind  them  come  a vast  number  of  men 
with  the  yams.  Each  pole  is  carried  by  two 
men,  one  at  each  end,  and,  as  they  walk,  they 
sink  at  every  step,  as  if  overcome  with  the 
weight  of  their  burden.  This  is  to  signify 
that  the  yams  are  of  such  a size  that  the 
bearers  can  hardly  carry  them,  and  is  a sort 
of  symbolized  thanksgiving  to  the  gods  for 
so  fine  a prospect  of  harvest.  As  the  men 
come  to  the  grave,  they  lay  the  poles  and 
yams  on  it,  and  seat  themselves  in  order 
before  the  grave,  so  that  they  form  a line 
between  the  chiefs  and  the  yams. 

This  part  of  the  ceremony  is  shown  in  the 
lower  illustration,  on  the  99Ist  page.  In 
the  foreground  are  seated  the  chiefs  and 
Matabooles,  with  their  clubs  and  spears, 
while  the  procession  of  pole  bearers  is  seen 
winding  along  from  the  far  distance.  Two 
of  them  have  already  laid  their  yams  and 
poles  before  the  grave,  and  have  seated  them- 
selves between  the  grave  and  the  circle  of 
chiefs,  while  others  are  just  depositing  their 
burdens  on  the  same  sacred  spot.  Standing 
by  them  are  the  two  boys  who  headed  the 
procession,  still  blowing  busily  at  their 
conch-shell  trumpets.  In  the  distance,  and 
on  the  left  hand  of  the  illustration,  may  be 
seen  the  people  seated  in  numbers  on  the 
ground. 

^ One  of  the  Tooi-tonga’s  Matabooles  then 
sits  between  the  pole  bearers  and  the  grave 
and  makes  an  oration,  in  which  he  gives 
thanks  to  the  gods  for  their  bounty,  and  asks 
for  a continuance  of  it  to  their  offspring,  the 
Tooi-tonga.  He  then  retires  to  his  former 
place,  the  men  take  up  their  poles,  and  after 


marching  several  times  round  the  grave, 
they  return  to  the  marly  and  again  deposit 
their  loads,  this  time  untying  the  yams  from 
the  poles,  but  leaving  the  colored  streamers 
upon  them. 

Here  the  whole  of  the  people  seat  them- 
selves in  a large  circle,  at  which  the  Tooi- 
tonga  presides,  even  the  king  himself  re- 
tiring, and  sitting  in  the  back  ranks.  IS'ext 
the  remainder  of  the  offerings  are  brought 
forward,  consisting  of  mats,  gnatoo,  dried 
fish,  and  various  kinds  of  food.  These  are 
divided  by  one  of  the  Tooi-tonga’s  Mata- 
booles into  four  equal  parts.  One  of  these 
goes  to  the  gods,  and  is  at  once  taken  away 
by  the  servants  of  the  different  priests,  anS 
the  remainder  is  shared  by  the  Tooi-tonga 
and  the  king,  the  latter,  although  of  inferior 
rank,  getting  the  larger  portion,  because  he 
has  four  times  as  many  dependents  to  feed. 
The  proceedings  are  wound  up  with  the 
kava  drinking,  which  always  accompanies 
such  ceremonies.  While  the  infusion  is 
being  prepared,  the  presiding  Mataboole 
makes  a speech  to  the  people,  explaining  the 
right  that  has  just  been  concluded,  and  ad- 
vising them  to  pay  due  honor  to  the  gods 
and  their  representative  the  Tooi-tonga. 

Wheist  this  great  potentate  dies,  there  is  a 
most  extravagant  feast,  which  often  reduces 
the  people  to  a state  of  semi-starvation  for 
a long  time,  and  sometimes  threatens  an 
actual  famine.  In  such  a case,  the  tapu  is 
laid  upon  hogs,  cocoa-nuts,  and  fowls  for 
seven  or  eight  months,  or  even  longer,  dur- 
ing which  time  none  but  the  great  chiefs  are 
allowed  to  touch  them.  Two  or  three  plan- 
tations are  always  exempted,  so  that  there 
may  be  a supply  for  the  great  chiefs  and  for 
the  various  religious  ceremonies.  At  the 
expiration  of  the  stated  period,  if  the  crops 
look  well,  and  the  pigs  and  fowls  have  in- 
creased in  due  proportion,  the  tapu  is  taken 
off  with  very  great  ceremony. 

One  of  these  ceremonies  -was  seen  by 
Mariner  at  the  Hapai  Islands,  and  a very 
strange  rite  it  turned  out  to  be.  It  was  held 
on  two  marlies,  one  belonging  to  the  Tooi- 
tonga  and  the  other  to  the  king.  As  if  to 
compensate  for  the  limited  diet  of  the  previ- 
ous month,  food  was  piled  in  abundance. 
On  the  Tooi-tonga’s  marly  were  erected  four 
square  hollow  pillars,  about  four  feet  in 
diameter,  and  made  of  four  poles  connected 
with  matting.  These  were  about  fifty  or 
sixty  feet  in  height,  and  each  of  them  was 
crowned  with  a baked  hog. 

The  king’s  marly,  which  was  about  a 
quarter  of  a mile  from  the  other,  was  equally 
well  supplied  with  food,  only  in  this  case  the 
yams  were  placed  in  wooden  cars  or  sledges, 
and  nearly  four  hundred  half-baked  hogs 
were  laid  on  the  ground.  The  king  having 
arrived,  and  the  signal  given  for  beginning 
the  proceedings,  the  young  chiefs  and  war- 
riors tried  successively  to  lift  the  largest 


994 


. TONGA. 


hog,  and  at  last,  when  all  had  failed,  it  was 
lifted  by  two  men  and  taken  to  the  other 
marly.  “ In  the  meantime  the  trial  was 
going  on  with  the  second  hog,  which,  being 
also  found  too  heavy  for  one  man,  was  car- 
ried away  by  two  in  like  manner,  and  so  on 
with  the  third,  fourth,  &c.,  the  largest  being 
carried  away  hrst,  and  the  least  last. 

“ The  second,  third,  fourth,  &c.,  aiforded 
more  sport  than  the  others,  as  being  a nearer 
counterbalance  with  a man’s  strength. 
Sometimes  he  had  got  it  nearly  upon  his 
shoulder,  when  his  greasy  burden  slipped 
through  his  arms,  and,  in  his  endeavor  to 
save  it,  brought  him  down  after  it.  It  is  an 
honor  to  attempt  these  things,  and  even  the 
king  sometimes  puts  his  hand  to  it.” 

The  next  part  of  the  proceedings  was  the 
carrying  twenty  of  the  largest  hogs  to  the 
late  Tooi-tonga’s  grave,  and  leaving  them 
there,  while  the  rest,  together  with  the  other 
provisions,  were  shared  among  the  chiefs, 
who  in  their  turn  distributed  them  to  their 
followers,  until  every  man  in  the  island  gets 
a piece  of  pork  and  yam.  The  four  great 
columns  of  yams  were  given,  one  to  the 
king,  another  to  the  Tooi-tonga,  the  third  to 
the  Veachi  and  one  or  two  of  the  very  great 
chiefs,  and  the  fourth  to  the  gods.  The  Tooi- 
tonga  also  took  the  cars  of  yams  as  a matter 
of  tacit  though  unacknowledged  right.  Kava 
drinking,  dancing,  and  wrestling  concluded 
the  ceremony;  and  as  soon  as  the  circle 
broke  up,  the  tapu  was  considered  as  an- 
nulled. 

The  twenty  large  hogs  which  were  laid  on 
the  grave  were  left  there  for  several  days; 
but  as  soon  as  they  showed  signs  of  putrid- 
ity, they  were  cut  up,  and  divided  among  all 
who  chose  to  apply  for  a share  of  the  meat. 
By  right  they  belonged  to  the  chiefs,  but 
as  they  were  "able  to  procure  fresh  pork  for 
themselves,  they  preferred  to  forego  their 
right,  and  divide  the  tainted  meat  among 
the  people. 

The  ceremony  of  Mo’ee-mo’ee,  or  taking 
off  the  tapu  contracted  by  touching  a chief, 
has  already  been  mentioned.  The  tapu  is 
even  contracted  by  eating  in  the  presence  of 
a superior  relation;  but  there  is  a conven- 
tional way  of  getting  rid  of  this  tapu  by 
simply  turning  the  back  upon  the  superior, 
who  is  then  considered  as  not  being  ceremo- 
nially in  the  presence  of  the  inferior.  Should 
a man  think  that  he  may  have  contracted 
the  tapu  unwittingly,  he  will  not  dare  to 
feed  himself  until  he  hag  gone  to  some  chief, 
whose  foot  he  takes  and  presses  it  against 
his  stomach.  This  rite  is  called  the  Fota^ 
or  pressing.  Any  chief  can  take  away  the 
tapu  contracted  by  touching  an  equal  or  in- 
ferior, but  has  no  power  over  that  of  a supe- 
rior. Consequently,  no  one  but  himself  can 
take  away  the  Tooi-tonga’s  tapu;  and  this 
proved  so  inconvenient  that  whenever  the 
potentate  went  from  his  house,  he  left  be- 
hind him  a consecrated  bowl  as  his  repre- 


sentative, and  this  was  held  to  be  equally 
powerful  in  removing  the  tapu.  The  Vea- 
chi adopted  a similar  plan.  It  is  a remark- 
able fact  that  kava  is  exempt  from  all  tapu, 
so  that  if  even  the  Tooi-tonga  has  touched 
a piece  of  kava  root,  the  lowest  cook  may 
chew  it. 

There  is  a ceremony  which  in  principle 
somewhat  resembles  that  of  Inuchi,  though 
it  is  conducted  after  a very  different  man- 
ner. Just  as  the  Indchi  is  an  offering  to  the 
gods  in  general  through  the  Tooi-tonga,  so 
is  this  ceremony,  which  is  called  the  Tow- 
tow,  a special  thanksgiving  to  Alo-Alo,  the 
god  of  weather.  It  is  begun  in  the  early 
part  of  November,  when  the  yams  are  ripe, 
and  is  continued  for  some  three  months,  at 
intervals  of  eight  or  ten  days. 

All  the  islands  of  Tonga  are  divided  into 
three  distinct  portions,  namely,  the  northern 
division,  or  Hahagi,  the  southern  division, 
or  Ilihifo,  and  the  middle  division,  or  Mooa. 
Each  of  these  divisions  has  orders  to  pre- 
pare a certain  amount  of  food,  such  as  yams, 
cocoa-nuts,  and  the  like,  and  to  bring  them 
to  the  marly.  The  correct  mode  of  doing  so 
is  to  bring  them  on  sticks,  so  that  each  stick 
has  upon  it  seven  or  eight  yams,  or  a bunch 
of  plantains,  or  a quantity  of  bananas.  If 
sugar-canes  form  part  of  the  offering,  they 
are  tied  in  bundles  of  three  or  four  in  each  : 
and  all  the  offerings,  no  matter  what  they 
may  be,  are  piled  up  in  three  great  heaps, 
one  being  erected  by  the  people  of  each  dis- 
trict. 

This  being  done,  and  a few  preliminary 
matches  of  boxing  and  wrestling  played, 
after  about  three  hours  a small  procession 
appears,  composed  of  eight  or  ten  men  sent 
by  the  priest  of  Alo-Alo,  and  accompanied 
by  a young  girl  about  eight  or  nine  years 
old,  who  represents  the  god’s  wife.  She  is 
always  the  daughter  of  a chief,  and  generally 
of  one  of  the  highest  chiefs,  and,  during  the 
eighty  days  of  the  ceremony,  she  resides  at 
the  temple  of  Alo-Alo.  She  has  nothing 
particular  to  do,  except  presiding  at  one  or 
two  feasts  and  kava  parties. 

The  men  are  all  dressed  in  mats,  and  have 
green  leaves  tied  round  their  necks.  This 
is  the  dress  of  humility  and  sorrow,  and  is 
employed  in  times  of  mourning  for  the  dead 
and  supplication  for  mercy.  When  they 
have  arrived,  they  seat  themselves  in  a line, 
having  in  front  of  them  a great  drum,  which 
is  kept ‘for  this  special  purpose.  They  then 
offer  their  prayers  to  Alo-Alo,  begging  for 
propitious  weather  and  good  crops,  and  after 
these  prayers  are  concluded  two  of  the  piles 
of  provisions  are  carried  off  by  the  chiefs, 
and  the  third  is  set  aside  for  the  gods.  Sud- 
denly the  great  drum  is  beaten,  on  which  a 
general  dash  is  made  at  the  pile  of  food, 
every  one  scrambling  for  the  provisions,  and 
getting  as  much  as  he  can.  There  is  not 
I the  least  order  in  the  scramble,  and  the 


THE  TOW-TOW. 


995 


scene  is  a most  exciting  one,  the  yams  being 
torn  from  the  sticks,  and  the  sticks  smashed 
to  pieces,  while  the  sugar-canes  are  broken 
up  into  fragments.  Thus  the  gods  are  fed 
vicariously. 

The  women  keep  prudently  out  of  the 
way  during  this  struggle,  and  stand  aside  to 
watch  the  chief  and  concluding  ceremony. 
This  is  nothing  more  than  a general  fight. 
The  inhabitants  of  the  island  arrange  them- 
selves in  two  divisions,  one  half  fighting 
against  the  other.  All  engage  in  this  battle, 
the  highest  chiefs  as  well  as  the  lowest 
cooks  taking  part  in  it.  There  is  no  respect 
of  persons,  the  king,  or  even  the  Tooi-tonga 
himself,  being  assaulted  without  compunc- 
tion, and  handled  as  roughly  as  any  of  the 
common  people. 

Severe  as  is  the  fighting,  it  is  all  con- 
ducted with  the  greatest  good  humor,  and 
no  one  displays  a sign  of  ill-temper  at  the 
injury  which  he  receives.  If  a man  is 
knocked  down,  he  gets  up  with  a smile;  if 
his  arm  is  broken,  he  retires  from  the  battle 
and  has  it  set,  but  he  never  thinks  of  com- 
plaining. The  same  system  is  observed  in 
the  boxing  and  wrestling  matches  of  which 
the  Tongans  are  so  fond. 

In  wrestling  matches,  for  example,  it  is 
not  thought  polite  for  any  one  man  to  chal- 
lenge another;  he  ought  to  give  a general 
challenge,  by  striking  with  the  right  hand 
the  bent  elbow  of  the  opposite  arm.  If  the 
challenge  be  accepted,  the  antagonists  meet 
very  leisurely,  and  take  care  to  fasten  tightly 
the  gnatoo  belt  that  surrounds  the  waist. 
They  grasp  the  belt  with  a hand  on  each 
side,  and  endeavor  to  throw  their  antagonist 
by  lifting  him  from  the  ground  and  flinging 
him  on  his  back.  The  vanquished  man  rises 
and  retires  to  his  place  among  the  spectators 
without  showing  any  displeasure.  Only  in 
one  case  did  Mariner  know  a man  display 
ill-feeling  at  being  beaten,  and  in  that  in- 
stance the  man,  although  a chief,  was  looked 
upon  as  an  ill-bred  fellow. 

The  victor  seats  himself  on  the  ground 
for  a few  seconds,  and  then  retires  to  his 
place,  his  friends  belonging  to  his  own  side 
singing,  or  rather  chanting,  a song  of  vic- 
tory. After  a short  time  he  again  rises  and 
offers  another  challenge,  and  if  it  be  accep- 
ted by  several  antagonists,  he  may  select 
one  from  them.  If  they  find  that  they  are 
equally  matched,  they  leave  off  by  mutual 
consent;  and  sometimes,  if  a man  encoun- 
ters a chief  much  superior  to  him,  he  will 
generally  yield  out  of  respect  to  the  other’s 
rank.  This  only  takes  place  in  single  com- 
bat, not  in  the  general  fight  of  the  Tow-tow 
festival. 

Boxing  is  conducted  on  similar  principles 
of  fair  play.  The  challenger  proceeds  into 
the  middle  of  the  ring,  holding  one.  arm 
stretched  out  in  front  and  the  other  behind, 
and  advances  sideways,  changing  sides  at 
every  step.  When  the  challenge  is  accep- 


ted, both  combatants  wrap  a piece  of  cord 
round  their  hands  and  proceed  to  blows, 
which  are  given  with  great  force  and  rapid- 
ity. When  one  is  vanquished,  he  retires 
with  apparent  unconcern  to  the  ring,  and 
sits  to  watch  the  combats  of  others,  know- 
ing that  to  be  vanquished  is  not  considered 
a disgrace.  When  the  victor  returns  to  his 
people,  they  welcome  him,  but  do  not  sing 
the  chant  of  victory  unless  he  has  knocked 
his  antagonist  down.  Falling 'is  on  these 
occasions  considered  as  equivalent  to  being 
killed  in  real  battle,  and,  in  consequence, 
the  song  of  victory  is  not  sung  unless  the 
antagonist  has  fallen  to  the  ground.  If  a 
man  be  beaten  in  wrestling,  he  may  not 
wrestle  a second  time  in  the  same  day, 
though  he  may  box,  and  vice  versa. 

In  the  ceremony  of  Tow  - tow,  these 
scrambling,  boxing,  and  wrestling  matches 
are  carried  on  every  tenth  day,  and  arc  re- 
peated eight  times,  so  as  to  make  up  the 
eighty  days  of  the  festival.  After  each  bat- 
tle, those  who  have  touched  a superior  chief 
come  to  be  relieved  of  the  tapu  which  they 
have  contracted  by  touching  him.  Even  the 
Tooi-tonga,  whose  nose  has  been  flattened, 
his  teeth  knocked  out,  and  his  face  pounded 
to  a jelly  by  a mere  peasant,  over  whom  he 
has  supreme  command  of  life  and  death, 
performs  the  needful  ceremony  with  perfect 
good  humor. 

The  illustration  No.  1,  on  the  999th  page, 
represents  the  concluding  scene  of  this 
ceremony.  In  the  foreground  are  seen  the 
two  contending  parties,  one  of  which  is  be- 
ginning to  get  the  victory  over  the  other. 
In  the  centre  of  the  illustration,  and  on  the 
left,  are  the  fragments  of  the  food-piles,  with 
a few  men  still  scrambling  for  them,  and  in 
the  distance  the  women  are  seated  under 
the  trees,  watching  the  progress  of  the 
fight. 

Fighting  is  not  confined  to  the  men,  but 
is  practised  also  by  the  women,  who  on  this 
occasion  lay  aside  the  ordinary  gentleness 
and  mildness  for  which  they  are  remark- 
able. When  Captain  Cook  visited  Tonga, 
he  was  much  surprised  to  see  the  girls  step 
into  the  ring  and  box  with  as  much  spirit 
and  determination  as  had  been  shown  by 
the  men.  They  do  not,  however,  carry  the 
combat  to  such  extremes,  and  if  one  of 
them  does  not  speedily  yield,  the  combat- 
ants are  parted  by  the  elder  women.  Even 
the  merest  children  box  after  a similar  fash- 
ion, the  little  girls  knocking  each  other 
about  with  hearty  good-will  as  long  as  they 
are  allowed  to  fight. 

On  one  occasion,  Finow  ordered  that  all 
the  women  who  were  seated  as  spectators 
should  engage  in  a general  fight,  after  the 
manner  of  the  men.  They  seemed  nothing 
loth,  and  all  the  women  who  lived  on  the 
north  of  the  island  fought  against  those  who 
lived  on  the  south  side.  Nearly  fifteen  hun- 
dred women  engaged  on  each  side,  and 


996 


TONGA. 


fought  with  the  greatest  courage  for  more 
than  an  hour,  both  parties  contending  with 
such  determination  that  neither  could  gain 
a foot  of  ground;  and  at  last  Finow  ordered 
them  to  desist,  seeing  that  several  ankles 
had  been  sprained  and  limbs  broken. 

Besides  boxing  and  wrestling  matches,  the 
Tongans  have  club  fights  on  great  occa- 
sions. As  with  the  other  matches,  the  com- 
batants are  divided  into  two  parties,  one 
being  seated  opposite  to  the  other,  with  a 
considerable  space  of  ground  between  them. 

When  all  is  ready,  a man  jumps  up,  runs 
to  the  people  of  the  opposite  side,  and  sits 
down  in  front  of  them,  asking  if  any  of 
them  will  fight  him.  As  in  the  boxing  and 
wrestling  matches,  to  challenge  a particular 
opponent  is  bad  manners.  If  the  challenge 


be  accepted,  the  combatants  walk  to  the 
middle  of  the  ring,  each  attended  by  his 
second,  and  then  settle  whether  they  shall 
fight  after  the  Tongan  or  Samoan  manner. 
The  former  mode  does  not  allow  a man  to 
strike  an  antagonist  after  he  is  knocked 
down,  but  only  to  flourish  his  club  over  him 
in  token  of  victory.  By  the  latter  mode  he 
is  allowed  to  beat  the  fallen  man  as  long  as 
he  shows  signs  of  life.  When  the  fight  is 
over,  the  men  on  the  side  of  the  victor 
chant  their  song  of  triumph,  and  the  con- 
queror advances  to  the  king,  sits  down 
before  him  in  token  of  respect,  and  then 
rises  and  returns  to  his  own  party.  On  one 
of  these  occasions,  the  young  prince  fought 
no  less  than  fourteen  battles,  and  was  victo- 
rious in  every  one  of  them. 


CHAPTER  Cl 


TOKGA — Concluded. 

SICKNESS  — BURIAL — GAMES. 

SACRIFICE  OF  THE  FINGER,  AND  MODE  OF  OPERATING  — SACRIFICE  OP  CHILDREN  — CONSULTING  THE 
GODS  — MODES  OF  INSPIRATION  — SACRIFICE  OF  WIVES  — FINOW’s  GOOD  SENSE  — SUPPOSED  CAUSES 
OF  DEATH  — FINOW’S  FUNERAL  — CUTTING  THE  HEAD  — OPENING  AND  CLOSING  THE  VAULT  — 
DRESSING  THE  GRAVE  — APPOINTMENT  OF  A SUCCESSOR  — CONCLUDING  CEREMONIES — IDEAS  OF 
RELIGION  — VARIOUS  SPORTS  AND  GAMES  — EAT  SHOOTING  AND  BIRD  CATCHING  — FINOW  AND  THE 
DECOY  BIRD  — BALL  PLAY  — A DANGEROUS  STAKE,  AND  HONORABLE  PAYMENT  — THE  LOVER’s 
CAVE,  AND  A NATIVE  LEGEND. 


As  might  be  expected,  various  ceremonies 
take  place  with  regard  to  sickness  and 
burial. 

If  any  one  is  ill,  the  inferior  relations  cut 
off  a joint  of  the  little  finger  as  an  offering 
to  the  gods.  Sometimes  a whole  joint  is 
taken  off  at  once,  but  those  who  have  many 
superior  relations  remove  only  a portion,  so 
that  they  may  be  able  to  offer  the  sacrifice 
several  times.  In  consequence  of  this  super- 
stition, there  is  scarcely  a person  in  Tonga 
who  has  not  lost  a considerable  portion  of 
the  little  finger  of  one  or  both  hands. 

The  mode  of  amputating  the  finger  is 
simple  enough.  It  is  laid  upon  a flat  block 
of  wood,  and  the  edge  of  a knife  or  axe,  or 
even  a sharp  stone,  placed  on  it.  A smart 
blow  is  given  with  a mallet,  and  the  stump, 
which  bleeds  but  little  in  consequence  of 
the  nature  of  the  operation,  is  held  over  the 
smoke  of  fresh  grass,  so  as  to  check  any 
. after  bleeding.  No  application  is  made  to  it, 
and  in  a week,  or  two  it  heals  without 
trouble.  The  Tongans  do  not  seem  to  fear 
this  operation,  and  even  little  children  may 
be  seen  quarrelling  with  each  other  for  the 
honor  of  havin^^  it  performed  upon  them. 

Should  the  illness  take  an  unfavorable 
turn,  instead  of  a mere  finger,  a child  is 
offered  to  the  gods  by  being  strangled.  For 
example,  when  Finow  fell  ill  of  the  malady 
froni  which  he  died,  and  was  apparently 
sinking,  his  eldest  son  took  a young  child  of 
the  king’s  from  its  mother’s  lap,  strangled  it, 
and  offered  it  to  the  gods  at  various  conse- 
crated houses.  The  people  look  with  the 
greatest  compassion  on  the  poor  little  vic- 


tim, but  think  that  it  is  right  to  sacrifice  a 
little  child  who  at  present  is  useless  to  the 
community,  and  may  not  live  to  be  of  ser- 
vice, so  that  they  may  obtain  in  exchange 
the  life  of  a chief  who  is  needed  by  his 
people. 

Such  a sacrifice  is  sometimes  made  on 
other  occasions,  when  the  anger  of  some  god 
is  to  be  averted.  In  Tonga  there  are  sev- 
eral sacred  places,  in  which  to  spill  blood  is 
a sacrilege,  so  that  they  serve  the  purpose 
of  cities  of  refuge.  Once  a chief  named 
Palavali  was  pursuing  some  men,  who  ran 
for  refuge  to  the  nearest  sacred  spot.  One 
of  them  was  just  getting  over  the  fence, 
when  Palavali,  in  the  heat  of  the  moment, 
struck  him  on  the  head,  so  that  he  fell  dead 
within  the  enclosure.  As  soon  as  he  had 
done  the  deed  he  was  filled  with  fear,  and 
reported  what  he  had  done  to  Finow,  who 
consulted  a priest.  The  priest,  becoming 
inspired,  said  that  a child  must  be  sacrificed 
to  the  gods,  and  the  chiefs,  after  holding  a 
consultation,  agreed  that  they  should  sacri- 
fice a child  of  ofie  of  their  own  number  by  a 
female  attendant.  Such  children  are  always 
-selected,  for  two  reasons;  firstly,  because 
the  child  of  a chief  is  held  to  be  a worthy 
sacrifice,  and  secondly,  because,  as  its 
mother  is  of  inferior  rank,  it  could  never 
live  to  be  a chief. 

The  mother,  knowing  the  custom,  took 
alarm,  and  hid  the  child,  but  it  was  at  last 
found  by  the  men  who  were  sent  to  search 
for  it.  The  rest  must  be  told  in  Mariner’s 
words.  “ Its  poor  mother  wanted  to  follow, 
but  was  held  back  by  those  about  her.  On 


998 


TONGA. 


hearing  its  mother’s  voice  it  began  to  cry, 
but  when  it  arrived  at  the  fatal  place  of 
execution,  it  was  pleased  and  delighted  with 
the  band  of  gnatoo  that  was  put  round  its 
neck,  and,  looking  up  in  the  face  of  the  man 
who  was  about  to  destroy  it,  displayed  in  its 
beautiful  countenance  a smile  of  ineffable 
pleasure. 

“ Such  a sight  inspired  pity  in  the  heart 
of  every  one;  but  adoration  and  fear  of  the 
gods  was  a sentiment  superior  to  any  other, 
and  its  destroyer  could  not  help  exclaiming, 
as  he  put  on  the  fatal  bandage,  ‘ 0 yaooe  chi 
vale!  ’ (‘  Poor  little  innocent!  ’)  Two  men 
then  tightened  the  cord  by  pulling  at  each 
end,  and  the-  guiltless  and  unsuspecting 
victim  was  soon  relieved  of  its  painful 
struggles.  The  body  was  then  placed  upon 
a sort  of  hand-barroAV,  supported  upon  the 
shoulders  of  four  men,  and  carried  in  a pro- 
cession of  priests,  chiefs,  and  Matabooles 
clothed  in  mats,  with  wreaths  of  green 
leaves  round  their  necks. 

“ In  this  manner  it  was  conveyed  to  vari- 
ous houses  consecrated  to  different  gods, 
before  each  of  which  it  was  placed  on  the 
ground,  all  the  company  sitting  behind  it, 
except  one  priest,  who  sat  beside  it,  and 
prayed  aloud  to  the  god  that  he  would  be 
pleased  to  accept  of  this  sacrifice  as  an 
atonement  for  the  heinous  sacrilege  com- 
mitted, and  that  punishment  might  accord- 
ingly be  withheld  from  the  people.  After 
this  was  done  before  all  the  consecrated 
houses  in  the  fortress,  the  body  was  given 
up  to  its  relations,  to  be  buried  in  the  usual 
manner.” 

This  particular  case  had  a strange  termi- 
nation. Four  or  five  days  after  the  sacri- 
fice, Palavali  went  on  a foraging  excursion 
at  the  head  of  a body  of  men  who  were  not 
tried  soldiers,  and  met  with  a smaller  body 
of  real  warriors.  In  a very  short  time 
Palavali’s  men  began  to  run,  and  it  was  in 
vain  that  he  tried  to  rally  them.  At  last,  in 
boldly  facing  the  enemy  to  set  his  men  an 
example,  he  received  four  spears  in  his 
body,  and  fell.  This  sight  angered  his  men 
so  much  that  they  charged  the  enemy, 
drove  them  back,  and  rescued  their  dying 
chief.  They  were  proceeding  to  draw  out 
the  spears,  but  he  told  them  that  it  would  be 
useless,  as  the  gods  had  doomed  him  for  his 
sacrilege,  and  he  must  die.  His  prognosti- 
cation was  correct,  for  he  died  half  an  hour 
after  the  battle. 

When  a priest  is  consulted  on  any  sub- 
ject— say,  on  the  sickness  of  any  one  — a 
carefully  regulated  ceremony  is  performed. 
On  the  previous  night  a hog  is  killed  and 
prepared,  and  taken  to  the  place  where  the 
priest  lives,  together  with  plantains,  yams, 
and  kava  root.  Next  day  they  all  go  to  the 
patient’s  house,  and  there  seat  themselves 
in  order,  the  priest  taking  his  place  just 
within  the  eaves,  if  the  appointed  spot  be  a 
house.  Opposite  to  the  priest  is  the  kava 


bowl,  and  around  him  sit  the  Matabooles  as 
usual;  but  on  this  occasion  the  chiefs  always 
mix  with  the  people,  or  even  sit  behind 
them,  thinking  that  such  retiring  and  hum- 
ble behavior  is  pleasing  to  the  gods. 

From  the  moment  that  all  are  seated,  the 
god  is  supposed  to  take  possession  of  the 
priest,  who  sits  silently  with  his  hands 
clasped  in  front  of  him,  his  head  bowed,  and 
his  eyes  bent  on  the  ground.  The  kava 
being  prepared,  the  required  questions  are 
put  to  him.  Sometimes  he  answers  them  at 
once,  but  very  often  he  remains  in  silence 
until  all  the  provisions  are  eaten  and  the 
kava  drunk.  When  he  does  speak,  it  is  in  a 
low,  constrained  voice,  generally  above  its 
natural  pitch,  the  words  being  supposed  to 
be  the  utterances  of  the  god  through  him 
without  his  volition.  In  some  cases  he  is 
quite  calm  and  quiet  while  delivering  his 
answers,  but  at  others  his  face  becomes 
inflamed,  his  eyes  seem  ready  to  start  from 
their  sockets,  tears  pour  from  his  eyes,  and 
his  words  issue  in  broken  sobs  and  gasps. 

This  paroxysm  lasts  for  some  time,  and 
then  gradually  subsides.  As  it  is  passing 
away,  he  takes  up  a club  which  is  placed 
near  him  for  the  purpose,  gazes  at  it  atten- 
tivei}%  and  then  looks  round,  apparently 
without  seeing  the  object  at  which  he  looks 
— his  eyes  are  open,  but  their  sense  is 
shut.”  Suddenly  he  raises  the  club,  and 
dashes  it  violently  on  the  ground,  at  which 
instant  the.  god  is  supposed  to  leave  his 
votary,  who  immediately  rises  and  leaves 
the  place  of  honor,  retiring  to  the  back  of 
the  ring  among  the  people.  The  m.an  of 
highest  rank  present  then  takes  the  place  of 
honor,  and  more  kava  is  served. 

When  a priest  is  consulted  on  behalf  of  a 
sick  person,  the  inspiration  retains  its  hold 
as  long  as  the  patient  is  in  his  presence,  and 
in  some  cases  the  inspiration  lasts  for  sev- 
eral days.  If  one  priest  cannot  find  a cure, 
the  patient  is  taken  to  another,  and  so  on, 
until  he  either  recovers  or  dies. 

The  illustration  No.  2,  on  the  next  page, 
represents  a consultation  of  the  priest  re- 
specting a sick  child.  In  the  foreground 
are  the  provisions  and  the  presents  brought 
to  the  priest,  and  in  the  centre  is  the  kava 
bowl.  On  the  right  is  the  priest,  seated  in 
a state  of  inspiration,  with  crossed  hands 
and  bowed  head,  listening  to  the  questions 
which  are  being  put  by  the  Mataboole.  The 
mother  of  the  child  is  seen  with  the  infant 
in  her  arms,  and  around  are  members  of  her 
family,  all  wearing  coarse  mats  instead  of 
fine  gnatoo,  and  having  round  their  necks 
the  leaves  which  denote  humility. 

Other  persons  beside  chiefs  become  in- 
spired, generally  by  the  spirits  of  those 
whom  they  had  known  in  life.  The  eldest 
son  of  Finow,  "who  afterward  succeeded  to 
the  throne,  used  to  be  inspired  by  a great 
chief  who  had  been  murdered  by  his  father 
and  another  chief.  Mariner  asked  him 


,2.)  C0:NSULT1NG  a priest.  (See  page  998.) 
(,999) 


TOW-TOW.  (See  page  995.) 


(1.)  THE 


SACRIFICE  OF  WIVES. 


1001 


\ 

whjiit  were  his  feelings  on  such  occasions, 
and  j he  replied  that  he  felt  restless  and  un- 
comfortable, and  all  over  in  a glow  of  heat, 
and  that  his  mind  did  not  seem  to  be  his 
own.  When  asked  how  he  knew  the  name 
of  the,  spirit  who  then  visited  him,  he  an- 
swered) that  he  could  not  tell  — he  knew  it 
intuitively,  but  could  give  no  explanation. 

While  Mariner  was  in  the  Tonga  Islands, 
a young  chief,  remarkable  for  his  beauty, 
became  inspired  to  such  a degree  that  he 
fainted,  and  was  taken  to  the  house  of  a 
priest,  who  told  him  that  the  spirit  was  that 
of  a young  woman  who  had  died  two  years 
before,  and  was-  now  in  Bolotoo  the  Tonga 
heaven.  She  inspired  him  because  she 
wished  for  him  as  a husband  in  Bolotoo,  and 
would  soon  take  him  there.  The  young  chief 
acknowledged  the  truth  of  the  exposition, 
saying  that  for  several  nights  he  had  been 
visited  in  his  sleep  by  a young  woman,  and 
had  suspected  that  she  was  the  person  who 
inspired  him.  Two  days  after  he  was  taken 
ill  and  died.  Mariner  was  present  when 
the  priest  gave  his  explanation  of  the  ill- 
ness. 

Shortly  before  Mariner  was  at  the  Tonga 
Islands,  a still  graver  form  of  human  sacri- 
fice was  practised  than  that  of  a child. 

When  the  Tooi-tonga  died,  his  chief  widow 
was  strangled  on  the  day  of  the  funeral,  and 
buried  in  the  same  grave  with  him,  just  as 
is  the  case  in  Fiji,  whence  in  all  probability, 
the  Tongans  borrowed  the  practice.  Com- 
paratively short  as  was  Mariner’s  stay  two 
Tooi-tongas  died;  but  in  neither  case  was 
this  terrible  rite  observed.  In  the  one  case 
there  happened  to  be  no  chief  wife,  all  his 
wives  being  so  equal  in  rank  that  neither  of 
them  ruled  the  household;  and,  in  conse- 
quence a selection  of  a victim  became  impos- 
sible. In  the  second  case  the  chief  wife  was 
the  daughter  of  Finow,  who  said  openly, 
that  if  the  husband  were  to  die  first,  his 
daughter  should  not  be  strangled,  for  that 
to  destroy  a young  and  beautiful  woman  be- 
cause her  husband  had  died  was  inflicting  a 
double  loss  upon  the  community.  As  it 
happened,  the  Tooi-tonga  did  not  die  until 
after  the  elder  Finow  was  dead  and  had  been 
succeeded  by  his  son,  who  not  only  carried 
out  his  father’s  wishes  on  that  subject,  but 
wauld  not  allow  another  Tooi-tonga  to  suc- 
ceed; thus  abolishing  the  source  of  the  only 
rank  that  was  superior  to  him. 

The  Tooi-tonga  being  abolished,  it  neces- 
sarily follows  that  the  ceremony  of  Inachi 
was  abolished  too,  and  but  for  the  fact  of 
Mariner’s  enforced  residence  in  Tonga,  this 
curious  and  interesting  ceremony  would 
have  passed  away  without  being  known  to 
European  civilization. 

Mariner  was  present  at  the  wedding  of 
Finow’s  daughter  to  the  Tooi-tonga,  and  de- 
scribes it  with  some  minuteness.  It  much 
resembled  a Fijian  wedding,  except  in  the 
costume  of  the  bride,  who  was  first  copiously 


anointed  with  cocoa-nut  oil  scented  with 
sandal-wood,  and  then  arrayed  in  a vast 
number  of  the  finest  Samoan  mats,  which 
were  wrapped  round  her  in  such  quantities 
that  her  arms  were  stuck  out  almost  hori- 
zontally from  her  body,  and  her  legs  were 
so  much  trammelled  that  she  could  not  sit 
down,  but  had  to  rest  in  a bent  attitude  upon 
her  attendants. 

She  was  eighteen  at  the  time.  Had  it  not 
been  for  the  good  sense  of  Finow,  Mariner 
would  have  seen  within  a very  short  time 
her  wedding,  her  murder,  and  her  burial. 
The  technical  name  for  the  ceremony  of 
strangling  is  Nawgia. 

We  now  come  naturally  to  the  subject  of 
funerals,  and  will  take  as  a typical  example 
the  funeral  of  the  elder  Finow. 

Almost  immediately  after  the  death  and 
burial  of  his  favorite  daughter,  a child  about 
seven  years  of  age,  Finow  fell  ill,  his  mal- 
ady having  been  increased  by  the  exertions 
which  he  made  during  the  long  ceremony  of 
the  funeral.  It  was  on  this  occasion  that 
he  ordered  the  women  to  box  in  general 
combat.  On  the  evening  of  that  day  Finow 
retired  to  a small  house  that  had  just  been 
built  for  him,  and  was  seized  with  a violent 
illness,  which  almost  deprived  him  of  the 
power  of  speech,  though  not  of  intellect.  lie 
evidently  knew  that  his  end  was  at  hand, 
and  continually  muttered  “My  country!  my 
country!”  evidently  feeling  that  calamities 
might  come  on  his  land  if  he  were  suddenly 
taken  away. 

A child  was  olfered  on  behalf  of  him, 
which  had  already  been  selected,  but,  by  the 
time  that  the  sacrificing  party  had  come 
back  to  the  house  where  the  king  lay,  he  had 
lost  both  his  speech  and  his  consciousness, 
and  in  a few  minutes  the  great  and  wise 
Finow  had  departed  this  life.  When  his 
death  was  ascertained,  a curious  ceremony 
was  performed.  The  body  was  carried  to 
the  Tooi-tonga’s  house,  and  placed  on  the 
hole  in  which  the  cooks  were  accustomed  to 
light  their  fires.  This  was  a symbolical  ex- 
pression of  humility  and  submission  to  the 
gods,  the  cooking  place  being  so  degraded  a 
spot  that  only  the  lowest  Tooas  would  coii- 
descend  to  touch  it. 

Hot  only  the  king  himself,  but  all  those  in 
his  confidence,  fully  believed  that  his  death 
was  caused  by  a god  named  Toobo  Total,  to 
whom  he  had  prayed  in  vain  for  his  daugh- 
ter’s recovery.  In  revenge  for  the  negli- 
gence of  the  god,  Finow  had  made  arrange- 
ments for  killing  his  priest,  and  had  been 
heard  to  say  that  if  Toobo  Total  did  not 
change  his  conduct,  and  exert  himself  a lit- 
tle more,  his  priest  should  not  live  long. 
Finow’s  sudden  death  put  a stop  to  this 
project,  which  was  only  known  to  one  or 
two  of  his  immediate  friends.  It  is  not  un- 
likely that  the  threatened  priest  may  have 
heard  of  his  intended  assassination,  and 
saved  himself  by  getting  a dose  of  poison 


1002 


TONGA. 


administered  to  Finow  at  the  funeral  ban- 
quet. 

Finow  was  right  in  his  prognostications 
of  trouble,  for  no  sooner  was  his  death 
known  than  a number  of  the  principal 
chiefs  of  different  islands  began  to  assemble 
their  forces,  with  the  intention  of  seizing 
on  the  throne.  His  successor,  however,  in- 
herited his  father’s  wisdom,  and  took  such 
precautions  that  the  attempt  of  the. conspir- 
ators was  quietly  foiled. 

After  the  royal  corpse  was  brought  back 
from  the  Tooi- tonga’s  dwelling,  it  was  laid 
on  bales  of  gnatoo  in  the  large  conical 
house,  which  was  nearly  filled  with  women, 
who  kept  up  a continual  lamentation,  led  by 
his  daughter,  a beautiful  girl  of  fifteen. 
Even  by  night  the  lamentations  went  on, 
the  house  being  lighted  up  with  lamps  made 
of  cocoa-nut  shells  half  filled  with  cocoa-nut 
oil,  which  is  only  used  on  such  occasions; 
and  on  the  following  morning  the  people 
assembled  on  the  marly  to  take  part  in  the 
obsequies  of  their  late  king,  whom  they 
both  loved  and  feared.  Indeed,  among  sav- 
age nations,  there  is  no  love  toward  a chief 
who  is  not  thoroughly  feared. 

By  this  time  tlie  faces  of  the  principal 
mourners  were  scarcely  recognizable,  being 
swollen  and  disfigured  by  the  repeated 
blows  which  they  had  inflicted  on  them- 
selves as  signs  of  sorrow.  The  chiefs  and 
Matabooles  who  were  especially  attached  to 
the  person  or  household  of  the  deceased 
king  proceeded  to  inflict  even  severer  inju- 
ries upon  themselves,  using  the  club,  or 
shell,  or  a sharp  stone;  and  running  two  or 
three  at  a time  into  the  open  space,  while 
they  cut  their  heads  with  the  clubs  and 
shells  so  that  the  blood  poured  down  their 
bodies  in  streams;  as  they  did  so,  they  ut- 
tered a sort  of  dirge,  some  specimens  of 
which  have  been  given  by  Mariner.  The 
following  is  his  translation  of  the  death 
chant  and  accompanying  proceedings. 

“ ‘ Finow,  I know  well  your  mind ; you  have 
departed  to  Bolotoo,  and  left  your  people, 
under  suspicion  that  I or  some  of  those  about 
you  are  unfaithful;  but  where  is  the  proof 
of  infidelity?  where  is  a single  instance  of 
disrespect?’  Then  inflicting  violent  blows 
and  deep  cuts  in  the  head  with  a club,  stone, 
or  knife,  would  again  exclaim  at  intervals, 
‘ Is  not  this  a proof  of  my  fidelity?  does  this 
not  evince  loyalty  and  attachment  to  the 
memory  of  the  departed  warrior?  ’ Then 
perhaps  two  or  three  would  run  on  and  en- 
deavor to  seize  the  same  club,  saying  with  a 
furious  tone  of  voice,  ‘ Behold,  the  land  is 
torn  with  strife,  it  is  smitten  to  pieces,  it  is 
split  by  revolts;  how  my  blood  boils;  let  us 
haste  and  die!  I no  longer  wish  to  live: 
your  death,  Finow,  shall  be  mine.  But  why 
did  I wish  hitherto  to  live?  it  was  for  you 
alone;  it  was  in  your  service  and  defence 
only  that  I wish  to  breathe;  but  now,  alas! 
the  country  is  ruined.  Peace  and  happi- 


ness are  at  an  end;  your  death  has  insured 
ours:  henceforth  war  and  destruction  alone 
can  prosper.’ 

“ These  speeches  were  accompanied  with 
a wild  and  frantic  agitation  of  the  body, 
whilst  the  parties  cut  and  bruised  their 
heads  every  two  or  three  words  with  the 
knife  or  club  they  held  in  their  hands. 
Others,  somewhat  more  calm  and  moderate 
in  their  grief,  would  parade  up  and  down 
with  rather  a wild  and  agitated  step,  spin- 
ning and  whirling  the  club  about,  striking 
themselves  with  the  edge  of  it  two  or  three 
times  violently  upon  the  top  or  back  of  the 
head,  and  then  suddenly  stopping  and  look- 
ing steadfastly  at  the  instrument  spattered 
with  blood,  exclaim,  ‘Alas!  my  club,  who 
could  have  said  that  you  would  have  done 
this  kind  office  for  me,  and  have  enabled  me 
thus  to  evince  a testimony  of  my  respect  to 
Finow?  Never,  no,  never,  can  you  again 
tear  open  the  brains  of  his  enemies.  Alas! 
what  a great  and  mighty  warrior  has  fallen! 
Oh,  Finow,  cease  to  suspect  my  loyalty;  be 
convinced  of  my  fidelity!  But  what  absurd- 
ity am  I talking!  if  I had  appeared  treach- 
erous in  thy  sight,  I should  have  met  the 
fate  of  those  numerous  warriors  who  have 
fallen  victims  to  your  just  revenge.  But  do 
not  think,  Finow,  that  I reproach  you;  no, 
I wish  only  to  convince  you  of  my  inno- 
cence, for  who  that  has  thoughts  of  harming 
his  chiefs  shall  grow  white-headed  like  me 
(an  expression  used  by  some  of  the  old 
men)?  O cruel  gods,  to  deprive  us  of  our 
father,  of  our  only  hope,  for  whom  alone  we 
wished  to  live.  We  have  indeed  other 
chiefs,  but  they  are  only  chiefs  in  rank,  and 
not  like  you,  alas!  great  and  mighty  in 
war.’  ” 

Such  were  their  sentiments  and  conduct 
on  this  mournful  occasion.  Some,  more 
violent  than  others,  cut  their  heads  to  the 
skull  with  such  strong  and  frequent  blows, 
that  they  caused  themselves  to  reel,  produ- 
cing afterward  a temporary  loss  of  reason. 
It  is  difficult  to  say  to  what  length  this  ex- 
travagance would  have  been  carried,  partic- 
ularly by  one  old  man,  if  the  prince  had  not 
ordered  Mr.  Mariner  to  go  up  and  take 
away  the  club  from  him,  as  well  as  two 
others  that  were  engaged  at  the  same  time. 
It  is  customary  on  such  occasions,  when  a 
man  takes  a club  from  another,  to  use  it 
himself  in  the  same  way  about  his  own 
head;  but  Mr.  Mariner,  being  a foreigner, 
was  not  expected  to  do  this:  he  therefore 
went  up,  and,  after  some  hesitation  and 
struggle,  secured  the  clubs  one  after 
another,  and  returned  with  them  to  his  seat, 
when,  after  a while,  they  were  taken  by 
others,  who  used  them  in  like  manner. 

The  next  proceeding  was  to  place  the 
body  of  the  dead  king  in  the  grave,  which 
was  at  some  distance  from  the  place  where 
those  wild  laments  had  been  made.  Having 
arrived  at  the  spot,  a small  house  was  speed- 


FUNERAL  OF  FINOW. 


1003 


ily  put  together,  the  body  was  laid  in  it,  and 
the  whole  house  was  covered  with  coarse 
black  gnatoo,  the  sign  of  mourning,  which 
passed  over  the  top  of  the  house,  and  hung 
from  the  eaves  to  the  ground,  so  as  entirely 
to  conceal  it. 

Here  another  set  of  lamentations  took 
place,  while  a number  of  men  were  em- 
ployed in  opening  the  grave.  All  great 
families  bury  their  dead,  not  merely  in  the 
ground,  but  in  a solid  vault,  about  eight  feet 
long  by  six  wide,  and  eight  deep.  It  is 
made  of  six  enormous  stones,  the  upper  one, 
which  forms  the  cover,  being  necessarily 
larger  than  the  others.  For  the  conven- 
ience of  raising  it  when  required,  the  upper 
stone  does  not  fit  quite  closely  upon  the 
lower,  some  smaller  stones  being  placed  be- 
tween them  at  one  end. 

After  digging  some  ten  feet  deep,  the 
men  came  to  the  vault,  and,  having  cleared 
away  the  earth,  they  passed  a rope  under 
the  end  of  the  stone  cover,  and  by  the  united 
force  of  nearly  two  hundred  men  raised  it 
on  end.  Several  bodies  were  already  in  the 
^rave.  Two  of  them,  which  had  been  buried 
for  full  forty  years,  were  dried  and  nearly 
perfect;  while  others,  y^hich  had  not  been 
buried  nearly  so  long,  were  reduced  to  a 
few  bones.  In  some  cases  the  vault  is  lined 
with  the  gnatoo  on  which  the  body  rested, 
while  in  others  it  becomes  the  property  of 
the  presiding  Mataboole. 

All  being  ready,  the  body  of  Finow  was 
handed  down  into  the  vault,  still  lying  on 
the  gnatoo,  and  the  body  of  his  daughter, 
at  whose  funeral  he  was  seized  with  illness, 
was  buried  by  his  side.  The  stone  was  then 
let  down  with  a great  shout,  and  the  head- 
cutting and  maiming  began  afresh.  The 
next  ceremony  was  that  of  collecting  sand 
for  the  decoration  of  the  grave. 

The  whole  company  formed  themselves 
in  single  line,  the  women  going  first,  and 
proceeded  to  the  back  of  the  island,  singing 
loudly  to  warn  stragglers  of  their  presence. 
For  any  one  not  actually  engaged  in  a 
funeral  to  be  seen  on  the  road  is  held  as  so 
great  an  insult  that  any  ordinary  man  would 
lose  his  life.  Even  if  the  king  himself  saw 
a similar  procession  advancing,  he  would 
hide  himself  until  it  had  passed.  Remain- 
ing on  his  feet,  though  it  might  not  actually 
cost  him  his  life,  would  probably  be  so  bit- 
terly remembered  that  he  might  lose  his 
throne.  As  soon  as  the  funeral  party  ar- 
rived at  the  place  where  the  sand  was  found, 
they  all  set  to  work  at  making  baskets  out 
of  leaves,  which  they  suspended  from  sticks 
and  carried  on  their  shoulders.  By  the  time 
that  they  reached  the  grave,  it  was  nearly 
filled  up  with  earth,  and  the  remainder  was 
filled  with  sand,  which  was  carefully  and 
neatly  smoothed. 

Next  came  a very  curious  custom,  that  of 
burning  the  cheeks.  The  mourners,  clothed 
in  mats  and  green  leaves,  set  fire  to  little 


rolls  of  bark,  and  pressed  them  against  each 
cheek-bone,  so  as  to  raise  a circular  blister. 
This  is  then  rubbed  with  the  juice  of  an  as- 
tringent berry,  which  causes  the  wound  to 
bleed,  and  the  blood  is  smeared  over  the 
cheeks.  The  friction  is  repeated  daily  for 
twenty  days,  so  that  an  indelible  scar  is  the 
natural  result. 

The  day  after  the  burial  a ceremony  took 
place  by  which  the  young  prince  was  in- 
stalled in  his  father’s  place,  and  invested 
with  his  father’s  name.  Finow  was  the  name 
of  the  reigning  family;  but,  according  to 
custom,  no  one  but  the  actual  king  was  al- 
lowed to  bear  it.  Sometimes,  as  a mark  of 
especial  favor,  he  allowed  it  to  be  borne  by 
a relation,  but  always  in  conjunction  with 
some  other  name.  The  name  by  which  the 
young  prince  had  previously  been  called  was 
Moegnagnongo. 

The  ceremony  was  begun  by  a kava  party, 
at  which  the  young  prince  presided.  The 
two  first  cups  having  .been  filled  and  drunk, 
the  third  was  due  to  the  president.  The 
Mataboole  who  directed  the  proceedings  said, 
while  all  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  prince, 
“ Give  it  to  Finow,”  thus  acknowledging  him 
as  the  king  of  Tonga.  The  young  king  dis- 
played not  the  least  emotion  on  being  called 
by  the  new  name,  as  that  would  have  been 
thought  beneath  his  dignity,  but  took  the 
cup  as  quietly  as  if  he  had  been  called  by  the 
name  of  Finow  all  his  life. 

Rites  similar  to  those  which  have  been  de- 
scribed went  on  for  nineteen  days,  and  on 
the  twentieth  the  concluding  ceremony  was 
performed.  All  the  relations  of  the  deceased 
king,  together  with  those  who  had  taken  part 
in  the  funeral,  went  to  the  back  of  the  island, 
and  procured  a great  quantity  of  flat  pebbles, 
mostly  white,  but  having  a few  black  among 
them.  These  they  carried  to  the  grave,  and 
strewed  completely  over  the  grave  in  the 
form  of  an  oval,  each  pebble  being  laid  by 
the  side  of  the  other.  The  black  pebbles 
were  laid  upon  the  white  ones. 

Dances,  wrestling  matches,  and  head-cut- 
ting then  took  place,  in  which  latter  rite  the 
fishermen  of  the  late  king  distinguished 
themselves  in  a very  curious  manner.  Into 
each  cheek  they  thrust  three  arrows,  the 
points  of  which  passed  into  the  mouth.  The 
shafts  of  the  arrows  were  brought  over  the 
shoulders,  and  to  each  pair  was  tied  another 
arrow  across  the  shoulders,  so  as  to  make  a 
triangle.  Equipped  in  this  extraordinary 
manner,  they  walked  round  the  grave,  and, 
not  satisfied  with  this  proof  of  their  devotion 
to  their  late  master,  they  cut  their  heads  with 
their  paddles,  and  pinched  up  the  skin  of 
their  breasts,  thrusting  a spear  through  the 
fold.  A grand  wrestling  match  ended  this 
complicated  series  of  ceremonies. 

At  the  burial  of  one  great  chief,  who  was 
assassinated  while  walking  with  the  king 
(apparently  with  his  connivance),  a very  cu- 
rious variation  of  the  ceremony  took  place. 


1004 


TOKGA. 


As  soon  as  the  body  had  been  lowered  into 
the  vault,  one  of  the  assassins,  a man  of  ex- 
ceptional strength  and  stature,  advanced 
toward  the  grave,  and,  brandishing  his  club, 
avowed  himself  as  the  murderer,  and  chal- 
lenged any  friend  of  the  deceased  chief  to 
fight  him. 

The  challenge  was  not  accepted,  and,  al- 
though one  of  the  wives  of  the  murdered  man 
did  her  best  to  arouse  the  family  to  ven- 
geance, she  could  only  succeed  in  inducing 
them  to  erect  a strong  fortress,  in  which 
they  hoped  to  bid  defiance  to  Finow.  The 
king,  however,  was  too  wise  to  allow  such  a 
standing  menace  to  remain,  started  off  with 
four  thousand  warriors,  and  reduced  the  dis- 
affected chiefs  to  obedience.  In  storming 
the  fort,  the  challenging  chief  distinguished 
himself  by  his  deeds  of  arms.  Though 
wounded  in  the  breast  with  a five-barbed 
spear,  he  broke  off  the  shaft,  scaled  alone  the 
enemy’s  fortress,  knocked  out  a man’s  brains 
with  his  club,  and  made  good  his  escape.  As 
he  retreated,  however,  he  received  another 
spear  in  his  back,  and  died  on  the  following 
day.  It  is  remarkable  that  in  this  battle 
nearly  all  the  assassins  perished. 

The  religious  system  of  the  Tongans  is 
tolerably  simple.  They  believe  that  there 
are  several  orders  of  gods,  just  as  there  are 
several  ranks  of  men.  The  principal  gods 
are  self-existent  and  eternal;  but  the  second 
order  of  gods  are  the  souls  of  deceased 
chiefs  and  Matabooles.  All  of  noble  blood 
have  souls,  and  take  rank  in  Bolotoo,  or 
Paradise,  not  according  to  their  moral  merit, 
but  according  to  the  rank  which  they  held 
in  the  world.  Matabooles  become  ministers 
to  the  gods,  just  as  they  were  ministers  to 
the  chiefs;  but  they  are  not  powerful 
enough  to  inspire  priests.  There  is  also  a 
class  of  mischievous  gods,  who  are,  fortu- 
nately, much  less  powerful  than  the  benev- 
olent deities. 

As  to  the  Mooas,  or  middle  class,  the 
learned  are  rather  doubtful  whether  they  go 
to  Bolotoo,  or  whether  they  have  souls. 
But  that  the  Tooas,  or  peasantry,  have  no 
souls,  there  is  not  the  slightest  doubt,  and 
that  they  can  go  to  Bolotoo  is  therefore  im- 
possible. 

With  regard  to  Bolotoo,  or  Paradise,  the 
Tongans  believe  it  to  be  an  island  some- 
where to  the  north-west  of  Tonga.  It  is  a 
most  beautiful  place,  full  of  the  choicest 
fruits  and  the  most  lovely  flowers.  Pigs  are 
plentiful,  and  never  die  unless  they  are 
killed  to  supply  food  for  the  gods,  in  which 
case  another  hog  comes  into  existence  to 
supply  the  place  of  the  one  that  was  killed. 
So,  when  a fruit  or  a flower  is  plucked, 
another  immediately  takes  its  place.  These 
particulars  are  learned  from  some  Tongan 
voyagers,  who  were  returning  from  Fiji, 
but  were  driven  out  of  their  reckoning  by  a 
storm.  At  last  they  w^ere  blown  to  a lovely 
island,  on  which  they  succeeded  in  landing. 


There  was  abundance  of  fruit,  but  their 
hands  could  not  grasp  it.  They  walked 
through  the  trunks  of  trees,  and  through 
the  walls  of  houses  as  if  they  were  mere 
shadows;  while  some  of  the  inhabitants 
walked  through  their  own  bodies  in  a similar 
manner.  Then  they  found  they  were  at 
Bolotoo.  The  gods  told  them  to  go  home  at 
once,  and  promised  them  a favorable  wind. 
They  reached  Tonga  in  safety,  but  all  died 
soon  afterward,  the  air  of  Bolotoo  not  suiting 
mere  mortals. 

It  has  already  been  mentioned  that  the 
religious  and  secular  lives  of  the  Tongans 
are  so  blended  together  that  it  is  very  diffi- 
cult to  separate  them,  and  that  even  their 
amusements  partake  somewhat  of  the  relig- 
ious character.  There  are,  however,  one 
or  two  of  their  games  which  partake  but 
slightly  of  this  element,  and  which  are  yet 
characteristic  of  the  natives.  One  of  these 
sports  is  called  Fanna-kalai,  and  is  a very  in- 
enious  mode  of  bird  catching  by  means  of 
ecoys. 

In  order  to  practise  this  amusement,  the 
sportsman  furnishes  himself  with  a bow  and 
arrows,  goes  into  the  woods,  and  there  en- 
sconces himself  within  a large  wicker  cage 
covered  with  green  leaves,  so  that  the  in- 
mate may  not  be  seen,  but  having  plenty  of 
openings  through  which  the  arrows  can  be 
aimed.  By  his  side  he  has  a small  cage,  in 
which  is  kept  a hen  bird,  and  on  the  top  of 
the  large  cage  the  cock  bird  is  tied  by  the 
leg.  When  properly  trained,  these  birds 
continue  calling  to-  each  other,  and  thus 
attract  numbers  of  their  own  species,  which 
fall  victims  to  the  arrows. 

Well- trained  birds  are  exceedingly  valu- 
able, and  one  chief  has  been  known  to  make 
war  upon  another  for  the  sake  of  procuring 
an  especially  fine  bird.  Indeed,  the  Ton- 
gans look  on  these  birds  much  as  sportsmen 
of  the  olden  times  looked  on  their  falcons. 
To  each  pair  of  birds  there  is  a keeper, 
whose  whole  business  it  is  to  attend  to  and 
train  them.  He  is  careful  to  teach  the  cock 
bird  to  flap  its  wings  as  it  calls  to  its  mate, 
and  to  utter  its  notes  loudly,  so  that  they 
may  be  taken  as  a challenge  to  other  birds 
to  come  and  fight  him.  The  bird  keepers 
have  almost  unlimited  powers,  as  nothing  is 
allowed  to  interfere  with  the  welfare  of  their 
charge.  Even  when  a famine  visits  a dis- 
trict, the  birds  must  not  starve.  The  keeper 
forages  for  the  birds,  and  if  he  sees  a fine 
bunch  of  plantains,  he  is  allowed  to  put  the 
tapu  on  it  by  sticking  a reed  in  the  tree, 
after  which  the  proprietor  dares  not  touch 
the  fruit  which  he  has  saved  for  himself  and 
his  family.  He  may  starve,  but  the  birds 
must  be  fed. 

As  may  be  imagined,  the  keepers  attend 
to  their  own  interests  as  well  as  those  of  the 
birds,  and  are  great  pests  to  the  neighbor- 
hood, fleecing  the  people  without  mercy. 


VARIOUS  SPORTS  AXD  GAMES. 


1005 


JS  ow  and  then  they  go  a little  too  far  in  their 
insolence,  and  a complaint  is  laid  against 
them,  in  which  case  the  man  seldom  escapes 
without  a severe  beating. 

In  order  to  show  the  enormous  value  of 
these  birds,  Mariner  tells  a story  respecting 
the  elder  Finow.  The  chief  of  Ilihifo  pos- 
sessed a bird  which  he  had  himself  trained, 
and  which  was  the  best  that  ever  was  known. 
Finow  heard  of  this  bird,  and  sent  a com- 
missioner to  Ilihifo  in  order  to  treat  with 
the  chief  for  the  purchase  of  it.  This  the 
owner  declined  to  do,  saying  that  not  only 
had  he  an  affection  for  the  bird,  which  he 
had  himself  trained,  but  he  had  sustained 
many  wars  made  on  him  by  neighboring 
chiefs  who  wanted  to  get  the  bird  -- - many 
lives  had  been  lost,  and  he  felt  his  honor 
involved  in  keeping  it.  However,  he  in- 
trusted the  ambassador  with  another  pair  of 
birds,  very  nearly  as  good,  and  asked  him  to 
present  them  to  Finow. 

The  king  tried  the  birds  next  day,  and 
was  so  delighted  with  their  performance 
that  he  was  the  more  anxious  to  obtain  the 
bird  which  was  even  superior  to  them.  He 
therefore  prepared  a present,  which  accord- 
ing to  the  Tongan  ideas  of  that  day  was  of 
almost  incalculable  value,  comprising,  beside 
whales’  teeth,  gnatoo,  kava,  and  other  native 
productions,  several  iron  bolts,  a quantity  of 
beads,  a looking-glass,  a grindstone,  and 
some  axes,  all  of  which  had  been  procured 
from  Europe,  and  most  of  them  from  the 
vessel  in  which  Mariner  had  been  wrecked. 
Seeing  that  Finow  was  determined  to  have 
the  bird,  and  that  he  would  probably  make 
war  if  again  refused,  the  chief  wisely  ac- 
cepted the  present,  and  sent  the  desired 
prize  with  a polite  message. 

As  this  sport  is  necessarily  a very  expen- 
sive one,  it  can  only  be  practised  by  the  king 
and  very  great  chiefs,  even  the  lesser  chiefs 
being  unable  to  bear  the  cost.  There  is 
another  sport  which  is  limited  to  chiefs  and 
Matabooles.  This  is  Fanna-gooma,  or  rat 
shooting,  and  is  conducted  as  follows.  Two 
chiefs  take  the  command  of  two  parties  who 
intend  to  shoot  rats,  and  arrange  the  pre- 
liminaries, i.  e.  settling  the  course  which 
they  mean  to  take,  the  number  of  shooters 
on  each  side,  and  so  forth.  On  the  appointed 
day,  they  go  to  some  place  which  has  been 
previously  fixed  upon,  each  being  provided 
with  his  bow  and  two  arrows. 

These  arrows  are  six  feet  in  length,  and 
made  of  a reed  headed  with  hard  wood. 
They  are  most  beautifully  made,  the  heads 
being  smooth  and  polished  with  the  greatest 
care,  and  the  junction  of  the  head  and  shaft 
guarded  with  plaited  sinnet.  In  some  of 
these  weapons  in  my  collection,  the  sinnet 
is  scarcely  broader  than  sewing  silk,  and  is 
laid  on  with  a perfection  that  is  scarcely 
credible.  After  the  sinnet  is  finished  off,  a 
slight  coating  of  transparent  varnish  is  laid 
oyer  it,  so  as  to  bind  the  plait  more  firmly 


together,  and  to  give  it  an  uniform  polish. 
In  some  arrows  there  are  several  similai 
belts  of  plaited  sinnet.  No  feather  is  needed, 
as  they  arc  never  aimed  at  any  distance,  and 
their  great  length  is  requisite  to  allow  them 
to  go  straight  through  the  bushes  among 
which  the  rats  lurk. 

The  bow  is  about  the  same  length  as  the 
arrows,  and  not  very  powerful,  so  that  the 
aim  may  not  be  disturbed  by  the  efiect  of 
drawing  it. 

AVhen  they  are  ready  to  start,  a couple  of 
attendants  are  sent  forward,  who  take  in 
their  mouths  some  roasted  cocoa-nut,  which 
they  chew,  and  spit  the  fragments  on  either 
side  of  the  path.  If  they  come  to  a cross- 
road, they  plant  in  it  an  upright  reed,  by 
means  of  which  a tapu  is  laid  on  the  path,  in 
order  to  prevent  any  one  from  passing  along 
and  disturbing  the  rats.  No  one  ever  disre- 
gards this  tapu.  Even  if  one  of  the  greatest 
chiefs  come  toward  it,  he  will  stop  at  a dis- 
tance and  sit  down  until  the  sportsmen  have 
passed,  wdiile  an  inferior  chief  would  to  a 
certainty  be  clubbed  for  his  insolence  if  he 
were  to  break  the  tapu. 

When  the  party  start,  they  arrange  them- 
selves in  the  following  manner.  They  walk 
in  Indian  file  along  the  path,  the  leading 
chief  of  one  party  going  first,  followed  by  the 
leading  chief  of  the  other  side.  Then  come 
the  men  of  next  rank  on  either  side,  and  so 
on  alternately.  Except  the  leading  man, 
no  one  may  shoot  at  a rat  that  is  in  front  of 
him,  though  he  may  do  so  if  it  be  on  either 
side,  or  behind  him.  As  soon  as  any  one 
has  shot  his  arrow,  he  changes  places  with 
the  man  behind  him,  no  matter  whether  the 
shot  be  successful  or  not,  so  that  each  in 
turn  has  his  chance  of  becoming  the  leading 
man,  and  so  getting  a double  chance  of  a rat. 
Every  sportsman  has  an  attendant  who  fol- 
lows the  I^arty,  and,  as  soon  as  his  master  has 
discharged  an  arrow,  picks  it  up  and  returns 
it  to  him. 

In  order  to  attract  their  game,  the  sports- 
men imitate  the  squeaking  of  a rat,  which 
often  has  the  efiect  of  bringing  them  out  of 
their  holes,  and  if  a rat  should  run  away  in- 
stead of  waiting  to  be  shot,  one  or  two  of 
them,  with  a sharj^  percussion  of  the  tongue, 
utter  another  sound,  which  has  the  effect  of 
making  the  rat  stop  and  sit  up  to  listen. 
The  party  that  shoots  ten  rats  first  wins 
the  game.  Birds  of  any  kind  are  counted  as 
rats. 

These  two  sports  are  necessarily  re- 
stricted to  chiefs,  on  account  of  the  expense 
in  one  case  and  the  power  of  the  tapu  in  the 
other,  but  there  is  another  which  is  played 
only  by  chiefs  and  Matabooles,  being  re- 
stricted to  them  by  etiquette  and  not  by  ne- 
cessity. 

The  two  players  sit  opposite  each  other, 
and  one  of  them  makes  one  of  three 
movements  with  his  right  hand,  i.  e.  pre- 
senting the  open  palm,  the  closed  fist  or  the 

49 


1006 


TONGA. 


extended  forefinger.  His  antagonist  en- 
deavors to  imitate  the  movements,  but  if  he 
can  succeed  in  making  five  without  being 
imitated,  he  wins  a point,  and  marks  it  by 
laying  down  a little  piece  of  stick.  Should 
the  antagonist  be  successful,  he  asks  of  the 
other  player  what  were  the  preceding 
movements,  their  order  and  the  reason  for 
each  of  them.  If  h-is  opponent  should  fail 
to  give  the  correct  answer,  he  loses  a point, 
but  if  he  succeeds,  the  game  is  continued. 

The  skill  lies  not  in  seeing  and  imitating 
the  various  movements,  which  are  made  so 
rapidly  that  an  inexperienced  eye  cannot 
detect  one  of  them,  but  in  remembering  the 
movements  made  by  the  antagonist,  and  in 
giving  a feigned  explanation  of  each.  This 
explanation  must  be  made  according  to  the 
laws  of  the  game,  and  alters  with  every  vari- 
ation in  the  order  of  the  movements,  so  that 
considerable  readiness  and  ingenuity  are 
needed  in  order  to  invent  on  the  spur  of  the 
moment  an  explanation  according  to  the 
laws  of  the  game.  The  chiefs  are  exceed- 
ingly fond  of  this  game,  and,  while  playing 
it,  work  themselves  up  to  a wonderful  pitch 
of  excitement.  The  lower  orders  play  a 
game  somewhat  similar  to  this,  except  that 
no  discussion  about  the  moves  is  allowable, 
and  the  intellectual  element  is  therefore 
wanting. 

There  are  many  other  games  that  are 
common  to  all  ranks.  One  of  these  is  called 
Tolo.  A piece  of  soft  wood,  nine  inches  in 
diameter,  is  fastened  to  the  top  of  a post  of 
harder  wood  about  five  or  six  feet  high,  and 
the  game  consists  in  throwing  a heavy  spear 
so  that  it  shall  stick  in  the  soft  wood.  Six 
or  eight  persons  play  on  each  side,  every 
player  being  allowed  three  throws.  Another 
game  with  spears  somewhat  resembles  the 
djerid,  and  consists  in  hurling  blunted  spears 
at  each  other. 

The  Tongans  are  singularly  dexterous  of 
hand.  They  excel  in  ball  play,  and  have  a 
game  which  consists  in  playing  with  five 
balls,  which  are  thrown  from  one  hand  to 
the  other,  so  as  to  keep  four  balls  always  in 
the  air.  They  sing  a song  at  the  same  time, 
each  cadence  coinciding  with  the  transfer  of 
the  balls  from  one  hand  to  the  other,  and  for 
every  verse  that  they  can  finish  without  a 
mistake  they  score  one  point.  They  have  also 
a game  very  much  resembling  our  cup  and 
ball. 

Another  game  in  which  dexterity  of  hand 
is  needed  is  called  Lafo.  A mat  is  laid  on 
the  ground,  and  the  players  throw  beans  on 
it,  each  trying  to  knock  off  those  of  his  an- 
tagonist. This  game  has  a sort  of  celebrity 
from  having  been  connected  with  one  of  the 
few  acts  of  cannibalism  attributed  to  the 
Tongans.  During  a severe  famine,  two 
daughters  of  a chief  played  a game  of  lafo 
with  two  young  warriors.  If  the  men  won, 
they  were  to  have  half  the  yam,  but  if  they 
lost,  they  were  still  to  have  half  the  yam, 


but  were  obliged  to  go  out,  kill  an  enemy,  ^ 
and  divide  his  body  with  the  girls.  They  \ 
lost  the  game,  ate  their  yam,  and  waited 
until  night  for  the  fulfilment  of  their  prom- 
ise. After  dark  they  stole  out,  and  hid  ' 
themselves  near  the  fortress  of  the  enemy.  - 
As  they  had  anticipated,  in  the  early  morn- 
ing one  of  the  men  came  out  to  fetch  salt 
water,  and  passed  near  the  spot  where  they 
lay  in  ambush.  They  struck  him  down 
with  their  clubs,  and  at  the  risk  of  their 
lives  brought  his  body  off  to  the  spot  where 
the  girls  lived.  If  in  any  of  these  games 
there  should  be  a dispute,  the  men  settle  it 
by  an  extemporized  wrestling  match,  and  the 
women  by  spinning  a cocoa-nut. 

Being  islanders,  they  are  very  familiar 
with  the  water,  and  practise  the  well-known 
sport  of  surf  swimming.  This  sport  will  be 
described  when  we  come  to  treat  of  the 
Sandwich  Islands.  They  have  another 
aquatic  sport  peculiar  to  themselves.  Two 
posts  are  driven  into  the  bed  of  the  sea, 
about  seventy  yards  apart,  a spot  being 
chosen  where  the  water  is  about  ten  feet 
deep.  Each  player  takes  in  his  hands  a large 
stone,  jumps  into  the  water  by  one  post,  and 
tries  to  carry  it  to  the  other  post  by  running 
along  the  bottom.  The  chief  difficulty  is  to 
pursue  a straight  course,  as  at  such  a distance 
the  winning  post  is  not  visible  through  the 
water. 

While  Mr.  Mariner  was  at  the  Tonga 
Islands,  he  took  part  in  an  amusement 
which  derived  its  origin  from  a love  legend. 
He  accompanied  Finow  to  a small  island 
called  Hoonga,  and,  on  walking  down  to  the  ; 
sea-shore,  he  saw  his  companions  bathing  • 
near  a great  rock,  and  was  startled  to  find  | 
that  they  one  after  the  other  dived  into  the  ' 
water  and  did  not  come  up  again.  Just  as 
the  last  was  preparing  to  dive,  he  asked  the  ’ 
meaning  of  this  astonishing  proceeding,  and 
was  told  to  follow,  and  he  would  be  taken  to 
a place  where  he  had  never  been  before,  and  ,j 
where  Finow  and  his  Matabooles  were  then  _ ! 
assembled.  | 

He  then  dived  into  the  water,  and  Mr.  | 
Mariner  followed  him,  guided  by  the  light  i 
reflected  from  his  heels.  Passing  through  j 
an  aperture  in  the  base  of  the  rock  which  | 
has  just  been  mentioned,  he  rose  to  the  sur-  j 
face  of  the  water  and  found  himself  in  a cav-  *; 
ern.  At  first  he  could  see  nothing,  but  he 
could  distinguish  the  voices  of  Finow  and 
his  other  friends;  and  after  a while  became 
so  accustomed  to  the  dim  light  that  he  could 
just  manage  to  see  that  he  was  in  a vast  sta- 
lactitic  cavern. 

As  the  only  light  which  entered  it  was  re- 
flected from  the  bottom  of  the  water,  and 
exceedingly  dim,  he  dived  ^ out  again, 
wrapped  up  his  loaded  pistol  in  a quantity 
of  gnatoo,  directed  a servant  to  prepare  a ; 
torch  in  the  same  manner,  and  dived  back 
again.  By  means  of  the  pistol  he  lighted 
the  torch,  and  probably  for  the  first  time 


THE  LOVER’S  CAYERK. 


1007 


since  it  was  formed,  the  cavern  was  illumi- 
nated. It  was  about  forty  feet  wide  and  as 
many  high,  and  ran  off  at  one  side  into  two 
galleries.  Its  roof  was  covered  with  stalac- 
tites hanging  in  the  fantastic  patterns  which 
they  are  apt  to  assume.  The  story  which 
was  told  him  respecting  the  discovery  of 
this  cavern  is  quite,  a romance  of  savage 
life. 

Many  years  ago  a young  chief  of  Vavaoo 
discovered  the  cavern  by  accident,  while 
diving  after  turtles,  but  took  care  to  keep 
the  discovery  to  himself,  as  he  thought  he 
should  find  it  useful  in  case  he  was  detected 
in  a plot  against  the  principal  chief  of  the 
island,  a man  of  cruel  and  tyrannous  dis- 
position. Another  chief  had  the  same  in- 
tentions, and  was  organizing  a revolt,  when 
he  was  betrayed  by  one  of  his  own  followers, 
and  condemned  to  be  drowned,  together  with 
the  whole  of  his  family.  It  so  happened 
that  he  had  a very  beautiful  daughter  whom 
the  young  chief  had  long  loved,  but  to 
whom  he  dared  not  speak,  knowing  her  to 
be  betrothed  to  a man  of  higher  rank  than 
himself. 

When,  however,  he  found  that  her  life 
was  to  be  sacrificed,  he  contrived  to  make  his 
way  to  her  in  the  evening,  told  her  of  the 
fate  which  was  in  reserve  for  her,  and  of- 
fered to  save  her.  The  .girl  at  once  con- 
sented, and  the  two  stole  gently  to  the  sea- 
side, where  a little  canoe  was  drawn  up.  On 
their  way  to  Hoonga  the  young  chief  told 
the  girl  of  this  place  of  retreat,  and  as  soon 
as  the  day  broke  took  her  into  the  cavern. 
He  was  not  long  in  finding  out  that  the  af- 
fection was  mutual,  but  that  the  fact  of  her 
being  betrothed  to  another  had  caused  her 
to  avoid  him. 

She  remained  in  this  cavern  for  two 
months,  during  which  her  young  husband 
brought  her  the  finest  mats  and  gnatoo,  the 
best  food,  and  everything  which  constitutes 
Tongan  luxury.  He  was,  however,  forced 
to  spend  a considerable  part  of  his  time  at 
Vavaoo,  lest  the  tyrannical  chief  should  sus- 
pect him,  and  he  was  naturally  anxious  to 
take  his  wife  to  some  place  where  they  could 
live  together  in  safety. 

Accordingly,  he  called  together  his  subor- 
dinate chiefs  and  Matabooles,  and  told  them 
to  prepare  for  a voyage  to  the  Fiji  Islands, 
accompanied  with  their  wives  and  families. 
This  expedition  was  kept  secret  lest  the 
tyrant  should  put  a stop  to  it.  Just  as  they 
started,  one  of  the  chiefs  advised  him  to  take 
a Tongan  wife  with  him,  but  he  declined  to 
do  so,  saying  that  he  should  find  one  by  the 
way.  They  took  his  reply  for  a joke,  and 
set  sail  toward  Hoonga.  When  they  neared 
the  shores  of  the  island,  he  told  his  men  to 
wait  while  he  went  into  the  sea  to  fetch  a 


wife,  and,  leaping  into  the  sea  from  the  side 
of  the  canoe  which  was  farthest  from  the 
shore,  he  dived  and  disappeared. 

After  waiting  for  a while  the  i)eople 
began  to  be  seriously  alarmed,  thinking  that 
he  must  have  met  with  some  accident,  or 
that  a shark  had  caught  him.  Suddenly, 
while  they  were  debating  as  to  the  best 
course  to  be  pursued,  he  appeared  on  the 
surface  of  the  water,  accompanied  l)y  a 
beautiful  young  female,  whom  he  took  into 
the  canoe.  At  first  his  people  were  terribly 
frightened,  thinking  that  she  was  a goddess; 
but,  when  they  recognized  her  features, 
they  took  her  for  an  apparition,  believing 
that  she  had  been  drowned  together  with 
the  rest  of  her  family.  The  young  chief 
arrived  safely  at  the  Fiji  Islands,  where  he 
lived  for  two  years;  and  at  the  expiration 
of  that  time,  hearing  that  the  tyrant  of 
Vavaoo  was  dead,  he  returned  to  his  native 
island,  bringing  with  him  his  strangely  res- 
cued wife. 

The  facts  of  this  story  show  that  the  cave 
must  have  some  opening  which  admits  the 
outer  air,  as  otherwise  no  one  could  have 
lived  in  it  so  long.  Even  granting  that  the 
time  of  the  girl’s  residence  was  exaggerated, 
Mr.  Mariner  found  that  the  air  was  per- 
fectly fresh  and  sweet  after  Finow  and  lids 
friends  had  remained  in  it  for  several  hours, 
and  a torch  had  been  burned  in  it  besides. 

The  island  in  which  this  extraordinary 
cavern  is  found  is  rather  venerated  by  the 
Tongans  as  being  the  origin  of  their  group 
of  islands.  Tongaloa,  the  god  of  arts  and 
inventions,  let  down  a fishing-line  from  the 
sky  into  the  sea,  when  he  suddenly  felt  his 
hook  caught.  He  hauled  up  his  line,  think- 
ing that  from  the  resistance  he  had  caught 
a very  large  fish.  It  turned  out,  however, 
that  the  hook  had  got  itself  fixed  in  the  bed 
of  the  sea,  and  as  the  god  continued  to  haul 
he  drew  up  the  Tonga  islands.  They  would 
have  been  much  larger,  only  the  line  broke, 
and  the  islands  were  left  imperfect. 

Mr.  Mariner  learned  that  the  hook  by 
which  the  Tonga  islands  had  been  drawn 
from  the  bed  of  the  sea  was  kept  in  the 
custody  of  the  Tooi-tonga,  but  had  been 
burned,  together  with  t^lie  house,  about 
thirty  years  before.  It  was  about  six  inches 
long,  and  from  the  description  was  one  of 
the  ordinary  fishhooks  of  the  country.  Mar- 
iner asked  why  it  did  not  break  when  haul- 
ing up  so  enormous  a weight,  and  was  told 
that  it  was  a god’s  hook,  and  therefore  could 
not  break.  Being  asked  how  it  happened 
that  the  line,  which  was  also  the  property 
of  a god,  broke,  his  interlocutor  declined  to 
pursue  the  subject  any  further,  saying  that 
so  he  had  been  told,  and  that  there  was  no 
necessity  for  further  inquiries. 


CHAPTEK  CII. 


SAMOA,  OE  THE  HAVIGATOES’  ISLANDS. 

APPEARANCE  — CHARACTER  — DRESS  — IMANUFACTTJRES. 


POSITION  OF  THE  GROUP,  AND  DERIVATION  OF  THE  NAME  — GENERAL  APPEARANCE  OF  THE  PEOPLE 
— THEIR  CHARACTER  FOR  GENTLENESS,  HOSPITALITY,  HONESTY,  AND  COURTESY  — CARRYING  A 
MISSIONARY  AND  HIS  FAMILY  — AFFECTION  FOR  CHILDREN — DRESS  OF  THE  SAMOANS  — THE 
TATTOO  A PARTIAL  SUBSTITUTE  FOR  DRESS  — MODE  OF  TATTOOING  — TIME  OCCUPIED  IN  COM- 
PLETING THE  OPERATION  — THE  FINE  MATS  OF  SAMOA — WIG  MAKING  — FEATHER  HEADDRESSES 
# — DRESS  OF  THE  WOMEN — DANCING  COSTUME  — ADVICE  TO  FAA-SAMOA  — MODE  OF  DRESSING 
THE  HAIR  — TREATMENT  OF  W03VIEN — MODE  OF  MAKING  CLOTH — THE  PROFESSIONAL  AND 
HEREDITARY  MANUFACTURER. 


ISTopth  of  the  Tongan  group,  and  a little  to 
the  eastward,  lie  the  Navigators’  Islands, 
more  properl}’^  called  by  their  native  name 
of  Samoa,  or  Ha3IOA.  The  former  of  these 
names  was  given  to  them  by  Bougainville,  in 
consequence  of  the  skilful  seamanship  of  the 
natives.  There  are  eight  islands  compre- 
hended in  this  group,  the  largest  of  which  is 
Savaii. 

As  is  often  the  case  among  these  island 
groups,  no  single  king  or  head  chief  is  recog- 
nized, each  island  having  its  own  ruler;  un- 
der whom  are  subordinate  chiefs  of  different 
ranks.  This  mode  of  government  is  so  simi- 
lar to  that  of  the  Tongans  that  we  need  not 
expend  any  time  upon  it. 

The  Samoans  are  a fine  race  of  people, 
much  exceeding  the  English  in  average  stat- 
ure, and  peculiarly  well  made.  Their  skin 
is  smooth,  soft,  and  a warm  reddish-browm 
in  color,  and  the  hair,  though  copious,  pos- 
sesses none  of  that  woolliness  which  distin- 
guishes the  hair  of  the  Papuan  races,  but  is 
long,  straight,  and,  in  a few  cases,  possesses 
a slight  wave.  Naturally  there  is  but  little 
beard,  and  the  Samoan  takes  a pride  in  extir- 
pating every  sign  of  a hair  upon  his  chin.  He 
is  quiet,  composed,  and  stately  in  manner,  so 
that  in  all  things  he  presents  a bold  contrast 
to  the  black,  harsh-skinned  Fijian,  with  his 
frizzed  and  woolly  hair,  his  copious  beard, 
and  his  quick,  restless,  suspicious  manner. 

Being  savages,  the  Samoans  have  many 
of  the  imperfections  which  necessarily  ac- 
company savage  life,  but  at  the  same  time 
they  approach  nearer  to  the  “ noble  savage  ” 


of  the  poet  than  most  races  of  men.  They 
are  hospitable,  affectionate,  honest,  and 
courteous,  and  have  well  been  described  as 
a nation  of  gentlemen.  Toward  strangers 
they  display  a liberality  which  contrasts 
greatly  wdth  the  cruel  and  bloodthirsty  cus- 
toms of  the  Papuan  tribes.  The  Fijians,  for 
example,  do  all  in  their  powder  to  repel 
strangers  from  their  shores,  either  driving 
them  off,  or  killing  and  eating  them.  The 
Samoans,  on  the  contrary,  welcome  strang- 
ers, allot  to  them  their  best  houses,  give 
them  the  best  food,  and  make  them  feel  that 
they  are  honored  guests. 

They  are  singularly  affectionate  in  their 
disposition,  and  as  parents  are  rather  too 
fond  of  their  children.  As  a rule,  a Samoan 
parent  cannot  bear  to  thwart  a child,  and 
allows  it  to  do  what  it  likes.  In  consequence 
of  this  absence  of  discipline,  many  a child 
dies  through  the  mistaken  kindness  of  its 
parents,  who  have  allowed  it  to  eat  food 
that  was  unsuitable  to  it,  or  to  engage 
in  games  for  which  it  had  not  sufficient 
strength. 

The  honesty  of  the  Samoans  is  really  won- 
derful. When  a number  of  them  were  on 
board  of  an  English  vessel,  they  scrupu- 
lously refrained  from  stealing.  Property 
which  to  them  was  equivalent  to  unbounded 
wealth  lay  within  reach  of  their  hands,  but 
not  even  a nail  or  a needle  was  touched. 
In  one  instance,  an  European  vessel  went 
ashore  on  the  rocks.  The  whole  of  its  cargo 
was  at  the  mercy  of  the  Samoans,  but  not  a 
man  went  on  board  of  the  vessel,  and  the 


(1008) 


EXCELLENT  CIIAEACTEE  OF  THE  SAMOANS. 


1009 


whole  of  *;he  property  was  reserved  for  the 
rightful  owners.  There  are  many  civilized 
countries  where  the  vessel  would  have  been 
ransacked  within  an  hour  of  her  striking  on 
the  rocks. 

Once  when  a great  chief,  named  Malietoa, 
went  on  board  an  English  vessel,  accom- 
panied by  a younger  brother,  he  examined 
everything  with  great  attention,  but  asked 
for  nothing,  only  requesting  the  white  men 
to  come  on  shore  and  visit  him.  This  they 
did,  bringing  with  them  a present  of  axes, 
mirrors,  beads,  knives,  scissors,  needles,  and 
similar  articles.  When  the  present  was 
offered,  Malietoa  took  up  each  article  sepa- 
rately, laid  it  on  his  head,  and  returned 
thanks  for  it,  and  after  he  had  gone  through 
the  whole  of  the  present  in  detail,  he 
made  a complimentary  speech,  in  which 
he  thanked  the  donors  for  the  entire  gift. 
His  brother,  to  whom  a similar  present  had 
been  offered,  at  first  refused  to  take  the 
basket,  priceless  as  were  its  contents,  but 
passed  it  on  to  his  elder  brother,  saying  that 
he  would  take  Vv^liatever  his  brother  did  not 
happen  to  want. 

“ At  the  close  of  this  important  and  inter- 
esting interview,  Malietoa  informed  his  peo- 
ple, who  had  been  gazing  with  wonder  upon 
the  novel  proceedings,  that  a large  quantity 
of  valuable  property  had  been  given  to  him, 
and  that  the  English  chiefs,  to  whom  he 
was  indebted  for  it,  would  want  something 
to  eat  on  their  return.  ‘ For,’  said  he, 
‘ there  are  no  pigs  running  about  upon  the 
sea,  neither  is  there  any  bread-fruit  growing 
there.’  Upon  hearing  this,  the  whole  com- 
pany instantly  rose  and  scampered  away; 
and  in  about  an  hour  they  returned,  bringing 
with  them  fifteen  pigs  of  various  sizes,  with 
a large  quantity  of  bread-fruit,  yams,  and 
other  vegetables,  the  whole  of  which  the 
chief  presented  to  us.”  This  extract,  from 
the  journal  of  Mr.  Williams,  the  well-known 
missionary,  gives  a good  idea  of  the  hospi- 
table nature  of  the  people. 

Courtesy  is,  among  the  Samoans,  reckoned 
as  one  of  the  duties  of  life.  They  address 
each  other  by  titles  of  honor,  and  it  is  con- 
sidered as  an  essential  point  of  etiquette  that, 
when  one  man  addresses  another,  he  should 
use  a title  rather  higher  than  that  to  which 
his  interlocutor  has  any  claim.  Should  he  be 
ignorant  of  the  rank  of  the  person  whom  he 
addresses,  he  uses  the  term  chief,  as  a safe 
one. 

The  earlier  voyagers  have  all  been  struck 
with  the  Samoans,  whose  gentle  demeanor, 
perfect  honesty,  scrupulous  cleanliness, 
graceful  costume,  gigantic  stature,  and  pol- 
ished manners,  made  a strong  impression 
upon  them.  When  Messrs.  Williams  and 
Barth  visited  these  islands,  they  were  re- 
ceived in  the  most  hospitable  manner.  As 
they  went  on  shore,  the  former  happened  to 
mention  that  he  was  tired,  when  a young 
chief  addressed  a few  words  to  the  people, 


and  in  a moment  the  visitor  was  lifted  off 
the  ground  by  a number  of  gigantic  young 
men,  who  seized  him,  “ some  by  the  legs, 
and  others  by  the  arms,  one  placing  his 
hand  under  my  body,  anotlier,  unable  to 
obtain  so  large  a space,  poking  a linger 
against  me;  and  thus,  spr^^ing  at  full 
length  upon  their  extended  arms  and  hands, 
I was  carried  a distance  of  half  a mile,  and 
deposited  safely  in  the  presence  of  the  chief 
and  his  principal  wife.” 

Several  children  were  on  board,  and  were 
carried  off  by  the  natives  in  great  glee.  One 
or  two  of  them  were  missing  for  several 
hours,  causing  their  parents  great  anxiety. 
However,  they  were  all  brought  back  in 
safety,  their  absence  being  due  merely  to 
the  exuberant  hospitality  of  the  Samoans. 
The  natives  were  so  delighted  at  their  good 
fortune  in  having  the  charge  of  a white  child 
that  they  could  not  make  up  their  minds  to 
restore  it  to  its  parents,  but  took  it  home, 
killed  and  baked  a pig  and  other  food,  feasted 
the  child  to  the  fullest  extent,  and  then,  hav- 
ing kept  it  as  long  as  they  dared,  restored  it 
to  its  parents.  This  anecdote  carries  out 
the  statement  already  made,  that  the  Sa- 
moans are  exceedingly  fond  of  children. 
Mr.  Pritchard  mentions  that  on  one  occa- 
sion, wdien  he  was  witnessing  a native  dance, 
which  is  a performance  requiring  the  great- 
est exertion,  the  chief’s  wife  sat  as  a specta- 
tor, with  two  fine  tv/in  children  in  her  lap. 
The  chief,  engaged  as  he  was  in  the  absorb- 
ing amusement  of  the  dance,  could  not  keep 
himself  away  from  his  children,  but  every 
now  and  then  left  the  dance  to  caress  them. 
The  mothers  nurse  their  children  for  sev- 
eral years,  and  a child  of  five  or  six  years 
old  may  often  be  seen  to  pull  away  its 
younger  brother  or  sister  and  take  its  place. 

The  dress  of  the  Samoans  varies  consid- 
erably, according  to  the  rank  of  the  individ- 
ual and  the  occasion  on  which  it  is  as- 
sumed. The  usual  dress  of  the  men  is  a 
sort  of  small  apron,  about  a foot  square, 
made  of  the  green  leaves  of  the  Draccena 
tree,  but  on  occasions  of  ceremony  they 
generally  wear  a flowing  robe  called  the 
lava-lava.  This  is  made  of  bark  cloth,  and 
is  beautifully  fine  and  soft,  the  Samoans  ex- 
celling in  such  manufactures,  which  will 
presently  be  described.  This  robe  is  gath- 
ered round  the  waist  into  folds,  and  reaches 
down  to  the  ankles. 

Small  as  may  be  the  ordinary  dress  of  the 
Samoan  men,  they  always  seem  to  be  fully 
dressed,  in  consequence  of  the  tattooing 
with  which  they  are  carefully  decorated. 
Even  to  European  eyes  the  tattooing  con- 
veys the  same  impression,  and  has  been 
mistaken  for  a dress  by  some  of  the  early 
voyagers,  who  described  the  people  as  being 
clothed  from  the  waist  downward,  with 
fringed  lace  “made  of  a silken  stuff,  and 
artificially  wrought.” 


1010 


SAMOA. 


The  reader  will  remember  that  the  New 
Zealanders  tattoo  no  part  of  the  body  except 
the  hips,  and  that  even  in  that  case  a sem- 
blance of  dress  is  produced.  The  Samoans 
tattoo  the  whole  of  the  body  from  the  hips 
to  the  knees,  covering  the  skin  so  com- 
l)letely  with  the  pattern  that  it  looks  at  a lit- 
tle distance  exactly  as  if  the  man  were  wear- 
ing a tight  pair  of  ornamental,  drawers. 

Even  European  eyes  become  so  accus- 
tomed to  the  tattoo  that  they  are  rather 
shocked  at  its  absence;  and,  according  to 
Mr.  Pritchard,  an  untattooed  Samoan  does 
in  truth  look  unmanly,  looks  even  naked,  by 
the  side  of  one  who  is  tattooed.  So  com- 
pletely is  this  feeling  realized  by  the  natives 
that  chiefs  who  have  arrived  at  middle  age 
frequently  undergo  the  process  of  tattooing 
a second  time,  in  order  to  renew  the  pat- 
terns, as  they  become  dim  and  uncertain  by 
lapse  of  years;  for,  though  indelible,  the 
tattoo  does  fade  in  the  course  of  years,  as  I 
can  testify  from  personal  experience.  When 
a very  young  boy,  I read  of  the  custom  of 
tattooing,  and  must  needs  try  it  on  my  own 
arm.  I did  not  do  much  of  it,  but  the  whole 
arm  swelled  up  to  the  shoulder,  and  was 
useless  for  some  time.  At  first  the  marks 
were  bright  blue,  clear  and  well-defined,  but 
now  the  blue  is  of  dull  indigo,  and  the  out- 
line very  undecided. 

The  production  of  this  elaborate  decora- 
tion is  a work  of  considerable  time,  the 
operation  being,  in  the  first  place,  too  pain- 
ful to  be  continued  for  any  long  time;  and, 
in  the  second,  it  is  apt  to  cause  so  much  dis- 
turbance in  the  general  system  that  the 
result  would  be  fatal  if  the  whole  were  exe- 
cuted at  once.  The  operation  is  generally 
performed  in  company,  a number  of  young 
men  keeping  company  with  the  son  of  the 
chief.  When,  for  example,  a chiefs  son  ar- 
rives at  the  proper  age,  i.  e.  about  eighteen, 
all  the  lads  of  his  tribe  assemble  to  partake 
with  him  of  the  tattoo,  which  is  to  trans- 
form them  from  boys  into  men. 

There  is  quite  a ceremony,  or  rather  a 
series  of  ceremonies,  for  the  occasion.  The 
tattooer  or  Matai,  is  a man  of  great  influ- 
ence, and  his  services  have  to  be  requested 
in  regular  form,  accompanied  by  a present 
of  fine  mats.  His  acceptance  of  the  mats 
ratifies  the  bargain,  though  no  regular 
charge  is  made.  On  the  appointed  day,  the 
lads  and  their  friends  meet  in  a house  set 
apart  for  the  ceremony,  and  more  mats  are 
presented  to  the  Matai.  Should  the  youth 
be  wealthy,  he  sometimes  gives  a canoe. 
The  friends  of  the  lads  are  also  bound  to 
supply  provisions  as  long  as  the  operation 
lasts. 

The  tools  are  simple  enough,  being  a set 
of  five  “ combs  ” and  a little  mallet.  The 
combs  are  made  of  human  bone,  and  are  an 
inch  and  a half  in  length,  varying  in  width 
from  the  eighth  of  an  inch  to  an  inch, 
and  looking  very  much  like  little  bone  adzes 


with  the  edges  cut  into  a number  of  teeth. 
These  blades  are  attached  to  handles  about 
six  inches  in  length.  The  pigment  which 
is  introduced  into  the  wounds  is  made  from 
the  ashes  of  the  cocoa-nut. 

All  being  ready,  the  young  chief  lies  on 
his  face  in  front  of  the  operator,  and  lays  his 
head  in  the  lap  of  his  sister  or  some  other 
female  relation,  while  three  or  four  young 
women  hold  his  legs,  and  sing  at  the  tops  of 
their  voices,  in  order  to  drown  any  groans 
or  cries  that  he  may  utter.  This  is  done  out 
of  consideration  for  his  reputation,  as  it  is 
thought  unworthy  of  the  state  of  manhood 
to  utter  a sound.  Still  the  pain  is  so  intense 
that  the  lads  often  do  utter  groans,  and  now 
and  then  actually  yell  with  the  pain.  In 
one  or  two  instances  they  have  been  so  ut- 
terly overcome  with  the  agony  that,  after 
they  have  been  released  they  have  not  dared 
to  submit  themselves  again  to  the  operation, 
in  which  case  they  are  despised  for  life  as 
cowards. 

Having  traced  out  his  pattern,  the  opera- 
tor begins  his  work,  driving  the  teeth  of 
the  comb  through  the  skin  b}^  sharp  and 
rapid  taps  of  the  mallet;  there  is  an  art  even 
in  holding  this  instrument,  the  handle  of 
which  passes  under  the  thumb  and  over  the 
fore  - finger,  and  is  used  with  wonderful 
rapidity  and  regularity.  “ The  rapidity  with 
which  the  Matai  works  his  fingers,”  writes 
Mr.  Pritchard,  “ the  precision  with  which 
he  moves  the  instrument  and  punctures  ex- 
actly the  right  spot,  and  the  regularity  of 
tapping  with  the  mallet,  are  astounding.” 
By  the  side  of  the  patient  are  placed  several 
assistants,  furnished  with  strips  of  white 
masi,  whose  duty  it  is  to  wipe  away  the 
blood  as  it  flows  from  the  p.unctures  of  the 
comb,  and  to  leave  the  skin  clear  for  the 
operator.  Between  every  two  or  three 
strokes  the  toothed  end  of  the  comb  is 
dipped  into  the  pigment,  which  is  mixed 
with  water. 

The  pattern  is  in  its  main  elements  alike 
throughout  all  the  Samoan  Islands;  but  there 
are  usually  slight  variations  which  denote 
the  island  in  which  the  man  lives,  and  others 
which  mark  the  family  to  which  he  belongs. 
Sometimes,  after  a man  has  slain  an  enemy, 
he  will  make  an  addition  which  corresponds 
to  a grant  of  arms  among  ourselves.  The 
form  of  some  animal  is  the  ordinary  pattern 
for  such  a badge  of  honor. 

About  an  hour  is  occupied  in  executing  a 
patch  of  tattoo  not  quite  three  inches  square, 
and  when  this  is  done,  the  lad  rises  and 
another  takes  his  place.  In  a week  or  so,  the 
turn  of  the  first  lad  comes  round  again,  and 
so  the  process  is  continued  for  three  or  four 
months,  according  to  the  number  of  the 
patients,  not  more  than  five  being  operated 
on  in  a single  day.  When  the  pattern  is 
about  half  completed,  the  Matai  has  another 
present;  but  the  great  payment  is  only  made 
when  the  last  finishing  touch  is  put  to  the 


. ot , m 
Vf^^'^nrry  {-f 


(1.)  TATTOOING  DAY  IN  SAMOA.  (See  page  1013.) 


(2.)  CLOTH  31AKING.  (See  page  1016.) 


(1012) 


TATTOOING. 


1013 


work.  Should  the  Matai  feel  dissatisfied 
with  his  fees,  he  will  not  go  on  with  the 
work,  and,  as  an  unfinished  tattoo  is  thought 
to  be  most  disgraceful,  the  friends  of  the 
youths  get  together  what  property  they  can, 
and  make  up  the  deficiency. 

During-the  time  engaged  in  the  operation, 
the  patients  look  most  miserable  beings,  the 
wounded  parts  swollen  and  infiamed,  and 
displaying  as  yet  none  of  the  elegant  pattern 
which  has  been  traced  on  them.  The  lads 
hobble  about  in  all  sorts  of  contorted  atti- 
tudes, fanning  away  the  fiies  with  flappers 
made  of  white  masi,  and  doing  all  in  their 
power  to  alleviate  the  pain.  At  last,  how- 
ever, comes  the  reward  of  all  their  sufferings. 
As  soon  as  the  wounds  are  healed,  their 
friends  get  up  a grand  dance.  As  the  cos- 
tume of  the  male  dancers  is  nothing  but  the 
little  apron  of  leaves  which  has  been  already 
mentioned,  the  pattern  of  the  tattooing  is 
freely  displayed;  and  the  lads,  now  admitted 
among  the  men,  think  themselves  well  repaid 
for  their  former  sufferings  by  the  honor  and 
glory  of  being  ranked  as  men,  and  by  the 
admiration  of  the  opposite  sex. 

An  illustration  on  the  preceding  page  rep- 
resents the  process  of  tattooing.  In  the 
centre  is  lying  the  patient  with  his  head  in 
his  sister’s  lap,  and  his  legs  held  by  her  com- 
panions, who  are  singing,  in  order  to  cover 
his  groans,  should  he  utter  any.  Near  him 
are  two  assistants  with  their  white  masi 
cloths,  and  at  his  side  kneels  the  operator, 
busily  at  work  with  his  mallet  and  comb. 
The  little  vessel  of  pigment  is  by  his  side. 
Ranged  round  the  wall  of  the  house  are  the 
ypimg  men  who  are  waiting  their  turn. 
Painful  as  is  the  operation,  and  expensive  as 
it  is,  involving  not  only  the  fees  to  the  op- 
erator, but  a constant  supply  of  provisions, 
all  the  lads  look  forward  to  it  with  the 
greatest  anxiety,  knowing  that  they  will 
never  be  considered  as  men  unless  they  can 
show  a complete  tattoo. 

Both  men  and  women  wear  mats,  called  in 
the  native  language  “je-tonga.”  One  of 
these  mats  is  in  my  collection,  and  is  a 
beautiful  piece  of  work.  It  is  made  of  very 
narrow  strips  of  leaf  scraped  thin,  each  strip 
being  about  the  fifteenth  of  an  inch  in  width. 
These  are  plaited  together  with  beautiful 
regularity,  and  the  whole  is  edged  with  a 
very  fine  and  almost  silken  fringe  of  the  same 
material. 

Some  of  these  mats  are  decorated  with  the 
red  feathers  of  the  parrot  tribe,  and  increase 
in  their  value  by  age,  being  handed  down  to 
successive  generations,  and  having  legends 
attached  to  them.  My  owm  specimen  has 
been  adorned  in  a way  which  doubtless  was 
very  imposing  to  a Samoan  eye,  though  not 
to  that  of  an  European.  The  native  maker 
had  evidently  treasured  up  some  scraps  of 
English  calico,  and  some  blue  and  yellow 
paper  such  as  is  used  for  wrapping  parcels. 
These  treasures  she  has  fastened  to  the  mat, 


to  which  they  give  a most  ludicrous  ap- 
pearance. 

Samoan  chiefs,  when  full  dressed  for  war 
or  state,  may  be  known  at  a great  distance 
by  the  splendid  headdress  which  they  wear. 
In  the  first  place,  they  increase  the  apparent 
size  of  their  heads  by  enormous  wigs  made 
of  their  own  hair,  which  is  suffered  to  grow 
long  for  this  express  purpose.  When  it  has 
attained  sufficient  length,  it  is  cut  off’,  and  is 
stained  red,  and  frizzed  out,  until  it  assumes 
as  large  dimensions  as  the  woolly  head  of  a 
Papuan.  They  also  wear  great  plumes  of 
feathers,  sometimes  towering  to  the  height 
of  nearly  two  feet  above  their  heads;  so  that 
the  height  of  a Samoan  chief,  measured  from 
the  top  of  his  plume,  is  not  far  from  nine  feet. 

One  of  these  headdresses  in  my  collection 
is  made  of  a vast  number  of  feathers,  tied  by 
the  stems  in  little  bundles,  and  carefully  ar- 
ranged so  that  they  shall  droop  evenly. 
There  are  about  ten  feathers  in  each  bundle. 
These  tufts  are  arranged  closely  together  in 
circles  composed  of  leaf  stems  and  cocoa-nut 
fibre,  and  there  are  four  of  these  circlets 
placed  one  over  the  other,  so  that  several 
hundred  feather  tufts  are  employed  for  this 
single  dress.  The  maker  has  ingeniously, 
though  ignorantly,  copied  the  peacock,  the 
egret,  and  other  birds  which  are  furnished 
with  trains.  In  them,  the  tail  feathers  are 
short  and  stiff,  so  as  to  allow  the  long  train 
of  feathers  to  droop  gracefully  over  them. 
In  a similar  manner,  Bie  Samoan  artificer 
has  employed  the  shortest  and  stiffest  feathers 
in  the  lower-most  circlet,  while  in  the  upper- 
most are  placed  the  longest  and  most  slen- 
der plumes.  The  headdress  is  really  very 
handsome,  and  even  when  worn  by  an  Eu- 
ropean gives  a most  martial  aspect  to  the 
countenance,  especially  when  the  war  mat 
is  worn,  and  the  huge  Samoan  club  carried 
on  the  shoulder. 

The  dress  of  the  women  is  made  of  the 
same  material  as  that  of  the  men,  but  dififer- 
ently  arranged.  Their  work  costume  is  a 
petticoat  of  Draccena  leaves,  but  instead  of 
being,  like  that  of  the  men,  a mere  short 
apron,  it  is  much  longer,  and  completely 
surrounds  the  body.  On  occasions  of 
state  or  ceremony,  however,  they  wear 
lava-lavas  of  siapo  like  those  of  the  men, 
only  put  on  rather  differently,  and  of  much 
larger  size.  A woman  of  rank  will  often 
have  this  garment  so  long  that  it  trails  on 
the  ground  far  behind  her. 

Captain  Hood,  in  describing  an  entertain- 
ment given  in  honor  of  the  white  visitors, 
writes  as  follows.  After  the  men  had  danced 
“ a number  of  girls  entered,  who  went 
through  a somewhat  similiar  set  of  evolu- 
tions, with  infinite  exactness  and  grace.  It 
may  seem  incredible  to  our  fair  sisters  in 
England,  that  a young  lady  arranged  in  no 
other  garment  but  a mat  tied  round  her 
waist  should  look  handsomely  dressed;  but 
could  they  see  these  Samoan  belles  enter 


1014 


SAMOA. 


the  circle  in  their  full  evening  cos- 
tume, with  their  coronets  of  nautilus  shell 
and  scarlet  hibiscus,  and  their  necklaces  of 
red  and  yellow  tlowers,  1 believe  they  would 
admit  that  their  appearance  is  highly  im- 
posing. 

“ Some  wore  beautifully  plaited  fine  mats, 
which  are  so  highly  prized  that  they  cost 
more  than  a rich  silk  or  satin  dress.  Others 
liad  white  shaggy  dresses,  made  from  the 
inner  fibres  of  the  hibiscus,  the  amplitude  of 
which  would  satisfy  the  most  extensive  pat- 
ronesses of  crinoline,  and  indulged  in  trains 
equalling  in  length  that  worn  by  those  dames 
of  England  in  former  days,  while  their  car- 
riage and  air  jolainly  showed  that,  whatever 
we  might  think,  they  felt  themselves  supe- 
rior beings.”  To  judge  from  the  photo- 
graphed portraits  of  these  Samoan  beauties. 
Captain  Hood  is  perfectly  right;  they  not 
only  look well  dressed,  but,  if  anything,  over 
dressed. 

That  this  opinion  was  not  a rare  one  is 
evident  from  Mr.  Williams'S  account  of 
Samoa,  which  he  visited  more  than  thirty 
years  before  Captain  Hood.  The  mission- 
aries’ v.dves  had  endeavored  to  persuade  the 
Samoan  women  to  wrap  their  abundant 
mantles  over  the  whole  of  the  body,  but 
without  success.  On  the  contrary,  the 
Samoan  belles  in  their  turn  tried  to  convince 
the  white  visitors  that  it  would  be  much 
better  for  them  to  faa  Smnoa^  i.  e.  to  do  in 
Samoa  as  the  Samoans  do.  Garments  that 
covered  the  whole  of  the  body  might  do  well 
enough  in  the  white  woman’s  country,  but 
when  they  came  to  Samoa  they  ought  to 
dress  themselves  like  the  Samoans,  tie  a 
shaggy  mat  round  the  waist,  coquettishly 
looped  up  on  one  side,  and  anoint  them- 
selves with  scented  oil  and  color  themselves 
Vvith  turmeric;  wear  a flower  on  the  head  in- 
stead of  a bonnet,  and  a necklace  of  flowers 
by  way  of  a bodice.  Thus  accoutred,  they 
might /aa-ria7'ia,  i.  e.  strut  about  in  the  con- 
sciousness of  being  vrell  dressed,  and  certain 
of  admiration.  There  is  much  to  be  said  on 
both  sides  of  the  question. 

The  wmmen  wear  their  hair  differently 
from  the  men,  generally  cutting  it  rather 
short,  and  combing  it  back.  It  is  then  pow- 
dered with  fine  lime  made  of  burning  coal, 
which  has  the  effect  of  staining  it  of  a red- 
dish purple  hue,  which  is  thought  to  be  the 
inost  fashionable  color.  After  this  is  done, 
a Samoan  belle  merely  twists  a wreath  of 
scarlet  hibiscus  flowers  among  the  hair.  In 
both  sexes  great  pains  are  taken  about  the 
hair,  and  in  order  to  promote  its  growth  in 
after  years  the  head  is  kept  shaved  in  child- 
hood, the  boys  having  a single  lock  of  hair 
on  one  side,  and  the  girls  one  on  either 
side. 

There  is  a slight  distinction  of  dressing 
the  hair  in  the  different  islands  of  the 
Samoan  group.  In  some  of  them  the  wo- 
men separate  the  hair  into  multitudinous  1 


ringlets,  each  bound  with  cocoa-nut  fibre,  and 
cut  square  at  the  bottom,  much  like  the  an- 
cient Assyrian  fashion.  As  if  to  carry  out 
the  resemblance  still  further,  the  men  pre- 
serve their  beards,  and  dress  them  almost 
exactly  like  those  of  the  figures  on  the  !Nine- 
veh  marbles. 

In  bodily  form  the  women  are  by  no 
means  equal^  to  the  men,  the  latter  being 
truly  magnificent  specimens  of  humanity, 
while  the  former  are  rather  short,  and 
stoutly  made,  Avith  features  that  are  pleas- 
ing in  expression,  but  have  otherwise  little 
beauty.  They  are  as  Avell  treated  as  in 
Tonga,  and  are  not  expected  to  do  hard 
work.  In  fact,  the  men  seem  to  take  a 
pride  in  assisting  the  Aveaker  sex.  Mr. 
Pritchard  Avrites  on  Uiis  subject  as  follows: 
— “ ^Ye  saAv  several  Avomen  sitting  quietly 
in  their  canoe,  AAdiilst  their  cavaliers  SAvam 
alongside,  toAving  them  through  the  surf, 
not  because  they  are  at  all  less  at  home  in 
the  Avater  than  their  husbands  and  brothers, 
as  Ave  saAV  this  afternoon,  when  a large 
number  of  girls  Avere  alongside,  Avho  Avere  as 
often  SAvimming  about,  laughing  and  talk- 
ing, for  about  half-an-hour  at  a time  in  the 
Avater,  or  sitting  in  their  boats,  AAdiich  they 
are  constantly  upsetting.” 

When  the  husband  of  a Samoan  wife  dies, 
his  Avidow  is  not  sacrificed  at  his  funeral, 
but  is  usually  taken  by  his  brother,  after 
the  ancient  JeAvish  custom.  It  is  remarka- 
ble, by  the  AA^ay,  that  many  of  the  Mosaic 
laAvs  still  exist  in  full  force  among  the  Sam- 
oans. In  time  of  war  no  male  captives  are 
taken,  ail  being  killed.  Their  female  rela- 
tives, whether  wives  or  sisters,  are  consid- 
ered as  the  property  of  the  victors,  and 
mostly  become  their  wives.  Thus  it  often 
happens  that  AAmmen  are  related  to  both 
sides,  and,  as  they  are  by  courtesy  alloAved 
to  visit  their  relatives,  all  the  designs  of  one 
side  are  speedily  told  to  the  other.  So, 
whenever  the  principal  chief  prepares  any 
plan  of  action,  some  of  the  Avomen  aa'Iio 
have  relations  on  the  opposite  side*^  immedi- 
ately go  off  and  tell  them  about  the  pro- 
posed movements.  Still,  the  Samoans  seem 
to  make  it  a matter  of  honor  not  to  take 
advantage  of  this  knoAAdedge,  and  to  alioAV 
the  enemy  to  execute  his  movements  with- 
out interruption. 

The  women  seem  quite  at  their  ease  in 
warfare,  and  mostly  accompany  their  hus- 
bands to  the  Avars,  in  order  to  supply  them 
Avith  necessaries,  and  to  nurse  them  if  they 
should  be  wounded.  Mr.  Pritchard  says 
that  he  has  seen  them  in  the  heat  of  action, 
carrying  Avater  to  the  Avounded,  and  seem- 
ing to  care  less  for  the  thickly  flying  bullets 
than  the  warriors  themselves. 

Before  passing  to  another  subject,  we 
AAull  complete  our  notices  of  dress.  The 
reader  may  remember  that  on  page  977  Avas 
given  a full  account  of  the  various  processes 


CLOTH  MAKING. 


1015 


by  v»Licli  the  inner  bark  of  the  paper  mul- 
berry is  made  into  garments.  The  Samoans 
employ  the  same  method  as  the  Tongans, 
but  are  even  more  careful  in  the  manulac- 
ture  of  the  cloth,  which  is  in  great  request 
throughout  many  parts  of  Polynesia,  and 
can  be  recognized  *at  once  by  a skilful  eye. 

The  women  are  the  sole  manufacturers, 
and  are  wonderfully  skilful  and  patient  over 
their  work.  In  the  first  place,  for  the  finest 
cloth  they  always  employ  very  young  trees, 
not  more  than  fourteen  to  fifteen  months 
old,  and  only  two  or  throe  inches  in  diame- 
ter. They  begin  their  work  by  cutting 
down  the  trees,  peeling  off  the  bark,  and 
steeping  it  for  eight  and  forty  hours  in 
water,  so  as  to  enable  the  rough  outer  bark 
to  be  removed  from  the  thin  and  delicate 
inner  bark.  The  well-known  “ bass,”  with 
which  gardeners  tie  up  fiowers,  is  a familiar 
instance  of  “ or  inner  bark,  procured 

from  the  lime  tree.  By  constant  beating, 
this  substance  becomes  greatly  increased  in 
width  and  reduced  in  thickness,  and,  like 
gold  leaf,  it  can  be  beaten  out  to  almost  any 
extent. 

As  the  strips  of  bark  are  only  ten  or 
twelve  inches  wide,  a number  of  them  are 
united  by  overlapping  the  edges  and  putting 
between  them  arrow-root  dissolved  in  water. 
The  united  pieces,  while  still  wet,  are  again 
beaten,  and  after  a while  the  two  pieces 
become  incorporated  into  one,  and  all  signs 
of  the  junction  disappear. 

When  a piece  of  sufficient  size  is  made, 
printing  and  staining  are  the  next  processes. 
The  dyes  are  generally  of  three  kinds,  red, 
brown,  and  }^ellow.  The  two  first  tints  are 
obtained  from  clays,  and  the  third  from  the 
ever  useful  turmeric.  The  women  who 
make  and  print  the  cloth  do  not  prepare  the 
dyes,  that  being  a separate  occupation,  and 
in  these  islands  the  different  professions  are 
strictly  limited  to  certain  families,  just  as  is 
the  case  with  the  castes  in  India.  The 
printing  is  done  on  exactly  the  same  prin- 
ciple that  is  employed  in  rubbing  brasses  in 
this  country.  The  pattern  is  made  by  fas- 
tening the  flexiljle  ribs  of  the  cocoa-nut  leaf 
on  a board.  When  the  ribs  are  quite  hard 
and  dry  the  cloth  is  stretched  over  them, 
and  the  dye  rubbed  over  it  with  a stiff 
brush,  so  that  it  only  adheres  to  those  parts 
of  the  cloth  which  press  against  the  raised 
pattern  below.  For  patterns  of  a larger 
description  a softer  bark  is  used,  which  holds 
a quantity  of  color. 


There  are  in  my  collection  several  speci- 
mens of  Samoan  bark  cloth;  one  is  very 
fine,  pure  vv^hite,  six  feet  long,  by  two  wide, 
and  ornamented  with  a fine  fringe  all  round 
it.  Another  is  thicker  and  stronger,  being 
made  of  four  layers  of  bark,  one  jilaced 
upon  the  other.  In  some  places  the  junc- 
tion has  not  been  completed,  and  the  differ- 
ent layers  are  quite  distinct.  It  measures 
rather  more  than  seven  feet  in  length  and 
three  feet  ten  inches  in  width.  It  has  a 
deep-colored  border  about  eighteen  inches 
in  width,  composed  of  a diamond  pattern 
impressed  upon  a number  of  perpendicular 
parallel  lines  and  dots.  This  border  is  a 
light  red  in  color,  and  upon  it  are  several 
circles  of  dark  brown.  Circles  of  a similar 
kind  are  scattered  over  the  uncolored  por- 
tion of  the  robe,  which  is  of  a creamy  yellow 
hue. 

The  third  specimen  is  still  thicker,  and 
larger.  It  is  seven  feet  square,  and  has 
been  completely  covered  on  the  outside 
with  the  clay  pigment,  which  has  been  put 
on  so  thickly  as  to  make  the  fabric  compara- 
tively stift*.  Two  broad  bands  of  deep  black 
are  drawn  across  it  so  as  to  divide  it  into 
three  equal  portions,  and  in  each  division 
are  four  patterns  also  drawn  in  black,  very 
much  resembling  the  “ broad  arrow  ” used 
in  the  government  mark  of  England. 

In  the  second  illustration  on  page  1012  are 
shown  the  successive  processes  of  convert- 
ing the  bark  into  cloth.  In  the  foreground 
and  at  the  right  hand  are  seen  some  women 
kneeling  in  the  stream,  engaged  in  scraping 
the  liber  to  free  it  from  every  particle  of  the 
outer  bark.  One  woman  is  examining  a 
piece  against  the  light,  to  see  whether  it  is 
quite  clean.  Behind  them,  and  toward  the 
left  centre  of  the  illustration  are  more  wo- 
men, some  of  them  beating  and  scraping 
the  bark  with  the  square  mallets  which 
have  been  already  described  when  treating 
of  Tonga,  and  another  is  busily  employed 
in  joining  two  pieces  with  arrow-root.  Just 
above  them  is  another  woman  engaged  in 
the  more  skilful  part  of  the  manufacture,  i. 
e.  printing  by  rubbing  dye  over  the  cloth 
when  laid  on  the  pattern  board,  and  one  or 
two  of  the  boards  themselves  are  given,  in 
order  to  show  the  cocoa-nut  leaf  pattern 
upon  them.  In  the  distance,  the  other  wo- 
men are  seen  hanging  the  still  wet  cloth  up 
to  dry. 


CHAPTEE  cm. 


SAMOA,  OE  THE  NAYIGATORS’  — Continued. 

WAR. 


CAUSES  OF  WAB  IN  SAMOA  — THE  MALO,  AND  STRUGGLES  FOR  ITS  POSSESSION  — THE  CHIEF’S  VEN- 
GEANCE— FIRE-ARMS  PREVENTIVE  OF  WAR  — SAMOAN  WEAPONS— THE  CLUBS  — PATTERNS  OF 
CLUBS  THROUGHOUT  POLYNESIA  — STRANGE  MODE  OF  USING  THE  SPEAR  — THE  SHARK-TOOTH 
GAUNTLETS  — SUITS  OF  ARMOR  — GETTING  TOGETHER  AN  ARMY,  AND  MODE  OF  FIGHTING  — UN- 
PLEASANT POSITION  OF  NEUTRALS  — THE  SEA-FIGHT  — DISTINGUISHING  PENNANTS  — THE  DEFIANCE 
BEFORE  BATTLE  — TROPHIES  OF  WAR,  AND  ELATION  OF  THE  VICTOR  — DISPOSAL  OF  THE  BODIES 
— THE  HEAD  PILE  — SINGLE  COMBAT  BETWEEN  CHIEFS  — SAMOAN  LAW  — PUNISHMENT  FOR  MUR- 
DER AND  LESSER  OFFENCES  — CANNIBALISM  — NATIVE  LAWYERS  — THE  PLAINTIFF  DEFEATED 
WITH  HIS  OWN  WEAPONS. 


It  was  mentioned  on  page  1014,  that  women 
when  captured  in  war  become  the  absolute 
property  of  those  who  take  them;  we  will 
therefore  devote  a shprt  space  to  warfare 
among  the  Samoans,  omitting  those  charac- 
teristics in  which  it  resembles  war  among 
the  other  Polynesian  tribes,  which  have 
already  been  described. 

The  causes  of  war  may  mostly  be  reduced 
to  four;  namely,  the  desire  of  political  su- 
premacy, disputed  succession  to  chieftain- 
ship, revenge  for  the  murder  of  a chief,  and 
infringement  of  the  strange  marriage  laws 
of  the  Samoans. 

The  first  of  these  causes  is  always  rank- 
ling. Each  island  is  divided  into  several 
districts,  and  when  one  begins  to  show  signs 
of  special  prosperity,  another  is  sure  to  take 
umbrage  at  it  and  go  to  war  in  order  to  se- 
cure tile  “Malo,”  or  political  supremacy. 
One  example  of  such  a war  occurred  only  a 
few  j^ears  ago  in  the  island  of  Apolo. 

Manono,  one  of  the  three  districts  into 
which  it  is  divided,  held  the  supremacy,  and 
the  chiefs  felt  indignant  because  another 
district,  Aana,  was  pros]iering  under  the 
teaching  of  the  missionaries.  The  chiefs  of 
Manono  therefore  began  to  oppress  Aana 
by  making  continual  demands  of  property 
and  food.  Still,  in  spite  of  their  exactions, 
the  district  would  persist  in  flourishing;  it 
made  and  sold  more  cocoa-nut  oil,  and  sold 
it  for  more  hatchets,  calico,  and  other  Euro- 
pean treasures,  than  the  other  districts. 
The  Manono  chiefs  were  naturally  indig- 


nant that  when  they  went  to  a subject  dis- 
trict they  found  it  better  cultivated  and 
richer  than  their  own,  and  construed  the 
inferiority  which  they  could  not  but  feel 
into  an  intentional  insult  on  the  part  of 
Aana.  So  they  proclaimed  the  people  of 
Aana  to  be  rebels,  and  made  war  against 
them. 

Such  a cause  of  war,  absurd  as  it  may  be, 
and  subversive  of  all  real  progress,  is  intel- 
ligible, and  to  be  explained  by  the  petty 
jealousies  of  human  nature,  which  is  too 
prone  to  feel  itself  personally  hurt  at  the 
prosperity  of  another.  Vengeance  for  a 
murdered  chief  is  intelligible,  and  so  is  a 
war  for  succession ; but  the  last  cause  needs 
some  explanation. 

By  the  laws  of  Samoa,  a woman  once  a 
wife  is  always  a wife,  even  though  she  may 
be  put  away  by  her  husband.  The  Samoan 
chiefs  claim  the  right  of  marrying  as  many 
wives  as  they  choose,  and  putting  them 
away  as  often  as  they  like.  Indeed,  a man 
often  marries  a girl  merely  for  the  sake  of 
her  dower  of  mats  and  other  property.  But 
even  after  he  has  put  away  a wife,  he  still 
considers  her  as  his  own  chattel;  and  if  any 
other  chief  takes  her  to  his  house,  war  is 
at  once  declared  against  him.  It  is  a curi- 
ous fact  that  the  original  husband  cares 
nothing  about  the  morality  of  the  wife 
whom  he  has  put  away,  but  only  for  the  in- 
sult offered  to  himself  by  taking  his  prop- 
erty. Such  cast-off  wives  mostly  attach 
themselves  to  the  Eala-tele,  or  visiting 


(See  page  1034.)  (See  page  1019.) 


(See  page  1033.) 


(1018) 


SPEAES  AND  CLUBS. 


1019 


house,  leading  most  immoral  lives,  and  may 
do  so  without  incurring  any  resentment, 
from  their  former  husband.  But  let  them 
marry  another,  and  vengeance  immediately 
follows  the  insult. 

Before  the  introduction  of  fire-arms,  the 
principal  weapons  of  Samoa  were  the  spear 
and  the  club.  The  older  chiefs  have  a rooted 
objection  to  the  musket,  and,  like  Hotspur’s 
fop,  have  not  been  particularly  willing  to 
take  the  field  since  that  “villanous  salt- 
petre ” has  come  into  vogue.  Muskets, 
say  they,  are  weapons  for  boys;  clubs  for 
men.  They  have  some  reason  to  complain 
of  the  bullets,  which,  as  they  say,  do  not 
know  chiefs,  because  their  towering  head- 
dresses make  them  so  conspicuous  that  they 
afford  excellent  marks  to  the  enemy;  and  if 
by  chance  one  of  their  opponents  should 
have  even  a moderate  notion  of  taking  aim, 
their  chance  of  coming  safely  out  of  the 
battle  would  be  a very  small  one. 

The  clubs  used  in  Samoa  are  remarkable 
for  the  excellence  of  their  make,  and  the 
polish  and  finish  with  which  the  native 
carver  loves  to  ornament  them.  Some  of 
them  are  short,  used  for  one  hand,  and  made 
just  like  the  steel  maces  of  European  chiv- 
alry. Others  are  almost  exactly  like  the 
club  No.  1,  figured  on  page  949.  The  exam- 
ple which  is  given  in  the  illustration  enti- 
tled “ Clulj,”  on  page  1018,  is  drawn  from  a 
specimen  in  my  collection,  and  belonged  to 
the  same  chief  who  owned  the  war  mat  and 
feather  headdress  which  have  been  de- 
scribed. It  is  five  feet  in  length,  and  very 
heavy,  so  that  none  but  a very  powerful 
man  can  use  it.  As  it  has  seen  much  work, 
it  has  been  battered  about,  the  wood  of  the 
head  cracked,  and  the  carving  defaced.  I 
have  therefore  had  it  drawn  as  it  was  when 
new. 

As  a rule  the  clubs  of  Tonga,  Samoa,  Fiji, 
and  other  Polynesian  groups  can  hardly  be 
definitely  referred  to  any  one  of  them.  The 
commerce  which  passes  between  them  has 
caused  an  interchange  of  weapons  as  well 
as  of  peaceful  commodities,  so  that  the  two 
distinct  races  which  inhabit  Fiji  and  the 
Tongan  and  Samoan  group  use  weapons 
which  are  almost  identical.  Thus  the  ser- 
rated club  which  has  just  been  mentioned  is 
equally  used  in  New  Guinea,  Fiji,  and  Sa- 
moa, the  pattern  having  been  found  a con- 
venient one,  and  so  transmitted  from  one 
island  to  the  other. 

The  spears,  again,  have  a great  similitude, 
and  are  armed  with  barbs,  the  best  being 
tipped  with  the  tail-bone  of  the  sting-ray. 
In  former  days,  when  a warrior  had  pierced 
an  enemy  with  his  spear,  he  tried  to  lift  him 
from  the  ground  upon  it;  and  if  he  were 
unable  to  do  so,  he  was  generally  assisted 
by  several  of  his  comrades,  who  all  thrust 
their  spears  into  his  body,  lifted  him  in  the 
air,  and  bore  him  aloft  in  triumph,  not  car- 
ing whether  he  were  alive  or  dead. 


One  weapon,  however,  seems  to  be  pecul- 
iar to  Samoa,  and  has  been  mentioned  by 
Mariner.  It  consists  of  a pair  of  gauntlets 
made  of  cocoa-nut  fibre,  on  the  inside  of 
which  are  fixed  several  rows  of  sharks’ 
teeth,  set  edgewise.  In  fact,  this  weapon  is 
made  exactly  on  the  principle  of  the  ter- 
rible “ tiger-claw  ” of  India,  and  is  intended 
for  the  purpose  of  ripping  up  an  adversary, 
the  abdomen  being  the  part  that  is  always 
attacked,  both  by  the  Samoan  and  the  Hin- 
doo. 

One  chief,  who  was  of  gigantic  dimen- 
sions, even  for  a Samoan,  always  fought 
with  these  terrible  gauntlets.  He  used 
them,  however,  in  a different  manner,  and 
disdained  to  tear  open  the  body  of  his  an- 
tagonist. As  all  the  points  of  the  teeth  are 
directed  backward,  it  is  impossible  for  any 
one  who  is  grasped  by  these  gauntlets  to 
tear  himself  away.  The  gigantic  chief  was 
accustomed  to  rush  at  one  of  the  enemy, 
seize  him  with  his  gauntleted  hand,  fling 
him  on  his  face,  place  one  foot  on  the  small 
of  his  back,  grasp  him  by  the  head  and 
bend  him  forcibly  upward  so  as  to  break  his 
spine.  This  was  his  mode  of  dealing  with 
able-bodied  men.  If,  however,  he  seized  a 
small  man,  he  merely  threw  the  victim 
across  his  knee,  broke  his  back,  and  flung 
his  dying  foe  on  the  ground.  The  illustra- 
tion on  page  1025  is  taken  from  a beautiful 
specimen  in  the  collection  of  the  United 
Service  Museum. 

In  order  to  guard  themselves  against 
these  weapons,  the  Samoan  warriors  gird 
themselves  with  a very  broad  and  thick  belt, 
made  of  cocoa-nut  fibre,  wide  enough  to 
reach  from  the  arm  to  the  hip.  It  is  not 
quite  long  enough  to  encircle  the  body,  but 
is  worn  mostly  on  the  left  side,  that  being 
the  side  most  exposed  to  the  enemy. 

One  of  these  belts,  in  my  collection,  is 
two  feet  nine  inches  in  length,  so  that  when 
fastened  round  the  waist  it  leaves  a consid- 
erable portion  of  the  right  side  exposed.  It 
is  made  by  taking  a number  of  plaited  cords, 
and  passing  them  over  two  sticks,  so  that  all 
the  cords  are  parallel  to  each  other.  They 
are  then  bound  firmly  together  by  strings  of 
twisted  fibre,  which  pass  under  and  over 
each  alternately,  and  make  a very  strong 
armor,  through  which  the  dreaded  sharks’ 
teeth  cannot  make  their  way. 

Sometimes  the  Samoan  warrior  seems  to 
have  been  mistrustful  of  the  efficacy  of  the 
belt,  and  to  have  feared  the  effects  of  the 
shark’s  teeth  on  his  naked  arms  and  legs. 
There  is  in  the  collection  of  the  United 
Service  Museum  a complete  suit  of  armor, 
most  ingeniously  made  out  of  fibre,  and  so 
formed  as  to  cover  the  greater  part  of  the 
body  and  limbs.  It  is  in  two  portions,  the 
upper  being  put  on  as  a coat,  and  the  lower 
as  trousers.  By  the  sides  of  the  armor,  on 
p.  1018,  are  two  small  sketches,  showing  on 
an  enlarged  scale  the  patterns  of  the  plaiting. 


1020 


SAMOA. 


There  is  no  definite  army  among  the 
Samoans,  each  man  being  considered  as  a 
soldier,  and  having  his  weapons  always  at 
hand.  lie  is  liable  at  any  time  to  be  called 
out  b}^  his  chief,  and,  as  a rule,  he  troubles 
himself  very  little  about  the  cause  of  the 
war,  only  concerning  himself  to  fight  in  the 
train  of  his  chief.  The  Samoans  are  a brave 
race,  and,  if  properly  led  and  taught  the 
veriest  rudiments  of  discipline,  would  make 
good  soldiers.  As  it  is,  however,  no  Samoan 
warrior  fights  with  the  knowledge  that  his 
movements  are  directed  in  accordance  with 
a definite  plan,  or  that  he  will  be  supported 
by  others.  He  docs  not  feel  himself  a sim- 
ple unit  among  many,  but  has  to  look  out 
for  himself,  to  select  his  own  adversary,  to 
advance  when  he  thinks  he  can  do  so  with 
advantage,  to  run  av.^ay  when  he  feels  him- 
self getting  into  undue  peril. 

Whenever  a few  Samoans  have  put  them- 
selves under  the  guidance  of  a white  man, 
they  have  always  repelled  their  foes.  In 
one  such  case,  twenty  men  drove  off  a body 
of  five  hundred  enemies,  flushed  with  success 
and  bloodshed.  Both  parties  were  armed 
with  muskets,  but  the  regular  though  insig- 
nificant volleys  of  the  twenty  men  so  com- 
pletely disorganized  the  five  hundred  un- 
discii)lined  foes,  that  the  latter  dared  not 
attack  the  little  stone  wall,  five  feet  high 
and  twenty-five  yards  long,  behind  which 
the  defenders  were  lying. 

Had  the  latter  been  left  to  their  own  de- 
vices, they  would  have  fired  all  their  pieces 
at  once,  and  been  left  with  unloaded  mus- 
kets at  the  mercy  of  their  foes.  But  being 
taught  ahva3*s  to  keep  half  their  muskets 
loaded,  they  had  always  a volley  ready  for 
their  enemies,  who  were  utterly  discomfited 
at  their  reception,  and  at  last  were  only  too 
glad  to  escape  as  they  best  could,  with  the 
loss  of  many  men. 

The  position  of  a neutral  is  not  at  all  a 
pleasant  one  in  Samoa,  as,  in  case  either 
side  should  appear  to  be  likely  to  win  the 
day,  those  of  the  losing  side  who  happen  to 
be  friendly  with  the  unfortunate  neutral 
make  a point  of  stripping  him  of  all  his 
property,  to  prevent  it  from  falling  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy.  Those  Europeans  who 
know  the  native  customs  always  erect  barri- 
cades whenever  war  parties  come  near  them, 
knowing  that  they  stand  in  equal  danger 
from  friends  or  foes. 

When  a chief  decides  on  going  to  war,  he 
calls  out  all  the  warriors  "in  his  district. 
Though  there  is  no  real  discipline  of  the 
soldiers,  there  is  at  all  events  some  sem- 
blance of  order  in  their  arrangement.  Each 
town  has  its  definite  place,  and  the  inhabi- 
tants would  resent  any  attempt  on  the  part 
of  another  town  to  take  the  place  which 
they  consider  as  their  own.  The  most  hon- 
orable post  is  in  front,  and,  though  it  is  a 
post  of  danger,  it  is  so  honorable  that  if  a 
man  belonging  to  any  town  privileged  to 


lead  the  war  were  placed  in  the  rear,  he 
would  probably  desert  to  the  enemy.  In 
fact,  a vast  amount  of  desertion  does  take 
place,  and  by  means  of  the  deserters  and  the 
women,  both  parties  know  tolerably  well  the 
designs  of  their  antagonists.  The  idea  of 
conceiving,  maturing  a plan,  keeping  it 
secret,  and  then  suddenly  acting  on  it, 
seems  never  to  have  entered  the  mind  of 
the  Samoan  chiefs. 

Though  the  vanguard  is  the  post  of  dan- 
ger as  well  as  of  honor,  it  is  greatly  coveted, 
for  it  is  also  the  post  of  profit  both  in  peace 
and  war.  The  inhabitants  of  the  privileged 
towns  claim  the  largest  share  at  the  feasts, 
and  generally  rule  the  district  in  which  they 
live.  As  all  the  Samoans  dress  much  alike 
and  speak  the  same  language,  they  are 
obliged  to  wear  a sort  of  uniform,  by  which 
they  shall  know  friends  from  foes.  In  the 
case  of  warriors,  the  hair  is  dressed  in  some 
strange  way,  or  a white  shell  is  hung  round 
the  neck,  or  a strip  of  cloth  tied  round  the 
arm,  these  S3unbols  being  changed  every 
three  or  four  days,  in  order  to  prevent  the 
enemy  from  imitating  them. 

Wlien  canoes  unite  under  one  leader,  they 
hang  out  symbols  of  a similar  character, 
such  as  bunches  of  leaves,  strips  of  matting, 
or  even  a sort  of  flag  made  of  native  mat- 
ting, and  having  painted  on  it  the  rude  fig- 
ure of  some  animal,  such  as  a pig,  a dog,  or 
a bird.  True  to  the  independent  nature  of 
Samoan  warriors,  the  two  men  who  respec- 
tively command  the  land  and  the  sea  forces 
never  think  of  consulting  together,  and 
acting  in  concert  together,  but  each  does 
what  he  thinks  best  on  the  spur  of  the 
moment.  In  the  case  already  mentioned, 
where  twenty  Aana  men  repulsed  five  hun- 
dred of  the  Savaiis,  the  latter  might  have 
been  cut  off  to  a man.  ‘While  they  were 
kept  in  check  by  the  twenty  disciplined 
warriors,  a fleet  of  Aana  canoes  appeared  off 
the  shore;  and,  if  the  commander  had  only 
landed  his  men,  a most  thorough  example 
would  have  been  made  of  the  invaders.  But 
he  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  land  force, 
and  so  allowed  the  enemy  to  escape  without 
even  attempting  to  stop  them. 

The  student  of  anthropology  ahvays  finds 
that  human  nature  is  much  the  same  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  earth,  and  that  manners 
and  customs  wonderfully  resemble  each 
other  in  principle,  though  they  may  be  mod- 
ified in  detail  by  the  accident  of  time  and 
place.  It  has  already  been  mentioned  that 
many  of  the  Samoan  laws  are  identical  with 
those  given  by  Moses,  though  there  is  no  pos- 
sibility that  any  geographical  connection 
could  ever  have  taken  place  between  Poly- 
nesia and  Sinai. 

Warfare  is  carried  on  at  the  present  day 
in  Samoa  just  as  the  scriptures  tell  us  it  used 
to  be  in  Palestine  and  Syria,  and  as  Homer 
tells  us  it  was  waged  on  the  plains  of  Tro\^ 
When  two  opposing  bodies  meet,  the  leaders 


DEFIANCE  OF  BATTLE. 


1021 


challenge  and  abuse  each  other  in  good  set 
terms,  each  boasting  of  his  own  prowess, 
depreciating  that  of  the  adversary,  and 
threatening  after  he  has  killed  his  enemy 
to  dishonor  his  corpse  in  some  way.  Thus, 
we  find  that  when  David  had  accepted  the 
challenge  of  Goliath,  before  they  proceeded 
to  action  they  reviled  each  other,  Goliath 
threatening  to  give  David’s  flesh  unto  the 
“ fowls  of  the  air  and  the  beasts  of  the  field,” 
and  David  retorting  in  almost  the  same 
words,  but  adding  that  he  would  do  the 
same  by  the  bodies  of  the  whole  army. 

Thus,  in  the  old  Homeric  story,  where 
Ulysses  flings  his  spear  at  Socu^,  he-  uses 
almost  exactly  the  same  formula  of  words: — 

“ Ah,  -wretch!  no  father  shall  thy  corpse  compose, 

Thy  dying  eye  no  tender  mother  close; 

But  hungry  birds  shall  tear  those  balls  away, 

And  hovering  vultures  scream  around  their 
prey.” 

Tlius,  the  Fijian  warrior  defies  his  enemy 
in  words  before  he  proceeds  to  blows,  threat- 
ening to  bake  and- eat  his  body  and  make  a 
drinking-cup  of  his  scull.  Thus,  the  Samoan 
war  parties  always  think  it  necessary  to 
pause  and  defy  each  other  in  words  before 
they  proceed  to  blows.  For  example,  when 
the'^  Manono  and  Aana  men  fought  in  the 
struggle  which  has  just  been  described,  they 
exchanged  threats  and  injurious  epithets 
wonderfully  like  the  “ winged  words  ” of  the 
Homeric  warriors,  the  sentiment  being  iden- 
tical, though  the  imagery  is  necessarily  dif- 
ferent. The  illustration  No.  1,  on  page  1027, 
shows  these  Samoan  warriors  exchanging 
defiance  with  their  foes. 

“You  banana-eating  Manono  men,  be 
your  throats  consumed  by  Moso.” 

“Ye  cocoa-nut  eating  Aana  men,  be  your 
tongues  wasted.” 

“ Where  is  that  Savii  pig  that  comes  to 
his  death?  ” 

“ Roast  that  Atua  king  who  is  about  to  die 
by  my  spear;”  and  so  on  ad  infinitum. 

These  war  parties  afford  excellent  oppor- 
tunities of  studying  the  dress  and  ornaments 
of  the  Samoans.  It  is  thought  a point  of 
honor  with  them,  as  with  the  American  In- 
dians, to  go  into  action  in  the  fullest  dress 
and  decorated  with  every  ornament  that  can 
be  procured,  so  that  the  headdress  and 
general  accoutrements  of  a chief  when  en- 
gaged in  war  are  sure  to  be  the  best  ex- 
amples that  can  be  seen. 

The  proceedings  that  take  place  after  a 
battle  are  well  described  by  Mr.  Pritchard. 
“ After  a fight,  the  heads  of  the  slain  warriors 
are  paraded  in  presence  of  the  assembled 
chiefs  and  people,  when  the  heroes  are  in- 
dividually thanked,  and  their  general  prowess 
and  daring  publicly  acknowledged.  The  ex- 
citement of  the  successful  warrior  is  intense, 
as  he  passes  before  the  chiefs  with  his  bleed- 
ing trophy,  capering  in  the  most  fantastic 
evolutions,  with  blackened  face  and  oiled 


body,  throwing  his  club  high  in  the  air,  and 
catching  it  behind  his  back  or  between  his 
legs;  sometimes  himself  carrying  his  dead 
enemy’s  head,  sometimes  dancing  round  a 
comrade  who  carries  it  for  him,  all  the  while 
shouting  in  his  loudest  voice,  ‘ Ou  te  mau 
tangatal  Ou  te  mau  tangatal  ’ (‘  I have  my 
man,  I have  my  man! ’)” 

To  a young  Samoan  this  is  the  realization 
of  his  highest  ambition,  to  be  thus  publicly 
thanked  by  the  chief  for  slaying  an  enemy  in 
mortal  combat,  as  he  careers  before  his  com- 
rades with  the  reeking  head  of  his  foe  in  one 
hand,  and  his  club  in  the  other. 

“ Then,  again,  when  the  war  is  over,  and 
he  returns  to  his  village,  to  hear  his  com- 
panions rehearse  the  exploit,  and  the  girls 
pronounce  him‘toa’i  e.  brave;  then  it  is 
you  see  in  their  very  perfection  the  com- 
placent dignity  and  latent  pride  that  lurk 
within  that  brown-skinned  islander.  As  he 
assumes  an  air  of  unconscious  disregard  of 
the  praises  his  deeds  evoke,  you  see  the 
sublime  and  the-  ludicrous  neatly  blending, 
when  he  turns  to  the  girls,  and  mildly 
exclaims,  ‘ Funa  mai  si  rului ! ’ (AY  oman, 
hand  me  a cigar.’)  This  modest  little  order 
is  at  once  pretty  and  pert,  dignified  and 
careless,  when  it  falls  from  the  lips  of  a hero 
or  a beau.  And  proud  is  the  girl  who  hands 
it  to  him;  she  has  but  one  ambition  then,  to 
become  his  wife,  even  with  the  certainty 
of  being  cast  off*  in  less  than  a month  for 
another. 

“ After  the  heads  have  been  paraded  before 
the  chiefs,  they  are  piled  up  in  the  malae,  or 
open  space  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  the 
head  of  the  greatest  chief  slain  being  placed 
uppermost.  If  among  the  visitors  there  are 
any  relatives  of  the  slain,  they  claim  the 
heads  and  bury  them,  or  send  them  back  to 
the  comrades  of  the  deceased.  The  un- 
claimed heads  are  buried  together  in  the 
malae.  Any  bodies  that  may  be  recognized 
are  also  buried  by  their  friends,  while  those 
who  have  no  relations  among  the  visitors 
are  left  to  rot  and  make  food  for  the  dogs. 

“ The  relations  are  careful  to  bury  the 
bodies  they  identify,  lest  their  spirits  should 
haunt  them  or  wander  about  the  field  of 
battle,  disconsolate  and  mournful,  lamenting 
the  fate  which  left  their  bodies  to  rot  or  to 
be  eaten  by  the  dogs.  I have  often  heard 
the  natives  say,  ‘ Hear  that  spirit  moaning, 
I am  cold!  I am  cold!  ’ when  a stormy  night 
has  thrown  its  darkness  and  poured  its  tor- 
rents of  rain  and  gusts  of  wind  over  the 
battle-field.  It  was  vain  to  tell  them  that 
the  noise  they  heard  was  merely  the  creaking 
boughs  or  the  pelting  rain;  to  them  it  was 
nothing  else  than  the  spirit  of  the  unburied 
dead  enemy.” 

The  feelings  of  vanity  are  so  acute  in  a 
Samoan  warrior  that  he  will  do  almost  any- 
thing to  procure  applause  at  these  meetings 
after  a battle.  One  man  who  had  failed  to 
kill  an  enemy  was  greatly  annoyed  with 


1022 


SAMOA. 


himself  at  having  missed  the  public  applause 
which  he  had  hoped  to  gain,  and  hit  upon 
another  mode  of  obtaining  a sort  of  celebrity. 
He  cut  off  the  great  toes  of  a dead  enemy 
whose  head  had  already  been  taken,  and 
with  these  toes  in  his  mouth  paraded  before 
the  chiefs  as  if  he  had  taken  a head.  Finding 
that  this  novel  act  excited  admiration,  he 
became  so  excited  that  he  ate  the  toes,  even 
without  cooking  them,  in  the  presence  of 
all  the  people. 

Such  an  act  as  this  might  induce  the  reader 
to  suppose  that  the  Samoans,  like  many 
Polynesians,  are  cannibals.  In  the  ordinary 
sense  of  the  word,  they  are  not  so.  After  a 
battle  they  will  sometimes  cook  and  eat  a 
human  body,  but  this  is  done  as  an  act  of 
disgrace,  and  not  as  a gratification  of  the 
appetite.  In  one  instance,  a young  woman 
whose  father  had  been  killed  in  battle  ob- 
tained a scalp  that  had  belonged  to  the 
enemy.  She  first  burned  it  to  ashes,  then 
beat  it  to  powder,  and  scattered  the  dust 
on  the  fire  over  which  she  cooked  her  pro- 
visions. 

After  a decisive  battle,  the  chiefs  of  the 
beaten  side  come  humbly  before  their  vic- 
torious antagonists,  carrying  firewood,  stones 
and  pieces  of  bamboo.  They  lay  their  bur- 
dens before  the  principal  chief,  and  prostrate 
themselves  on  the  ground,  lying  there  in 
silence.  Should,  as  is  generally  the  case, 
the  victors  be  willing  to  accept  the  submis- 
sion, the  prostrate  chiefs  are  told  to  rise  and 
return  home;  but  if  they  should  not  be 
satisfied,  the  men  are  clubbed  where  they 
lie,  while  the  people  whom  they  represent 
suffer  all  the  horrors  of  savage  warfare. 

The  firewood,  stones,  and  bamboo  are  con- 
sidered as  emblems  of  the  utterly  abject 
state  to  which  the  bearers  have  been  reduced. 
The  stones,  being  the  material  with  which 
the  native  ovens  are  made,  signify  that  those 
who  deposit  them  at  the  feet  of  the  victors 
give  themselves  up  to  be  baked  and  eaten  by 
the  conquerors.  The  firewood  represents 
the  material  with  which  the  ovens  are  heated, 
and  the  bamboo  serves  as  a double  symbol. 
In  the  first  place,  the  knives  with  which  the’ 
Samoans  cut  up  their  food  were  always 
made  of  bamboo  before  the  use  of  iron  was 
introduced  by  Europeans;  and  in  the  second 
place,  the  instruments  by  which  torture  was 
inflicted  on  prisoners  by  cruel  captors  were 
made  of  the  same  material. 

When  the  conquered  party  are  pardoned, 
they  enter  the  house  of  the  chief,  kiss  his 
feet,  and  present  him  with  fine  mats,  bark 
cloth,  food,  and  similar  property.  This  cere- 
mony is  called  Ifonga,  and  is  sometimes  em- 
ployed on  other  occasions.  For  example, 
during  the  war  between  Manono  and  Aana, 
two  of  the  most  influential  chiefs  of  the 
latter  party  took  umbrage  at  some  slight, 
either  real  or  fancied,  and  deserted  to  the 
enemy.  Desertion  of  this  nature  is  quite  a 
common  event  in  Samoan  warfare,  inas- 


much as  the  chiefs  are  almost  entirely  inde- 
pendent of  each  other,  and  are  bound  to- 
gether by  the  slightest  of  ties.  In  fact,  the 
condition  of  these  islanders  much  resembles 
that  of  the  Scottish  Highlanders  in  the  old 
times,  when  it  was  hardly  possible  to  wage 
a regular  war  on  account  of  the  rival  jealous- 
ies of  the  different  chiefs,  besides  the  inter- 
nal dissensions  among  the  members  of  each 
clan. 

Besides,  as  in  the  old  Scottish  clans,  there 
is  no  discipline  by  which  even  the  men  are 
bound  together.  Each  man  serves  as  long 
as  he  chooses,  and  no  longer.  If  he  thinks 
himself  slighted,  or  if  his  crops  at  home 
have  to  be  got  in,  he  has  no  hesitation  in 
shouldering  his  club,  and  going  off  to  his 
own  village;  nor  is  there  any  law  by  which 
he  can  be  punished  for  so  doing.  In  the 
war  to  which  we  are  now  alluding,  a vast 
number  of  the  Savaii  allies  of  Manono  had 
gone  off  to  their  own  plantations. 

In  order  to  carry  out  the  principle  of 
obtaining  the  Malo,  or  sovereignty,  it  was 
necessary  that  the  deserters  should  do  hom- 
age to  Manono,  and  be  replaced  in  state  in 
their  homes,  which  they  were  supposed  to 
hold  under  Manono  as  vassals  in  charge. 
If  they  could  take  possession  without  being 
attacked  by  the  opposing  party,  they  were 
supposed  to  have  asserted  their  rights. 

Accordingly,  a great  ceremony  was  pro- 
jected. The  Manono  chiefs  recalled  all  the 
allies  who  had  escaped  from  the  war, 
ostensibly  to  look  after  their  plantations, 
but  in  reality  because  they  had  a strong 
objection  to  bullets,  and  summoned  them  to 
bring  the  produce  of  their  plantations  to  a 
great  “fono,”  or  discussion.  Accordingly, 
they  all  came  back,  allured  by  the  prospect 
of  the  feast  which  accompanies  such  a 
“ fono.”  The  two  deserting  chiefs  were  in- 
troduced to  the  assembly,  and  went  through 
the  ceremony  of  Ifonga  as  a matter  of 
form.  Next  they  had  to  be  safely  installed 
in  their  own  villages.  With  one  of  them 
this  was  a comparatively  easy  matter,  as 
the  whole  district  was  deserted.  So  the 
chief  was  taken  there  in  triumph,  escorted 
by  thirty  or  forty  canoes,  and  formally  in- 
stalled in  his  own  domains,  as  vassal  to 
Manono,  and  therefore  acknowledging  the 
right  of  Malo  to  belong  to  that  district.  He 
had  no  followers  with  him,  and  in  a day  or 
two  he  left  the  place  and  returned  to  Ma- 
nono. Still,  the  transaction  had  been  com- 
pleted, the  time  during  which  he  held  his 
domain  not  being  of  any  importance.  The 
reader  may  be  glad  to  know  that  this  chief 
suffered  the  usual  fate  of  renegades,  being 
received  at  first  with  great  ceremony,  and 
made  much  of,  and  afterward  sinking  into 
utter  obscurity. 

As  to  the  other  chief,  there  was  a diffi- 
culty respecting  the  installation.  It  so  hap- 
pened that,  he  having  been  one  of  the  most 
influential  leaders,  all  the  united  forces  of 


THE  IFONGA. 


1023 


the  two  districts,  Aana  and  Atua,  were  en- 
camped in  and  about  the  place,  and  if  he  had 
been  taken  there  he  would  not  only  have 
been  attacked,  but  the  invading  party  would 
probably  have  been  repelled  by  the  united 
forces  of  the  other  two  districts.  So,  after 
much  deliberation,  it  was  determined  that 
he  should  be  installed  at  a convenient  sea- 
son, but  that  the  precise  time  for  perform- 
ing the  ceremony  need  not  for  the  present 
be  fixed  upon. 

Sometimes  a couple  of  chiefs  quarrel,  and, 
instead  of  going  to  war,  fight  it  out  them- 
selves with  their  clubs.  They  display  great 
dexterity  in  fencing  and  guarding,  as  well 
as  striking,  and  are  watched  intently  by  the 
spectators.  They  are  usually  parted  before 
they  do  any  serious  harm  to  each  other, 
because  in  case  either  were  killed,  or  even 
seriously  injured,  a war  of  vengeance  would 
be  the  inevitable  result. 

Comparatively  little  is  known  of  the 
native  laws  of  Samoa,  which,  like  all  similar 
institutions,  are  always  on  the  change,  and 
of  late  years  have  been  almost  forgotten  by 
reason  of  the  presence  of  Europeans  in  the 
islands.  We  find,  however,  from  several 
travellers,  especially  from  those  who  have 
lived  among  the  Samoans  as  missionaries, 
that  a tolerably  well-defined  code  of  laws  is 
recognized,  and  administered  by  the  chief 
and  his  councillors. 

Murder,  for  example,  was  punishable  by 
death;  and  this  was  so  well  known  that 
when  one  man  murdered  another,  he  and 
all  his  family  generally  fled  to  another  dis- 
trict, where  they  were  sure  of  protection. 
It  was  necessary  that  all  the  family  should 
accompany  the  murderer,  because  the  rela- 
tives of  the  slain  man  might  wreak  their 
vengeance  upon  any  relation  of  the  mur- 
derer. Practically,  the  punishment  for  mur- 
der resolved  itself  into  a heavy  fine.  The 
fugitive  necessarily  left  behind  him  his  plan- 
tations, his  house,  and  other  property,  all  of 
which  was  seized  by  the  chief.  Sometimes 
the  whole  of  the  property  was  confiscated, 
the  house  burned  down,  the  plantation  devas- 
tated, and  a message  sent  to  the  murderer 
that  he  might  never  return  to  his  own  vil- 
lage. Generally,  however,  this  extreme 
punishment  was  commuted  for  a heavy 
fine,  part  of  which  consisted  in  giving  a 
feast  to  the  entire  village. 

Damaging  a fruit  tree  was  held  to  be  a 
crime  deserving  of  heavy  punishment;  and 
80  was  speaking  disrespectfully  to  a chief, 
destroying  a fence,  or  behaving  rudely  to 
strangers.  For  several  offences  the  Samo- 
ans had  a curiously  graduated  scale  of  pun- 
ishments. Sometimes,  when  the  offence  was 
a light  one,  the  offender  was  sentenced  to 
seat  himself  in  front  of  the  chief  and  his 
council,  and  take  five  bites  of  a cruelly  pun- 
gent root.  Sometimes  he  was  obliged  to 
toss  and  catch  a certain  number  of  times 


one  of  the  prickly  sea-urchins,  which  arc 
jcovercd  with  slender  spikes,  as  sharp  as 
needles  and  as  brittle  as  glass.  Sometimes 
he  had  to  beat  his  head  with  sharp  stones 
until  his  face  was  covered  with  blood. 

These  punishments  were  usually  inflicted, 
but  there  was  a severe  set  of  penalties  for 
graver  offences.  In  some  cases  the  offender 
was  hung  by  the  feet  to  the  branch  of  a 
tree,  or  stripped  of  all  his  clothes,  and  set 
in  the  burning  rays  of  the  mid-day  sun. 
One  of  the  severest,  as  well  as  most  degrad- 
ing punishments  consisted  in  taking  a pole 
cut  from  a very  prickly  tree,  tying  together 
the  culprit’s  feet  and  hands,  slinging  him 
on  the  pole  as  pigs  are  slung  when  they  are 
being  taken  to  the  oven,  and  carrying  him 
to  the  house  or  village  against  which  he 
had  offended. 

The  degrading  part  of  this  punishment 
consisted  in  likening  the  offender  to  a pig 
oing  to  the  oven.  It  is  always  held  as  a 
eep  insult  to  a Samoan  to  compare  him  to 
a pig;  while  the  very  idea  of  being  baked  in 
the  oven  is  most  repulsive  to  the  feelings 
of  the  people,  who  have  the  same  contempt 
for  any  of  the  processes  of  cookery  that  pre- 
vails throughout  New  Zealand,  Fiji,  and 
Tonga.  So  utterly  humiliating  is  this  pun- 
ishment, that  when  the  culprit  is  laid  help- 
less at  the  feet  of  those  whom  he  has  in- 
jured he  is  almost  invariably  released  and 
forgiven,  the  extreme  degradation  being 
accepted  as  an  atonement  for  almost  any 
offence,  no  matter  how  heinous.  This  is 
the  reason  why  the  ceremony  of  Ifonga  is 
considered  as  so  degrading. 

Indeed,  it  is  in  consequence  of  this  feel- 
ing that  cannibalism  is  occasionally  prac- 
tised, though,  as  has  already  been  men- 
tioned, it  exists  in  a very  modified  form. 
Formerly,  the  women  always  attended  upon 
the  warriors  for  the  sake  of  obtaining  the 
bodies  of  the  slain  foes,  which  they  dragged 
out  of  the  field,  and  then  cooked,  by  way  of 
expressing  the  utmost  contempt  for  them. 
The  priests  used  also  to  accompany  the  war- 
riors, and  pray  to  the  gods  for  success.  They 
had  good  reason  for  washing  for  victory,  as 
their  portion  of  the  food  was  only  the  hands  of 
the  slain  warriors,  and  as  long  as  the  strug- 
gle lasted  they  were  not  allowed  to  eat  any 
other  food  except  these  hands.  The  priests  of 
the  losing  side  have  sometimes  been  obliged 
to  fast  for  several  days  in  succession. 

When  the  body  of  a chief  was  carried  off 
to  the  oven,  great  rejoicings  were  made, 
and  every  one  was  expected  to  eat  a piece 
of  it,  no  matter  how  small.  On  such  occa- 
sions, even  the  women  and  little  children 
had  a share,  the  question  being  frequently 
asked  whether  all  have  tasted.  Sometimes, 
when  a captive  has  been  taken  alive,  the 
Samoans  have  been  known  to  tie  him  up  to 
a tree,  dig  a hole  in  front  of  him,  line  it 
with  stones,  heat  it  before  his  eyes,  and 
then  throw  him  into  it. 


1024 


SAMOA. 


According  to  the  accounts  of  the  natives, 
Wars  were  formerly  much  more  common 
than  is  now  the  case,  the  musket  having 
almost  driven  the  club  and  spear  out  of  the 
field,  and  rendering  useless  the  strength 
and  skill  of  the  warriors,  who  prided  them- 
selves on  their  dexterity  of  handling  their 
weapons.  How  well  they  fence  with  the 
club  has  already  been  described,  and  that 
they  were  equally  efficient  in  the  use  of  the 
spear  is  evident  from  an  anecdote  told  by 
Mr.  Williams. 

A chief  named  Matetau  had  come  on 
board  an  English  vessel,  and  the  captain, 
wishing  to  test  the  skill  of  his  visitor,  painted 
on  the  foresail  a ring  about  four  or  five 
inches  in  diameter,  and  asked  Matetau  to 
throw  his  spear  at  it.  The. chief  retired  to 
the  quarter-deck,  about  eighty  feet  from  the 
mark,  poised  his  spear  for  a moment,  and 
sent  it  through  the  middle  of  the  ring. 
Warriors  thus  skilful  in  the  use  of  their 
weapons  might  well  feel  indignant  at  the 
introduction  of  fire-arms,  which  equalize  the 
weak  and  the  strong,  and  enable  a mere 
boy  only  just  tattooed  to  kill  the  greatest 
chief 

When  cases  are  brought  before  the  coun- 
cil for  adjudication,  both  plaintiff  and  de- 
fendant exhibit  the  greatest  ingenuity  in 
stating  their  case,  and  are  wonderfully  fertile 
in  inventing  new  arguments.  The  Samoan 
litigant  is  as  slippery  as  an  eel,  and  no 
sooner  has  he  found  one  post  untenable  than 
he  has  contrived  to  glide  away  from  it  and 
establish  himself  in  another.  Mr.  Pritchard 
gives  a very  amusing  instance  of  this  char- 
acteristic of  the  Samoan. 

The  property  of  an  English  resident,  wdio 
was  popularly  called  “ Monkey  Jack,”  had 
been  wantonly  destroyed,  and  the  . injured 
man  referred  the  case  to  the  council.  As  at 
that  time  two  ships  of  war  arrived,  the  mat- 
ter was  by  common  consent  referred  to  the 
senior  officer,  and  the  plaintiff,  accompanied 
by  his  friends,  proceeded  to  the  spot.  The 
chiefs  were  convened,  and,  though  they 
could  not  deny  that  the  property  had  been 
destroyed,  they  put  forward  a series  of  ex- 
cuses for  refusing  to  pay  any  indemnity. 

Firstly,  they  said  that  the  plaintiff  had 
joined  the  enemy,  and  that  they  were  there- 
fore entitled  to  wage  war  on  him.  This  ac- 
cusation being  refhted,  they  shifted  their 
ground  from  the  man  to  his  wife,  saying 
that  she  was  related  to  the  enemy,  and 
that  her  husband  necessarily  partook  of 
the  relationship.  Fortunately,  the  woman 
happened  to  be  related  equally  to  both  sides, 
so  that  the  defendants  had  to  abandon  that 
plea. 

Their  next  count  was,  that  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  property  was  accidental,  and  that 
therefore  the  owner  had  no  claim  on  them. 
As  their  own  previous  admissions  contra- 
dicted them,  there  was  no  difficulty  in  dis- 
posing of  this  allegation.  Their  next  line  of 


defence  was  a very  ludicrous  one,  and 
showed  that  they  were  nearly  brought  to 
bay.  It  so  happened  that  “ Monkey  Jack  ” 
was  something  of  an  armorer,  and  used  to 
repair  for  the  natives  the  muskets  which 
their  rough  hands  had  damaged.  Ilis 
opponents  suddenly  recollected  this  and 
turned  it  to  account,  * saying  that  his 
charges  for  repairs  were  so  much  heavier 
to  them  than  to  the  enemy,  that  in  self- 
defence  they  had  taken  his  property  in  com- 
pensation. Evidence  was  brought  that  his 
charges  were  always  the  same  to  any  na- 
tives, no  matter  to  which  party  they  be- 
longed, and  so  the  defendants  were  again 
beaten. 

Like  wise  men,  however,  they  had  re- 
served their  weightiest  argument  to  the 
last.  It  has  already  been  mentioned  that  in 
time  of  war  either  party  has  no  scruple  in 
destroying  or  confiscating  the  property  of  a 
friend,  on  the  plea  that  it  is  better  for  them 
to  have  the  use  of  the  property  than  for  the 
enemy  to  take  it.  The  defendants  brought 
forward  an  argument  based  on  this  custom, 
saying  that  they  only  acted  in  accordance 
with  national  custom,  and  that  they  had  de- 
stroyed the  property  of  the  plaintiff,  in  or- 
der to  keep  it  out  of  the  hands  of  the  en- 
emy. 

This  was  by  far  the  most  formidable  ar- 
gument they"  could  have  employed,  but 
“ Monkey  Jack  ” was  as  clever  as  his  oppo- 
nents, and  replied  with  crushing  effect,  that 
for  several  weeks  the  opposite  party  had 
been  able,  if  they  had  desired  to  do  so,  to  de- 
stroy all  his  property,  but  had  refrained  from 
touching  it. 

When  the  chiefs  saw  that  they  had  met 
with  men  more  skilful  than  themselves  in 
argument,  they  were  sadly  perplexed,  and 
some  of  the  younger  chiefs  hit  on  a mode 
by  which  they  thought  that  they  might  es- 
cape from  paying  the  indemnity.  They 
agreed  quietly  to  surround  the  spot  where 
the  captain  and  the  consul  were  sitting,  and 
suddenly  carry  them  off,  and  retain  them  as 
hostages  until  the  indemnity  should  be 
given  up.  Fortunately,  Mr.  Pritchard  de- 
tected their  plot,  and  contrived  to  slip  back 
to  the  boats,  where  he  arranged  a counter 
jDlot. 

Before  very  long,  the  Samoans  surrounded 
the  place  where  the  intended  captives  were 
sitting,  and,  just  as  they  were  about  to  seize 
them,  Mr.  Pritchard  called  out  to  them,  and 
showed  them  that  they  were  covered  by  the 
levelled  muskets  of  the  sailors  and  marines, 
who  had  accompanied  the  captain  and  the 
consul  to  the  spot.  Knowing  that,  unlike 
themselves,  the  English  warriors  had  an  in- 
convenient habit  of  hitting  when  they  fired, 
the  Samoan  chiefs  acknowledged  them- 
selves conquered,  and  agreed  to  pay  the  in- 
demnity. 

Another  case,  much  more  petty,  was  a 
very  ludicrous  one,  the  Samoan  absolutely 


PLAIKTIFF  DEFEATED  WITH  IIIS  OWK  WEAPONS. 


1025 


I 

granting  himself  to  be  defeated  by  the  logic 
of  his  opponent. 

There  was  a certain  West  Indian  negro, 
i who  had  taken  up  his  residence  in  Samoa, 
1 and  had  attained  in  a neighboring  tribe  the 
I rank  of  chief,  together  with  the  name  of 

IPaunga,  A native  chief,  named  Toe-tangata 
(called,  for  brevity’s  sake.  Toe),  had  a dog, 
which  was  in  the  habit  of  stealing  from 
Paimga’s  house.  The  latter  had  often  com- 
plained to  the  owner  of  the  animal,  but  with- 
out success,  and  at  last,  as  the  dog  continued 
I to  steal,  Paunga  shot  it.  Now  in  Samoa  to 
ji  insult  a chief’s  dog  is  to  insult  the  owner, 

!|  and  so  Toe  considered  himself  to  have  been 
j shot  by  Paunga. 

I The  case  was  at  last  referred  to  the  cap- 
tain of  an  English  man-of-war,  but  Paunga 
I refused  to  appear,  saying  that  he  was  a 
SamOan  chief,  and  not  under  the  jurisdiction 


of  a foreigner.  A file  of  armed  marines  was 
at  .once  sent  for  Paunga,  who  ingeniously 
took  advantage  of  the  proceeding,  placing 
himself  at  their  head,  and  telling  the  people 
that  they  might  now  see  that  he  was  a chief 
among  the  white  people  as  well  as  among 
natives,  and  had  his  guard  of  honor,  without 
which  he  would  not  have  stirred  out  of  the 
house. 

Both  being  before  the  captain.  Toe  made 
his  complaint,  and  was  instantly  crushed  by 
Paunga’s  reply.  He  admitted  that  the  prop- 
erty of  a chief  was  identical  with  the  owner. 
Consequently,  when  Toe’s  dog  ate  Paunga’s 
food,  he.  Toe,  ate  Paunga.  Therefore,  when 
Paunga  shot  Toe  in  the  person  of  his  dog, 
he  only  balanced  the  account,  and  neither 
party  had  grounds  of  complaint  against  the 
other. 


SHABK-TOOTH  GAUNTLET. 

(See  page  1019.) 


so 


CIIiVPTEE  CIY. 


SAMOA,  OR  THE  NAVIGATORS’  ISLANDS  — Concluded, 

AMUSEMENTS  — MARRIAGE  — ARCHITECTURE. 

8A5IOAN  AMUSEMENTS  — PIGEON  CATCHING — THE  DECOY  BIRDS,  AND  MODE  OF  USING  THEM  — TRAIN- 
ING THE  BIRDS — fishing:  THE  NET  AND  THE  LINE  — DARING  MODE  OF  SHARK  CATCHING  — 
A BOLD  FISHERMAN  — CURIOUS  ACCIDENTS  TO  THE  DIVERS:  THE  SHARK  AND  THE  CORAL  — THE 
BOAR  HUNT  — A DANGEROUS  FOE  — SAMOAN  COOKERY  — THE  PALOLO  — ITS  CURIOUS  APPEAR- 
ANCE, MODE  IN  CAPTURE,  AND  WAY  OF  COOKING  IT  — MARRIAGE  IN  SAMOA  — CEREMONIES  IN 
THE  MARRIAGE  OF  A CHIEF  — THE  WEDDING  FEAST  AND  DANCES  — SAMOAN  ARCHITECTURE  — 
DIVISION  OF  THE  HOUSE  BY  MOSQUITO  CURTAINS. 


The  amusements  of  the  Samoans  are  in 
many  respects  identical  with  those  of  other 
Polynesians,  and  therefore  only  those  will 
he  described  wherein  is  anything  character- 
istic of  these  islanders.  One  of  the  princi- 
pal sports  is  pigeon  shooting,  which  is 
. carried  on  in  certain  parts  of  the  wood 
expressly  prepared  for  it.  The  principle  on 
which  the  sport  is  followed  much  resembles 
that  of  the  rat  shooting  practised  by  the 
Tongans.  Several  chiefs  agree  to  go  off  on 
a pigeon-catching  expedition,  and  at  the 
appointed  time  the  fowling  ground  is  cleared 
of  bush,  a large  circle  is  marked  out  by 
stones,  and  just  outside  the  circle  are  made 
a number  of  ambushes,  formed  from  leaves 
and  branches,  which  are  cut  fresh  daily. 

The  sport  is  preluded  by  a drink  of  kava, 
and  when  this  indispensable  preliminary  is 
over,  the  chiefs  repair  to  their  stations,  each 
having  a net  and  a trained  bird.  The  net  is 
small,  and  is  fixed  to  the  end  of  a bamboo, 
thirty  or  even  forty  feet  in  length.  The  bird 
is  perched  on  a stick  near  its  master,  and  is 
attached  to  its  perch  by  a string  forty  or 
fifty  yards  in  length. 

At  a given  signal,  the  birds  are  thrown 
into  the  air,  and,  following  the  instructions 
they  have  received,  wheel  round  and  round 
Tor  some  little  time.  The  wild  pigeons  see 
them  from  a distance,  and  fancying  from 
their  movements  that  they  are  hovering 
over  food,  fly  to  join  them.  As  they  wheel 
to  and  fro  with  the  decoy  birds,  the  chiefs 
raise  their  nets  and  dexterously  capture 


them.  He  who  takes  the  greatest  number 
of  pigeons  wins  the  game,  and  receives  from 
each  of  the  other  players  a stake  which  has 
been  previously  fixed  upon.  Generally  the 
stakes  consist  of  food  or  kava  roots,  and  in 
such  cases  the  winner  practically  gains 
nothing  but  the  honor  of  winning  the  game, 
as  the  food  is  cooked  and  distributed  by  the 
winner  to  all  his  companions,  and  the  kava 
is  converted  into  drink. 

• These  bird-catching  parties  last  for  a very 
long  lime,  the  players  sometimes  remaining 
on  the  spot  for  a month.  Huts  are  conse- 
quently run  up  around  the  open  space  on 
which  the  birds  are  flown.  The  second 
engraving  on  the  next  page  illustrates  this 
sport  very  accurately. 

The  decoy  birds  are  most  carefully  trained, 
the  object  of  the  trainer  being  to  make  them 
rise  at  the  word  of  command,  fly  to  the  end 
of  the  string,  wheel  round  in  graceful  cir- 
cles for  some  time,  and  then  return  to  the 
perch.  When  a bird  will,  remain  on  the 
wing  for  five  minutes  and  return  to  its 
perch  at  its  master’s  call,  it  is  considered  as 
having  been  highly  trained,  and  is  held  in 
great  estimation.  The  natives  may  be  often 
seen  engaged  in  training  the  birds  in  the 
open  space  in  the  centre  of  the  village.  The 
birds  are  encouraged  in  their  flight  by  a 
peculiar  mode  of  jerking  the  string. 

Fishing  is  a very  favorite  amusement 
with  the  Samoans,  who  display  a wonderful 
amount  of  skill  and  often  of  courage  in 
their  sport.  The  latter  quality  is  chiefly 


(1026) 


(1.)  SAMOAN  WARRIORS  EXCHANGING  DEFIANCE.  (See page  1021.) 


(2.)  PIGEON  CATCHING  BY  SAMOANS.  (See  page  1026.) 


(1027) 


1 h' 


ismm 

0f  res- 

’'’'■iYSHsrr/  tf  t'»4p»«=-3 


■ft*  <3 


' . i 

-J 


J 


I 


DAKIKG  METHOD  OF  SHARK  CATCHING. 


1029 


brought  into  play  when  the  natives  are 
occupied  in  shark  fishing.  Whenever  a 
great  feast  is  to  be  held,  the  fishermen  go 
off  in  search  of  sharks,  the  flesh  of  this  fish 
being  one  of  the  principal  dainties  of  Samoa. 
The  fishermen  go  ofi*  in  canoes,  each  canoe 
being  manned  by  two  or  three  fishermen, 
who  are  supplied  with  a strong  rope,  having 
a noose  at  one  end  and  a quantity  of  animal 
offal. 

Going  to  the  edge  of  the  lagoon,  where  the 
sharks  lie  under  shelter  of  the  rocks,  the 
men  throw  the  offal  overboard,  for  the 
double  purpose  of  attracting  and  gorging 
the  sharks.  They  then  peer  into  the  water, 
and  when  one  of  the  fishermen  sees  a shark 
lazily  stretching  itself  on  the  sand  that  lies 
unffer  the  overhanging  rocks,  he  lets  him- 
self very  quietly  into  the  sea,  dives  down 
with  the  rope  in  his  hand,  slips  the  noose 
over  the  shark’s  tail,  and  rises  to  the  surface. 
As  soon  as  he  gets  into  the  boat,  the  men 
drag  the  shark  out  of  his  retreat,  and  haul 
away  until  the  creature’s  tail  is  raised  out 
of  the  sea,  when  it  becomes  nearly  helpless. 
A sudden  jerk  brings  it  into  the  canoe, 
where  it  is  instantly  killed. 

Sometimes  the  shark  lies  in  a deep  sub- 
marine cave,  with  only  its  head  out  of  the 
opening.  The  Samoan  fisherman,  however, 
is  not  to  be  baffled  by  this  attitude,  but 
dives  down  to  the  shark,  and  taps  it  gently 
on  the  head.  The  fish  replete,  with  food, 
feels  annoyed  at  the  interruption,  and  turns 
round,  exposing  as  it  does  so  its  tail  to  the 
daring  fisherman,  who  slips  the  noose  over 
it  in  a moment. 

One  young  man,  mentioned  by  Mr. 
Pritchard,  was  celebrated  for  his  daring  in 
this  sport.  He  disdained  assistance,  and 
used  to  go  out  alone  in  a little  canoe,  drop- 
ping bait  overboard  in  order  to  attract  the 
sharks,  and  throwing  his  noosed  rope  over 
their  tails.  On  one  occasion  the  rope  broke, 
but  the  brave  fellow  had  no  idea  of  losing 
both  shark  and  rope.  He  leaped  overboard 
among  all  the  sharks,  seized  the  rope, 
scrambled  into  his  canoe  again,  and,  after  a 
long  and  severe  struggle,  succeeded  in  kill- 
ing^his  shark  and  towing  it  ashore. 

Sometimes  the  hook  is  used  in  shark  fish- 
ing. The  fishermen  bait  a hook,  carry  it 
out  in  a canoe  in  twelve  feet  or  so  of  water, 
and  bring  the  line  back  to  land.  Before 
very  long  a shark  is  nearly  sure  to  seize  the 
bait;  and  when  the  fish  is  fairly  hooked, 
several  men  haul  at  the  rope  and  drag  the 
shark  into  shallow  water,  where  it  is  allowed 
to  flounce  about  until  it  is  exhausted,  and  is 
then  killed  without  difflculty. 

Such  a sport  as  this  is  necessarily  at- 
tended with  much  danger,  but  the  Samoan 
fisherman  is  nearly  as  much  at  home  in  the 
water  as  the  shark  itself,  and  treats  his  dan- 
gerous game  with  the  same  easy  indifference 
which  a Spanish  matador  displays  toward  a 
furious  bull.  Accidents  certainly  do  happen 


in  both  cases,  but  they  are  the  exception, 
and  not  the  rule. 

Another  of  their  amusements  which  is 
dangerous  is  pig  hunting.  As  the  swine 
are  allowed  to  run  loose  in  the  woods,  they 
have  reverted  to  their  wild  modes  of  life, 
and  are  sly,  swift,  active,  and  ferocious.  It 
is  thought  a point  of  honor  for  a chief  to 
challenge  a wild  boar,  and  to  receive  no  as- 
sistance except  in  case  of  extreme  need. 
The  hunter  is  armed  with  his  knife  and 
tomahawk,  or  sometimes  with  a whale 
spade,  which  makes  a very  formidable 
weapon  if  the  edges  are  kept  sharp. 

To  kill  one  of  the  animals  is  no  eas}^  task. 
In  the  first  place,  a wild  boar  is  so  quick 
that  nothing  but  the  greatest  activity  can 
save  the  hunter  from  its  tusks;  and  were 
the  fight  to  take  place  on  an  open  plain 
instead  of  among  trees,  behind  which  the 
hunter  can  jump  when  hard  pressed,  the 
beast  might  probably  get  the  better  of  the 
man.  Then  the  boar  is  wonderfully  tena- 
cious of  life,  and  has  a skin  so  tough  that  a 
sharp  weapon  and  a strong  arm  are  needed 
to  inflict  a mortal  wound.  Even  when  the 
animal  has  fallen,  and  is  apparently  dead, 
an  experienced  hunter  always  drives  his 
knife  into  its  throat,  as  boars  have  an  awk- 
ward way  of  suddenly  reviving,  leaping  on 
their  legs,  and  dashing  through  their  foes 
into  the  bush. 

The  sows  are  even  more  dangerous  antag- 
onists than  the  boars.  They  are,  as  a rule, 
lighter,  thinner,  and  more  active,  and,  al- 
though they  have  no  long  tusks  wherewith 
to  rip  up  their  foes,  they  can  bite  as  sharply 
and  as  quickly  as  wolves.  Indeed,  were  it 
not  for  the  dogs  which  are  trained  to  boar- 
hunting,  and  are  wonderfully  courageous  and 
skilful,  though  very  ugly  and  most  unprom- 
ising to  the  eye,  they  would  seldom  be 
brought  to  bay. 

Mr.  Pritchard  gives  an  account  of  an  ad- 
venture of  his  own  with  a boar,  which  gives 
an  excellent  idea  of  the  ferocity,  cunning, 
and  activity  of  the  animals.  The  boar  had 
actually  received  two  rifle  bullets  in  his 
left  shoulder,  inflicting  wounds  which  would 
have  disabled,  if  not  killed,  most  animals, 
but  seemed  only  to  irritate  the  boar  by  the 
pain. 

“ The  fury  of  the  beast  was  intense,  with 
its  two  wounds  and  the  worrying  of  the 
dogs.  He  stood  grinding  his  teeth  and 
frothing  at  the  mouth,  looking  first  at  one 
and  then  at  another  of  us,  as  if  measuring 
an  antagonist  for  fight.  The  chief  sug- 
gested that  one  of  us  should  tackle  him, 
while  the  others  looked  on  without  interfer- 
ing. Of  course  I had  to  claim  the  privilege 
to  do  so  after  such  a challenge;  though,  in 
truth,  this  being  the  first  boar  I had  ever 
encountered,  I felt  as  if  I had  somewhat 
rashly  undertaken  the  combat,  for,  even 
with  his  two  wounds,  I fancied  he  might 
possibly  hold  out  longer  than  myself,  and,  if 


SAMOA. 


' 1030 

I failed  to  kill  liim,  the  failure  would  be  fine 
sport  for  my  comrades,  and  not  soon  forgot- 
ten in  their  jokes. 

“ However,  I stepped  out  in  front  of  the 
infuriated  beast,  and  no  sooner  was  I there 
than  he  was  there  too  — quite  promptly 
enough,  I thought.  He  made  a furious 
charge  at  me,  which  I received  with  the 
butt  end  of  my  rifle,  trying  to  throw  him 
over  on  his  wounded  side,  but  ineffectually. 
A second  time  he  came  at  me,  and  a second 
time  I checked  him.  As  he  drew  up  for  the 
third  charge,  his  long  bristles  standing  on 
end,  grinding  his  tusks  and  tossing  the  froth 
from  his  huge  mouth,  I drew  my  tomahawk. 
On  he  came,  swifter  than  ever;  the  toma- 
hawk fell  deep  into  the  thick  part  of  his 
neck,  and  ni}’-  boy  Atamu  did  the  rest  with 
his  long  knife. 

“ It  was  rather  hot  work,  for  these  boars 
have  immense  strength  and  no  little  dogged 
pluck,  and  their  skins  are  so  tough  that 
often  a spear  will  break  short  off  without 
leaving  even  a mark  where  it  struck.” 

The  same  boar  had  previously  forced  the 
writer  to  employ  rather  a ludicrous  manoeu- 
vre. He  had  fired  at  the  shoulder  of  the 
animal,  thinking  that,  if  the  bullet  did  not 
reach  the  heart,  it  would  at  all  events  dis- 
able him.  But  the  boar  made  at  him  almost 
as  it  received  the  shot,  and  sprang  on  him 
so  quickly  that  he  was  forced  to  jump  over 
its  head  upon  its  back,  and  roll  off  toward 
the  nearest  tree.  The  smaller  pigs  are 
killed  in  a different  manner.  The  dogs  are 
trained  to  catch  them  by  the  ears,  shoul- 
ders, and  tail,  and  when  the  hunters  come 
up  they  place  a stick  across  the  animal’s 
throat,  and  press  it  down  until  the  pig  is  dead. 

As  to  the  cookery  of  the  Samoans,  there 
is  little  to  distinguish  it  from  that  of  the 
Tongans  and  other  Polynesians  of  the  same 
race.  They  have  a great  abundance  of  dishes, 
being  able  to  produce  almost  as  great  a vari- 
ety in  that  respect  as  the  Fijians,  and  many 
of  their  dishes  are  extremely  palatable  to  an 
European.  Vegetables  form  the  staple  of 
the  Samoan’s  food,  and  of  those  he  has 
abundant  choice.  Putting  aside  those  veg- 
etables which  have  been  imported  from  Eu- 
rope, he  has  yams,  taro,  bananas,  bread- 
fruit, cocoa-nuts,  and  plantains.  Sometimes 
these  are  cooked  separately  and  sometimes 
mixed,  in  order  to  produce  a compound 
more  palatable  to  native  taste.  As  a rule, 
the  simpler  specimens  of  Samoan  cookery 
please  even  the  English  palate,  but  when 
the  native  cooks  dress  compound  dishes  the 
natives  are  generally  the  only  persons  who 
can  eat  them. 

For  instance,  there  is  nothing  better  in 
its  way  than  the  young  cocoa-nut,  which  is 
entirely  different  from  the  hard,  indigestible 
state  in  which  we  see  it  in  England.  But 
when  the  milk  is  poured  out,  its  place  is 
supplied  with  salt  water,  and  the  contents 
allowed  to  become  putrid,  the  compound  is 


offensive  to  more  senses  than  one.  Some  of 
their  compounds  are,  however,  excellent. 
Such  is  a sort  of  pudding  made  by  pouring 
the  juice  of  cocoa-nuts  over  bananas,  and 
baking  them  together.  Even  the  very 
young  kernel  of  the  cocoa-nut  makes  a very 
rich  dish  when  baked. 

The  strangest  diet  of  the  Samoans  is  the 
annelid  called  the  Palolo  (Palolo  viridis). 
Mr.  Pritchard  gives  an  excellent  account  of 
this  curious  being  and  the  mode  of  cooking  it. 

It  appears  only  in  certain  strictly  defined 
and  very  limited  localities  in  each  group 
(i.  e.  in  Fiji,  Tonga,  and  Samoa);  a month 
earlier,  about  the  first  week  in  November,  in 
Samoa  than  in  the  two  other  groups.  It 
rises  directly  from  the  bottom  of  the  sea 
to  the  surface,  appearing  first  about  four 
o’clock  in  the  morning,  and  continuing  to 
increase  in  number,  until  about  half  an  hour 
after  sunrise,  when  it  begins  to  dissolve,  and 
gradually  disappears.  By  eight  o’clock  not 
a trace  of  the  palolo  remains  in  the  sea. 
They  look  just  like  so  many  worms,  from  an 
inch  to  a yard  in  length,  showing  every  con- 
ceivable color  as  they  wriggle  about,  and 
are  soft  to  the  touch. 

“ The  time  of  their  appearance  is  calcu- 
lated by  the  old  men  of  the  various  tribes, 
and  is  known  by  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars 
having  a particular  bearing  to  each  other. 
A month  before  the  great  appearance,  a few 
are  found  in  each  of  the  localities  where 
they  rise.  Parties  go  out  in  their  canoes  to 
watch  for  this  first  appearance,  for  by  it  the 
calculation  as  to  the  second  and  great  ap- 
pearance is  verified. 

“ When  that  time  comes,  whole  villages, 
men,  women,  and  children, crowd  the  scene; 
by  two  o’clock  the  sea  is  covered  with  canoes, 
the  outriggers  getting  foul  and  breaking 
adrift  without  distracting  the  attention,  as 
by  four  o’clock  all  are  busied  scooping  up 
the  palolos  and  pouring  them  into  baskets 
made  for  the  occasion.  The  noise  and  ex- 
citement from  four  to  six  o’clock  is  some- 
thing astonishing,  and  the  scrambling  most 
amusing.  And  when,  with  canoes  landed, 
the  crowd  disperses,  the  next  thing  is  to 
prepare  the  ovens  to  cook  the  palolos,  which 
are  merely  wrapped  in  bread-fruit  leaves. 
They  are  sent  round  with  much  formality  to 
friends  at  a distance,  and  sometimes  kept 
three  or  four  weeks  by  being  occasionally 
warmed  in  an  oven. 

“ I never  could  muster  courage  to  do  more 
than  merely  taste  them,  so  repulsive  is  their 
very  appearance  as  they  roll  and  coil  to- 
gether, though  Englishmen  and  even  Eng- 
lish women  there  are  who  eat  them,  and 
professedly  with  a relish,  for  w^hich  I sup- 
pose one  cannot  but  accept  their  word.  One 
lady  in  particular  there  is,  as  described  by 
Dr.  Seeman,  a ‘ strong-minded  individual,’ 
who  eats  palolo  with  a remarkable  gusto.  I 
think  she  will  not  be  deprived  of  her  fancy 
dish  by  many  of  her  visitors.” 


A CURIOUS  DISH. 


1031 


There  has  been  much  discussion  about 
the  palolo,  many  persons  having  doubted 
whether  it  was  ever  an  annelid,  and  believ- 
ing the  worms  to  be  mere  strings  of  spawn. 
The  question  has,  however,  been  settled, 
and  there  is  an  elaborate  paper  on  the  palolo 
in  the  “ Transactions  of  the  Linnsean  Soci- 
ety,” vol.  xxii.  p.  237. 

The  worm  is  allied  to  the  well-known 
I^Iereids,  several  species  of  which  are  so 
plentiful  on  our  own  shores.  It  is  flattish, 
about  the  sixth  of  an  inch  in  width,  and  con- 
sists of  a vast  number  of  segments.  The 
entire  specimen  has  never  been  secured,  so 
delicate  and  fragile  is  the  creature,  and  it  is 
with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  a head  can 
be  discovered.  Among  the  specimens  first 
seilt  to  the  British  Museum,  not  a single 
head  could  be  found,  and  among  a large 
bottle  full  of  palolo  collected  expressly  for 
scientific  purposes,  only  one  head  was  dis- 
covered. The  head  is  a little  narrower  than 
the  joints  which  compose  the  neck,  and  is 
furnished  with  two  little  eyes  on  the  upper 
surface,  between  which  are  placed  three 
tentacles,  of  which  the  middle  is  the  longest. 

The  normal  color  of  the  annelid  is  green, 
and  it  is  remarkable  for  the  regularly  dotted 
appearance  of  the  back,  one  black  dot  being- 
placed  on  the  middle  of  each  segment.  So 
regularly  does  the  palolo  make  its  appear- 
ance, that  among  the  Fiji  group  the  months 
of  October  and  November  are  known  by 
the  names  of  the  Little  Palolo  and  Great 
Palolo,  the  former  being  the  month  in 
which  it  is  first  seen,  and  the  second  that  in 
which  it  makes  its  grand  appearance. 

Marriages  in  Samoa  are  conducted 
much  like  those  of  Tonga,  the  latter  group 
of  islands  having  borrowed  many  of  the 
Samoan  customs.  It  is  thought  rather  be- 
low the  dignity  of  a chief  to  court  a wife 
for  himself,  and  that  office  is  geaerally  un- 
dertaken by  his  friends,  who  praise  him  in 
the  most  unmeasured  terms,  and  do  all  in 
their  power  to^  induce  the  girl  to  yield. 
When  her  consent  has  been  given,  the  chief 
sends  property  to  her  father,  and  receives  in 
return  fine  mats  and  other  articles,  this  ex- 
change being  considered  as  the  betrothal. 

On  the  day  of  marriage,  the  bride,  well 
anointed  with  oil,  colored  with  turmeric,  and 
dressed  in  large  quantities  of  the  finest  mats, 
is  placed  in  the  malae,  or  open  space  in  the 
centre  of  the  village,  attended  by  her  young 
friends,  who  are  arrayed  in  all  the  gorgeous- 
ness of  savage  finery,  with  wreaths  of  flowers 
and  nautilus  shells  on  their  heads.  She  is 
also  accompanied  by  the  two  duennas  who 
have  had  charge  of  her,  and  who  chant  her 
praises  and  extol  her  virtue.  The  object  of 
this  public  assembly  is  to  prove  whether  the 
girl  be  worthy  to  be  the  wife  of  a chief. 
Should  the  verdict  be  in  her  favor,  she  is 
presented  to  the  people  as  the  chiefs  wife, 
and,  amid  their  acclamations,  is  taken  into 
the  house  by  her  duennas  and  attendants, 


Should,  as  is  very  seldom  the  case,  the  ver- 
dict be  adverse,  all  the  male  members  of  her 
family,  even  her  fathers  and  brothers,  rush 
on  her  with  their  clubs  and  kill  her  on  the 
spot,  in  order  to  take  away  the  disgrace 
which  she  has  brought  on  her  house. 

After  the  bride  has  been  led  away  there  is 
a grand  dance.  This  ditfers  somewhat  from 
the  dances  which  are  usually  seen  among 
the  Polynesians.  The  spectators  being 
seated  in  a circle  round  a cleared  space, 
and  keejDing  up  a monotonous  chant,  the 
men  first  enter  the  circle,  led  by  a young 
chief,  and  clothed  merely  in  the  little  leaf 
apron,  so  as  to  show  off  the  tattoo  to  the 
best  advantage.  Their  leader  goes  through  a 
vast  number  of  steps,  sometimes  leaping  high 
in  the  air,  and  sometimes  executing  move- 
ments of  a slower  and  more  graceful  charac- 
ter, while  every  step  is  watched  and  criti- 
cised as  it  is  danced  by  the  leader  and 
imitated  by  his  followers.  After  the  men 
have  danced  for  some  time  they  retire,  and 
a number  of  girls  enter,  who  go  through 
evolutions  of  a similar  character,  and  after- 
ward both  men  and  women  dance  together. 

The  houses  of  the  Samoans  are  all  built 
on  the  same  model.  They  are  very  conser- 
vative in  some  of  their  ideas,  and  follow 
implicitly  the  plan  which  was  adopted  by 
the  chief  who,  according  to  their  traditions, 
first  built  a dwelling.  At  a distance,  the 
appearance  of  the  house  has  been  compared 
to  a large  mushroom. 

The  first  process  is,  to  make  a large  plat- 
form of  rough  stones,  covered  with  gravel, 
extending  some  twenty  feet  on  every  side 
beyond  the  walls  of  the  house.  In  the  cen- 
tre are  planted  three  posts,  standing  about 
twenty-five  feet  out  of  the  ground.  Upon 
these  central  posts  are  supported  the  ratters 
of  the  roof,  one  end  of  each  rafter  being  fixed 
to  them,  and  the  other  end  to  the  tops  of 
short  posts  about  four  feet  high,  which  form, 
or  rather  which  do  duty  for,  the  walls  of  the 
house.  Real  walls  there  are  none,  but  at 
night  the  space  between  the  posts  is  closed 
by  blinds  made  of  plaited  cocoa-nut  leaves. 
The  whole  framework  of  the  roof  is  made  in 
several  sections,  so  that  it  can  be  removed. 

The  thatch  is  made  of  the  leaves  of  the 
sugar-cane,  nailed  by  the  women  to  reeds 
with  spikes  made  of  the  ribs  of  the  cocoa- 
nut  leaves.  About  four  thousand  leaves  are 
are  required  for  thatching  a house,  and  they 
are  lashed  carefully  with  cocoa-nut  fibre. 

The  floor  of  the  house  is  strewn  with  very 
fine  gravel  and  covered  with  mats.  There 
are  no  separate  chambers,  but  at  night  the 
house  is  divided  into  a number  of  sleeping 
places  by  means  ot  the  mosquito  curtains 
which  are  attached  to  the  central  post,  and  let 
down  when  required.  It  is  a point  of  eti- 
quette that  all  guests  should  be  supplied 
with  clean  mats.  The  pillow  used  in  Samoa 
is  like  that  of  Fiji,  and  is  nothing  more  than 
a stick  supported  on  a foot  at  each  end. 


CHAPTEE  CV. 


HEKYEY  AND  KINGSMILL  ISLANDS. 

APPEARANCE  — WEAPONS  — GOVERNMENT. 


POSITION  OF  THE  HERVEY  ISLANDS  — FIERCE  AND  TREACHEROUS  NATURE  OF  CHE  INHABITANTS  — 
THE  CHIEF  MOUROOA,  AND  HIS  VISIT  TO  THE  SHIP — SKILL  IN  CARVING — THEIR  BEAUTIFUL 
PADDLES  AND  CANOES— “^HE  MANGAIAN  ADZE  : ITS  CARVED  HANDLE  AND  STONE  HEAD — THE 
MANY-BARBED  SPEAR — THE  CLUB  AND  SLING  — THE  FOUR  RANKS  IN  BATTLE  — FEROCITY  OF  THE 
WOMEN  — FEUDS  AND  THEIR  CONSEQUENCES  — A MANGAIAN  HOUSE — FOOD  — PROCURING  AND 
COOKING  IT — A RAT  HUNT  — IDOLS  OF  THE  MANGAIANS — THE  KINGSMILL  ISLANDERS  — LOCALITY 
AND  GENERAL  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  KINGSMILL  ISLANDS -7- APPEARANCE  OF  THE  NATIVES  — 
ARCHITECTURE — DRESS  AND  TATTOOING  — WARLIKE  NATURE  — THE  TERRIBLE  WEAPONS  OF 
THESE  ISLANDS  — THE  SWORD  AND  SPEAR— MODE  OF  GOVERNMENT  — BURIAL  OF  A DEAD  CHIEF. 


Eastward  of  Samoa,  and  rather  south- 
ward, Me  the  Hervey,  or  Cook’s  Islands. 
The  group  includes  seven  islands,  the  princi- 
pal of  which  is  Earotonga,  an  island  be- 
tween thirty  and  forty  miles  in  circumfer- 
ence. This  island  is  remarkable  for  the 
lofty  mountains  of  the  interior,  and  round  it 
extends  a large  reef  of  coral.  Some  of  the 
islands  are  entirely  coral,  and  all  of  them 
are  surrounded  by  the  dangerous  coral  reefs, 
at  which  the  coral  “ insects  ” are  still  work- 
ing. 

tn  general  appearance  the  people  bear 
much  resemblance  to  the  Samoans,  but  seem 
to  be  of  a more  warlike  and  ferocious  char- 
acter. Indeed,  so  quarrelsome  and  blood- 
thirsty are  the  natives  of  this  group,  that 
when  Mr.  TVilliams  visited  Hervey’s  Island 
he  found  that  only  sixty  of  the  population 
survived,  and  a few  years  later  they  were 
reduced  to  five  men,  three  women,  and  some 
children,  and  these  were  on  the  point  of  fight- 
ing among  themselves,  in  order  to  ascertain 
which  should  be  king. 

One  of  the  principal  islands  of  this  group, 
namely,  Mangaia,  was  discovered  by  Cap- 
tain Cook  in  March  1777.  The  natives  were 
very  unwilling  to  come  on  board  the  vessel, 
but  at  last  two  men  put  off  in  a canoe,  their 
curiosity  overcoming  their  terror.  The 
name  of  one  of  them  w^as  Mourooa,  and  he 
was  distinguishable  by  a large  scar  on  his 
forehead,  the  result  of  a wound  received  in 
battle. 


“ Mourooa,”  writes  Captain  Cook,  “ was 
lusty  and  well-made,  but  not  very  tall.  His 
features  were  agreeable,  and  his  disposition 
seemfingly  no  less  so,  for  he  made  several 
droll  gesticulations,  which  indicated  both 
good  nature  and  a share  of  humor.  He  also 
made  others  which  seemed  of  a serious  kind, 
and  repeated  some  words  with  a devout  air 
before  he  ventured  to  lay  hold  of  the  rope  at 
the  ship’s  stern;  which  was  probably  to  rec- 
ommend himself  to  the  protection  of  some 
divinity. 

“ His  color  was  nearly  of  the  same  cas: 
common  to  the  most  southern  Europeans 
The  other  man  was  not  so  handsome.  Beer 
of  them  had  strong,  straight  hair,  of  a je 
color,  tied  together  on  the  crown  of  the 
head  with  a bit  of  cloth.  They  wore  such 
girdles  as  we  perceived  about  those  on  shore, 
and  we  found  they  wore  a substance  made 
from  the  Morus  papyrifera^  in  the  same  man- 
ner as  at  the  other  islands  of  this  ocean.  It 
was  glazed,  like  the  sort  used  by  the  natives 
of  the  Friendly  Islands,  but  the  cloth  on 
their  heads  was  white,  like  that  which  is 
found  at  Otaheite. 

“ They  had  on  a kind  of  sandal  made  of  a 
grassy  substance  interwoven,  which  we  also 
observed  were  worn  by  those  who  stood 
upon  the  beach,  and,  as  we  supposed,  in- 
tended to  defend  their  feet  against  the  rough 
coral  rock.  Their  beards  were  long;  and 
the  inside  of  their  arms,  from  the  shoulder 
to  the  elbow,  and  some  other  parts,  were 


(1082) 


THE  CHIEF  MOUEOOA. 


1033 


punctured  or  tattooed,  after  the  manner  of 
the  inhabitants  of  almost  all  the  other  islands 
in  the  South  Sea.  The  lobe  of  their  ears 
was  pierced,  or  rather  slit,  and  to  such  a 
length  that  one  of  them  stuck  there  a knife 
and  some  beads  which  he  had  received  from 
us;  and  the  same  person  had  two  polished 
pearl-shells  and  a bunch  of  human  hair 
loosely  twisted  hanging  about  his  neck,  which 
was  the  only  ornament  we  observed.” 

After  some  time,  Mourooa  ventured  on 
board  the  ship,  but  seemed  very  uneasy 
at  his  position,  his  feelings  of  curiosity  being 
overcome  by  those  of  alarm  at  finding  him- 
self in  so  gigantic  a vessel.  He  showed  lit- 
tle curiosity  about  the  ship  and  the  various 
objects  which  it  contained,  but  the  sight  of 
a goat  entirely  drove  out  of  his  mind  any 
emotion  except  wonder,  he  never  having 
seen  so  large  an  animal.  He  wanted  to 
know  what  hird  it  could  be,  and,  as  soon  as 
he  could  get  ashore,  he  was  seen  narrating 
to  the  people  the  wonders  which  he  had  seen 
on  board  the  great  canoe. 

All  the  Hervey  Islanders  are  gifted  with 
a natural  appreciation  of  art,  and  the  inhab- 
itants of  Mangaia  seem  to  be  pre-eminent  in 
this  respect.  They  lavish  the  most  minute 
and  elaborate  carving  on  various  objects,  the 
handles  of  tools  and  the  paddles  seeming  to 
be  their  favorite  subjects.  The  beautiful 
paddle  which  is  shown  on  the  1018th  page, 
is  drawn  from  a specimen  in  my  own  collec- 
tion. It  is  nearly  four  feet  in  length,  and 
the  blade  is  eleven  inches  wide  in  the 
broadest  part.  The  pattern  is  given  as  well 
as  can  be  done,  considering  the  minute  elab- 
oration of  the  original.  The  opposite  face 
of  the  blade  is  even  more  carefully  decorated, 
and  perhaps  with  a naore  artistic  design. 
The  squared  shaft  of  tlie  paddle  is  covered 
with  carving,  as  is  also  the  peculiarly  shaped 
handle. 

Another  paddle  is  made  in  a similar  man- 
ner, except  that  the  shaft  is  rounded  in- 
stead of  squared,  and  decorated  at  the  handle 
■with  a row  of  ornaments  which  seem  to  be 
conventional  imitations  of  the  human  face 
(see  fig.  2).  The  wood  of  which  these  pad- 
dles are  made  is  light,  though  strong  and 
elastic;  and,  as  the  implement  is  sometimes 
used  as  a club,  both  these  last-mentioned 
characteristics  are  needed. 

Captain  Cook  noticed  the  peculiar  shape 
of  these  paddles,  though  he  does  not  ap- 
pear to  have  handled  them,  or  to  have  ex- 
amined them  carefully.  “ The  canoe  they 
came  in  (which  was  the  only  one  we  saw) 
was  not  above  ten  feet  long  and  very  nar- 
row, but  both  strong  and  neatly  made.  The 
fore-part  had  a board  fastened  over  it  and 
projecting  out,  so  as  to  prevent  the  sea  from 
getting  in  on  plunging  . . . but  it  had  an 
upright  stern  about  "five  feet  high,  like  some 
in  New  Zealand,  and  the  upper  part  of  this 
stern-post  was  forked.  The  lower  part  of 
the  canoe  was  of  white  wood,  but  the  upper 


was  black,  and  their  paddles  made  of  wood 
of  the  same  color,  not  above  three  feet  long, 
broad  at  one  end  and  blunted.” 

Another  paddle  was  brought  to  England 
by  the  late  Admiral  Young,  and  presented 
to  me  by  his  daughter.  It  is  not  so  large  as 
the  specimens  which  have  been  just  de- 
scribed, but  is  the  most  delicately  carved 
specimen  I have  ever  seen.  The  wood  of 
which  it  is  made  is  a very  rich  dark  brown, 
and  takes  a high  polish,  so  that  the  effect  of 
the  carving  is  peculiarly  good.  The  blade 
is  covered  with  a vast  number  of  stars,  won- 
derfully well  carved,  seeing  that  the  native 
maker  had  no  compasses  by  which  to  take  his 
measurement,  and  that  his  only  tools  were 
sharks’  teeth  and  bits  of  stone. " The  maker 
has  spared  no  pains  over  this  trophy  of  his 
skill,  and,  as  if  to  show  his  own  fertility  of 
invention,  he  has  not  covered  the  whole  of 
the  shaft  with  the  same  pattern,  as  is  the 
case  with  the  two  paddles  that  have  just 
been  described,  but  has  changed  the  pattern 
every  few  inches.  I have  also  a much 
smaller  and  shorter  paddle,  not  quite  three 
feet  in  length,  which  is  made  with  equal 
care,  but  which  is  not  intended  so  much  for 
use  in  propelling  boats  as  for  ornament  in 
dancing. 

The  love  of  ornamentation  is  displayed  in 
all  their  manufactures,  which  are  decorated 
in  a manner  equally  elaborate  and  arti-stic. 
Even  their  drinking  cups,  which  are  made 
from  cocoa-nut  shells,  are  covered  with 
carved  patterns  of  a nature  similar  to  those 
of  the  paddles. 

The  reader  will  remark  that  many  Polyne- 
sians adorn  with  carving  the  handles  of  their 
tools  and  weapons,  examples  of  which  have 
been  given  in  the  preceding  pages.  The 
Hervey  Islanders,  however,  leave  no  portion 
of  the  implement  without  carving,  and  in 
many  instances  sacrifice  utility  to  ornament. 
This  is  generally  the  case  with  the  adze 
handles,  many  of  which  are  so  extremely  or- 
namental that  it  is  not  easy  to  see  how  they 
can  be  useful. 

The  specimen  which  is  represented  on 
page  1018  (adze  magnified),  is  a good  ex- 
ample of  such  an  adze.  The  lower  part  of 
the  handle  is  completely  hollow,  the  native 
manufacturer  having  contrived  to  cut  away 
the  wood  through  the  intervals  between  the 
upright  pillars.  As  these  intervals  are  not 
quite  the  third  of  an  inch  in  width,  the  la- 
bor of  removing  the  interior  of  the  handle 
must  have  been  very  great,  and  the  work 
exceedingly  tedious.  Even  with  European 
tools  it  would  be  a difficult  piece  of  work- 
manship, and  its  difficulty  is  greatly  en- 
hanced by  the  fact  that  the  native  who 
carved  it  had  nothing  but  a sharp  stone  or 
a shark’s  tooth  lashed  to  a handle  by  way  of 
a knife.  This  particular  specimen  has  been 
in  England  for  many  years,  and  must  have 
been  made  before  the  introduction  of  Euro- 
pean tools  among  the  natives. 


1034 


THE  IIERVEY  ISLANDS. 


The  head  of  the  adze  is  made  of  stone, 
and  is  lashed  to  the  handle  in  a way  exactly 
like  that  which  is  employed  by  the  New 
Zealanders,  except  that  it  is  far  more  elabo- 
rate. As  if  desirous  of  giving  himself  as 
much  trouble  as  possible,  the  maker  has 
employed  the  finest  plaited  sinnet,  not  wider 
than  packthread  and  quite  fiat,  and  has  laid 
it  on  the  tool  in  a manner  so  elaborate  that 
to  give  a proper  idea  of  it  the  artist  must 
have  occupied  an  entire  page  with  his  draw- 
ing. Suffice  it  to  say  that  the  illustration 
gives  a good  general  idea  of  the  mode  in 
which  the  head  is  lashed  to  the  handle.  The 
sinnet  is  laid  as  regularly  as  if  wound  by 
machinery,  and  the  native  artist  has  con- 
trived to  produce  the  most  extraordinary 
effects  with  it,  throwing  the  various  portions 
into  a simulated  perspective,  and  making 
the  lashing  look  as  if  there  were  four  dis- 
tinct layers,  one  above  another. 

Between  the  stone  of  the  adze  head  and 
tlie  wood  of  the  handle  is  placed  a piece  of 
very  strong  tappa  cloth,  which  seems  to 
have  been  laid  on  while  wet,  so  that  the 
bands  of  sinnet  have  pressed  it  well  to- 
gether, and  aided  in  strengthening  the  junc- 
tion. The  end  of  this  tappa  is  seen  project- 
ing on  the  upper  part  of  the  head,  just 
where  it  is  joined  to  the  handle.  That  such 
an  implement  as  this  should  have  been  in- 
tended for  use  seems  most  unlikely,  and  I 
believe  that  it  has  only  been  constructed  as 
a sample  of  the  maker’s  skill.  Sometimes 
adzes  of  a similar  character  are  made,  the 
handles  of  which  are  from  four  to  five  feet 
long,  and  carved  with  a pierced  pattern 
throughout  their  entire  length,  so  that  they 
^ could  not  have  been  intended  for  hard  work. 

A similar  elaborate  ornamentation  is 
found  upon  the  Hervey  Islanders’  spears, 
one  of  which  is  shown  in  the  illustration 
entitled  “ Spear,”  on  the  1018th  page. 

The  spear,  which  is  in  my  collection,  is 
rather  more  than  ten  feet  in  length,  and 
beautifully  made.  The  shaft  is  very  straight, 
very  slender,  and  highly  polished,  but  with- 
out any  carving;  indeed,  it  is  so  slight  that 
it  could  not  bear  any  pattern  to  be  carved 
upon  it.  The  ornament  is  therefore  con- 
fined to  the  many-barbed  head,  which  is  a 
beautiful  specimen  of  savage  art. 

By  referring  to  the  illustration,  the  reader 
will  see  that  just  below  the  first  set  of  barbs 
the  wood  of  the  spear  swells  into  a slightly 
oval  form.  This  portion  of  the  head  is  cov- 
ered with  carving,  necessarily  very  shallow, 
but  sufficient  for  ornament.  Between  the 
various  sets  of  barbs  the  spear  is  wrapped 
with  very  narrow  strips  of  some  reed,  which 
is  highly  polished  and  of  a bright  yellow 
color,  so  that  the  contrast  between  the  dark 
wood  of  the  barbs  and  the  shining  yellow  of 
the  wrapping  is  very  striking.  In  spite  of  the 
large  size  of  the  head,  the  spear  is  well  bal- 
anced, the  length  of  the  slender  and  elastic 
shaft  acting  as  a counterpoise;  and  alto- 


gether the  weapon  is  as  formidable  as  it  is 
elegant. 

Their  clubs  are  ornamented  in  a similar 
manner.  Mr.  Williams  describes  one  of  a 
very  curious  form.  It  was  carved  like  the 
club,  fig.  1,  on  page  949,  but  was  bent  nearly 
at  right  angles,  rather  beyond  the  junction 
of  the  handle  with  the  head,  and  was  orna- 
mented with  a great  bunch  of  long  and 
slender  feathers.  Slings  of  great  length 
and  power  are  used  by  these  people. 

According  to  the  accounts  of  this  mis- 
sionary, the  inhabitants  of  Mangaia  can  use 
their  weapons  with  great  skill  and  courage. 
They  do  not  try  to  hide  behind  trees  and 
bushes,  and  take  their  foes  by  surprise,  but 
boldly  meet  them  in  the  open  field.  When 
two  parties  meet,  they  form  themselves  into 
four  lines.  The  warriors  who  compose  the 
first  row  are  armed  with  the  long  spears 
which  have  just  been  described,  the  second 
rank  carry  clubs,  the  third  are  furnished 
with  slings,  and  the  fourth  rank  is  composed 
of  the  women,  who  carry  additional  weapons, 
in  case  the  men  should  be  disarmed,  together 
with  a supply  of  small  stones  for  the  slingers. 
This  arrangement  of  forces  is  represented 
in  the  battle  scene  given  on  the  opposite 
page. 

Sometimes  the  women  take  an  active  part 
in  the  fray.  One  young  chief  told  Mr. 
Williams  that  in  one  battle  he  was  fiercely 
assailed  by  the  wife  of  his  antagonist.  lie 
told  her  to  desist,  as  he  had  not  come  to 
fight  with  women.  However,  she  would 
not  listen  to  him,  and  exclaiming,  “ If  you 
kill  my  husband,  what  shall  I do?”  flung  a 
stone  at  him,  which  struck  him  to  the  ground. 
Had  it  not  been  for  the  prompt  assistance  of 
his  own  people,  who*  came  to  the  rescue,  he 
would  assuredly  have  lost  his  life  through 
this  woman’s  fury. 

The  people  are  apt  to  be  ferocious  in  battle, 
and  Mr.  Williams  mentions  that  several  of 
his  converts  forgot  the  maxims  of  Chris- 
tianity in  the  excitement  of  battle,  and  killed 
their  vanquished  enemies  in  spite  of  their 
entreaties  for  mercy.  In  all  probability, 
these  people  were  carrying  out  some  feel- 
ing of  vengeance,  according  to  the  custom  of 
these  islands. 

Throughout  the  greater  part  of  Polynesia 
the  friends  or  relatives  of  the  murdered  man 
are  bound  to  avenge  his  death  by  killing  the 
murderer,  if  they  can  secure  him,  or  at  all 
events  by  killing  one  of  his  family.  The 
family  of  the  victim  then  retaliate  in  their 
turn,  so  that  when  a man  goes  into  battle  he 
mostly  has  a number  of  feuds  on  his  hands. 
Like  the  Corsican  Vendetta,  if  such  a feud 
cannot  be  carried  out  in  a man’s  lifetime,  he 
bequeaths  it  to  his  son,  so  that  it  may  be 
carried  on  for  any  number  of  generations,^ 

This  savage  custom  has  stood  greatly  in 
the  way  of  the  missionaries.  They  found  no 
very  great  difficulty  in  persuading  the  people 
that  to  harbor  malice  against  another,  who 


(1.)  THE  BATTLE.  (See  page  1034.) 


(2.)  VILLAGE  IN  THE  KINGSMILL  ISLANDS.  (See  page  1038.) 


a036) 


. .■’C 


"■•  ^ ,,;V  :Ae:; 

■ ■■  '/  ' 

* ‘'^■^ 


■' 

■' 

. , -.  ■ . . . .■^  i'-,-. 

•V  V — --_  _ 


,..  . : ...ytb] 


IDOLS  or  THE  MAKGAIANS. 


1037 


might  be  totally  innocent,  was  exceedingly 
wrong,  and  that  they  ought  to  abandon  the 
feud.  But  the  new  converts  argued  that  it 
was  very  unfair  to  demand  that  they  should 
abandon  their  feuds  against  others  while  the 
feuds  against  themselves  were  still  in  op- 
eration. 

In  their  architecture  the  Mangaians  display 
the  same  love  of  carving  which  has  already 
been  mentioned.  Mr.  Williams  thus  de- 
scribes a building  which  had  been  erected 
for  him,  and  which  was  large  enough  to  hold 
sixteen  hundred  persons: — 

“ It  was  a fine  building,  of  an  oval  shape, 
about  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  length. 
The  large  posts  which  supported  the  roof 
(eight  in  number),  the  ridge-pole,  and  the 
rafters  were  most  beautifully  carved,  and 
tastefully  colored  with  various  native  prep- 
arations. 

“ It  is  impossible,  however,  so  to  describe 
them  as  to  enable  the  reader  to  form  a correct 
idea  of  their  appearance,  or  of  the  taste  and 
ingenuity  displayed  in  their  execution. 
These  posts  were  twenty-five  feet  high,  and 
from  twelve  to  eighteen  inches  square,  and 
when  we  considered  the  tools  with  which 
the  work  was  done,  which  were  principally 
old  nails,  pieces  of  iron  hoop,  and  a few 
chisels,  we  were  amazed  both  at  the  patience 
and  skill  of  the  carvers.  The  effect  on  en- 
tering the  place  was  very  striking.” 

On  the  shores  of  this  island  fish  appear  to 
be  less  plentiful  than  is  generally  the  case, 
and  the  inhabitants  are  obliged  to  have 
resort  to  various  modes  of  procuring  and 
preserving  food.  For  example,  when  they 
have  caught  a large  quantity  of  flying  fish, 
they  do  not  eat  them  at  once,  but  dry  them 
in  wood  smoke,  much  as  herrings  are  cured 
among  ourselves.  They  have  an  ingenious 
method  of  catching  these  fish  by  night. 
The  boatmen  go  out  in  their  double  canoes, 
supplied  with  torches  and  large  ring  nets 
fastened  to  the  end  of  handles  ten  or  twelve 
feet  long.  They  stamp  on  their  canoes  so 
as  to  make  a noise,  which  is  communicated 
to  the  water  and  alarms  the  fish,  and  at 
the  same  time  wave  their  torches  about. 
According  to  their  instinct,  the  flying  fish 
dart  out  of  the  water  toward  the  light,  and 
are  easily  captured  in  the  nets. 

^ Bats  form  a most  valued  portion  of  their 
diet.  When  the  missionaries  first  visited 
Mangaia,  the  natives  were  so  fond  of  this 
food  that  they  measured  all  other  kinds  of 
diet  by  comparison  with  rats’  flesh.  Indeed, 
the  flesh  of  these  animals  is  far  better  than 
is  generally  supposed.  Several  English  rat- 
catchers have  learned  by  practical  experi- 
ence the  value  of  rat’s  flesh,  which  is  said 
by  those  who  have  tried  it  to  be  equal  to 
that  of  the  squirrel  and  better  than  that  of 
the  rabbit.  The  Mangaians  caught  the  rats 
by  digging  a hole  in  the  ground,  and  throw- 
ing bait  into  it.  When  a sufficient  number 
had  entered  the  hole,  a net  was  thrown  over 


the  mouth  of  it,  and  the  inmates  easily 
secured. 

In  Karotonga,  another  island  of  this 
group,  the  rats  swarmed  in  such  numbers 
that  they  were  not  only  a nuisance,  l)ut  an 
absolute  pest;  and,  if  it  had  not  been  for 
the  pigs  which  were  introduced  by  the  Euro- 
peans, and  allowed  to  run  wil'd,  the  rats 
would  probabl}^  have  driven  the  natives  out 
of  their  villages.  At  every  meal  one  or  two 
persons  were  detailed  for  the  sole  purpose 
of  keeping  the  rats  from  the  provisions. 
When  the  people  sat  down  in  their  houses 
the  rats  ran  over  them,  and  when  they  lay 
down  to  rest  the  rats  had  made  a settlement 
in  their  bed. 

At  last  warfare  was  declared  against  the 
rats,  and  a number  of  baskets  were  made  to 
contain  the  bodies  of  the  slain,  each  basket 
being  five  or  six  feet  in  length.  The  inhab- 
itants then  armed  themselves  with  sticks, 
and  in  an  hour  no  less  than  thirty  of  these 
great  baskets  were  filled  with  dead  rats. 
Even  then  no  diminution  seemed  to  have 
taken  place  among  these  pests.  ISText,  the 
missionaries  tried  the  introduction  of  cats, 
and  with  some  success,  but  the  most  fortu- 
nate introduction  that  was  made  was  that  of 
the  pig.  These  animals  were  brought  to 
Barotonga  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  the 
sailors  with  meat  which  should  supersede 
the  flesh  of  the  rat,  and  the  pigs  repaid  their 
introducers  by  eating  every  rat  which  came 
across  them. 

When  the  natives  were  converted  to 
Christianity,  they  consulted  the  missiona- 
ries, wishing  to  know  whether  the  flesh  of 
rats  was  unlawful  food  for  Christians.  They 
evidently  asked  this  question  because  they 
saw  that  their  teachers  abstained  from  these 
animals.  The  missionaries  returned  a very 
judicious  answer  to  this  question,  by  saying 
that  in  their  own  country  rats  were  not 
eaten,  because  the  white  man  had  a repug- 
nance to  them,  but  that  there  was  nothing 
unlawful  in  eating  them,  and  that  the  Man- 
gaians might  do  as  they  pleased.  The  people 
were  satisfied  with  this  answer,  and  con- 
tented themselves  with  passing  a law  that  all 
Christians  should  catch  and  cook  their  rats 
on  Saturdays,  so  as  to  avoid  working  on 
the  Sunday. 

The  idols  of  the  Ilervey  Islanders  are 
very  odd-looking  things,  and  would  scarcely 
be  recognized  as  objects  of  worship.  It 
might  naturally  be  imagined  that  if  these 
people  bestow  such  pains  upon  their  weap- 
ons and  implements,  they  would  at  least 
take  equal  pains  with  their  gods.  Yet 
the  gods  of  the  Hervey  Islanders  are  the 
rudest  possible  specimens  of  native  work- 
manship. They  consist  principally  of  ^ a 
staff  about  sixteen  or  seventeen  feet  in 
length,  the  upper  part  of  which  is  carved 
into  a rude  representation  of  a human  head. 
On  the  staff  are  laid  a few  red  feathers  and 


1038 


THE  KIXGSMILL  ISLANDS. 


a string  of  beads,  which  are  called  the  soul 
of  the  god.  Eound  the  stalY  and  the  beads 
is  wrapped  a vast  quantity  of  native  cloth, 
so  as  to  form  a slightly  conical  roll  about  a 
yard  in  diameter,  and  ten  feet  in  length. 


One  of  these  idols  is  placed  at  the  bow  of 
every  canoe,  and  whenever  the  natives  are 
out  on  a fishing  excursion  they  always  make 
oflerings  to  this  strange  deity. 


THE  KINGSMILL  ISLANDS. 


Notith-west  of  the  Samoans  is  a group 
known  by  the  name  of  Kingsmill  Islands. 
It  consists  of  about  fifteen  islands,  all  of 
coral,  and  all  lying  very  low,  so  that  they 
might  easily  escape  the  attention  of  voya- 
gers. As  is  always  the  case  with  coral  isl- 
ands, the  navigation  among  them  is  very 
dangerous.  They  are  mostly  very  long  in 
proportion  to  their  width,  the  largest  of  the 
group,  called  Taputeonea  or  Drummond  Isl- 
and, being  nearly  forty  miles  in  length,  and 
In  many  places  not  a mile  in  width. 

The  inhabitants  of  these  islands  have  a 
character  for  ferocity  which  is  not  often  to 
be  found  among  this  race  of  Polynesians, 
and  are  said  to  be  lower  in  the  human  scale 
than  any  whom  we  have  hitherto  described. 
Those  of  one  of  the  group,  called  Pitt  Isl- 
and, are  said  to  be  less  liable  to  this  charge 
than  any  other,  being  quiet,  peaceable,  and 
not  so  perpetually  at  war  as  is  the  case  with 
the  inhabitants  of  the  other  islands. 

Their  color  is  approaching  nearer  to  black 
than  that  of  the  inhabitants  of  Tonga  and 
Samoa,  and  the  people  are  of  more  moder- 
ate stature  than  those  of  the  latter  group  of 
islands.  They  are  well  made  and  slender, 
and  have  black  and  glossy  though  rather 
fine  hair.  The  mouth  is  large,  but  has  noth- 
ing of  the  negro  character  about  it  and  the 
teeth  are  kept  very  white.  The  nose  is 
mostly  aquiline,  and  the  hair  of  the  beard 
and  moustache  black,  and  by  no  means 
coarse. 

It  is  rather  remarkable  that  the  people  of 
Pitt  Island  are  not  only  more  quiet  and 
peaceable  than  their  neighbors,  but  are  also 
of  a lighter  hue,  approaching  in  this  respect 
the  naturally  peaceful  though  courageous 
inhabitants  of  Tonga.  Their  faces  are  oval 
and  neatly  rounded,  and  their  features  deli- 
cate. It  may  be  that  they  have  been  modi- 
fied by  the  mixture  with  the  Samoans  or 
Tongans,  who  have  been  blown  out  of  their 
course  by  gales,  landed  on  the  island,  and 
gradually  became  absorbed  in  the  commu- 
nity. 

Architecture  among  the  Kingsmill  Islands 
fis  rather  distinguished  for  strength  and  mas- 
si\veness  than  for  beauty,  the  natives  prefer- 
riiag  to  employ  their  artistic  powers  on 
smaller  objects,  such  as  swords,  spears,  and 
similar  articles.  The  houses  vary  much  in 
size  and  form  according  to  their  uses.  For 
example,  the  ordinary  dwelling-house  of 
the  Kingsmill  Islanders  consists  of  two  sto- 
ries, the  upper  part  being  used  as  a sleep- 


ing-house, and  the  lower  entirely  open.  In 
fact,  the  houses  of  the  Kingsmill  Islands  are 
exactly  similar  in  principle  to  those  of  Nic- 
obar, which  have  been  described  on  page 
903. 

Some  of  the  houses  wherein  the  chiefs  sit 
and  talk  among  themselves  and  receive  vis- 
itors are  mere  sheds,  being  nothing  more 
than  roofs  supported  on  poles.  As  is  usu- 
ally the  case  in  Polynesia,  there  is  in  every 
village  a central  council  house,  in  which  the 
people  assemble  on  stated  occasions.  It  is 
of  enormous  dimensions,  having  a lofty  roof 
thatched  with  leaves  and  lined  with  matting. 
Several  examples  of  their  houses  are  illus- 
trated on  the  1035th  page,  and  the  reader  will 
see  that  the  lower  part  affords  a complete 
and  yet  an  airy  refuge  from  the  sun  in  the 
heat  of  the  day,  while  the  upper  part,  which 
is  too  hot  to  be  comfortable  during  the  day- 
time, forms  comfortable  sleeping  - rooms  at 
night. 

Dress  varies  much  according  to  the  par- 
ticular island.  Tattooing  is  practised  by 
both  sexes,  but  the  women  are  far  less  deco- 
rated than  the  men,  the  lines  being  very 
fine  and  far  apart.  The  men  are  tattooed  at 
the  age  of  twenty,  the  process  being  always 
left  in  the  hands  of  professional  tattooers, 
who,  as  in  other  islands  of  Polynesia,  are 
paid  according  to  the  celebrity  which  they 
have  attained,  in  some  cases  obtaining  very 
large  fees.  They  dress  chiefly  in  mats  made 
of  the  pandanus  leaf  cut  into  narrow  strips, 
and  dyed  brown  and  yellow.  These  strips 
are  plaited  together  in  a very  ingenious 
fashion  so  as  to  form  diamond  or  square 
patterns.  A small  cape,  worn,  in  poncho 
fashion,  with  a slit  in  the  middle,  through 
which  the  head  passes,  is  worn  over  the 
neck,  and  a conical  cap  of  pandanus  leaf  is 
worn  on  the  head. 

The  dress  of  the  women  consists  of  a pet- 
ticoat of  leaf-strips  reaching  from  the  waist 
to  the  knees,  and  fastened  by  a thin  rope, 
sometimes  five  or  six  hundred  feet  in  length, 
made  of  human  hair.  On  the  rope  are  strung 
at  intervals  beads  made  of  cocoa-nut  and 
shells,  ground  so  as  to  fit  closely  together, 
and  strung  alternately  so  as  to  form  a con- 
trast between  the  white  shell  and  the  dark 
cocoa.-nut. 

It  has  already  been  mentioned  that  the 
Kingsmill  Islanders  are  a warlike  people. 
W ar,  indeed,  seems  to  be  their  chief  business, 
and  indeed  their  whole  thoughts  appear  to 


FORMIDABLE  WEAPONS. 


1039 


be  given  to  fighting.  Even  their  principal 
amuserncht  is  of  a combatant  character. 
There  is  nothing  which  deliglits  the  Kings- 
mill  Islarulers  so  much  as  cock  fighting,  and 
large  groups  of  the  people  may  be  seen  seated 
in  a circle,  eagerly  watching  the  progress  of 
the  combat  which  is  taking  place  in  the 
midst.  Cock  fighting  is  largely  practised  in 
many  other  countries,  but  is  almost  invari- 
ably accompanied  by  betting.  The  Malays, 
for  example,  are  passionately  fond  of  the 
sport,  ami  wager  whole  fortunes  upon  it. 
Betting,  however,  has  no  charms  for  the 
Kingsmill  Islander,  whose  martial  soul  is 
utterly  aljsorbed  in  the  fight,  and  does  not 
require  the  additional  excitement  of  bet- 
ting. 

This  being  the  nature  of  the  people,  it  is 
natural  that  their  weapons  should  be  of  a 
formidalde  character.  They  are  indeed  ex- 
actly suitable  to  the  fierce  and  bloodthirsty 
people  by  whom  they  are  made.  Instead  of 
contenting  himself  w'ith  a club  or  a spear, 
the  Kingsmill  Islander  must  needs  arm  his 
weapons  w'ith  sharks’  teeth,  which  cut  like 
so  many  lancets. 

The  spears  and  swords  which  are  shown 
on  the.  1041st  page  are  drawn  from  speci- 
mens in  my  collection,  and  are  admirable 
examples  of  these  extraordinary  weapons. 

For  want  of  a better  word,  we  must  use 
the  name  of  sword  for  these  weapons,  as 
they  are  constructed  with  edges,  and  are 
meant  more  for  striking  than  thrusting.  I 
liave  often  wondered  that  in  none  of  these 
weapons  that  I have  seen  is  the  point  tipped 
with  a sharp  bone,  such  as  that  of  the  sting- 
ray, or  even  with  a shark’s  tooth.  Perhaps 
they  are  formidable  enough  even  for  these 
ferocious  islanders,  as  the  reader  may  easily 
infer  by  looking  at  the  illustration.  By  the 
side  of  each  figure  is  a specimen  of  the 
shark’s  tooth  drawn  on  an  enlarged  scale, 
partly  to  show  the  nature  of  the  tooth  itself, 
and  partly  to  exhibit  the  principal  methods 
by  which  it  is  fastened  in  its  place. 

On  referring  to  these  illustrations,  the 
reader  will  see  that  the  teeth  are  not  merely 
snarpiv  eaged  and  pointed,  but  that  their 
edges  are  finely  and  reguiany  serrated,  so 
ihat  their  cutting  power  is  greatly  increased. 
Indeed,  the  weapons  armed  with  these  teeth 
have  such  a facility  of  inflicting  wounds  that 
they  must  be  handled  with  the  greatest  cau- 
tion. I have  cut  myself  more  than  once 
with  them,  and  visitors  who  insist  upon 
handling  them  generally  suffer  for  their  cu- 
riosity. 

Although  these  teeth  are  fastened  to  the 
blade  of  the  weapon  on  the  same  principle, 
the  makers  vary  the  detail  according  to  their 
own  convenience.  In  the  weapon  repre- 
sented in  fig.  1.  a slit  runs  along  each  edge, 
into  which  the  bases  of  the  teeth  fit  rather 
tightly.  A hole  is  bored  through  the  tooth, 
and  a corresponding  one  through  the  edge 
of  the  sword,  and  each  tooth  is  fixed  in  its 


place  by  a piece  of  fine  sinnet  passed  re- 
peatedly through  the  holes,  drawn  tight, 
and  neatly  finished  off.  A plaited  loop  of 
broad  sinnet  serves  to  suspend  the  weapon 
round  the  wrist,  and  a piece  of  the  hard, 
ivorv-like  skate-skin  holds  it  in  its  place. 

The  next,  fig.  2,  shows  a much  more  elab- 
orate weapon,  which,  instead  of  consisting 
of  a single  piece,  has  one  central  blafle  and 
three  auxiliary  blades.  Moreover,  as  the 
reader  may  see  by  carefully  examining  the 
illustration,  there  are  four  rows  of  teeth  in- 
stead of  two  on  each  blade,  and  the  teeth 
are  larger  and  more  deeply  serrated  than 
those  of  the  other  weapon.  In  this  case 
the  maker  has  mo.st  ingeniously  contrived 
to  spare  himself  the  trouble  of  making  a 
fresh  tie  for  every  tooth,  which,  as  upwards 
of  two  hundred  teeth  are  employed,  would 
have  been  a very  tedious  business. 

Firstly,  he  has  shaped  the  wooden  blades 
with  four  bold  ridges,  and  cut  a slight  groove 
along  each  ridge,  so  as  to  keep  the  teeth 
straight.  Instead  of  troubling  liirnself  to 
bore  holes  in  the  sword  as  well  as  in  the 
tooth,  he  has  laid  along  the  edges  of  each 
groove  a strip  of  elastic  wood  obtained  from 
the  rib  of  the  palm  leaf,  winch  is  as  hard  and 
elastic  as  whalebone.  The  sinnet  has  then 
been  passed  through  the  holes  in  the  teeth, 
and  over  all  them  palm-leaf  strips,  so  that  one 
piece  of  sinnet  serves  to  fasten  four  teeth. 
As  in  the  other  case,  the  sinnet  is  exceed- 
ingly fine,  and  is  passed  several  times  round 
the  sword.  It  is  observable  that  in  this 
weapon  the  teeth  have  been  most  carefully 
selected  and  graduated,  the  largest  and  long- 
est being  near  the  handle,  and  diminishing 
equally  to  the  point,  where  they  are  com- 
paratively small. 

The  auxiliary  blades  diverge  more  than  is 
shown  in  the  illustration,  and  it  is  hardly 
possible  to  imagine  a more  formidable 
weapon,  especially  when  employed  against 
the  naked  skin  of  a savage.  In  actual  warfare 
the  Kingsmill  Islander  has  a mode  of  pro- 
tecting himself,  which  will  be  presently  men- 
tioned; but  in  a sudden  skirmish  or  a quar- 
rel the  sword  would  be  used  with  terrible 
effect.  As  may  be  inferred  from  its  shape, 
it  is  not  merely  used  as  a striking  weapon, 
but  is  driven  violently  backward  and  for- 
ward against  the  body  of  the  antagonist, 
one  or  more  of  the  blades  being  sure  to 
take  effect  somewhere. 

The  next  sword,  fig.  3,  has  the  teeth  fixed 
exactly  in  the  same  manner  as  those  of  the 
many-bladed  sword,  as  may  be  seen  by  ref- 
erence to  the  single  tooth,  where  is  seen 
not  only  the  tooth  but  the  strips  of  leaf 
stem  between  which  it  is  placed,  and  the 
mode  of  fastening  off  the  sinnet.  The 
wooden  blade  of  this  weapon  is  quite  unlike 
that  of  the  others,  being  marked  with  a 
rich  black  graining,  to  which  the  glittering 
white  teeth  form  an  admirable  contrast. 

The  last  of  these  swords,  fig.  4,  is  remark- 


1040 


THE  KIKGSMILL  ISLANDS. 


able  for  the  cross-guard.  I cannot  but  think 
that  the  maker  must  have  seen  an  European 
sword  with  a cross-guard,  and  made  his  own 
in  imitation  of  it.  Otherwise,  without  the 
least  idea  of  the  object  of  a guard,  it  is 
not  easy  to  see  why  he  should  have  armed 
the  guard  with  teeth,  especially  in  the  cen- 
tre, or  where  they  come  against  the  handle, 
and  must  be  quite  ineffectual. 

The  Kingsmill  Islanders  do  not  restrict 
the  sharks’  teeth  to  the  swords,  but  also  use 
^ them  as  armature  to  their  spears.  One  of 
these  spears,  also  in  my  collection,  is  fifteen 
feet  in  length,  and  about  as  formidable  a 
weapon  as  can  well  be  imagined.  It  is 
made  of  a very  light  wood,  so  that  it  may 
be  wielded  more  easily,  and  at  the  butt  is 
nearly  as  thick  as  a man’s  wrist,  tapering 
gradually  to  the  point.  The  butt  is  un- 
armed, and  rounded  for  about  four  feet,  so 
as  to  act  as  a handle,  but  from  this  point  to 
the  tip  it  is  rather  flattened,  like  the  sword 
blades,  for  the  more  convenient  reception 
of  the  teeth,  which  are  fixed  along  each 
edge  nearly  to  the  point  of  the  weapon. 
The  teeth  are  fastened  by  means  of  the  leaf 
ribs.  In  order  to  render  it  a more  danger- 
ous weapon,  it  is  furnished  with  three  pro- 
jections, also  armed  with  teeth,  and  made 
exactly  like  the  auxiliary  blades  of  the 
sword,  though  much  smaller. 

This  remarkable  spear  is  shown  in  the 
illustration  No.  2,  on  the  next  page,  accom- 
panied by  sections  and  a portion  drawn  on 
a larger  scale,  so  as  to  show  the  mode  of  its 
construction.  Fig.  a represents  the  method 
in  which  the  teeth  are  fastened  to  the 
weapon  by  the  sinnet  passing  through  the 
hole  in  the  teeth  and  bound  down  by  the 
cross  loop  under  the  little  strips  of  wood. 
At  fig.  5 is  a section  of  the  spear,  showing 
the  oval  shape  of  the  weapon,  and  the  mode 
in  which  the  teeth  are  supported  by  the 
wooden  strips  at  each  side.  It  is  worthy  of 
notice,  that  if  the  jaw  of  a saw-fish  were  to 
be  cut  through  the  section  would  present  a 
wonderfully  similar  appearance. 

In  order  to  show  more  clearly  the  source 
whence  the  natives  obtain  such  vast  num- 
bers of  sharks’  teeth,  I have  introduced  a 
drawing  of  a shark’s  mouth  on  same  page, 
taken  from  a specimen  in  my  collection. 
The  reader  will  see  that  the  jaws  are  fur- 
nished with  row  after  row  of  teeth,  all  lying 
upon  each  other,  except  the  outer  teeth,  and 
constructed  so  that  when  one  tooth  is  broken 
or  falls  out  of  the  jaw,  another  takes  its 
place. 

In  the  jaw  which  is  here  figured,  the  teeth 
lie  in  five  rows,  and  altogether  there  are 
three  hundred  of  them  — largest  toward  the 
middle  of  the  jaw,  and  becoming  gradually 
smaller  toward  the  angles  of  the  mouth. 
The  native,  therefore,  has  no  difficulty  either 
in  procuring  the  requisite  number  of  teeth, 
or  in  selecting  them  of  the  requisite  shape 
and  dimensions. 


That  they  may  look  more  imposing  in 
battle,  the  chiefs  wear  a cap  made  of  the 
skin  of  the  diodon,  or  poncupine  fish,  which, 
when  inflated,  is  covered  with  sharp  spikes 
projecting  in  ev6ry  direction,  and  upon  this 
cap  is  fixed  a bunch  of  feathers.  Both  sexes 
fight  in  battle,  and  both  are  killed  indis- 
criminately, women  and  children  being 
slaughtered  as  well  as  the  warriors. 

The  chiefs,  of  whom  mention  has  just 
been  made,  are  the  principal  persons  in  the 
islands.  With  one  exception,  there  is  no 
chief  who  is  looked  upon  as  a king,  ruling 
over  subordinate  chiefs,  each  being  inde- 
pendent of  the  other.  Government  is  car- 
ried on  by  a council  of  chiefs,  the  eldest 
taking  the  first  place,  and  the  others  being 
reckoned  by  seniority.  To  this  council  are 
referred  crimes  of  great  importance,  while 
those  of  lesser  moment  are  left  to  be  pun- 
ished by  the  offended  person  and  the  rela- 
tives. The  solitary  exception  to  the  inde- 
pendence of  the  chiefs  is  in  the  three  islands 
Apamama,  Nanouki,  and  Koria,  which  are 
governed  by  the  chief  of  Apamama. 

Each  chief  has  a mark  peculiar  to  him- 
self, and  when  a stranger  arrives,  and  can 
place  himself  under  the  protection  of  a chief, 
he  receives  the  mark  of  his  protector.  The 
symbol  is  a very  simple  one,  and  consists  of  a 
patch  on  the  forehead,  made  of  some  colored 
paint,  and  a stripe  drawn  down  the  middle 
of  the  face  as  far  as  the  chin.  Next  in  rank 
to  the  chiefs  come  the  land-holders,  and  the 
slaves  form  the  third  and  last  division  of  the 
people. 

In  order  to  accommodate  the  council  of 
chiefs  and  the  people  in  their  public  assem- 
blies, there  is  in  every  village  a central 
tOwn-house,  called  the  Mariapa.  It  is  built 
very  much  after  the  fashion  of  the  Samoan 
houses,  having  an  enormous  arched  roof, 
and  the  walls  being  composed  of  posts  and 
matting.  It  might  be  thought  from  their 
warlike  and  ferocious  character  that  the 
Kingsmill  Islanders  are  cannibals.  Such, 
however,  is  not  the  case.  It  is  very  true 
that  in  some  instances  portions  of  a human 
body  have  been  eaten.  For  example,  if  a cele- 
brated warrior  is  killed,  the  victors  some- 
times cook  the  body,  and  each  eats  a small 
portion  of  it.  This  however  is  done,  not 
from  any  predilection  for  human  flesh,  but 
from  a feeling  of  revenge,  and  probably  from 
some  underlying  notion  that  those  who  par- 
take of  such  food  also  add  to  themselves  a 
portion  of  the  courage  which  once  animated 
the  body.  Animated  by  the  same  spirit, 
they  preserve  the  skulls  of  such  warriors, 
and  use  them  as  drinking  vessels. 

The  skulls  of  the  dead  are  always  pre- 
served by  their  friends,  provided  that  they 
have  died  natural  deaths,  or  their  bodies 
been  recovered  in  battle.  The  body  is  first 
laid  out  on  mats  for  eight  days,  being  every 
day  washed,  oiled,  and  laid  out  in  the  sun- 
shine at  noon,  while  the  friends  mourn, 


<2.)  SHARK  TOOTH  SPEAR.  (3.)  SWORDS  OF  KTNGSMILL  ISLANDERS. 


(See  page  1040.)  (See  page  1039.) 


(1041) 


EXTRAOEDIKAEY  FUNERAL  CEREMONY. 


1043 


dance,  and  sing  praises  of  the  dead.  The 
body  is  then  buried  for  a time,  and  lastly, 
the  skull  is  removed,  cleaned,  oiled,  and 
stowed  away.  Each  family  preserve  the 
skulls  of  their  ancestors,  and,  occasionally, 
bring  them  out,  oil  them  afresh,  wreathe 
them  with  flowers,  and  set  food  before  them. 
When  a family  change  their  residence,  they 
take  the  skulls  with  them. 

In  one’  portion  of  the  Kingsmill  group, 
Pitt  Island,  or  Makin,  there  exists  the  most 
extraordinary  funeral  ceremony  in  the  world. 
The  body  is  washed,  oiled,  exposed  to  the  sun, 
and  wailed  over,  as  already  related.  But, 
after  the  first  wailing,  it  is  laid  on  a new 
mat  spread  over  a great  oblong  plate  or  tray 
made  of  tortoise-shell  sewed  together.  A 


number  of  persons  seat  themselves  opposite 
each  other  on  the  floor  of  the  house,  and 
support  the  plate  on  their  knees  as  long  as 
they  are  able.  When  they  are  tired,  they 
are  relieved  by  others,  and  thus  the  body  is 
borne  by  friends  and  relations  for  two  years, 
the  bearers  relieving  each  other  at  intervals. 
During  this  time  a fire  is  kept  burning  in 
the  house,  and  is  never  extinguished  night 
or  day. 

After  the  two  years  have  expired,  the 
head  is  removed,  and  the  skull  cleaned  and 
preserved,  as  has  been  already  mentioned, 
and  not  until  that  time  are  the  bones 
wrapped  up  in  mats  and  buried.  The  place 
where  the  warriors  have  been  interred  is 
marked  with  three  stones. 


i 


CHAPTEK  CVI- 


THE  MARQUESAS  ISLANDS. 


DRESS  — AMUSEMENTS  — WAR  — BURIAL. 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  NAME  — APPEARANCE  OF  THE  NATIVES  — THEIR  DRESS  — THE  ELABORATE  TATTOO  OF 
THE  MEN  — DIFFERENCE  IN  STATURE  BETWEEN  THE  SEXES  — CARE  OF  COMPLEXION  — A BLEACH- 
ING PROCESS — A MAN  IN  FULL  DRESS— MODES  OF  WEARING  THE  HAIR— THE  CHIEF'S  NECK- 
LACE-CLOSE SHAVING  — PECULIAR  HEADDRESS  — METHOD  OF  OBTAINING  FEATHERS  — ARCHI- 
TECTURE IN  THE  MARQUESAS  — AMUSEMENTS — DANCING  AND  STILT- WALKING  — THE  AMPHI- 
THEATRE OR  PAHOOA  — WAR  — TROPHIES  OF  VICTORY  — MODE  OF  WARFARE  — DESTRUCTION  OF 
PROPERTY  — ETIQUETTE  OF  WAR— REPLACING  A PRISONER  — CANOES  AND  FISHING  — FLY-FISHING 
IN  THE  MARQUESAS — BURIAL  CUSTOMS. 


We  now  come  to  that  very  interesting  group 
of  islands  called  the  Marquesas,  or  Men- 
DANA  Islands.  Both  these  names  derive 
their  origin  from  the  Spanish  navigator  Men- 
dana,  who  discovered  them  nearly  two  hun- 
dred years  ago.  The  discoverer  named  them 
Los  Marquesas  de  Mendo9a,  in  compliment 
to  the  then  Viceroy  of  Peru,  and  by  many 
succeeding  voyagers  the  islands  have  been 
called  by  the  name  of  their  discoverer. 

The  character  of  the  islands  is  rather  pe- 
culiar, and  very  picturesque.  They  are 
craggy,  mountainous,  and  volcanic,  having 
exceedingly  lofty  peaks  in  the  centre,  which 
look  at  a distance  as  if  they  were  the  ruins 
of  vast  buildings.  Being  situated  near  the 
equator,  their  temperature  is  warm,  and,  as 
at  the  same  time  they  are  well*  watered,  the 
vegetation  is  peculiarly  luxuriant.  Like 
most  of  the  Polynesian  Islands,  the  Mar- 
quesas are  surrounded  with  coral  reefs;  but 
these  are  not  so  large  as  is  generally  the 
case,  so  that,  although  the  navigation  among 
them  is  not  so  difficult  as  in  many  islands, 
the  ships  do  not  find  that  protection  from 
storms  which  is  afforded  by  the  great  coral 
reefs  of  other  islands. 

The  inhabitants  are  splendid  specimens  of 
humanity,  the  men  being  remarkable  for 
their  gigantic  size,  great  strength,  and  fine 
shape,  which  emulates  those  of  the  an- 
cient Greek  statues.  One  of  the  chiefs  was 
measured  carefully,  and  was  found  to  be  six 


feet  eight  inches  in  height,  and  said  that  he 
knew  another  chief  who  was  at  least  a foot 
taller  than  himself. 

In  general  they  wear  but  little  raiment,  a 
slight  piece  of  bark  cloth  round  the  waist 
being  the  only  garment  which  they  think 
needful,  the  place  of  clothing  being  supplied 
by  the  tattoo.  There  are  many  nations 
where  this  decoration  is  worn;  but  there  are 
no  people  on  the  face,  of  the  earth  who  carry 
it  out  so  fully  as  do  the  Marquesans,  every 
part  of  their  bodies,  even  to  the  crown  of 
the  head  and  the  fingers  and  toes,  being 
covered  with  the  pattern.  The  “Tattooed 
chiefs  ” on  the  opposite  page  illustrate  the 
extent  to  which  the  Marquesans  carry  this 
custom.  This  extreme  elaboration  is  only  to 
be  found  in  the  men,  the  women  contenting 
themselves  with  a bracelet  or  two  tattooed 
on  their  arms,  and  a few  similar  ornaments 
here  and  there.  A very  interesting  de- 
scription of  .the  tattooing  of  the  Marquesans 
is  given  in  Langsdorft’s  “ Travels.  ” — 

“ Sometimes  a rich  islander  will,  either 
from  generosity,  ostentation,  or  love  to  his 
wife,  make  a feast  in  honor  of  her  when  she 
has  a bracelet  tattooed  round  her  arm,  or 
perhaps  her  ear  ornamented.  A hog  is  then 
killed,  and  the  friends  of  both  sexes  are  in- 
vited to  partake  of  it,  the  pccasion  of  the 
feast  being  made  known  to  them.  It  is  ex- 
pected that  the  same  courtesy  should  be  re- 
turned in  case  of  the  wife  of  any  of  the  guests 


ELABORATE  TATTOO  OF  THE  MEK. 


1047 


being  punctured.  This  is  one  of  the  few  oc- 
casions on  which  women  are  allowed  to  eat 
hog’s  flesh. 

“ If,  in  a very  dry  year,  bread-fruit,  hogs, 
roots,  and  other  provisions,  become  scarce, 
any  one  who  has  a good  stock  of  them  (which 
commonly  happens  to  the  chief),  in  order  to 
distribute  the  stores,  keeps  open  table  for 
a certain  time  to  an  appointed  number  of 
poor  artists,  who  are  bound  to  give  in  return 
some  strokes  of  the  tattoo  to  all  who  choose 
to  come  for  it.  By  virtue  of  a tapu,  all  these 
brethren  are  engaged  to  support  each  other, 
if  in  future  some  happen  to  be  in  need  while 
the  others  are  in  affluence. 

“ The  same  person  may  be  a member  of 
several  of  these  societies;  but,  according  to 
what  we  could  learn,  a portion  must  always 
be  given  to  the  priest,  or  magician,  as  he  is 
called,  even  if  he  be  not  a member.  In  a 
time  of  scarcity,  also,  many  of  the  people  who 
have  been  tattooed  in  this  way  unite  as  an 
absolute  troop  of  banditti,  and  share  equally 
among  each  other  all  that  they  can  plunder 
or  kill. 

“ The  figures  with  which  the  body  is 
tattooed  are  chosen  with  great  care,  and  ap- 
propriate ornaments  are  selected  for  the  dif- 
ferent parts.  They  consist  partly  of  animals, 
partly  of  other  objects  which  have  some 
reference  to  the  manners  and  customs  of  the 
islands ; and  every  figure  has  here,  as  in  the 
Friendly  Islands,  its  particular  name.  Upon 
an  accurate  examination,  curved  lines,  dia- 
monds, and  other  designs  are  often  distin- 
guishable between  rows  of  punctures,  which 
resemble  very  much  the  ornaments  called  a 
la  Grecque. 

“ The  most  perfect  symmetry  is  observed 
over  the  whole  body.  The  head  of  a man  is 
tattooed  in  every  part;  the  breast  is  com- 
monly ornamented  with  a figure  resembling 
a shield;  on  the  arms  and  thighs  are  strips 
sometimes  broader,  sometimes  narrower,  in 
such  directions  that  these  people  might  be 
very  well  presumed  to  have  studied  anatf)iny, 
and  to  be  acquainted  with  the  course  and 
dimensions  of  the  muscles. 

“ Upon  the  back  is  a large  cross,  which 
begins  at  the  neck  and  ends  with  the  last 
vertebra.  In  the  front  of  the  thigh  are  often 
figures  which  seem  intended  to  represent  the 
human  face.  On  each  side  of  the  calf  of  the 
leg  is  an  oval  figure,  which  produces  a very 
good,  effect.  The  whole,  in  fact,  displays 
much  taste  and  discrimination.  Some  of  the 
tenderest  parts  of  the  body — the  eyelids,  for 
example — are  the  only  parts  not  tattooed.” 

As  may  be  seen  by  the  illustration  ~No.  2 
on  the  1046th  page,  even  the  hands  are  tat- 
tooed with  the  same  minute  care  that  is  be- 
stowed on  the  body.  Each  finger  has  its  own 
pattern,  so  that  the  hand  looks  as  if  enclosed 
in  a very  tight-fitting  glove.  The  reader 
will  notice  the  great  length  of  the  nails. 
Among  the  Marquesans,  as  among  the  Chi- 
nese, very  long  nails  are  esteemed  as  a mark 


of  rank,  being  a proof  that  the  wearer  is  not 
obliged  to  do  any  hard  work. 

This  elaborate  ornamentation  answers  the 
urpose  of  dress,  and  is  considered  as  such, 
ndeed,  it  would  be  useless  to  undergo  so 
much  pain,  and  to  pay  the  operator  such 
costly  fees,  if  the  tattooing  were  to  be  hid- 
den by  clothing.  The  men,  therefore,  wear 
nothing  but  a slight  cloth  round  their  v/aists, 
and  the  women  of  rank  a similar  garment, 
with  the  addition  of  a larger  piece  which 
they  throw  over  their  bodies  to  keep  off  the 
darkening  rays  of  the  sun. 

Few  phenomena  struck  the  earlier  travel- 
lers more  than  the  difference  in  appear- 
ance and  stature  between  the  men  and  the 
women;  and  the  same  writer  who  has  just 
been  quoted  remarks  more  than  once  that  it 
was  difficult  to  believe  that  the  undersized, 
stumpy,  awkward  women  could  have  been 
the  parents  of  the  magnificent,  gigantic,  and 
graceful  men.  There  is,  however,  a great 
distinction  between  the  women  of  rank  and 
those  of  the  lower  orders.  As  was  after- 
ward discovered,  the  better  class  of  women, 
who  for  some  time  kept  themselves  aloof 
from  the  strangers,  being  -^vell  developed, 
and  of  a fair  complexion,  about  which  they 
were  very  careful,  enveloped  themselves  in 
their  bark  cloths,  and  never  ventured  into 
the  sunshine  without  holding  over  their 
heads  a bunch  of  leaves  by  way  of  parasol. 

So  careful  are  they  of  their  complexions, 
that  if  they  find  themselves  getting  sun- 
burnt the}’’  have  a mode  of  bleaching  them- 
selves again,  which  they  adopt  before  all 
great  ceremonies,  though  at  the  cost  of  much 
time  and  trouble.  They  take  the  sap  of 
three  trees,  with  which  they  anoint  the 
whole  body.  The  immediate  effect  of  the 
mixture  is  to  dye  the  skin  of  a deep  black. 
The  pigment  is  allowed  to  remain  on  the 
skin  for  six  days,  during  which  time  the 
woman  remains  within  the  house.  At  the 
expiration  of  that  time  she  bathes,  when  all 
the  black  dye  conies  off,  and  the  skin  is  left 
beautifully  fair. 

A woman  who  has  just  undergone  this 
orocess,  and  who  has  dressed  herself  in  all 
ler  native  finery,  is  a very  striking  object, 
her  body  being  gracefully  enveloped  in  bark 
cloth,  her  hair  adorned  with  flowers,  and  her 
fair  skin  almost  without  ornament  except 
upon  the  feet,  hands,  and  arms,  which  ap- 
pear as  if  she  were  wearing  boots,  gloves, 
and  bracelets. 

The  mode  of  tattooing  is  almost  exactly 
like  that  of  the  Samoan  islanders,  except 
that  the  “ comb  ” is  made  of  the  wing-bone 
of  the  tropic  bird.  The  operation  is  always 
conducted  in  certain  houses  belonging  to 
the  professional  tattooers,  who  lay  on  these 
buildings  a tapu,  which  renders  them  unap- 
proachable by  women.  As  is  the  case  in 
Samoa,  the  best  tattooers  are  men  of  great 
importance,  and  are  paid  highly  for  their 
services,  a Marquesan  thinking  that  he  is 


1048 


THE  MARQUESAS  ISLAKBS. 


bound  to  be  liberal  toward  a man  to  whom 
he  is  indebted  for  the  charms  which  he 
values  so  highly.  These  men  gain  their 
skill  by  practising  on  the  lower  orders,  who 
are  too  poor  to  pay  for  being  tattooed.,  and 
who  would  rather  wear  a bad  tattoo  than 
none  at  all.  A considerable  amount  is  gen- 
erally exacted  at  each  operation,  which  lasts 
from  three  to  six  months ; and  so  elaborate 
is  the  process,  that  a really  complete  tattoo 
can  hardly  be  finished  until  the  man  is  thirty 
years  old. 

By  the  time  that  the  last  piece  of  tattoo  is 
executed,  the  first  generally  begins  to  fade, 
and  if  the  man  is  rich  enough  he  has  the 
pattern  renewed.  Some  men  have  been  tat- 
tooed three  times,  and,  as  the  patterns  can- 
not be  made  to  coincide  precisely  with  each 
other,  the  result  is  that  the  whole  skin  be- 
comes nearly  as  dark  as  that  of  a negro.  In 
this  state  it  is  greatly  admired,  not  because 
the  effect  is  agreeable  to  the  eye,  but  because 
it  is  an  indubitable  mark  of  wealth.  The 
pigment  used  in  the  tattooing  is  the  well- 
known  aleurita,  or  candle  nut,  burned  to  a 
fine  charcoal  and  mixed  with  water. 

The  ornaments  worn  by  the  men  are  more 
imposing  than  those  of  the  women.  In  the 
first  place,  they  allow  the  hair  to  grow  to  a 
considerable  length,  and  dispose  of  it  in  va- 
rious ways.  For  a number  of  years  it  is  tied 
in  a bunch  on  the  top  of  the  head;  but  when 
the  man  is  rich  enough  to  be  entirely  tat- 
tooed, he  shaves  all  the  head  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a patch  at  each  side,  in  order  to  allow 
the  pattern  of  the  tattoo  to  be  extended  over 
his  head.  In  such  a case,  the  tuft  of  hair  at 
each  side  is  still  suffered  to  grow  long,  but  is 
twisted  into  a conical  form,  so  as  to  make  a 
sort  of  horn  projecting  'outward  over  each 
temple.  Examples  of  this  curious  mode  of 
wearing  the  hair  may  be  seen  in  the  illus- 
tration 1^0.  1,  on  page  1046. 

Sometimes  a man  may  be  seen  wearing 
the  whole  of  his  hair  in  curled  ringlets. 
Such  men  are  cultivating  a crop  for  sale,  as 
the  Marquesans  are  very  fond  of  decorat- 
ing with  these  ringlets  the  handles  of  their 
spears  and  clubs,  and  of  making  them  into 
ornamental  figures  which  are  worn  on  the 
ankles.  The  most  valued  of  these  decora- 
tions are  long  white  human  beards,  which 
are  grown  for  the  express  purpose,  and  sold 
at  a very  high  price.  The  purchaser  uses 
them  either  as  plumes  for  his  head  or  as 
ornamental  appendages  to  his  conch-shell 
trumpet.  One  of  these  beards  is  now  al- 
ways reckoned  as  equivalent  in  value  to  a 
musket,  and  before  fire-arms  were  intro- 
duced was  estimated  at  an  equally  high 
rate. 

The  ear  ornaments  of  the  Marquesan  men 
are  very  curious.  An  univalve  shell,  of  a 
dead- white  color,  is  cut  into  a circular  shape, 
and  filled  with  a sort  of  cement  made  of  the 
resin  and  wood  of  the  bread-fruit  tree.  Into 
this  cement  is  pressed  an  ivory  stem,  carved 


with  figures  in  relief,  so  that  the  whole  or- 
nament looks  like  a very  large  white  headed 
nail.  The  stem  is  pushed  through  a hole  in 
the  lobe  of  the  ear,  so  that  the  head  of  the 
nail  projects  forward,  as  seen  in  the  right- 
hand  figure  of  “ tattooed  chiefs  on  page 
1046.  The  name  of  the  ornament  is  “ taiana.” 
Ornaments  made  of  whales’  teeth  are  as 
fashionable  among  the  Marquesans  as  among 
the  Polynesians,  and  are  worn  by  the  chiefs 
suspended  round  their  necks.  Wooden  or- 
naments bleached  white  are  also  used,  and 
others  are  cut  from  shells.  One  ornament 
of  which  they  are  very  fond  is  made  from 
wood,  wax,  and  seeds.  It  is  in  the 
form  of  a horseshoe,  the  framework  being 
made  of  wood,  which  is  thickly  covered  with 
wax.  Into  this  are  pressed  the  pretty  black 
and  scarlet  seeds  of  the  Ahrus  precatorius, 
arranged  in  rows  radiating  to  the  circumfer- 
ence. One  of  these  ornaments  is  shown  in 
the  illustration  No.  3,  on  the  same  page  and 
is  drawn  from  a specimen  in  my  collection. 
It  measures  eight  inches  in  diameter,  and  is 
slightly  concave  on  the  outside,  and  convex 
on  the  inside.  Very  great  pains  have  been 
taken  in  arranging  the  seeds;  they  are 
placed  in  a regular  series  of  double  rows, 
the  black  portion  of  each  seed  being  pressed 
into  the  wax,  so  that  only  the  brilliant  scar- 
let portion  is  visible.  Upward  of  eight  hun- 
dred beads  have  been  used  in  making  this 
ornament,  so  that  the  trouble  which  is  taken 
by  the  natives  is  very  great. 

Some  of  the  chiefs  wear  a very  curious 
ornament,  which  seems  to  take  the  place  of 
the  hair  which  they  shave  from  their  own 
heads,  and  is  nothing  more  than  a large 
bunch  of  hair  cut  from  the  head  of  a wife. 
As  a rule,  the  Marquesan  removes  all  hair 
from  the  Ijody,  except  from  the  head,  only 
one  or  two  of  the  very  old  men  allowing 
a few  straggling  hairs  on  the  chin. 

In  Langsdorff’s  travels  an  amusing  “inci- 
dent occurred,  illustrative  of  that  feeling. 
In  those  days  close  shaving  was  the  custom 
in  Europe,  so  that  when  the  officers  went 
on  shore  they  were  found  to  have  conformed 
to  the  fashion  of  the  islands.  They  were 
talking  very  amicably  together,  when  sud- 
denly a chief  stared  intently  into  the  face  of 
one  of  the  officers,  and,  with  horror  depicted 
in  his  features,  rushed  forward,  and  grasped 
him  tightly.  The  officer  naturally  thought 
that  he  was  going  to  be  murdered;  but  the 
fact  was,  that  the  Marquesan  had  actually 
discovered  a hair  on  his  face,  and  was  going 
to  pull  it  out  with  his  shell  tweezers. 

When  they  wish  to  be  considered  as  wear- 
ing full  dress,  the  better  class  of  men  wear 
a most  elaborate  cap,  made  of  fibre,  feathers, 
and  shells.  First,  a broad  fillet  is  plaited 
from  cocoa-nut  fibre,  so  as  to  pass  round  the 
forehead,  after  the  manner  of  a cap  without 
4 crown.  On  the  centre  of  this  fillet  is 
fixed  a large  plate  of  mother-o’-pearl,  deco- 
rated with  carving.  In  the  middle  of  this 


AKCIIITECTURE  m THE  MAEQUESAS. 


1U49 


plate  is  fixed  a smaller  but  similarly  shaded 
plate  of  tortoise-shell,  and  in  the  middle  of 
that  a still  smaller  disc  of  pearl  shell.  Some 
headdresses  have  three  of  these  ornaments, 
as  is  the  case  with  that  which  is  figured  in 
the  Marquesan  chief  on  the  104Gth  page. 

In  the  fillet  are  also  fastened  a number  of 
feathers,  either  from  the  tail  of  the  cock  or 
from  that  of  the  tropic  bird,  so  that  when 
the  fillet  is  bound  on  the  forehead  the  feath- 
ers will  stand  upright.  The  feathers  of  the 
tropic  bird  are  greatly  prized  by  the  nati\  es, 
who  use  them  for  various  ornaments,  and 
display  great  ingenuity  in  procuring  them. 
Instead  of  killing  the  birds,  and  so  stopping 
the  supply  of  feathers,  they  steal  upon  them 
when  they  are  asleep,  and  dexterously  twitch 
out  the  two  long  tail-feathers.  In  process 
of  time  the  feathers  grow  again,  and  so  the 
supply  is  kept  up.  I mention  the  custom 
because  it  is  contrary  to  the  recklessness 
respecting  the  future  which  is  usually  found 
among  savages. 

The  houses  of  the  Marquesans  are  rather 
peculiar,  especially  those  of  the  better  kind. 
The  native  builder  begins  with  making  a 
platform  of  large  stones,  many  of  them 
being  so  enormous  that  ten  or  twelve  men 
are  required  to  move  them.  This  platform 
is  from  ten  to  eleven  feet  high,  and  about 
thirty  feet  long  by  twelve  wide.  Upon  this 
is  erected  the  house,  which  is  built  with  the 
back  very  much  higher  than  the  front,  so 
that  the  roof  slopes  considerably,  the  back 
being  perhaps  twelve  or  more  feet  in  height, 
and  the  front  only  five  feet.  The  door  is 
naturally  small,  and  no  one  can  enter  with- 
out stooping.  The  walls  at  the  end  are  no 
higher  than  that  of  the  front,  so  that  a con- 
siderable portion  of  each  end  is  left  open. 
As,  however,  the  climate  of  the  Marquesas 
is  so  equable,  this  is  rather  an  advantage 
than  otherwise. 

The  interior  of  the  house  is  divided  into 
two  portions,  one  of  which  is  left  bare,  with 
no  covering  to  the  stony  floor,  while  the 
other  part  is  considered  as  the  dwelling- 
place,  and  the  floor  is  covered  with  mats. 
The  walls  are  also  covered  with  matting. 
Near  the  back  wall  is  the  strangely  made 
family  bed.  Two  horizontal  j^oles  are  placed 
about  six  feet  apart,  and  a foot  or  so  from 
the  ground,  and  the  space  between  them  is 
filled  with  dry  grass  covered  with  rnats. 
The  sleepers  lie  on  the  mats,  resting  the 
back  of  their  heads  on  one  pole,  and  their 
feet  on  the  other,  and  pass  the  night  in  this 
position,  which  seems  to  have  been  invented 
for  the  purpose  of  making  the  sleepers  as 
uncomfortable  as  possible.  Round  the  walls 
are  hung  the  weapons  and  implements  of 
the  owner,  such  as  spears,  clubs,  stilts, 
drums,  slings,  axes,  and  similar  articles. 
The  houses  are  always  placed  near  trees, 
so  that  they  may  have  the  advantage  of 
shade. 

, The  Marquesans  have  a curious  custom  of 
61 


erecting  small  and  highly  decorated  build- 
ings in  honor  of  the  children  of  great  chiefs. 
These  buildings  are  considered  as  acknowl- 
edgments of  the  legitimacy  of  the  children; 
and  if  they  were  omitted,  the  parents  would 
consider  themselves  insulted.  They  are 
protected  by  tapu,  and  after  they  are  made 
are  not  repaired,  but  allowed  to  decay.  l)r. 
Bennett,  in  his  “ Whaling  Voyage  round 
the  Globe,”  thus  describes  those  edifices:  — 

“ This  compliment  had  been  paid  to 
Eutiti’s  daughter  at  Vaitahii  a few  weeks 
before  our  arrival.  It  consisted  of  two 
small  huts,  neatly  built  with  peeled  hibiscus 
rods,  which  were  covered  with  white  tap^ia 
(bark  cloth)  and  stained  cocoa-nut  sinnet. 
The  interior  was  occupied  by  many  of  the 
same  rods  ranged  vertically,  graduated  in 
height,  and  entwined  with  bunches  of  herbs. 
The  face  of  the  building  was  ornamented  by 
a few  boards,  painted  with  mystic  figures  in 
black  and  red. 

“The  white  and  delicate  appearance  of 
the  hibiscus  rods,  the  fluttering  pennants 
of  fine  tappa,  and  the  various  gaudy  hues 
employed,  gave  the  entire  edifice  a fantastic 
and  imposing  appearance.  A low  stone 
wall  enclosed  the  two  huts,  and  within  its 
precincts  were  several  bundles  of  cocoa-nut 
leaves  placed  upright,  and  intended  to  rep- 
resent the  tutelary  deities  of  the  spot.  A 
striking  edifice  of  the  same  description  had 
been  erected  in  honor  of  Eutiti’s  son  at 
Anamaihai,  the  territory  of  his  guardian. 
It  differed  from  that  dedicated  to  his  sister 
in  being  placed  on  an  elevated  stone  plat- 
form, as  well  as  in  having  a long  wicker 
basket  placed  at  the  entrance.” 

In  every  village  there  is  a sort  of  amphi- 
theatre, in  which  the  dancing  and  similar 
amusements  are  conducted.  Eor  this  pur- 
pose the  natives  choose  a sheltered  and  level 
spot,  surrounded  on  all  sides  with  rising 
banks.  The  middle  of  the  amphitheatre  is 
carefully  smoothed  and  covered  with  mats, 
and  the  rising  banks  serve  as  seats  for  the 
spectators. 

When  a dance  is  to  be  performed,  the  mats 
are  laid  afresh,  and  a large  amount  of  food 
is  prepared.  The  spectators  take  the  food 
with  them,  and,  seated  on  the  banks,  remain 
there  throughout  the  greater  part  of  the  day. 
The  dances  are  not  very  graceful,  consist- 
ing principally  of  jumping,  without  moving 
from  the  same  spot.  Various  ornaments 
are  used  by  the  dancers,  the  most  curious 
of  which  are  the  finger-rings,  which  are 
made  of  plaited  fibre,  adorned  with  the  long 
tail-feathers  of  the  tropic  bird.  When 
women  dance  they  are  not  allowed  to  wear 
clothing  of  any  description,  and  this  for  a 
curious  reason.  None  dance  except  those 
whose  husbands  or  brothers  have  been 
killed  in  war  or  taken  prisoners,  and  the 
absence  of  clothing  is  accepted  as  an  expres- 
sion of  sorrow  on  their  part,  and  of  ven- 
geance on  the  part  of  the  spectators. 


1050 


THE  MAKQUESAS  ISLANDS. 


They  have  several  other  amusements, 
which  are  conducted  in  this  theatre,  or 
pahooa^  as  it  is  called.  The  Marquesans  are 
most  accomplished  stilt-walkers,  and  go 
through  performances  which  would  excite 
the  envy  of  any  professional  acrobat.  One 
of  the  games  in  which  they  most  delight  is 
a race  on  stilts,  in  which  each  performer 
tries,  not  only  to  distance  his  opponents, 
but  to  cross  their  course  and  uf)set  them. 
They  are  such  adepts  at  this  pastime  that 
they  walk  over  the  rough  stones  of  the 
house  platform  with  ease  and  security. 

If  the  reader  will  refer  to  the  portrait  of 
the  Marquesan  chief,  he  will  see  that  the 
head  is  not  only  decorated  with  the  feather 
fillet,  but  is  also  covered  with  a veil  that 
falls  on  either  side  of  the  face.  This  is  a 
mark  of  war,  and  is  worn  when  chiefs  go 
into  battle.  The  Marquesans  do  not  use 
the  bow  and  arrow,  but  they  throw  spears, 
sling  stones,  and  use  clubs.  The  slings  are 
made  of  plaited  grass,  and  are.  very  power- 
ful, often  exceeding  five  feet  in  length,  and 
carrying  stones  of  a considerable  size.  The 
spears  are  generally  about  ten  feet  long, 
and  the  clubs  are  carved  out  of  hard  wood, 
which  is  made  harder  by  burying  the  weap- 
ons for  a considerable  time  in  the  mud. 

They  are  fierce  in  war,  and  are  never  sat- 
isfied until  they  have  gained  a trophy  of 
victory.  When  a Marquesan  kills  an  enemy, 
he  cuts  off  the  head  of  his  fallen  antagonist, 
tears  open  the  skull,  and  eats  the  brain. 
He  then  cleans  the  skull  very  carefully, 
adorns  it  with  tufts  of  bristles,  and  slings  it 
by  a cord  to  his  girdle.  When  he  goes  to 
battle  again  he  always  carries  this  trophy 
with  him,  partly  on  account  of  the  respect  in 
which  it  is  held  by  his  comrades,  and  partly 
in  order  to  strike  awe  into  the  enemy  by  the 
sight  of  so  redoubtable  a warrior. 

According  to  most  travellers,  the  Marque- 
sans are  a quarrelsome  people  among  them- 
selves, and  much  addicted  to  making  raids 
in  each  other’s  districts.  These  districts 
are  generally  divided  from  each  other  by 
natural  boundaries,  such  as  mountain-spurs 
and  ridges,  many  of  which  are  of  enormous 
height,  and  so  steep  and  precipitous  as  to 
be  almost  inaccessible.  The  worst  part  of 
their  mo  le  of  warfare  is  not  the  cruelty 
exercised  on  the  vanquished  warriors,  but 
on  the  destruction  to  property,  and  the 
distress  inflicted  on  non-combatants. 

When  one  chief  intends  to  make  war 
upon  another,  he  tries  to  steal  by  night  into 
the  district  of  his  enemy,  and  silently  dam- 
ages all  the  bread-fruit  and  cocoa-nut  trees 
he  can  find.  The  former  are  stripped  of 
their  bark,  and,  though  their  vitality  is  so 
great  that  they  are  not  absolutely  killed  by 
the  injury,  they  bear  no  more  fruit  for  five 
years,  and  thus  thew'hole  population  are  de- 
prived of  an  essential  article  of  diet,  and  for 
a long  time  are  reduced  to  great  straits  for 
want  of  food. 


The  cocoa-nut  trees  are  killed  after  a dif- 
ferent manner.  The  destroyer  walks  up  the 
tree  after  the  mode  employed  by  these  isl- 
anders ; namely,  by  applying  the  palms  of 
his  hands  to  either  side  of  the  trunk,  and  so 
ascending  the  tree  in  monkey  fashion.  He 
then  bruises  with  a stone  the  central  shoot, 
or  “ cabbage  ” of  the  palm,  and  descends  the 
tree,  knowing  that  it  must  soon  die.  The 
reason  for  the  fatal  nature  of  the  injury  is, 
that  the  tree  is  an  endogenous  one,  and  con- 
sequently the  destruction  of  the  central  bud 
involves  the  death  of  the  tree.  Sometimes 
the  tree  is  killed  in  another  way,  a sea-slug 
(hhhe-demer)  being  laid  at  the  root  of  the 
“ cabbage,”  killing  the  tree  as  it  decays. 

Quarrelsome  as  they  are  and  cruel  to  the 
persons  and  property  of  the  vanquished, 
they  have  yet  some  slight  etiquette  in  war, 
one  rule  of  which  is  so  curious  that  it  must 
be  given  in  the  relator’s  own  words : — 

“ June  18.  — Captain  Riggs  of  the  General 
Gates ^ just  arrived  from  the  Marquesas,  in- 
forms us  that  he  has  had  a narrow  escape  of 
his  life  there.  At  the  island  of  Nukahiva, 
as  he  was  attempting  to  go  on  shore,  a na- 
tive chief,  assisted  by  a posse  of  dependants, 
seized  and  carried  him  off,  stripped  him  of 
his  clothing,  and  then  presented  him  to  the 
king,  an  infirm  old  man,  who  took  him  under 
his  protection.  That  protection,  however, 
could  have  little  availed  him,  for  the  sov- 
ereign had  not  power  to  set  the  prisoner  at 
liberty  unless  a suitable  ransom  were  paid 
for  him. 

“ The  captors  first  demanded  five  muskets 
and  five  barrels  of  gunpowder,  which  being 
agreed  to,  they  rose  in  their  violent  extor- 
tion, and  required  more;  and  this  also  being 
conceded,  they  still  refused  to  liberate  him 
unless  their  rapacity  was  still  further  grati- 
fied. The  captain  then  resolutely  stood  out, 
and  insisted  on  being  set  at  liberty,  at  the 
same  time  having  but  small  hopes  of  obtain- 
ing it,  or  any  other  issue  of  his  captivity  ex- 
cept to  be  killed  and  eaten  by  these  cannibals, 
some  of  whom  had  conspired  to  spear  him, 
but  the  king’s  authority  restrained  their 
violence. 

“At  length,  however,  the  terms  of  ran- 
som being  settled,  he  was  ordered  to  be  re- 
leased; but  here  an  unexpected  difficulty 
arose.  The  law  of  the  land  requires  that 
whoever  captures  another  on  board  of  a 
boat  must,  when  the  prisoner  is  at  liberty, 
carry  him  down  to  the  water  again,  and  re- 
instate him  in  the  same  situation  as  he  was 
found.  This  the  cowardl}^  and  treacherous 
chief,  who  had  readily  acted  the  part  of  kid- 
napper, was  unwilling  to  do,  lest  he  should 
be  shot  from  the  ship.  The  obligation, 
however,  being  indispensable,  he  obtained 
the  captain’s  assurance  that  no  harm  should 
be  attempted  against  him,  and  then  per- 
formed the  ungracious  office.  When  Cap- 
tain Riggs  had  reached  his  vessel,  the  na- 
tives on  the  shore  gave  three  hideous  howls, 


BURIAL  CUSTOMS. 


1051 


which  were  returned  by  three  hearty  cheers 
of  the  crew.” 

Finding  that  their  captive  had  been  so 
profitable  to  them,  the  natives  tried  boldly 
to  take  the  ship,  and  displayed  equal  ingenu- 
ity and  daring  in  their  attempt.  On  the 
same  evening  a native  was  detected  in  try- 
ing to  cut  the  cable,  and  was  shot  for  his 
temerity.  Finding  that  an  open  assault  of 
this  kind  was  useless,  the  natives,  who  are 
wonderful  divers,  swam  off  to  the  ship,  car- 
rying with  them  a rope,  one  end  of  which 
they  fastened  to  the  rudder,  well  under  the 
water,  the  other  end  being  carried  ashore. 
Fortunately  this  trick  was  discovered  in 
time  to  save  the  ship,  and,  had  not  the  rope 
been  seen,  the  natives  would  have  waited 
until  the  vessel  weighed  anchor,  and  then 
have  dragged  her  ashore. 

In  the  above  narrative  the  Marquesans 
are  described  as  cannibals.  It  is,  however, 
very  doubtful  whether  they  can  be  justly 
charged  with  this  revolting  custom. 

The  canoes  of  the  Marquesans  are  fur- 
nished with  outriggers,  after  the  custom  of 
all  Polynesia,  and  are  well-built  and  swift 
vessels.  They  have,  besides  the  outrigger, 
a small  stage  projecting  over  the  stem,  on 
which  the  steersman  stands  when  the  vessel 
is  under  sail.  The  bow  of  the  canoe  is 
much  turned  up  in  front,  probably  for  the 
purpose  of  actiiig  as  a defence  to  the  row- 
ers, when  advancing  against  an  enemy. 

They  are  very  skilful  in  the  fishing  art, 
both  with  line  and  net.  They  have  differ- 
ent modes  of  using  both  these  implements. 
When  they  fish  with  the  line,  they  some- 
times bait  the  hook,  pass  the  line  over  the 
side,  and  angle  in  the  mode  adopted  in  this 
country.  But  when  they  fish  for  the  alba- 
core,  they  employ  a totally  different  method, 
which  bears  some  resemblance  to  fly  fishing, 
except  that  the  bait  is  not  made  to  repre- 
sent an  insect,  but  a fish. 

A very  ingenious  imitation  of  a flying 
fish  is  made  by  cutting  the  shape  of  the  fish 
out  of  a mother-of-pearl  shell,  and  insert- 
ing a long  tuft  of  hog’s  bristles  at  either 
side  to  represent  the  wing  fins,  and  another 
at  the  extremity  to  do  duty  for  the  tail. 
This  is  armed  with  a hook,  and  fastened  to 
one  end  of  a line,  the  other  end  of  which  is 
attached  to  the  top  of  a long  bamboo  rod 
planted  in  the  stern  of  the  canoe.  Sail  is 
hoisted,  and  the  vessel  is  driven  over  the 
waves  at  full  speed,  the  sham  flying-fish 
leaping  and  bounding  through  the  air  in  a 
manner  that  wonderfully  resembles  the.  ac- 
tion of  the  living  fish.  The  albacore  natu- 
rally takes  the  bait  for  a real  fish,  leaps  at 
it,  and  is  caught  before  it  has  time  to  dis- 
cover the  imposition. 

i^et  fishing  is  carried  on  in  several  modes, 
but  the  most  curious  and  perhaps  the  most 
sportsmanlike  plan  is  that  which  compels 
the  fisherman  to  pursue  his  occupation 
under  water.  He  takes  with  him  a hand- 


net  and  a stick  about  two  feet  in  length, 
jumps  into  the  water,  and  dives  among  the 
coral,  holding  his  net  over  the  nooks  and 
crevices  with  one  hand,  while  with  the 
stick  he  drives  the  fish  out  of  their  hiding 
places  into  the  net. 

By  this  mode  of  fishing  great  numbers 
are  captured,  but  the  fisherman  is  always 
exposed  to  two  dangers.  In  the  first  place, 
there  is  a chance  that  a shark  may  come  up 
unobserved,  and  carry  off'  a limb,  even  if  it 
does  not  kill  the  man.  The  Marquesans 
are  such  excellent  swimmers  that  they  care 
little  for  a shark  as  long  as  they  can  see 
him,  and  it  is  only  when  the  terrible  fish 
darts  unexpectedly  out  of  a hiding  place 
that  they  know  any  real  fear. 

Sometimes  a rather  strange  circumstance 
occasions  the  death  of  the  diver.  It  has 
already  been  mentioned  that  up  to  the  time 
when  a man  can  afford  to  have  his  head  tat- 
tooed he  wears  his  hair  very  long,  and  tied 
up  in  a knot  on  the  crown  of  his  head.  Be- 
fore going  into  the  water,  the  natives  untie 
the  fillet,  and  allow  the  hair  to  float  down 
their  backs.  It  has  occasionally^  happened 
that  a diver,  who  has  thus  prepared  himself, 
finds,  when  he  tries  to  rise  to  the  surface  of 
the  water,  that  his  long  floating  hair  has  be- 
come entangled  in  the  branching  coral:  and, 
as  he  has  already  remained  under  water 
nearly  as  long  as  his  breath  will  last,  he  is 
sometimes  drowned  before  he  has  time  to 
extricate  himself. 

When  a Marquesan  dies  a natural  death, 
his  relatives  make  great  preparation  for  his 
funeral,  including  the  usual  accompaniment 
of  feasting.  They  send  for  a “tana,”  or 
priest,  who  makes  a long  oration  over  the 
corpse,  which  is  then  delivered  to  the  rela- 
tives, who  have  a long  and  disagreeable  task 
before  them.  They  first  wash  the  body 
thoroughly,  and  then  rub  it  with  cocoa-nut 
oil,  laying  it  in  the  sun,  and  turning  it  con- 
tinually. Several  times  daily  the  corpse  is 
newly  anointed,  until  at  last  the  combined 
effects  of  the  sun  and  oil  reduce  it  to  a 
mummy.  Wrapped  in  cloth,  it  is  laid  on  a 
bier,  and  deposited  in  the  cemetery. 

Each  district  has  its  cemetery,  or  “ morai,” 
which  is  adorned  with  gigantic  human  fig- 
ures carved  in  wood,  and  similar  decorations. 
It  is  surrounded  by  a wall,  and  held  in  great 
respect  by  the  inhabitants  of  its  district. 
Unfortunately,  the  inhabitants  of  other  dis- 
tricts hold  it  in  no  respect  at  all,  and,  when 
war  is  declared,  try  to  steal  out  of  the  morai 
the  body  of  any  man  of  rank.  When, 
therefore,  war  seems  to  be  imminent,  the 
bodies  are  carried  away  and  hidden,  or 
sometimes  buried.  A similar  custom  pre- 
vails in  many  parts  of  Polynesia,  and  Mr. 
Williams  mentions  an  instance  where  a man 
climbed  an  apparently  inaccessible  precipice 
with  a corpse  lashed  to  his  back,  placed  the 
body  on  a lofty  shelf,  and  descended  in 
safety. 


CHAPTEK  cyn. 


mUE,  OR  SAVAGE  ISLAKD. 


ORIGIN  — COSTUME  — LAWS  — BURIAL. 


REASON  FOR  THE  NA5IE  OF  THE  ISLAND  — SINGULAR  LEGEND  — THE  SAILOR  AMONG  THE  SAVAGES  — 
APPEARANCE  OF  THE  NATIVES — A SAVAGE  WAR  DANCE  — MODE  OF  DRESSING  THE  HAIR  — COS- 
TUME OF  THE  MEN  — A CURIOUS  WEAPON  — PRESUMED  ORIGIN  OF  THE  SAVAGE  ISLANDERS  — 
DEFEAT  OF  THE  TONGANS  — CODE  OF  LAWS  AND  PUNISHMENTS  — CANOE  MAKING  — SAILING  — 
NIUAN  ARCHITECTURE — DISPOSAL  OF  THE  DE.VD. 


Between  the  Hervey  and  the  Tongan 
groups,  there  lies  an  island  which  was 
called  by  Captain  Cook  “ Savage  Island,” 
on  account  of  the  behavior  of  the  natives, 
who  not  only  declined  his  overtures  of 
peace,  but  attacked  him  “ like  so  many  wild 
boars.”  The  native  name  of  the  island  is 
JSTiue. 

This  ferocity  of  theirs  is  due  to  an  ancient 
custom  of  putting  to  death  all  strangers 
wlio  land  on  their  shores,  a fate  from  which 
even  their  own  people  do  not  escape,  if  they 
have  been  absent  for  any  length  of  time. 
The  history  of  this  strange  people  has  of 
late  years  become  better  known,  owing  to 
the  exertions  of  the  missionaries,  who  have 
discovered  that  fear  rather  than  ferocity 
was  the  cause  of  this  savage  custom.  They 
had  an  idea  that  their  island  was  naturally 
free  from  disease,  and  that  all  ailments 
were  brought  by  foreigners,  and  they  in 
consequence  had  a law  that  all  foreigners 
should  be  killed  as  soon  as  they  could  be  cap- 
tured. 

On  one  occasion  a native  teacher  nar- 
rowly escaped  death  in  consequence  of  his 
absence.  He  was  obliged  to  exert  all  his 
powers  of  eloquence  to  persuade  his  coun- 
trymen to  spare  him  for  a time,  so  that  he 
might  keep  himself  far  away  from  their  resi- 
dence, and  purify  himself  by  the  healthy  air 
of  Hiue. 

When  Mr.  Williams  visited  the  island,  he 
contrived  to  induce  two  lads  to  go  off  with 
him  for  the  purpose  of  being  instructed. 
They  were  at  first  very  miserable  on  board, 
and  howled  incessantly  for  the  first  few 
days,  thinking  that  the  white  sailors  were 
cannibals  and  that  they  were  only  carried 


off  to  be  fattened  and  eaten.  Finding,  how- 
ever, that  the  sailors  were  eating  pork,  and 
not  human  flesh,  they  became  reconciled  to 
their  lot,  and  were  even  pleased  at  the  pros- 
pect of  seeing  new  lands.  These  lads  were 
taken  to  Raietea,  and,  having  been  educated 
for  their  task,  were  sent  home  again.  Un- 
fortunately, soon  after  their  arrival,  an  epi- 
demic disease  spread  over  the  island,  and  the 
natives,  naturally  attributing  it  to  the  two 
travellers,  killed  them  both. 

The  first  white  man  who  landed  there 
since  the  time  of  Cook  met  with  a singular 
fate.  A ship  was  lying  off  the  island,  and 
bartering  with  the  natives.  Just  as  the 
ship  got  under  weigh,  the  master  flung  one 
of  the  sailors  overboard  among  the  savages, 
who  took  him  on  shore,  and  held  a great  de- 
bate as  to  the  course  to  be  pursued.  Some 
were  for  keeping  up  the  old  custom,  and 
killing  him,  but  others  argued  that  the  man 
had  not  landed  of  his  own  free  will,  and 
that  he  ought  not  to  be  liable  to  the  usual 
penalty,  even  though  salt  water  was  in  his 
eye  — this  being  the  mark  of  a shipwreck. 

After  a vast  amount  of  discussion  they 
agreed  to  a compromise,  put  him  into  a 
canoe,  gave  him  a quantity  of  bananas  and 
cocoa-nuts,  and  sent  him  out  to  sea.  The 
man  contrived  to  slip  on  shore  again  with- 
out being  seen,  and,  after  hiding  in  caves 
for  some"^days,  he  succeeded  in  getting  on 
board  a whaler  that  was  passing  near  the 
island. 

The  appearance  of  the  natives  as  they  were 
before  the  missionaries  came  to  them  was 
anything  but  prepossessing.  Mr.  Williams 
gives  a graphic  account  of  an  old  chief  who 
was  induced,  after  much  trouble,  to  come  on 


Dm*RY 
Pf  TP? 

T:'t.]3VER8fry  Pf 


(2.)  PRESENTING  THE  CLOTH.  (See  page  1060.) 

(1064) 


A SAVAGE  WAR  DANCE. 


1055 


board.  “ Ilis  appearance  was  truly  terrific. 
He  was  about  sixty  years  of  age,  liis  i)ersou 
tall,  his  cheek-bones  raised  and  prominent 
and  his  countenance  most  forbidding.  His 
whole  body  was  smeared  with  charcoal,  his 
hair  and  beard  were  long  and  gray,  and  the 
latter,  plaited  and  twisted  together,  hung 
from  his  mouth  like  so  many  rat’s  tails.  He 
wore  no  clothing  except  a narrow  strip  of 
cloth  round  his  loins,  for  the  purpose  of 
passing  a spear  through,  or  any  other  article 
he  might  wish  to  carry. 

“ On  reaching  the  deck  the  old  man  was 
most  frantic  in  his  gesticulations,  leaping 
about  from  place  to  place,  and  using  the 
most  vociferous  exclamations  at  everything 
he  saw.  All  attempts  at  conversation  with 
him  were  entirely  useless,  as  we  could  not 
persuade  him  to  stand  still  for  a single  sec- 
ond. Our  natives  attempted  to  clothe  him, 
by  fastening  round  his  person  a piece  of  na- 
tive cloth,  but,  tearing  it  off  in  a rage,  he 
threw  it  upon  deck,  and,  stamping  upon  it 
exclaimed,  ‘ Am  I a woman,  that  I should 
be  encumbered  with  that  stuff?’ 

“lie  then  proceeded  to  give  us  a speci- 
men of  a war  dance,  which  he  commenced 
by  poising  and  quivering  his  spear,  running 
to  and  fro,  leaping  and  vociferating,  as 
though  possessed  by  the  spirit  of  wildness. 
Then  he  distorted  his  features  most  horribly 
by  extending  his  mouth,  gnashing  his  teeth, 
and  forcing  his  eyes  almost  out  of  their 
sockets.  At  length  he  concluded  this  exhi- 
bition by  thrusting  the  whole  of  his  long 
grey  beard  into  his  mouth,  and  gnawing  it 
with  the  most  savage  vengeance.  During 
the  whole  of  the  performance  he  kept  up  a 
loud  and  hideous  howl.  On  the  preceding 
page  the  artist  has  given  the  reader  an  illus- 
tration of  this  singular  war  dance  of  the 
Niuans. 

These  islanders  do  not  use  the  tattoo, 
though  they  are  fond  of  decorating  their 
bodies  with  paint.  Those  who  come  on 
board  European  vessels  are  delighted  to  be 
adorned  with  streaks  and  spots  of  red  and 
green  paint,  especially  the  latter,  which  is  a 
novelty  to  them,  and  for  which  they  are 
willing  to  pay  highly.  At  a little  distance, 
they  look  much  as  if  they  were  suffering 
from  some  cutaneous  disease,  but  a closer 
inspection  shows  that  their  appearance  is 


titudinous  flies  which  settle  upon  them. 

The  hair  is  sometimes  seen  very  short 
and  sometimes  very  long,  and  this  is  the 
case  with  both  sexes.  They  allow  it  to 
grow  to  a considerable  length,  and  when  it 
is  a foot  or  eighteen  inches  long,  they  cut  it 
off,  and  plait  it  into  thin  bands  which  are 
worn  round  the  waist.  The  men  prize 
these  ornaments  highly,  and  Captain  Hood 
thinks  that  the  love-locks  are  exchanged, 
and  are  valued  accordingly.  The  younger 
men  do  not  wear  their  beards,  but  tlie  elders 


suffer  them  to  grow  to  a great  length,  plait 
them,  and  adorn  them  with  pieces  of  oyster 
or  clam  shell.  They  know  the  art  of  coloi- 
ing  the  hair  a yellowish  red  by  the  aj)])lica- 
tion  of  lime. 

As  to  dress,  the  men  think  it  quite  need- 
less, and  wear  nothing  but  the  belt  round 
the  waist.  Some,  however,  wear  a very 
small  apron,  only  ten  or  twelve  inches 
square,  and  this  is  considered  rather  in  the 
light  of  ornament  than  of  dress.  They  are 
of  moderate  stature,  rather  under  than  over 
the  middle  height,  thus  forming  a strong 
contrast  to  the  gigantic  Marquesans  and 
Samoans.  The  natural  color  of  the  skin  is 
a clear  brown,  and  their  limbs  are  round 
and  well  shaped. 

In  weapons,  they  use  the  spear,  the  club, 
and  the  bow,  all  made  well  and  neatly. 
They  do  not  seem  to  invade  other  islands, 
and  their  warfare  is  therefore  waged  mostly 
among  themselves.  It  seems  rather  strange 
that  in  an  island  only  thirty  miles  in  circum- 
ference war  should  exist,  but  in  Niue,  the 
usual  Polynesian  custom  exists  of  dividing 
an  island  into  several  districts,  among  which 
is  perpetual  feud. 

They  use  a very  curious  weapon.  On 
their  island  are  a number  of  caves  in  the 
coral  limestone,  similar  in  character  to  that 
which  has  been  described  in  page  1006, 
though  not  approached  in  the  same  curious 
manner.  From  the  roof  hang  vast  numbers 
of  stalactites,  from  which  water  continually 
drops.  Indeed,  the  natives  owe  their  fresh 
water  almost  entirely  to  these  caves,  and 
since  the  missionaries  came  to  reside  among 
them  have  learned  to  collect  it  by  digging 
wells  in  the  caves,  into  which  the  water 
flows,  and  so  insure  a certain  instead  of  a 
precarious  supply.  The  floor  of  the  caves  is 
covered  with  stalagmitic  masses,  and  from 
these  the  natives  make  oval  balls  about  the 
size  of  cricket  balls,  which  they  hurl  from 
the  hand  with  wonderful  force  and  accuracy, 
not  using  the  sling,  as  is  the  case  with 
so  many  Polynesian  tribes.  Specimens  of 
these  balls  are  in  the  Christy  collection. 

These  caves  are  evidently  due  to  the 
character  of  the  island,  which  is  partly  coral 
and  partly  volcanic,  the  coral  having  been 
upheaved  by  volcanic  force,  leaving  the 
surface  fissured  and  broken  by  the  sudden 
violence  of  the  shock.  The  native  legend 
respecting  the  origin  of  the  island  points*  to 
the  same  conclusion.  They  state  that  the 
island  was  raised  to  its  present  elevation  by 
two  of  their  ancestors,  named  Ilananaki 
and  Fao,  who  swam  there  from  Tonga,  and 
found  the  island  only  just  above  the  waves. 
They  stamped  twice  upon  it,  the  first  stamp 
elevating  the  island  to  its  present  height, 
and  the  second  clothing  it  with  trees  and 
plants.  They  made  wives  for  themselves 
out  of  the  Ti  tree,  and  so  the  island  became 
peopled.  We  may  easily  see  in  this  tradi- 
tion  a record  of  the  two  facts  that  the  island 


1056 


THE  KIUAKS. 


was  elevated  suddenly  from  the  sea,  and 
that  the  inhabitants  are  not  aborigines,  but 
emigrants  from  some  other  part  of  Poly- 
nesia, probably  from  Tonga.  Though  they 
believe  themselves  to  be  derived  from  this 
origin,  they  have  been  subject  to  invasion 
from  the  restless  and  daring  Tongans,  whom 
they  repulsed  by  an  ingenious  stratagem. 
The  Tongans,  possessed  of  far  better  weap- 
ons and  better  disciplined  than  the  Niue 
islanders,  and  being  equally  courageous, 
were  rapidly  completing  the  conquest  of  the 
island,  when  the  natives  took  advantage  of 
the  peculiar  formation  of  their  country. 

The  reader  will  remember  that  Niue  is 
rocky,  and  covered  with  deep  and  narrow 
clefts,  the  result  of  the  upheaval  which  ele- 
vated the  island  above  the  sea.  Across  one 
of  these  the  Niuans  laid  small  branches, 
which  they  covered  with  banana  and  cocoa- 
nut  leaves,  and  then  strewed  over  all  a slight 
covering  of  earth,  which  they  arranged  so 
as  to  look  exactly  like  the  surrounding  soil. 
They  then  executed  a sham  retreat,  and 
slipped  round  to  the  further  side  of  the 
chasm,  so  that  the  Tongans,  flushed  with 
victory,  rushed  on  their  retreating  enemies 
with  yells  of  triumph,  and  a great  number 
of  the  foremost  and  best  warriors  were 
hurled  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  cavern. 
Before  the  survivors  could  recover  from 
their  surprise,  an  attack  was  made  upon  them 
in  overwhelming  numbers,  and  of  the  whole 
Tongan  expedition  not  a man  escaped  alive. 

It  was  formerly  thought  that  the  Niuans 
were  cannibals,  but,  as  far  as  can  be  ascer- 
tained, the  natives  have  never  eaten  human 
flesh.  They  do  not  even  care  for  animal 
food  of  any  kind;  and,  though  at  the  pres- 
ent time  they  have  pigs  in  abundance,  they 
use  them  almost  entirely  for  the  market  to 
European  ships,  contenting  themselves  with 
bananas,  3"ams,  taro,  and  fish.  Strangely 
enough,  they  have  not  imported  into  Niue 
the  custom  of  kava  drinking,  and  they  stand 
almost  alone  in  their  non-use  of  tobacco. 

Polygamy  is  still  practised  among  the 
inhabitants  of  Niue,  though  it  is  fast  dying 
out  under  the  influence  of  the  missionaries, 
who  have  further  conferred  a v-ast  boon 
on  the  people  by  their  discouragement  of 
infanticide,  which  at  one  time  prevailed  to 
a terrible  extent.  The  mere  check  which 
they  have  placed  on  this  custom  has  already 
raised  the  number  of  the  population  by 
more  than  three  hundred — a considerable 
increase  when  the  small  size  of  the  island  is 
taken  into  consideration. 

Even  before  the  missionaries  came,  a toler- 
ably comprehensive  and  just  code  of  laws 
was  in  existence,  so  that  the  Niuans  were 
in  reality  much  less  savage  than  many  of 
their  neighbors,  and  the  missionaries  had  a 
better  ground  to  work  on  than  in  other 
islands  of  more  promising  aspect.  Their 
standard  of  morality  was  much  higher  than 
is  usually  the  case  among  savages,  infidelity 


among  women  being  severely  punished.  So 
great  was  their  horror  of  this  crime  that 
illegitimate  children  were  ahrays  thrown 
into  the  sea  until  the  missionaries  taught 
the  people  that,  though  the  parents  might 
be  liable  to  punishment,  the  innocent  chil- 
dren ought  not  to  suffer. 

Their  punishment  consisted  generally  in 
deprivation  of  food.  For  example,  for  some 
offences,  the  criminal  was  tied  to  a post,  and 
allowed  no  food  except  bitter  and  acrid 
fruits,  while  for  more  serious  offences  he  is 
lashed  hand  and  foot  to  a bamboo  for  a con- 
siderable length  of  time,  only  sufficient  food 
being  given  to  save  him  from  actually  dying 
of  starvation.  For  these  punishments  the 
missionaries  have  induced  the  natives  to 
substitute  forced  labor  in  well  sinking,  road 
^making,  and  other  useful  works. 

The  Niuans  are  good  canoe-makers,  con-  . 
structing  their  vessels  very  neatly,  and  or- 
namenting them  with  devices  in  shells  and 
mother-of-pearl.  They  manage  these  ca- 
noes well,  and  as  a rule  are  excellent  swim- 
mers. There  are,  however,  some  families 
living  in  the  interior  of  the  island  who,  al- 
though they  can  be  barely  four  miles  from 
the  sea,  have  never  visited  it,  and  are 
greatly  despised  by  their  neighbors  because 
they  can  neither  swim  nor  sail  a canoe. 

The  native  architecture  is  not  particularly 
good,  but  it  has  been  much  improved  by  the 
instructions  of  the  Samoan  teachers,  who 
have  instructed  the  Niuans  in  their  own 
mode  of  building  houses,  upon  which  the 
Niuans  have  engrafted  their  own  mode  of 
adornment,  so  that  altogether  the  effect  of 
a modern  Niuan  house  is  quaint,  and  at  the 
same  time  artistic.  The  natives  seem  to  be 
wonderfully  quick  at  learning,  and  have  even 
acquired  the  use  of  the  pen,  so  that  a Niuan 
can  now  be  scarcely  better  pleased  than  by 
the  gift  of  a pencil  and  a supjDly  of  white 
paper. 

Nothing  shows  the  wonderful  advance 
that  these  people  have  made  more  than  the 
fact  that  they  have  not  only  utterly  discarded 
their  old  habit  of  murdering  foreigners,  but 
that  they  display  the  greatest  eagerness  to 
be  taken  as  sailors  on  board  European  ships. 
They  contrive  to  smuggle  themselves  on 
board  without  the  knowledge  of  the  captain 
and’ crew;  and  whereas  in  former  times  it 
was  scarcely  possible  to  induce  a Niuan  to 
venture  on  board  an  European  ship,  the  dif- 
ficulty is  now,  to  find  a mode  of  keeping  them 
out  of  the  vessels. 

The  method  of  disposing  of  the  dead  is  two- 
fold. When  one  mode  is  followed,  the  body 
is  laid  on  a bier  and  left  in  the  woods  until 
all  the  flesh  has  decayed,  when  the  bones 
are  removed  to  the  family  burying-place, 
which  is  usually  a cave  in  the  limestone  rock. 
When  the  other  method  is  emjDloyed,  the 
body  is  laid  in  a canoe,  and  sent  adrift  in  the 
sea  to  go  wherever  the  wind  and  tides  may 
carry  it. 


CHAPTEK  CVin. 


THE  SOCIETY  ISLAKDS. 

APPEAEANCE,  DEESS,  AND  SOCIAL  CUSTOMS. 


biSCOVEBY  OF  THE  ISLANDS,  AND  REASONS  FOR  THEIR  NAMES  — THE  ISLAND  OF  TAHITI  OR  OTA- 
HEITE — CONFORMATION  AND  CLLMATE  OF  TAHITI  — THEIR  EFFECT  UPON  THE  INHABITANTS  — 
EFFEMINATE  APPEARANCE  OF  THE  MEN,  AND  BEAUTY  OF  THE  WOMEN — SOCIAL  CONDITION  OF 
THE  SEXES  — GENERAL  MODE  OF  LIFE  IN  TAHITI — SEPARATE  TABLES  FOR  THE  MEN  AND 
WOMEN  — POMAR^’S  CRUCIAL  TEST,  AND  ITS  RESULTS  UPON  IDOLATRY  — DRESS  OF  THE  SOCIETY 
ISLANDERS  — MODES  OF  WEARING  THE  HAIR  — TATTOOING  IN  TAHITI  — MEANS  EMPLOYED  BY  THE 
MISSIONARIES  TO  ABOLISH  THE  PRACTICE  — HOSPITALITY  OF  THE  TAHITANS  — MODE  OF 
MAKING  PRESENTS — SOCIAL  USE  OF  PRESENTS— THE  BAKED  PIG  AND  THE  CLOTH— DIS- 
TINCTIONS OP  BANK  — REASONS  FOR  OMAl’S  FAILURE— EXTERNAL  INDICATIONS  OF  RANK  — DEPORT- 
MENT OF  TAHITANS  TOWARD  THEIR  SOVEREIGN — AMUSEMENTS  OF  THE  TAHITANS  — THEIR  SONGS 
AND  MUSICAL  INSTRUMENTS  — SURF  RIDING  — BOXING  AND  WRESTLING  MATCHES. 


This  interesting  group  of  islands  was  orig- 
inally discovered  in  1605  by  De  Quiros,  and 
has  derived  the  name  of  the  Society  Islands 
from  the  liberality  of  the  Eoyal  Society, 
which,  in  1767,  sent  an  expedition  under 
Captain  Cook  for  the  purpose  of  observing 
the  transit  of  Venus  over  the  sun.  There 
are  many  islands  of  this  group,  the  best 
known  of  which  is  Tahiti,  or  Otaiieite,  as 
the  word  was  given  in  Cook’s  Voyages. 
This  island  forms  one  of  a portion  of  the 
group  which  is  distinguished  by  the  name  of 
the  Georgian  Islands,  in  honor  of  George  III. 

Tahiti  is  singularly  picturesque  when 
viewed  from  the  sea,  in  consequence  of  its 
mountainous  character,  the  island  being  so 
filled  with  lofty  peaks  and  crags  that  the  only 
way  of  reaching  the  interior  is  by  following 
the  courses  of  the  valleys.  Sometimes  the 
rocks  shoot  up  into  sharp  and  spire-like 
peaks,  sometimes  they  run  for  miles  in  per- 
pendicular precipices,  several  thousand  feet 
in  height;  sometimes  they  are  scarped  and 
angular  like  gigantic  fortresses,  sometimes 
they  are  cleft  into  ravines  of  terrible  depth, 
and  sometimes  they  are  scooped  out  into 
hollows  like  the  craters  of  extinct  volcanoes. 

Down  these  craggy  steeps  dash  torrents 
that  fertilize  the  soil,  and  so  equably  genial 
is  the  temperature  that  every  shelf  and  ledge 
is  covered  with  luxuriant  foliage  ancl  gor- 
geous flowers.  Tahiti  indeed,  as  has  been 
well  said,  is  the  gem  of  the  Pacific.  Our 


business,  however,  lies  not  so  much  with  the 
island  as  with  its  inhabitants  — not  the  semi- 
civilized  people  of  the  present  day,  but  the 
uncivilized  people  of  1769,  when  Captain 
Cook  visited  them.  In  the  following  de- 
scription, we  will  take  Tahiti  as  the  typical 
island  of  the  Society  group,  merely  intro- 
ducing the  lesser  islands  by  way  of  illus- 
tration of  the  manners  and  customs  which 
pervaded  the  whole  group. 

In  consequence  of  the  superior  fertility  of 
Tahiti,  and  the  consequent  supply  of  food 
without  the  need  of  labor,  the  Tahitans  are 
more  plump  and  rounded  of  form  than  are 
the  inhabitants  of  most  other  Polynesian 
islands.  In  the  case  of  the  men,  the  fair 
skin  and  plump  rounded  forms  give  them 
an  effeminate  appearance,  and  the  earlier 
V05’'agers  have  all  noticed  the  strong  con- 
trast between  the  dark,  nervous,  and  mus- 
cular frames  of  .the  Tongan  men,  and  the 
fair,  smooth  limbs  and  bodies  of  the  Tahi- 
tans. The  men,  too,  wear  their  hair  long, 
and,  if  it  were  not  that  they  permit  the 
beard  to  grow  to  some  length,  they  would 
well  deserve  the  epithet  of  effeminate. 

Not  only  is  this  smoothness  and  fairness 
one  of  their  distinguishing  marks,  but  they 
also  are  characterized  by  a sort  of  languor 
in  their  movements  and  timidity  in  their 
carriage,  very  unlike  the  demeanor  of  the 
bold  and  warlike  Tongans  and  Samoans. 
“This  observation,”  writes  Captain  Cook, 


1058 


THE  SOCIETY  ISLANDS. 


“ is  fully  verified  in  their  boxing  and  wrest- 
ling, which  may  be  called  little  better  than 
the  feeble  efforts  of  children,  if  compared  to 
the  vigor  with  which  those  exercises  are 
performed  at  the  Friendly  Islands.” 

They  are  so  careful  of  their  complexion 
that  when  they  think  their  skins  are  becom- 
ing darkened  by  exposure  to  the  sun,  they 
have  a mode  of  bleaching  themselves.  Cap- 
tain Cook  merely  mentions  that  they  remain 
within  doors  for  a month  or  two,  wear  great 
quantities  of  clothing,  and  eat  nothing  but 
bread-fruit,  this  diet  being  supposed  by  them 
to  have  a strong  bleaching  power.  It  is 
probable,  however,  that  besides  the  diet  and 
the  confinement  within  the  house,  they  also 
employ  some  preparation  similar  to  that 
which  is  used  by  the  Marquesan  women 
under  similar  circumstances. 

The  Tahitans  place  such  reliance  on  the 
effect  of  food  on  complexion,  that  they  be- 
lieve themselves  to  change  the  hue  of  their 
skins  several  times  in  the  year,  owing  to  the 
kind  of  food  on  which,  owing  to  the  change 
of  season,  they  are  obliged  to  live.  They 
do  not,  however,  like  many  nations,  think 
that  corpulence  is  a mark  of  rank  and 
wealth. 

That  fairness  of  skin  and  roundness  of 
form  which  detract  from  the  manly  beauty 
of  the  male  sex  only  add  to  the  feminine 
charms  of  the  women,  who  are  far  more 
beautiful  even  than  those  of  Tonga,  while 
they  infinitely  surpass  the  short,  thickset 
women  of  the  Marquesans.  A Tahitan 
W'onian  would  be  reckoned  beautiful  even 
among  Europeans,  the  skin  being  fairer 
than  that  of  many  a Spanish  girl,  and 
the  large  full  eyes  and  rich  hair  hav- 
ing a fascination  peculiar  to  themselves,  a 
charm  which  many  travellers  have  endeav- 
ored to  describe,  and  all,  according  to  their 
own  statements,  have  failed  to  convey  in 
words. 

Yet  the  lot  of  the  Tongan  women  is  far 
superior  to  that  of  the  Tahitan.  As  we 
have  already  seen,  the  woman  of  Tonga  is 
by  no  means  the  mere  slave  of  the  despotic 
husband,  but  is  often  his  true  helpmeet  and 
best  adviser.  Among  the  Tahitans,  how- 
ever, we  find  that  the  effeminate,  smooth- 
limbed,  long-haired,  fair-skinned  man,  who 
would  not  abide  the  charge  of  a Tongan 
boy,  is  a very  tyrant  at  home,  having  no 
idea  that  women  can  be  anything  but  chat- 
tels, and  beating  his  wives,  his  dogs,  or  his 
pigs,  with  equal  disregard  of  their  feelings. 

The  women  are  not  allowed  to  eat  of  va- 
rious kinds  of  food,  as  they  would  offend  the 
gods  by  so  doing,  and  it  is  a remarkable 
coincidence  that  the  gods  do  not  permit  the 
women  to  eat  exactly  those  articles  of  food 
which  the  man  likes  best,  such,  for  example, 
as  turtle,  and  certain  kinds  of  fish  and  plan- 
tain. 

Neither  are  the  women  allowed  to  eat 
with  their  husbands,  but  take  their  meals  in 


a separate  part  of  the  house.  This  prohibi- 
tion is  the  more  galling  because,  in  a well- 
to-do  Tahitan’s  family,  eating  goes  on  all 
day  with  very  short  intervals.  The  family 
breakfast  at  eight,  and  have  a first  dinner  or 
luncheon  at  eleven.  Thus  invigorated,  they 
are  able  to  wait  until  two,  when  they  take 
their  first  dinner.  This  is  followed  by  a 
second  dinner  at  five  and  supper  at  eight, 
after  which  they  retire  to  rest.  But  as  it  is 
manifestly  impossible  to  go  without  food  for 
twelve  hours,  they  awake  at  two,  take 
another  meal,  or  “ rere-siq^per,”  and  sleep 
again  until  daybreak. 

As  to  the  turtle,  a certain  sort  of  sanctity 
is  attached  to  it.  When  one  of  these  rep- 
tiles is  caught,  it  is  always  sent  to  the  king, 
who,  however,  does  not  cook  so  sacred  a 
creature  in  his  Own  house,  but  sends  it  to 
the  temple,  where  it  is  offered  to  the  idol. 
It  is  cooked  in  the  marae,  or  sacred  enclo- 
sure, and,  after  a portion  has  been  taken  by 
the  priest  for  the  idol,  the  remainder  is  sent 
back  to  the  king.  Unless  this  offering  were 
made,  the  offender  w^ould  immediately  suffer 
from  the  vengeance  of  the  offended  god. 

This  custom  was  exploded  by  Pomare 
about  1820.  The  king  had  long  believed 
that  the  idols  were  nothing  more  than 
images,  and  that  the  gods  wxre  but  human 
inventions,  and  determined  to  tr}^  the  sub- 
ject by  a crucial  test.  He  waited  until  his 
subjects  had  caught  a turtle,  and  sent  it  to 
him  according  to  the  custom  of  the  island. 
Instead  of  sending  it  to  the  marae,  he  had 
the  turtle  taken  to  his  own  kitchen  and 
cooked  there.  It  was  then  served  up,  and 
his  whole  household  sat  down  with  him  to 
partake  of  it.  No  one,  however,  except  the 
king,  had  the  courage  to  eat  a mouthful,  and 
even  Pomare  himself  was  in  a state  of  ner- 
vous trepidation,  and  had  very  little  appe- 
tite when  he  came  to  apply  his  test.  How- 
ever, he  was  a man  of  great  moral  courage, 
and  though  he  could  not  eat  much  of  the 
royal  dainty,  he  ate  enough  to  bring  down 
uj3on  him  the  wrath  of  the  god. 

Finding  that  no  harm  happened  to  him, 
he  convened  an  assembly  of  the  chiefs,  and 
narrated  the  whole  of  the  circumstances, 
telling  them  they  were  free  to  act  as  they 
liked,  but  that  for  his  part  he  abjured  idol- 
atry from  that  time.  The  consequence  was, 
that  of  their  own  accord  the  people  volun- 
tarily abandoned  their  idols,  and  either  gave 
them  to  the  missionaries,  used  them  as  seats, 
or  put  them  in  the  fire  with  which  food  is 
cooked,  the  last  proceeding  being  the  very 
depth  of  degradation. 

One  of  these  raids  on  the  idols  was  con- 
ducted after  a very  curious  manner. 

When  the  converts  had  reached  the  tem- 
ple in  which  were  deposited  the  idols  that 
they  had  so  long  worshipped,  their  hearts 
failed  them,  and  not  a man  dared  to  enter 
the  house  and  lay  his  hands  On  the  sacred 
images.  They  bethought  themselves,  how- 


THE  CllUCIAL  TEST  OF  IDOLS. 


1059 


ever,  of  trying  the  effect  of  fire-arms,  with 
which  they  were  famished,  and,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  terrified  j)oiDulation,  made  ready 
to  fire  upon  the  idols.  After  calling  upon 
the  images,  warning  them  that  they  were 
about  to  be  fired  upon,  and  calling  upon 
them  to  avenge  themselves  if  they  could, 
they  fired  a volley  into  the  house.  Finding 
that  no  harm  ensued,  they  advanced  more 
boldly,  and  burned  down  the  temple  to- 
gether with  its  occupants. 

A curious  instance  of  courage  similar  to 
that  of  Poraare  occurred  at  the  island  of 
liiirutu.  A native  teacher  recommended  at 
a public  assembly  that  a feast  should  be 
held,  and  that  the  king,  his  chiefs,  his 
people,  and  their  wives  should  together 
partake  of  turtle  and  pork,  both  these  arti- 
cles of  diet  being  prohibited  to  women  in 
Rurutu.  The  test  was  accepted,  and  the 
party  assembled,  having  by  a curious  coinci- 
dence selected  ignorantly  a piece  of  ground 
sacred  to  Oro,  the  vengeful  god  of  war. 
That  any  one  should  eat  on  so  sacred  a spot 
would  have  been  sufficient  to  draw  upon  the 
delinquents  the  full  terrors  of  Oro’s  anger; 
but  that  men  and  women  should  eat  to- 
gether on  the  spot,  and  that  women  should 
absolutely  eat  both  turtle  and  pork,  were 
enormities  almost  too  great  to  be  conceived. 

The  feast  took  place,  and,  as  writes  Mr. 
Bennett,  “ when  the  ,Rurutuans  saw  that, 
they  said,  ‘i^’o  doubt  they  will  die  for  this 
trespass  on  the  sacred  ground,’  and  looked 
earnestly,  expecting  some  one  to  have  swol- 
len or  fallen  down  dead  suddenly;  but  after 
they  had  looked  for  a considerable  time  and 
saw  no  one  come,  they  changed  their  minds, 
and  said,  ‘ Surely  theirs  is  the  truth ; but 
perhaps  the  god  will  come  in  the  night  and 
kill  them:  we  will  wait  and  see.’ 

“ One  man  actually  went  in  the  night  to 
the  wife  of  the  chief  Auiira,  who  also  ate  a 
part  of  a hog  or  turtle  on  the  sacred  spot, 
and  said,  ‘ Are  you  still  alive?  ’ When  the 
morning  arrived,  and  the  Rurutuans  found 
that  no  harm  had  happened  to  any  of  them, 
they  became  exceedingly  disgusted  at  their 
having  been  deceived  so  long  by  the  evil 
spirit.” 

Like  many  other  Polynesians,  the  Tahi- 
tans  are  of  fair  complexions,  and  very  well 
made.  Both  men  and  women  are  good- 
looking,  and  many  of  the  latter  may  be 
called  beautiful,  their  graceful  robe  of  bark 
cloth,  and  the  flowers  with  which  they  love 
to  entwine  their  hair  setting  off  their  charms 
in  an  admirable  manner.  It  is  rather 
strange,  by  the  way,  that  the  women  of 
Eimeo,  one  of  this  group,  are  very  inferior 
to  those  of  the  other  islands,  being  darker, 
of  lower  stature,  and  not  so  graceful,  and,  as 
Captain  Cook  remarked,  if  a handsome  wo- 
man were  seen  at  Eimeo,  she  was  sure  to 
have  come  from  another  island. 

The  men  dress  in  rather  a variable  man- 


ner. All  wear  the  primitive  garment  of 
Polynesia,  namely,  a ])iece  of  bark  cloth 
passed  round  the  waist,  then  through  the 
legs,  and  the  end  tucked  into  the  girdle. 
Over  this  garment  many  wear  a sort  of  man- 
tle made  of  tiner  cloth,  gathered  neatly 
round  the  waist,  and  sometimes  flowing 
over  their  shoulders;  while  others  wear  the 
tiputa^  or  tibuta,  a garment  made  in  poncho 
fashion,  with  a hole  in  the  middle  through 
which  the  head  passes,  and  hanging  down 
in  front  and  behind,  but  open  at  the  sides. 
This  garment  is  found  in  a very  great  num- 
ber of  Polynesian  islands,  the  material  and 
the  form  varying  according  to  the  locality. 
The  bark  cloth  is  made  exactly  after  the  fash- 
ion employed  in  Tonga  and  Samoa. 

Both  sexes  usually  cut  their  hair  short, 
and  sometimes  crop  it  so  closely  at  the 
crown  of  the  head  that  it  looks  as  if  shaven. 
They  anoint  their  locks  freely  with  scented 
cocoa-nut  oil,  or  with  a resinous  gum,  which 
gives  it  a moist  and  glossy  appearance,  and 
causes  it  to  retain  the  shape  into  which  it  is 
twisted.  Beside  the  flowers  worn  in  the 
hair  and  ears,  and  the  garlands  twisted 
round  the  head,  the  women  wear  a very 
elegant  and  striking  ornament.  They  take 
the  very  young  stipe  of  the  cocoa-nut  palm, 
peel  it  into  long  strips,  and  dry  it.  When 
properly  prepared,  it  is  of  a glossy,  pure 
white,  looking  much  like  white  satin  ribbon, 
and  is  worn  twisted  into  rosettes  and  similar 
ornaments.  The  normal  color  of  the  hair  is 
mostly  black,  but  in  some  cases  it  takes  a 
lighter  and  reddish  hue.  In  children  it  is 
often  light,  but  assumes  a dark  hue  in  the 
course  of  a few  years. 

The  Tahitans  think  that  the  shape  of  the 
head  is  much  improved  by  being  flattened  at 
the  back.  Accordingly,  the  mothers  have  a 
way  of  supporting  their  children  during  in- 
fancy by  the  heels  and  back  of  the  head,  and, 
as  they  think  that  the  shape  of  the  nose  can 
be  improved  by  art,  they  continually  squeeze 
and  press  it  with  the  hand  while  it  is  tender 
and  plastic. 

Tattooing  was  once  much  esteemed,  and 
the  operation  was  performed  by  means  of  a 
comb  and  mallet,  as  has  been  described 
when  treating  of  Samoa.  Professional  ar- 
tists executed  the  tattoo,  and  were  accus- 
tomed to  travel  about  the  islands,  remaining 
for  some  months  at  each  spot,  and  being 
paid  highly  for  each  lad  whom  they  deco- 
rated. The  face  was  almost  invariably  left 
untouched;  the  bust,  legs,  arms,  and  even 
hands  being  covered  with  the  graceful  pat- 
terns. The  women  also  employed  the  same 
decoration,  but  in  a less  degree,  wearing  the 
tattoo  mostly  on  the  arms,  ankles,  and  feet, 
the  latter  being  tattooed  nearly  half-way  to 
the  knees,  so  that  at  a little  distance  the 
woman  looked  as  if  she  were  wearing  boots 
or  socks  fitting  tightly  to  the  skin.  The  mis- 
sionaries, however,  discouraged  the  tattoo, 
which  by  degrees  came  to  be  accepted  as  a 


lOGO 


THE  SOCIETY  ISLAKDS. 


mark  of  a revolutionary  spirit,  and  rendered 
the  offender  liable  to  punishment. 

Mr.  Bennett  mentions  two  instances  where 
old  men  were  tattooed  on  the  face  as  well  as 
the  body,  one  of  them  being  a man  who  had 
been  the  high  priest  of  the  god  Oro,  the 
Polynesian  Mars,  who  was  worshipped  with 
every  accessory  of  bloodshed  and  cruelty. 
This  deity,  together  with  other  objects 
of  Tahitan  worship,  will  be  presently  de- 
scribed. 

The  means  that  were  employed  to  put  an 
end  to  the  practice  of  tattooing  were  of  a 
veiy  severe  and  rather  despotic  character. 
It  was  found  that  ordinary  punishments 
were  of  little  avail  in  checking  n practice  so 
much  in  consonance  with  the  feelings  and 
habits  of  the  natives.  Even  after  they  had 
submitted  themselves  to  the  laws  which 
the  white  colonists  introduced,  they  could 
scarcely  bring  themselves  to  obey  the  edict 
which  forbade  the  tattoo,  and  evaded  it  on 
every  possible  pretext.  They  would  even 
voyage  to  another  island,  nominally  on  mer- 
cantile affairs,  but  in  reality  for  the  purpose 
of  bein^  tattooed  while  out  of  the  reach  of 
the  white  men  and  their  laws. 

As  to  the  punishment  which  ensued,  the 
delinquents  cared  little  about  it — the  allotted 
task  of  road  making  or  well  digging  was 
completed  in  time,  whereas  the  decoration 
of  the  tattoo  lasted  throughout  life.  After 
trying  to  check  the  practice  by  various 
penal  laws,  the  new  legislators  hit  upon  a 
plan  described  by  themselves  as  merely  dis- 
figuring the  pattern  made  by  the  tattoo.  Dr. 
Bennett,  however,  uses  more  forcible  terms. 
“ The  ancient  practice  of  tattooing  the  skin 
is  gradually  declining  amongst  the  Society' 
Islanders  generally.  The  missionaries  have 
been  much  opposed  to  the  custom,  and 
among  the  laws  framed  for  these  islands 
was  one  which  made  tattooing  criminal;  but 
this  has  since  been  repealed,  or  continues  in 
force  only  in  the  islands  of  Iluahine,  Kaia- 
tea,  and  Tahaa. 

“ When  viewed  in  connection  with  the 
habits  of  the  natives,  tattooing  is  not,  cer- 
tainly, so  innocent  a display  of  savage  finery 
as  most  Europeans  imagine  it  to  be;  never- 
theless, we  felt  much  regret,  not  unmingled 
with  indignation,  when  we  beheld,  in  the 
house  of  the  royal  chief  of  Baiatea,  a native 
woman  of  naturally  agreeable  features,  dis- 
figured by  an  extensive  patch  of  charcoal 
embedded  in  her  cheek  — a punishment  in- 
flicted upon  her  by  the  judges  for  having 
slightly  tattooed  herself.  '\V'hile  we  were 
regarding  this  spectacle  a second  female 
showed  us  her  hand,  which  afforded  a similar 
instance  of  judicial  severity.” 

The  various  figures  employed  by  the  Tahi- 
tans  have  each  a separate  name,  and  these 
figures  are  imprinted  not  only  upon  the 
skin,  but  upon  the  bark  cloth  garments  of 
both  sexes. 

The  Tahitans  are  naturally  a hospitable  I 


people,  and  have  invented  a complete  code 
of  etiquette  for  making  presents,  the  most 
curious  of  which  is  that  which  is  employed 
in  giving  bark  cloth.  Captain  Cook’s  de- 
scription of  this  custom  is  very  interesting. 
It  is  also  illustrated  on  the  1054th  page. 
“ I went  with  Otoo  to  his  father’s  house, 
where  I found  some  people  employed  in 
dressing  two  girls  with  a prodigious  quan- 
tity of  fine  cloth,  after  a very  singular  fash- 
ion. The  one  end  of  each  piece  of  cloth,  of 
which  there  were  a good  many,  was  held  up 
over  the  heads  of  the  girls,  while  the  re- 
mainder was  wrapped  round  their  bodies, 
under  the  arm-pits.  Then  the  upper  ends 
were  let  fall,  and  hung  down  in  folds  to  the 
ground,  one  over  the  other,  so  as  to  bear 
some  resemblance  to  a circular  hoop-petti- 
coat. 

“ Afterward,  round  the  outside  of  all  were 
wrapped  several  pieces  of  differently  colored 
cloth,  which  considerably  increased  the  size, 
so  that  it  was  not  less  than  five  or  six  yards 
in  circuit,  and  the  weight  of  this  singular 
attire  was  as  much  as  the  poor  girls  could 
support.  To  each  were  hung  two  taames  or 
breastplates,  by  way  of  enlivening  the’ whole, 
and  giving  it  a picturesque  appearance. 
Thus  equipped,  they  w^ere  conducted  on 
board  the  ship,  together  with  several  hogs 
and  a quantity  of  fruit,  which,  with  the  cloth, 
was  a present  to  me  fi  .m  Otoo’s  father. 

“ Persons  of  either  sex,  dressed  in  this 
manner,  are  called  afee,  but  I believe  it  is 
never  practised  except  when  large  presents 
of  cloth  are  to  be  made.  ' At  least,  I never 
saw  it  practised  on  any  other  occasion;  nor, 
indeed,  had  I ever  such  a present  before; 
but  both  Captain  Clarke  and  I had  cloth 
given  to  us  afterward,  thus  wrapped  round 
the  bearers.” 

These  cloths  are  mostly  put  on  the  bearers 
by  laying  the  end  of  the  cloth  on  the  ground. 
The  girl  then  lies  down  on  the  end  of  the 
piece,  holds  it  tightly  to  her  body,  and  rolls 
over  and  over,  until  she  has  W'ound  herself 
up  in  all  the  cloth  that  she  is  intended  to 
present.  When  the  bearers  are  taken  into 
the  presence  of  the  chief  to  whom  the  offer- 
ing is  made,  they  reverse  the  process,  and 
unroll  themselves,  by  revolving  on  the  floor 
in  the  contrary  direction. 

Food  is  presented  in  another  way.  The 
donor  sends  his  servants  with  the  hogs, 
bread-fruit,  and  other  provisions,  to  the 
house  of  the  person  to  whom  the  present  is 
made.  They  do  not  enter  the  house,  but 
simply  spread  leaves  on  the  ground,  lay  the 
provisions  on  them,  and  then  return  to  their 
master.  The  donor  then  enters  the  house, 
and  calls  upon  his  friend  to  come  out  and 
look  at  the  present  that  has  been  brought 
for  him.  The  latter  signifies  his  acceptance 
by  ordering  his  servants  to  carry  the  food 
within  his  house,  but  utters  no  thanks. 

In  most  of  these  cases,  it  is  expected  that 
a present  of  equal  value  should  be  returned, 


PRESENTING  THE  PIG. 


lOGl 


and,  if  the  recipient  should  be  a wealthy 
man,  he  would  be  thought  rather  shabby  if 
his  return  present  were  not  rather  more 
valuable.  In  consequence  of  this  theory, 
Captain  Cook  found  that  when  he  purchased 
provisions  he  got  them  much  more  cheaply 
than  when  they  were  presented  to  him. 

In  these  islands  is  found  the  widely  spread 
practice  of  selecting  friends  from  strangers. 
When  a ship  arrives,  each  of  the  officers  and 
crew  is  selected  by  a native  as  his  particular 
friend,  and  during  the  time  of  the  vessel’s 
stay  is  placed  under  his  charge.  Every  day, 
the  “ apoa  ” or  friend  will  come  on  board 
with  his  present  of  cooked  bread-fruit  and 
other  provisions;  and  should  his  visitor  go 
on  shore,  he  takes  care  that  all  possible 
necessaries,  and  even  luxuries,  shall  be  pro- 
vided for  him.  It  is  assumed  that  when  the 
visitor  departs  he  will  in  his  turn  make  a 
present;  but  there  have  been  many  instances 
where  the  natives  have  been  so  grateful  for 
some  kindness  that  they  have  refused  to 
accept  anything  in  return  for  their  hos- 
pitality. 

One  very  graceful  mode  of  giving  presents 
is  by  offering  them  in  the  name  of  a child. 
In  this  case,  whenever  provisions  are  sent, 
they  are  always  accompanied  by  the  child, 
who  is  supposed  to  present  them,  and  to 
whom  all  returns  are  made. 

There  is  a custom  — once  very  prevalent 
but  now  become  nearly  if  not  wholly  extinct 
— which  is  evidently  based  on  the  same  prin- 
ciple. When  a man  is  in  want  of  something 
which  he  cannot  obtain,  such  as  a new  house, 
or  a quantity  of  cloth,  he  bakes  a pig,  and 
sends  it  by  his  friends  to  all  the  population 
of  the  place.  The  bearers  offer  the  pig,  and 
mention  at  the  same  time  the  needs  of  the 
owner.  All  those  who  partake  of  it,  even 
though  they  eat  but  a mouthful,  thereby 
bind  themselves  to  share  in  assisting  the 
petitioner,  either  in  building  the  house  or 
in  making  the  cloth. 

Mr.  Bennett  mentions  one  instance,  where 
a man  wanted  thirty-six  yards  of  cloth,  and 
sent  a pig  after  the  usual  fashion.  No  one, 
however,  would  touch  it,  and  the  poor  man 
’would  have  gone  'without  his  cloth  had  not 
the  queen  taken  compassion  on  him.  She 
ordered  the  bearers  to  leave  the  pig  in  her 
house,  thereby  assuming  to  herself  alone  the 
task  of  providing  the  cloth.  A number  of 
women  v/ho  saw  the  proceeding,  felt  rather 
ashamed  that  the  queen  should  be  left  to 
perform  the  task  alone,  so  they  went  into 
the  house,  ate  the  pig,  and  made  the  desired 
cloth. 

Among  the  Society  Islands,  the  distinctions 
of  rank  are  jealously  insisted  upon,  and  no 
one  can  command  any  respect  unless  he  be 
in  the  possession  of  some  acknowledged  rank. 
Ignorance  of  this  characteristic  was  the  real 
cause  of  Omai’s  failure.  Most  of  my  readers 
are  aware  that  this  man,  the  first  Polynesian 
who  had  ever  visited  England,  was  a native 


of  Raietea,  one  of  the  Society  Islands,  and 
that  he  w^as  brought  to  England  for  the 
purpose  of  being  educated,  so  that  he  might 
act  as  a missionary  both  of  Christianity  and 
civilization  in  his  native  country. 

In  Captain  Cook’s  third  voyage,  Omai  was 
taken  back  again,  after  he  had  been  loaded 
with  presents  of  various  kinds.  It  was 
found,  however,  that  all  tliat  he  really  cared 
for  was  the  possession  of  weapons,  esi)ecially 
fire-arms,  by  means  of  which  he  might  make 
himself  master  of  the  island.  He  had  several 
muskets  and  pistols,  together  with  ammuni- 
tion, but  Captain  Cook  remarked  in  his 
journal  that  he  fancied  Omai  would  be 
happier  without  the  fire-arms  than  with 
them,  and  expresses  a doubt  whether  he 
would  not  have  been  happier  still  if  he  had 
never  been  removed  from  his  island. 

The  result  justified  these  anticipations. 
No  one,  except  the  lower  orders,  would  have 
anything  to  do  with  a man  of  no  rank,  and 
the  nobles,  who  led  public  opinion,  would 
not  even  look  at  him  as  he  paraded  up  and 
down,  clad  in  the  suit  of  armor  which  had 
been  presented  to  him  wdth  more  generosity 
than  prudence.  In  fact,  they  felt  that  his 
possession  of  all  these  treasures  was  a slight 
upon  themselves,  and  the  natural  result  was 
that  Omai  was  soon  fleeced  of  all  his  property, 
and  speedily  sank  back  again  into  his  orig- 
inal barbarism  and  idolatry. 

Tenacious  as  they  are  of  their  rank,  the 
Tahitan  nobles  show  but  few  external  marks 
of  it.  Even  at  the  present  day,  although 
they  have  obtained  considerable  wealth  from 
trade,  and  though  implicit  deference  is  paid 
to  them  by  their  own  people,  the  chiefs,  as 
a rule,  dress  and  fare  no  better  than  the 
generality  of  their  subjects.  The  fact  is, 
that  every  person’s  rank  is  so  well  known, 
that  there  is  no  necessity  for  indicating  it  by 
outward  show  or  luxurious  habits,  which 
would  only  serve  to  bring  upon  them  the 
contemptuous  epithet  of  fahie\  or  conceited. 

In  illustration  of  this  principle,  Mr.  Ben- 
nett remarks  in  his  “Whaling  Voyage 
round  the  Globe,”  that  it  was  “ usual  to  see 
the  Queen  Aimata  clad  in  a loose  cotton 
gown,  bare-headed  and  bare-footed,  ming- 
ling with  natives  of  every  class.  Her 
meals,  too,  are  equally  unostentatious,  the 
bread-fruit,  poe,  cocoa-nuts,  and  baked  pig, 
intended  for  her  food,  being  placed  on  a 
layer  of  fresh  leaves  spread  on  the  ground ; 
while  the  partaking  party  display,  by  the 
use  of  their  fingers,  a thorough  contempt 
for  the  modern  innovation  of  knives  and 
forks,  in  the  use  of  which,  however,  they 
are  perfectly  well  versed.”  This  visit  to 
Tahiti  was  made  in  1834. 

Nothing,  perhaps,  shows  the  innate  re- 
spect for  rank  more  than  the  conduct  of  the 
Tahitans  toward  their  queen.  Personally 
she  was  not  in  the  least  respected,  nor  in- 
deed did  she  deserve  respect.  Being  the 
only  daughter  of  Pomare  II.,  and  deriving 


10G2 


THE  SOCIETY  ISLANDS. 


from  her  birth  the  title  of  Pomare  Yahine, 
by  which  she  was  better  known  than  by  the 
name  of  Aimata,  she  became  queen  in  1827, 
on  the  death  of  her  infant  brother.  Her 
conduct  as  queen  was  at  first  of  the  most 
unqueenly  kind.  She  resisted  to  the  utmost 
the  attempts  that  were  being  made  to  im- 
prove the  moral  condition  of  the  people, 
and  did  her  best,  both  by  precept  and  exam- 
ple, to  bring  back  the  state  of  unrestrained 
licentiousness  which  had  reigned  through 
the  land.  Yet,  in  spite  of  her  conduct,  the 
respect  for  her  rank  was  in  no  way  dimin- 
ished, and,  as  has  been  seen,  she  could  be 
on  familiar  terms  with  the  lowest  of  her 
subjects  without  derogating  from  her  dig- 
nity. 

The  amusements  of  the  Tahitans  are 
much  like  those  of  other  Polynesians,  and 
therefore  need  but  little  description.  The 
Tahitans  are  fond  of  singing,  and  possess 
good  voices  and  ears,  so  that  they  have  been 
apt  pupils  in  European  music.  As  a rule, 
however,  they  prefer  singing  the  air,  or  at 
most  a first  and  second,  the  more  elaborate 
movements  of  concerted  music  scarcely 
pleasing  them.  They  excel  in  keeping 
time,  and  exhibit  this  capacity  not  only  in 
their  songs  but  in  their  dances.  The  native 
mode  of  singing  is  not  pleasing  to  an  Eng- 
lish ear,  being  of  a monotonous  character, 
nasal  in  tone,  and  full  of  abrupt  transitions 
from  the  highest  to  the  lowest  notes. 

The  native  songs  are  mostly  on  two  sub- 
jects, namely,  love  and  war,  the  former  pre- 
dominating, as  is  likely  to  be  the  case  from 
the  quiet  and  peaceable  character  of  the 
people.  Sometimes  their  songs  assume  a 
more  patriotic  cast,  and  set  forth  the  praises 
of  their  island  home,  the  beauty  of  its  scen- 
ery, and  the  fertility  of  its  soil.  The  sing- 
ers are  usually  women,  whose  sweet  voices 
render  pleasing  even  the  nasal  intonations. 
The  men  sing  but  seldom,  and  when  they 
do  exert  their  voices,  they  almost  invariably 
use  the  harsh  native  mode  of  vocalization. 

Their  musical  instruments  are  but  few. 
They  have  of  course  the  drum,  with  which 
they  accompany  their  songs  and  dances,  not 
by  beating  it  violently  after  the  African 
style  of  drumming,  but  gently  tapping  it 
with  the  fingers.  The  drums  are  of  differ- 
ent sizes,  and  are  all  cylindrical,  and  very 
long  in  proportion  to  their  diameter.  Like 
many  other  uncivilized  people,  they  display 
a great  fondness  for  the  Jews’  harp,  partly 
because  it  is  easy  to  play,  and  partly  because 
it  reproduces  to  some  extent  the  peculiar 
intervals  of  savage  music. 

The  chief  native  instrument  that  is  capa- 
ble of  producing  different  notes  is  a sort  of 
flageolet  or  “hoe,”  which  produces  a low, 
deep  tone,  something  like  the  “ drone  ” of 
the  bag -pipe.  The  native  musician  can 
tune  his  instrument  in  a very  simple  man- 
ner. The  mouth-piece  is  split  longitudi- 


nally, so  that  the  pieces  vibrate  like  those  of 
any  “reed”  instrument.  Surrounding  the 
mouth-piece  is  a ring  of  soft  wood,  and  by 
pushing  this  forward,  or  driving  it  back,  the 
performer  can  tune  his  instrument  with 
some  nicety,  the  former  movement  produc- 
ing a sharp,  and  the  latter  a graver  tone. 

The  hoe  is  seldom  played  alone,  and  is 
generally  used  as  an  accompaniment  to  the 
native  dances.  The  performers,  after  tuning 
their  instruments,  sit  in  a circle,  pressed 
closely  together,  and,  bending  forward  so 
that  their  heads  are  bowed  over  their  knees, 
play  in  admirable  time,  though  as  much 
praise  can  scarcely  be  given  to  the  melody. 

Following  the  instincts  of  the  savage  na- 
ture, the  Tahitans  are  passionately  fond  of 
cock-fighting,  and  amusements  of  a similar 
character.  Some  of  them  are  of  a more 
harmless  character.  One  of  the  most  manly 
and  graceful  of  these  amusements  closely 
resembles  the  surf  swimming  of  the  Sand- 
wich Islanders,  and  is  thus  described  by 
Captain  Cook:  — 

“Neither  were  they  strangers  to  the 
soothing  effects  produced  by  particular  sorts 
of  motion,  which  in  some  cases  seem  to 
allay  any  perturbation  of  mind  with  as 
much  success  as  music.  Of  this  I met  with 
a remarkable  instance.  For  on  walking  one 
day  about  Matavai  Point,  where  our  tents 
were  erected,  I saw  a man  paddling  in  a 
small  canoe  so  swiftly,  and  looking  about 
with  such  eagerness  on  each  side,  as  to  com- 
mand all  my  attention. 

“ At  first  I imagined  that  he  had  stolen 
something  from  one  of  the  ships,  and  was 
pursued,  but  on  waiting  patiently  saw  him 
repeat  his  amusement.  He  went  out  from 
the  shore  till  he  was  near  the  place  where 
the  swell  begins  to  take  its  rise;  and  watch- 
ing its  first  motion  very  attentively,  paddled 
before  it  with  great  quickness  till  he  found 
that  it  overtook  him,  and  had  acquired  suffi- 
cient force  to  carry  his  canoe  before  it  with- 
out passing  underneath.  He  then  sat  mo- 
tionless, and  was  carried  along  at  the  same 
swift  rate  as  the  wave,  till  it  landed  him 
upon  the  beach,  when  he  started  out,  emp- 
tied his  canoe,  and  went  in  search  of  another 
swell. 

“I  could  not  help  concluding  that  this 
man  felt  the  most  supreme  pleasure  while 
he  was  driven  on  so  fast  and  so  smoothly  by 
the  sea,  especially  as,  though  the  tents  and 
ships  were  so  near,  he  did  not  seem  in  the 
least  to  envy,  or  even  to  take  any  notice  of 
the  crowds  of  his  countrymen  collected  to 
view  them  as  objects  which  were  rare  and 
curious. 

“ During  my  stay,  two  or  three  of  the  na- 
tives came  up,  who  seemed  to  share  his 
felicity,  and  always  called  out  when  there 
was  an  appearance  of  a favorable  swell,  as 
he  sometimes  missed  it  by  his  back  being 
turned  and  looking  about  for  it.  By  this  I 
understood  that  this  exercise,  which  is  called 


BOXIKG  AXD  WRESTLING  MATCHES. 


10C3 


chorooe^  was  fi’eqiient  amongst  them,  and 
they  have  probably  more  amusements  of 
this  sort,  which  afforded  them  at  least  as 
much  pleasure  as  skating,  which  is  the  only 
one  of  ours  with  whose  effects  I could  com- 
pare it.” 

Like  the  Tongans  and  Samoans,  these 
people  are  fond  of  boxing  and  wrestling 
matches,  not  only  as  spectators,  but  actors. 
They  do  not,  however,  enter  into  them  with 
the  spirit  and  courage  displayed  by  the 
more  hardy  islanders,  and  there  is  little 
doubt  that  a boxer  or  wrestler  of  Tonga 
would  scarcely  be  able  to  find  a worthy  op- 
ponent in  the  Society  Islands. 

Of  these  two  sports,  the  Society  Islanders 
much  prefer  wrestling,  boxing  being  thought 
rather  too  rough  an  amusement,  and  being 
apt  to  leave  unpleasant  marks  on  the  face  of 
the  vanquished  combatant.  Wrestling,  how- 
ever, is  much  more  common,  and  is  con- 
ducted after  the  following  manner. 

The  intending  combatants  first  went  to  the 
temples  of  their  special  gods,  and  laid  offer- 
ings before  them,  asking  for  their  assistance 
in  the  approaching  struggle.  They  then 
proceeded  to  the  spot  selected  for  the  sports, 
which  had  always  a smooth  surface,  some' 
times  covered  with  grass  and  sometimes 
with  sand.  A circle  of  thirty  or  forty  feet 
in  diameter  was  left  clear  for  the  competi- 
tors, and  around  it  sat  the  spectators,  the 
inhabitants  of  the  island  or  district  on  one 
side,  and  the  visitors  on  the  other.  All 
being  ready,  the  combatants  enter  the  arena, 
wearing  nothing  but  the  simple  girdle,  and 
mostly  having  well  anointed  their  bodies 
and  limbs  with  cocoa-nut  oil.  The  mode  of 
challenge  and  wrestling  has  been  so  well 
described  by  Mr.  Ellis  that  I prefer  to  give 
his  own  words : — 

“ The  fame  of  a celebrated  wrestler  was 
usually  spread  throughout  the  islands,  and 
those  who  were  considered  good  wrestlers, 
priding  themselves  on  their  strength  or 
skill,  were  desirous  of  engaging  only  with 
those  they  regarded  as  their  equals.  Hence 
when  a chief  was  expected  in  whose  train 
were  any  distinguished  wrestlers,  those 
among  the  adherents  of  the  chief  by  whom 
the  party  were  to  be  entertained  who  wished 
to  engage,  were  accustomed  to  send  a ehal- 
lenge  previous  to  their  arrival. 

“ If  this,  which  was  called  tipaopao^  had 
been  the  case,  when  they  entered  the  ring 
they  closed  at  once  without  ceremony.  Bu"t 
if  no  such  arrangement  had  been  made,  tlie 
wrestlers  of  one  party,  or  perhaps  their 
champion,  walked  round  and  across  the  ring, 
having  the  left  arin  bent  with  the  hand  on 
the  breast,  and,  striking  the  right  hand  vio- 
lently against  the  left,  and  the  left  against 
the  side,  produced  a loud  hollow- sound, 
which  was  challenging  any  one  to  a trial  of 
skill.  The  strokes  on  the  arm  were  some- 
times so  violent  as  not  only  to  bruise  the 
flesh,  but  to  cause  the  blood  to  gush  out. 


^ “ ,When  the  challenge  was  accepted  the 
antagonists  closed,  and  the  most  intense 
interest  was  manifested  by  the  parties  to 
which  they  respectively  belonged.  They 
grasped  each  other  by  the  shoulders,  and 
exerted  all  their  strength  and  art  each  to 
throw  his  rival.  This  was  all  that  was  re- 
quisite; and  although  they  generally  grap- 
pled with  each  other,  this  was  not  necessary 
according  to  the  rules  of  the  game. 

“ Mape,  a stout  and  rather  active  though 
not  a large  man,  who  was  often  in  my  house 
at  Eimeo,  was  a famous  wrestler.  He  was 
seen  in  the  ring  once  with  a remarkably  tall 
heavy  man,  who  was  his  antagonist;  they 
had  graj)pled  and  sej^ated,  when  Mape 
walked  carelessly  towM^is  rival,  and,  on 
approaching  him,  instei^^f  stretching  out 
his  arms  as  was  exp^j|^^fcran  the  crown 
of  his  head  witl^^^^^^^Bit  against  the 
temple  of  his  anti|^^^^^^Aaid  him  fiat  on 
the  earth. 

“ The  most  perfect  silence  was  observed 
during  the  struggle,  but  as  soon  as  one  was 
thrown  the  scene  was  instantly  changed;  the 
vanquished  was  scarcely  stretched  on  the 
sand  when  a shout  of  exultation  arose  from 
the  victor’s  friends.  Their  drums  struck  up; 
the  women  and  children  danced  in  triumph 
over  the  fallen  wrestler,  and  sung  in  derision 
of  the  opposite  party.  These  were  neither 
silent  nor  unmoved  spectators,  but  immedi- 
ately commenced  a most  deafening  noise, 
partly  in  honor  of  their  own  clan  or  tribe, 
but  chiefly  to  neutralize  the  triumph  of  the 
victors.  It  is  not  easy  to  imagine  the  scenes 
that  must  often  have  been  presented  at  one 
of  these  wrestling  matches,  when  not  less 
than  four  or  five  thousand  persons,  dressed 
in  their  best  apparel,  and  exhibiting  every 
variety  of  costume  and  brilliancy  of  color, 
were  under  the  influence  of  excitement. 
One  party  were  drumming,  dancing,  and 
singing,  in  all  the  pride  of  vfctory  and  the 
menace  of  defiance;  while,  to  increase  the 
din  and  confusion,  the  other  party  were 
equally  vociferous  in  reciting  the  achieve- 
ments of  the  vanquished,  or  predicting  the 
shortness  of  his  rival’s  triumph.  When  the 
contest  was  at  an  end,  victor  and  vanquished 
once  more  repaired  to  the  idol  temple,  and 
renewed  their  offerings  of  young  plantain 
trees. 

“ Although  wrestling  was  practised  prin- 
cipally by  the  men,  it  was  not  confined  to 
them.  Often  when  they  had  done,  the 
women  contended,  sometimes  with  each 
other,  and  occasionally  with  men.  Persons 
of  the  highest  rank  often  engaged  in  this 
sport;  and  the  sister  of  the  queen  has  been 
seen  wearing  nearly  the  same  clothing  the 
wrestlers  wore,  covered  all  over  with  sand, 
and  wrestling  with  a young  chief  in  the 
midst  of  the  ring,  round  which  thou- 
sands of  the  queen’s  subjects  were  assem- 
bled.” 


CHAPTEK  CIX. 


THE  SOCIETY  ISLANDS  — Conteed. 


RELIGION. 


RELIGION  OF  THE  SoUll^  ISLANDS  — THEIR  IDOLS  — PARALLEL  BETWEEN  THE  IDOLATRY  OF  MODERN 
POLYNESIA  AND  ANCIENT  SYRIA  — ORO,  THE  GOD  OF  WAR  — EXTENT  OF  HIS  WORSHIP  — 
LEGEND  OF  A SHELL — ORO’S  MARAE,  OR  TEMPLE  — THE  HUMAN  SACRIFICE  — HIRO,  THE  GOD  OF 
THIEVES  — HIS  WORSHIP  AND  APOTHEOSIS  — TANE,  THE  CHIEF  GOD  OF  HUAHINE  — HIS  MARAE  AND 
HIS  BED  — DRESSING  TANE  — THE  TREES  AROUND  HIS  MARAE— HIS  UNFORTUNATE  TAIL— HIS  HIGH 
PRIEST  — AN  INGENIOUS  EVASION  — TANE’s  HALF-WAY  HOUSE  — TANE  AVERSE  TO  BLOODSHED, 
BUT  NEEDING  THE  SACRIFICE  OF  LIFE  — TANE’S  STONE  CANOE  — THE  SHARK  GOD,  AND  HIS 
WATER  TEMPLE  — APOTHEOSIS  OF  A LIVING  MAN — SINGULAR  PERFORMANCE  OF  THE  INSPIRED 


PRIESTS  — MOVABLE  SHRINES. 

We  now  come  to  the  somewhat  compli- 
cated subject  of  the  religious  belief  of  the 
Society  Islanders.  It  is  not  an  easy  subject, 
involving,  as  it  does,  a great  variety  of  na- 
tional customs,  including  the  all-pervading 
tapu,  the  burial  of  the  dead,  and  the  human 
sacrifices  which  accompany  a funeral  or  are 
offered  on  great  occasions.  We  will  begin 
with  a brief  account  of  the  religious  system 
of  these  islanders,  as  far  as  it  is  possible  to 
reduce  to  a system  a subject  so  obscure  in 
itself,  and  so  little  understood  by  the  first 
travellers,  who  alone  would  be  likely  to  wit- 
ness and  gain  information  about  the  various 
religious  ceremonies. 

As  might  be  expected  from  these  isl- 
anders, their  religion  is  pure  idolatry,  or 
rather,  it  consists  in  the  worship  of  certain 
images  which  are  conventionally  accepted 
as  visible  representatives  of  the  invisible 
deities.  The  idols  are  of  two  different  kinds, 
the  one  being  rude  imitations  of  the  human 
figure,  and  the  other,  certain  combinations 
of  cloth,  sinnet,  and  feathers,  rolled  round 
sticks,  not  having  the  slightest  similitude  to 
the  human  form,  or  being  recognizable  as 
idols  except  by  those  who  understand  their 
signification.  The  human  figures  are  held 
as  being  inferior  to  other  idols,  and  are  con- 
sidered in  much  the  same  light  as  the  Lares 
and  Penates  of  the  ancient  Romans.  They 
are  called  by  the  name  of  Tu,  and  are  sup- 
posed to  belong  to  some  particular  family 
which  is  taken  under  their  protection. 


The  other  gods  are,  in  the  ideas  of  the  na- 
tives, possessed  of  far  more  extensive  pow- 
ers, sometimes  being  sujiposed  to  watch 
over  particular  districts,  or  even  particu- 
lar islands.  There  are  gods  of  the  val- 
leys and  gods  of  the  hills,  exactly  as  we 
read  was  the  belief  of  the  Syrians  nearly 
three  thousand  years  ago:  when  Ahab  had 
repulsed  Benhadad,  “ the  servants  of  the 
king  of  Syria  said  unto  him,  their  gods  are 
gods  of  the  hills,  therefore  they  were 
stronger  than  we;  but  let  us  fight  against 
them  in  the  plain,  and  surely  we  shall  be 
stronger  than  they.”  (1  Kings  xx.  23.) 

Fully  believing  in  the  protection  which 
these  deities  are  able  to  extend  over  their 
worshippers,  it  is  no  matter  of  wonder  that 
the  latter  consider  that  they  have  a right  to 
the  good  offices  of  their  gods,  and  complain 
bitterly  when  anything  goes  wrong  with 
them.  So,  if  a god  has  been  worshipped  in 
some  locality,  and  the  ground  becomes  bar- 
ren, or  the  cocoa-nut  trees  do  not  produce 
their  full  amount  of  fruit,  or  the  district  is 
devastated  by  war,  the  people  think  that 
their  god  is  not  doing  his  duty  by  thein,  and 
so  they  depose  him,  and  take  another  in  his 
place. 

Although  these  gods  are  in  a manner  lim- 
ited in  .their  scope,  many  of  them  are  ac- 
knowledged throughout  the  whole  of  the 
group  of  islands;  and  the  chief,  because  the 
most  dreaded,  of  them  is  Oro,  the  god  of 
war. 


WORSIIir  OF  ORO  AND  IIIRO. 


10G5 


This  terrible  deity  is  held  in  the  greatest 
awe  by  his  worshi[)pers,  and  at  one  time  was 
feared  throughout  the  whole  of  the  islands, 
llis  name  was  associated  with  sundry  local- 
ities, and  with  many  objects,  so  that  his 
dreaded  name  was  continually  in  the  mouth 
of  the  people.  There  was  even  a small 
species  of  scallop  shell  which  was  held  in 
such  fear  that  not  a native  would  dare  to 
touch  it.  It  was  called  tupe  (pronounced 
toopeh),  and  was  said  to  be  the  special  prop- 
erty of  Oro.  When  a man  died,  and  was  to 
be  converted  into  a spirit,  the  body  had  to 
be  entirely  consumed.  This  was  done  by 
Oro,  who  scraped  the  flesh  from  the  bones 
with  a tupe  shell,  and  thus  ate  the  body. 

The  subsequent  career  of  the  spirit  was 
rather  peculiar.  After  issuing  from  Oro  in 
its  new  form,  it  betook  itself  to  a great  lake 
in  Raiatea,  round  which  is  a belt  of  trees, 
which  from  some  cause  are  quite  flat  at  the 
top,  presenting  a level  surface  like  a leafy 
platform.  On  this  place  the  newly  enfran- 
chised spirits  danced  and  feasted,  and  after 
they  had  passed  through  that  stage  of  their 
existence,  they  were  transformed  into  cock- 
roaches. 

In  Iluahine  there  was  an  enormous  marae, 
or  sacred  enclosure,  dedicated  to  Oro.  It 
was  a hundred  and  fifty-six  feet  long*  by 
eighteen  wide,  and  was  built  by  a fence 
made  of  flat  slabs  of  coral-rock  placed  on 
their  edges,  and  the  intervals  between  them 
filled  in  with  earth.  One  of  these  blocks  of 
stone  measured  nine  feet  by  ten,  so  that  the 
labor  of  cutting  them  and  conveying  them  to 
such  a distance  from  the  sea  must  have  been 
enormous. 

On  this  platform  a smaller  one  was 
erected,  so  as  to  leave  a space  of  about  four 
feet  in  width,  and  within  this  upper  story 
were  laid  the  bones  of  the  many  victims  that 
had  been  slain  in  the  worship  of  the  god. 
The  temple  itself,  called  Fare  no  Oro,  or  the 
House  of  Oro,  was  quite  a small  building, 
eight  feet  long  by  six  wide,  and  a little  be- 
yond this  was  the  square  stone  on  which  the 
priest  stood  when  about  to  offer  a sacrifice, 
a higher  stone  behind  it  answering  as  a seat 
whereon  the  priest  might  rest  himself  when 
wearied. 

Small  as  was  this  house,  it  had  been  the 
scene  of  many  human  sacrifices,  and  even 
its  erection  cost  *a  number  of  lives,  every 
post  having  been  driven  into  the  ground 
through  a human  body.  Besides  these  vic- 
tims, others  had  been  sacrificed  on  many 
occasions,  fourteen  of  whom  were  enumer- 
ated by  an  old  man  who  had  once  officiated 
as  the  priest  of  Oro.  When  the  chief  of  the 
island  became  converted  to  Christianity,  this 
man  tried  to  conceal  the  idol  which  he  had 
so  long  worshipped,  and  to  save  it  from  de- 
struction, hid  it  in  a hole  in  the  rock.  The 
chief,  however,  very  rightly  feared  that  if  the 
idol  were  allowed  to  remain  its  worship 
might  revive,  and  accordingly  insisted  upon 


its  destruction.  Besides  the  priest  who 
offered  the  sacrifice,  Oro  had  another  officer, 
whose  special  duty  it  was  to  kill  the  vic- 
tims. lie  was  officially  termed  the  Mau- 
buna,  or  Pig-owner,  a human  body  killed 
for  sacrifice  being  named  a “ long  pig.” 
When  the  victim  was  pointed  out  to  him, 
the  Mau-buna,  having  a round  stone  con- 
cealed in  his  hand,  found  an  opportunity,  of 
getting  behind  him,  and,  with  a single  blow, 
struck  him  senseless  to  the  ground,  where 
the  murder  was  completed.  He  then  packed 
the  body  in  a basket  of  cocoa-nut  leaves,  and 
delivered  it  to  the  priest. 

Next  to  Oro  was  Iliro,  the  Polynesian 
Mercury,  or  god  of  thieves.  He  was  origi- 
nally a man,  but  was  elevated  to  the  society 
of  the  gods  in  consequence  of  his  wonderful 
deeds  on  earth,  the  chief  of  which  seems  to 
have  been  his  daring  in  taking  the  image  of 
Oro  and  flinging  it  to  the  ground  with  im- 
punity. 

The  worship  of  Hiro  extended  through  all 
ranks,  from  the  highest  chief  to  the  lowest 
cook,  and  his  votaries  always  asked  for  his 
help  when  they  went  on  a plundering  expe- 
dition, and  promised  him  a share  of  the 
spoil.  This  promise  they  always  performed, 
but  as  they  were  careful  not  to  define  the 
amount  of  booty  which  was  to  belong  to  the 
god,  they  contrived  practically  to  have  it  all 
to  themselves.  For  example,  a thief  would 
go  out  pig  stealing, -and  promise  Hiro  a share 
of  the  stolen  poip.  Accordingly,  if  he  had 
been  successful,  he  would  take  home  his  ill- 
gotten  booty,  bake  it,  break  off  an  inch  of 
the  tail,  and  go  with  it  to  the  shrine  of  Hiro, 
where  he  would  offer  it  with  as  much  cere- 
mony as  if  it  had  been  half  the  pig,  and  at 
the  same  time  beg  the  god  not  to  divulge 
the  theft  of  a votary  who  had  kept  his  prom- 
ise. 

The  natives  are  quite  dexterous  enough 
in  the  thieving  way  to  be  worthy  of  the 
protection  of -this  god,  having  the  most  in- 
genious modes  of  stealing  the  goods  of 
another.  For  example,  if  the  objects  are 
small,  a hook  is  fastened  to  the  end  of  a long 
bamboo,  and  the  coveted  article  is  slily 
withdrawn  by  the  actual  thief  while  a confed- 
erate directs  the  attention  of  the  victim  else- 
where. Sometimes  the  hook  is  tied  to  a 
line,  and  the  thief  literally  angles  for  the 
property. 

The  apotheosis  of  Hiro  was  a very  re- 
markable one.  After  his  life  of  theft,  rapine, 
and  murder,  in  which  he  did  not  spare  even 
the  temples  of  the  gods,  and  had,  as  we  have 
seen,  the  hardihood  to  fling  Oro’s  image  on 
the  floor,  and  roll  on  it  as  if  he  had  con- 
quered Oro  in  wrestling,  he  was  thought  to 
have  been  so  superhumanly  wicked  that  he 
must  have  been  a god.  Accordingly,  his 
skull  was  placed  in  a huge  marae  which  he 
himself  had  erected,  while  his  hair  was  put 
into  an  image  of  Oro,  and  both  burieff 
together,  this  act  constituting  the  apotheosis. 


10G6 


THE  SOCIETY  ISLAKDS. 


When  Messrs.  Bennett  and  Tyerman  were 
at  the  Society  Islands,  this  skull  was  still  in 
existence,  but  it  disappeared,  together  with 
the  idols  and  other  relics  of  the  old  relig- 
ions. 

The  next  god  is  Tane  (pronounced  tah- 
neh),  who  was  worshipped  over  a consider- 
able range  of  country,  and  was  in  one  or 
two  islands  considered  as  their  supreme  god. 
Such  was  the  case  with  Iluahine,  in  which 
Tane  had  a marae  or  malae  of  gigantic  di- 
mensions. I may  here  remark  that  in  most 
Polynesian  dialects  the  letters  rand  I are  in- 
terchangeable, so  that  marae  and  malae  are, 
in  fact,  the  same  word. 

This  marae  is  a hundred  and  twenty-four 
feet  in  length  by  sixteen  in  breadth,  and  is 
composed,  like  the  marae  of  Oro,  of  two 
stories,  the  last  being  nearly  ten  feet  in 
height,  and  built  of  coral  blocks,  some  of 
which  are  ten  feet  in  width,  and  correspond- 
ingly long  and  thick,  so  that  their  weight  is 
enormous.  As  the  marae  is  about  a hun- 
dred yards  from  the  shore,  a prodigious 
amount  of  labor  must  have  been  expended 
in  getting  these  huge  stones  out  of  the  sea 
and  fixing  them  in  their  places.  The  upper 
story  is  barely  a yard  in  height,  and  has  at 
each  end  an  upright  stone  six  feet  high. 

In  the  middle  of  the  principal  part  is  the 
idol’s  bed,  which  he  occupies  once  annually, 
and  in  which  he  ought  to  feel  comfortable, 
as  it  is  twenty-four  feet  long  by  thirteen 
wide.  It  is  built,  like  the  marae,  of  stone 
and  earth,  and  is  only  eighteen  inches  high. 
This  is  a very  ancient  structure,  as  is 
shown  by  the  trees  that  surround  and 
spread  their  arms  over  it.  Near  the  bed  is 
a small  house  about  twelve  feet  by  six,  in 
which  rests  the  god  Tane,  together  with  les- 
ser gods,  each  of  whom  is  set  over  a dis- 
trict. 

Tane  himself  — burned  in  1817  — was 
carved  out  of  ’ a great  block  of  wood,  and 
was  about  as  large  as  a tall  man.  He  was 
not  remarkable  for  an  elegant  shape,  having 
no  neck  and  no  legs,  the  body  terminating 
in  a cone.  The  head  was  furnished  with 
apologies  for  eyes,  mouth,  nose,  and  ears, 
and  the  whole  was  covered  with  siiinet. 

Once  in  every  year,  Tane  had  a new 
dress,  and  was  invested  with  great  solem- 
nity. He  was  brought  out  of  his  house  by 
his  priest  and  laid  on  his  bed,  having  four 
lesser  gods  on  either  side  of  him.  The 
chiefs  of  the  district  stood  each  in  front  of 
his  own  god,  and  the  priests  stood  round 
Tane  as  being  the  great  god  of  them  all. 
The  old  garments  were  then  removed,  and 
examination  made  into  the  interior  of  the 
idol,  which  was  hollow,  and  contained  vari- 
ous objects,  such  as  scarlet  feathers,  beads, 
bracelets,  and  other  valuables.  Those  that 
began  to  look  shabby  were  removed,  and 
others  inserted  to  take  their  place,  and  the 
idols  were  then  invested  in  their  new  robes. 

Meanwhile,  avast  amount  of  kava  was  pre- 


pared— the  natives  saying  that  it  was  equal 
in  cubic  measure  to  the  marae  — and  a 
scene  of  drunken  debauch  took  place,  lasting 
for  several  days,  even  the  priests  being  so 
intoxicated  that  they  were  unable  to  stand 
while  performing  their  duties,  but  had  to 
chant  their  incantations  wiiile  lying  on  the 
ground.  This  stage  of  the  idol-dressing  is 
represented  in  the  fine  engraving  on  "the 
opposite  page.  At  the  expiration  of  the 
three  days  a special  god  called  Moorai  was 
produced  and  stripped,  and,  as  soon  as  his 
garments  were  removed,  violent  rain  show- 
ers fell,  as  a signal  for  all  the  idols  to  be  re- 
moved to  their  respective  houses.  The 
greatest  care  was  taken  that  no  woman  should 
witness  this  ceremony,  and  if  a female  of 
any  age  had  been  detected  coming  within  a 
certain  distance  of  the  marae,  she  would  be 
at  once  killed,  and  even  her  father,  husband, 
or  brother,  would  have  been  among  the  first 
to  strike  her  down. 

The  trees  which  decorated  this  marae  are 
the  banyans  (Ficus  Indica),  one  of  which 
is  described  by  Mr.  Bennett  as  being  seventy 
feet  in  girth  at  the  principal  stem,  and 
throwing  out  vast  horizontal  branches,  each 
of  which  is  supported  by  a root  which  looks 
morg  like  the  trunk  than  the  root  of  a tree. 
“ More  than  forty  of  these  we  counted, 
standing  like  a family  of  earth-born  giants 
about  their  enormous  parent.  A circle 
drawn  round  all  these  auxiliary  stems  meas- 
ured a hundred  and  thirty-two  feet  in  cir- 
cumference, while  a circle  embracing  the 
utmost  verge  of  their  lateral  ramification 
was  not  less  than  four  hundred  and  twenty 
feet. 

“ The  upper  stories  (if  such  we  may  call 
them)  of  this  multiform  tree  presented  yet 
more  singular  combination  of  interesting 
and  intertwisting  boughs,  like  Gothic  arches, 
circles,  and  colonnades,  propj^ed  as  by  magic 
in  mid-air.  These  were  occasionally  massy 
or  light,  and  everywhere  richly  embellished 
with  foliage,  through  which  the  flickering 
sunshine  gleamed  in  long  rays  that  lost 
themselves  in  the  immensity  of  the  interior 
labyrinth,  or  danced  in  bright  spots  upon 
the  ground  black  with  the  shadows  of  hun- 
dreds of  branches,  rising  tier  above  tier, 
and  spreading  range  above  range,  aloft  and 
around.” 

This  tree  was  one  of  the  places  in  which 
the  bodies  of  human  beings  were  olfered, 
being  packed  in  leaf  baskets  and  hung  to 
the  branches.  One  branch,  which  was 
hugely  thick  and  strong,  and  ran  horizon- 
tally at  a small  height  from  the  ground, 
was  pointed  out  as  the  principal  gibbet,  on 
which  human  sacrifices,  thousands  in  num- 
ber, have  been  offered  century  after  century. 

Tane,  all  powerful  though  he  was,  labored 
under  one  disadvantage.  He  had  a very 
long  tail,  and  whenever  he  wished  to  leave 
his  house,  rise  into  the  air,  and  dart  through 
the  sky  on  some  errand  of  mischief,  he  was 


SOCIETY  ISLANDERS  DRESSING  THE  IDOLS. 


(See  page  1066.) 


(1067) 


\ 


'4 


'Vl  ..^*.y?1.-J'-i  •',  - ■ ■v"^:. 'fj 

k-'^r  ^Ti 


3*>’  .• 


TANE’S  HALFWAY  HOUSE. 


1069 


restrained  by  his  long  tail,  which  was  sure 
to  become  entangled  in  some  object,  which 
from  that  time  became  sacred  to  the  god. 
For  example,  the  magnificent  tree  which 
lias  just  been  described  was  several  times 
the  means  of  detaining  Tane  on  earth,  and 
the  several  branches  round  which  his  tail 
was  twisted  became  tapu  at  once.  On  one 
side  of  his  house  there  was  a large  stone, 
which  had  become  sacred  in  consequence 
of  having  arrested  the  flight  of  the  god. 

This  idea  of  the  long  and  streaming  tail 
has  evidently  been  derived  from  meteors 
and  comets,  which  are  supposed  to  be  the 
gods  passing  through  the  air,  and  whenever 
a native  saw  one  of  them,  he  always  threw 
oft'  his  upper  garments,  and  raised  a shout 
in  honor  of  the  passing  god.  Mr.  Bennett 
suggests  that  the  permanent  tail  attached 
to  Tane  is  in  all  probability  a commemora- 
tion of  some  very  magnificent  comet  with  a 
tail  measuring  eighty  or  ninety  degrees  in 
length. 

So  sacred  was  the  idol  that  everything 
which  was  touched  by  it  became  tapu,  and 
might  not  be  touched  by  profane  hands. 
There  was  only  one  man  who  was  allowed 
to  carry  it,  and  he  was  called  from  his  otflee, 
“ Te  aino  attua,”  i.  e.  the  god-bearer.  His 
task  was  not  an  easy  one,  and  his  office, 
though  it  caused  him  to  be  viewed  with 
nearly  as  much  reverence  as  the  god  of 
whom  he  was  the  special  servant,  must  have 
deprived  him  of  many  comforts.  The  god- 
bearer  was  not  even  allowed  to  climb  a 
cocoa-nut  tree,  because, . if  he  did  so,  the 
tree  would  be  so  sacred  that  no  one  might 
ascend  it  after  him;  indeed,  every  action  of 
his  life  was  fenced  about  with  some  similar 
restriction.  He  could  not  marry,  as,  in  the 
first  place,  no  woman  could  be  deserving  of 
the  honor,  and,  in  the  second  place,  he  would 
be  defiled  and  unfitted  for  his  office  if  he 
were  to  take  any  woman  to  wife. 

A celibate  life  does  not  seem  to  us  to  en- 
tail such  self-denial  as  seems  to  be  implied 
by  the  prominence  given  to  the  celibacy  of 
the  god-bearer,  who  appears  to  have  been 
the  only  bachelor  in  the  whole  group  of 
islands.  But  among  most  savage  nations 
a man’s  wealth  and  consequence  are  regu- 
lated by  the  number  of  his  wives,  who  do  all 
the  work  of  the  household,  and  in  fact  keep 
their  husband  in  idleness. 

The  house  in  which  the  god  lived  was  a 
small  hut  elevated  on  posts  twenty  feet 
high,  and  there  were  no  means  of  access 
except  by  climbing  one  of  these  posts.  The 
god-bearer,  therefore,  had  no  easy  task  in 
climbing  up  these  posts  with  the  great 
wooden  image  fastened  to  his  l)ack. 

In  the  illustration  on  the  1084th  page 
we  see  the  chief  priest  of  Tane  — the  god- 
bearer — ascending  the  pole  of  the  sacred 
house,  with  the  unwieldy  idol  slung  on  his 
back.  A gust  of  wind  has  risen,  and  has 
wafted  Tane’s  long  tail  into  the  air,  so  that 
62 


it  has  been  entangled  in  a neighboring  tree. 
One  of  the'  princii)al  priests  is  running  to 
ascend  the  tree  and  free  the  god’s  tail,  and 
from  that  time  the  tree  will  be  tapu,  and  no 
one  of  lower  rank  than  the  priest  who  freed 
the  tail  will  be  allowed  to  ascend  the  tree. 

Sometimes  Tane  paid  a visit  to  a marae 
at  some  distance,  and  when  he  did  so,  his 
bearer  was  naturally  fatigued  with  the 
weight  of  his  burden.  It  was,  however, 
thought  derogatory  to  the  character  of  the 
god  to  say  that  his  bearer  could  by  any  pos- 
sibility be  tired  of  carrying  him,  and  so,  by 
an  ingenious  evasion,  the  god  himself  was 
thought  to  be  fatigued  with  the  journey, 
and  was  laid  to  rest  for  a while  on  a flat 
stone  about  half  a mile  from  the  sacred  tree. 
This  stone  was  tapu  to  women,  and  if  a 
woman  had  sat  upon  it,  or  even  touched  it 
with  her  finger,  she  would  have  been  at 
once  killed. 

The  stone  was  not  a large  one,  being  only 
four  feet  long,  one  foot  broad,  and  nine 
inches  thick.  It  is  a singular  fact  that  this 
sacred  stone,  which  had  so  often  been  the 
witness  of  idolatrous  rites,  should  also  have 
witnessed  the  destruction  of  the  idol  to 
whom  it  was  consecrated.  After  Christian- 
ity had  been  fairly  established  in  the  island, 
the  chief  men  who  adhered  to  the  worship 
of  Tane  made  war  upon  the  Christians,  who 
repelled  them,  so  that  they  were  obliged 
to  bring  out  their  idol  and  lay  him  on  the 
sacred  stone.  The  two  bodies  of  warriors 
met  face  to  face  close  to  the  idol,  and  the 
struggle  was  about  to  commence  when  the 
chief  of  the  Christians  made  a speech  to  the 
enemy,  laying  before  them  the  distinctions 
between  idolatry  and  Christianity,  and  re- 
commended peace  instead  of  war. 

His  voice  prevailed,  and  those  wdio  came 
to  fight  against  the  Christians  renounced 
their  idols,  and,  as  a proof  of  their  sincerity, 
they  built  a large  fire  on  the  spot,  threw 
Tane  into  it,  and  then  held  a great  feast,  at 
which  the  men  and  women  ate  together. 
They  then  proceeded  to  Tane’s  house, 
burned  it  down,  and  dismantled  his  great 
marae. 

The  feathers  attached  to  these  idols  and 
placed  within  their  hollow  bodies  are  mostlv 
the  two  long  tail-feathers  of  the  tropic  bird, 
white  and  broad  toward  the  base,  and  nar- 
row and  scarlet  for  the  remainder  of  their 
length.  When  the  gods  are  newly  dressed, 
it  is  considered  a meritorious  act  for  any  one 
to  present  fresh  feathers  in  lieu  of  those 
which  have  been  deteriorated  by  age.  After 
the  old  garments  are  unrolled,' the  feathers 
are  placed  inside  the  image,  and  a corre- 
sponding number  of  old  feathers  taken  out 
and  presented  to  the  devotee,  who  values 
them  beyond  all  things,  as  partaking  of  the 
sanctity  which  surrounds  the  original  idol. 
These  feathers  are  then  carefully  wrapped 
with  sinnet,  so  as  to  cover  them,  with  the 
exception  of  a little  portion  of  both  ends^ 


1070 


THE  SOCIETY  ISLANDS. 


and  they  are  then  laid  before  the  idol,  while 
the  priest  recites  a prayer,  in  which  lie  be- 
seeches the  god  to  transfer  his  sanctity  to 
these  feathers,  Mdiich  from  that  moment  be- 
come minor  gods. 

The  happy  devotee  has  already  provided 
himself  with  bamboo  tubes,  in  each  of  which 
he  ])laces  one  of  the  feathers,  and  from  which 
he  never  takes  them  except  to  pray  to  them. 
Sometimes  he  has  a smaller  idol  made,  and 
places  the  feathers  within  it;  but  in  this 
case,  he  has  to  take  the  new  idol  to  be  laid 
before  the  original  one,  so  that  the  transfer 
of  sanctity  may  be  guaranteed  to  them. 
This  mode  of  honoring  the  sacred  feathers 
is  usually  employed  when  the  devotee  has 
enjoyed  some  piece  of  good  fortune  after 
he  has  received  them,  and  in  most  cases  he 
not  only  encloses  them  in  a new  idol,  but 
builds  a small  temple  in  which  that  idol 
lives. 

Forme'rly,  when  animals  were  brought  to 
lie  sacrificed  to  Tane,  no  blood  was  shed, 
but  they  were  laid  upon  a stone  and  stran- 
gled by  pressing  their  necks  between  two 
sticks.  Food  of  all  kinds  was  presented  to 
him,  part  of  which  he  was  supposed  to  con- 
sume himself,  part  was  taken  by  the  priests, 
and  the  remainder  was  consumed  by  the 
worshippers.  All  first  fruits  went  to  Tane, 
a peasant  being  supposed  to  offer  him  two  of 
the  earliest  fruits,  while  a raatira  or  gentle- 
man offered  ten,  and  the  chiefs  still  more, 
according  to  their  rank  and  wealth. 

Not  very  far  from  the  sacred  stone  was  a 
marae  containing  a very  sacred  object,  no 
less,  in  fact,  than  a piece  of  Tane’s  own 
canoe.  According  to  the  people,  it  was  a 
very  miraculous  canoe,  for  it  was  made  of 
stone,  and  yet  floated  as  well  as  if  it  were 
made  of  wood.  In  jiroof  of  this  statement, 
they  placed  the  fragment  in  water,  where  it 
floated,  as  it  was  likely  to  do,  being  nothing 
more  than  a piece  of  pumice  stone.  No  one 
knew  where'  the  stone  had  been  obtained, 
but  they  said  that  there  were  more  pieces  in 
different  parts  of  the  island. 

Besides  the  idol  gods,  there  are  gods  which 
are  symbolized  by  living  creatures,  of  which 
the  shark  is  the  chief,  being  worshipped  for 
the  same  reason  that  crocodiles  and  venom- 
ous serpents  are  worshipped  in  some  parts 
of  the  world,  viz.  on  account  of  its  destruc- 
tive powers.  Mr.  Bennett  saw  a large  marae 
which  had  been  consecrated  to  a shark  god 
on  account  of  a miraculous  event  which  was 
said  to  have  happened  some  time  previously. 
In  one  particular  spot  the  ground  begun  to 
shake  and  tremble,  and,  as  the  people  were 
flying  in  terror,  the  ground  opened,  and  a 
huge  shark  forced  his  head  through  the  cleft 
in  the  soil. 

The  formation  of  the  maraes  has  already 
been  mentioned.  Some  time  before  Mr.  Ben- 
nett arrived  at  the  place,  a shark  had  con- 
trived to  force  its  way  through  the  sand  into 
the  marae,  which  was  situated  on  the  shore 


of  the  lagoon.  The  water  flowed  in  with  the 
fish,  and  the  natives,  feeling  delighted  that 
their  god  had  actually  come  to  take  posses- 
sion of  his-  temple,  blocked  up  the  passage 
by  which  he  had  entered,  cleared  out  tlie 
marae,  and  kept  the  shark  in  it  for  the  rest 
of  his  life,  feeding  him  abundantly  with  fish 
and  meat. 

Indeed,  in  one  bay  the  sharks  were  reg- 
ularlyfed  by  the  priests,  and  the  consequence 
was  that  they  became  quite  familiar,  and 
would  swim  to  the  beach  to  be  fed  with  fish 
and  pork.  They  would  also  accompany  the 
canoes,  knowing  well  that  the  natives  always 
threw  overboard  some  of  the  fish  which  they 
had  caught,  for  the  sake  of  propitiating  the 
shark  gods.  The  latter,  however,  were  so 
little  sensible  of  the  kindness  bestowed  upon 
them,  that  had  one  of  their  worshippers 
fallen  overboard  they  would  have  eaten  him, 
in  spite  of  all  his  propitiatory  ofierings. 

Sometimes  a living  man  has  been  elected 
to  the  rank  of  a god,  and  wmi-shipped  as 
such  during  his  lifetime.  This  was  done  at 
Kaiatea,  the  king,  Tamatoa,  having  been 
reckoned  among  the  gods  by  means  of  a 
series  of  ceremonies  which  might  have  been 
very  appropriate  in  assigning  him  a place 
among  the  very  worst  and  vilest  of  demons, 
but  were  singularly  unsuitable  to  an  apo- 
theosis. After  this  ceremony,  the  king  was 
consulted  as  an  oracle,  prayers  and  sacrifices 
were  offered  to  him,  and  he  was  treated  as 
reverently  as  if  he  had  been  Tane  himself. 

It  is  a most  remarkable  fact  that  Tamatoa  , 
became  a Christian  in  his  later  life,  and 
afforded  most  valuable  information  respecting  ' 
the  religious  belief  of  the  Society  Islanders.  ; 
He  corroborated,  as  having  been  an  eye-Avit-  i 
ness,  the  accounts  that  have  been  given  of  the 
astonishing  deeds  done  by  the  heathen  priests  , 
Avhile  in  a state  of  inspiration.,  They  have  , 
been  seen  to  dash  their  hands  against  the 
ground  with  such  violence  that  they  im- 
bedded the  whole  arm  up  to  the  shoulder. 
Captain  Henry,  the  son  of  one  of  the  mis- 
sionaries, states  that  he  has  seen  one  of 
these  priests  plunge  his  arm  kito  the  solid 
earth  as  if  it  were  water,  and  that  he  would 
perform  the  feat  on  any  ground  wherever  he 
chanced  to  be. 

“ The  infuriated  priest,  on  that  occasion, 
foamed  at  the  mouth,  distorted  his  eyeballs, 
convulsed  his  limbs,  and  uttered  the  most 
hideous  shrieks  and  hoAvlings.  After  he  had 
seemingly  buried  his  arm  like  a spear  stuck 
suddenly  in  the  ground,  he  held  it  there  for  a 
considerable  time;  then,  draAving  it  out  un- 
injured, he  rushed  toAvard  the  shore,  and, 
laying  hold  upon  a large  canoe,  which  or- 
dinarily required  three  or  four  men  to  launch, 
he  shoved  it  before  him  with  apparent  ease, 
and  sent  it  adrift. 

“ He  afterAvard  threAV  himself  into  the  sea, 
wallowed  about  in  it,  and  kept  his  head 
under  AAmter  for  a long  time.  When  this 
act  of  the  tragical  pantomime  Avas  finished, 


MOVABLE  SHRINES. 


1071 


he  sat  among  the  waves,  and  delivered  his 
prophecies  in  very  figurative  and  hyper- 
bolical language,  at  the  same  time  sufficiently 
ambiguous  to  be  fulfilled  in  one  of  two  senses, 
whatever  might  happen.” 

Portable  shrines  of  the  gods  were  once 
used  in  the  Society  Islands,  but  so  complete 
and  rapid  has  been  the  demolition  of  every- 
thing connected  with  idolatry,  that  Mr.,  Ben- 
nett, who  was  eye-witness  of  many  idolatrous 
practices,  was  only  able  to  procure  one  spec- 
imen, which  is  now  in  the  museum  of  the 
London  Missionary  Society. 

In  form  it  resembles  a house,  with  sloping 
roof,  and  is  about  a yard  in  length.  It  is  sup- 
ported on  four  short  legs,  and  underneath 
there  is  a round  hole  through  which  the  idol 


was  passed  into  its  shrine,  a door  exactly  fit- 
ting and  closing  the  aperture.  The  idol 
which  was  in  this  shrine  represented  a 
female  god  greatly  venerated  by  the  people, 
because  she  was  so  very  mischievous,  and 
had  killed  thousands  of  people,  gaining  from 
her  bloodthirsty  propensities  the  name  of  Tii 
Vahine,  or  Queen  Tii.  The  idol  is  a horribly 
repulsive  example  of  the  ugliness  with  which 
savages  invariably  invest  their  deities. 

The  shrine,  with  the  idol  within  it,  was 
hidden  in  a rock  cave  by  priests  of  Tii  Vahine 
when  idolatry  was  overthrown  by  Chris- 
tianity, and  was  not  discovered  for  a con- 
siderable time,  when  it  was  brought  from 
its  place  of  concealment  and  sold. 


CHAPTEE  CX. 


THE  SOCIETY  ISLANDS  — Continued. 

niSTOEY  — WAE  — FUNEEALS  — LEGENDS. 


THE  PRIESTS  THE  HISTORIANS  OF  THE  SOCIETY  ISLANDS — THE  MARO,  OR  KING’S  ROBfe,  AND  ITS 
HISTORICAL  VALUE — THE  HEREDITARY  TITLE  OF  THE  KIKG — THE  KING’S  BEAREl,*  -ARCHI- 
TECTURE IN  THE  SOCIETY  ISLANDS  — TAHITAN  WARFARE  — RETENTIVE  MEMORY,  Ajj.  / ITS  USE 
IN  WAR — BEHAVIOR  OF  THE  VICTORS  TOWARD  THE  VANQUISHED — NAVAL  BA^»  LES  AND 
MANCEUVRES — MILITARY  ETIQUETTE  — HUM  AN  SACRIFICE  BEFORE  BATTLES  — CAPTA  N COOK’s 
ACCOUNT  OF  THE  CEREMONY  — FUNERALS  AMONG  THE  TAHITANS  — EMBALMING  OF  A CHIEF’S 
BODY  — STRANGE  DRESS  OF  THE  CHIEF  MOURNER  — THE  AREOI  SOCIETY,  AND  THE  INFLUENCE 
WHICH  IT  EXERTED  ON  THIS  GROUP  OF  ISLANDS  — LEGENDARY  TALES  OF  THE  AREOIS. 


The  priests  performed  the  office  of  historians 
as  well  as  of  hierophants,  every  chief  of  con- 
sequence having  in  his  household  at  least  one 
of  these  men,  who  made  it  his  business  to 
chant  on  all  great  occasions  the  most  im- 
portant events  which  had  happened  in  the 
country,  and  especially  those  which  affected 
the  family  of  his  patron.  Not  only  did  he 
relate  those  events  of  which  he  had  been  a 
witness,  but  he  also  sang  of  the  deeds  of  past 
days,  the  records  of  which  had  been  trans- 
mitted to  him  by  his  predecessors. 

The  priescs  v/ere,  therefore,  the  only  his- 
torians of  the  Society  Islands;  and,  indeed, 
there  was  no  other  mode  of  delivering  to 
each  succeeding  generation  the  traditions 
of  the  past.  As,  however,  much  of  their  ac- 
curacy depended  on  the  memory  of  the  his- 
torian, and  as  that  memory  was  likely  to  fade 
by  age,  it  naturally  followed  that  the  history 
of  earlier  times  was  considerably  modified 
by  each  succeeding  narrator.  Tamatoa  was 
himself  a well-known  chronicler,  and  could 
repeat  a wonderful  number  of  narratives,  in 
which  fact  and  fiction  were  mixed  together 
in  a manner  that  exactly  resembled  the  semj- 
mythic  history  of  ancient  Greece  and  Kome. 

These  chroniclers,  though  they  were  un- 
able to  write,  were  not  without  some  means 
whereby  they  could  refresh  their  memories. 
Chief  of  these  was  the  Maro,  the  sacred  scarf 
of  royalty.  The  word  “ Maro  ” signifies  the 
simple  girdle  which  the  men  wear  by  way 
of  clothing,  but  that  of  the  king  is  called,  by 
way  of  pre-eminence,  The  Maro  ; and,  like 


the  crown  of  an  emperor,  is  only  worn  when 
the  kingly  rank  is  conferred.  When  not  in 
use,  it  is  rolled  up  in  native  cloth  so  as  to 
make  a large  bundle,  and  is  only  untied 
when  it  is  wanted.  When  Captain  Cook  saw 
it  he  described  it  as  being  fifteen  feet  long, 
but  when  Mr.  Bennett  was  in  the  Society 
Islands  it  measured  twenty-one  feet  in  length 
the  additional  measurement  being  due  to  the 
coronation  of  successive  kings.  It  is  only 
six  inches  in  width,  and  when  worn  is  roiled 
round  the  body,  so  that  the  end  flows  far 
behind  on  the  ground.  It  is  covered  with 
the  precious  red  feathers,  and  to  it  is  at- 
tached the  needle  with  which  it  is  worked. 
So  sacred  is  the  maro  thought  to  be,  that,  ac- 
cording to  the  ideas  of  the  natives,  when- 
ever a new  stitch  was  taken  the  event  was 
marked  by  peals  of  thunder. 

The  maro  was  never  intended  to  be 
finished,  but,  according  to  the  original  pro- 
jection, would  receive  an  addition  at  the  cor- 
onation of  every  new  king,  so  that  it  would 
continue  to  increase  in  length  as  long  as  the 
kingly  succession  was  kept  up.  In  several 
respects  it  bears  a great  resemblance  to  the 
Bayeux  tapestry.  It  is  very  long  in  pro- 
portion to  its  width,  and  the  patterns  de- 
scribed upon  it  are  records  of  the  time  when 
the  maro  was  woven,  and  act  as  aids'  to  the 
memory  of  the  professional  historians,  who 
celebrate  in  their  songs  the  deeds  of  past 
days. 

The  manufacture  of  the  maro  was  stopped 
in  a very  curious  manner.  After  Tamatoa 


EETENTIYE  MEMOEY  AKD  ITS  USE  IK  WAR. 


107a 


became  a Christian,  he  was  so  horrified  at 
the  unspeakable  iniquity  of  the  ceremonies 
that  took  place  at  each  lengthening  of  the 
maro  that  he  determined  to  destroy  the 
maro  itself.  Fortunately,  instead  of  destroy- 
ing it,  he  gave  it  up  to  his  teachers,  and  it 
was  sent,  together  with  many  specimens  of 
the  idolatrous  arts  of  Polynesia,  to  the 
museum  of  the  London  Missionary  Society. 
I may  here  mention  that  Tamatoa  is  the 
hereditary  name  of  the  king,  like  the  Pha- 
raoh of  Egypt  and  the  Finow  of  Tonga. 

All  the  kings,  or  rather  the  principal 
chiefs,  have  the  greatest  idea  of  their 
dignity,  and  are  regarded  by  their  subjects 
almost  as  demigods.  Like  some  of  the 
African  royalties,  they  are  carried  on  men’s 
shoulders  when  they  travel  from  one  place 
to  another  by  land,  and  when  they  go  by 
sea  they  are  said  to  fly  and  not  to  sail. 
There  is  a special  language  for  the  king, 
whose  canoe  is  called  the  Rainbow,  and 
whose  house  is  termed  the  Cloud  of  Heaven. 
Ko  one  is  allowed  to  stand  above 'him:  and 
this  idea  is  so  strongly  impressed  upon  him 
that  a great  chief  dislikes  going  into  the 
cabin  of  an  European  ship,  lest  an  inferior 
should  tread  on  the  deck  over  his  head. 
The  king  even  claims  authority  over  the 
language.  We  speak  in  England  familiarly 
of  the  king  or  queen’s  English.  In  the 
Society  Islands  the  language  really  does 
belong  to  the  king,  who  invents  and  alters 
words  according  to  his  own  caprice,  and 
even  strikes  out  of  the  language  those  words, 
which  he  does  not  happen  to  like. 

The  power  of  the  king  being  so  absolute, 
it  might  be  imagined  that  the  house  in 
which  he  lived  would  be  far  superior  to 
those  of  his  subjects.  His  power  is,  how- 
ever, more  real  than  apparent,  and  though 
he  has  despotic  authority,  he  is  lodged, 
clothed,  and  fed,  scarcely  better  than  any  of 
his  subjects,  and  not  in  the  least  better  than 
the  chiefs.  His  house  is  built  in  the  same 
manner  and  of  the  same  materials  as  those 
of  his  subjects.  It  is  certainly  larger,  be- 
cause it  has  to  accommodate  more  persons; 
but  in  other  respects  it  is  in  no  way  supe- 
rior. 

The  houses  of  the  Society  Islands  are, 
indeed,  little  more  than  thatched  roofs  sup- 
ported on  pillars  about  seven  or  eight  feet 
in  height,  the  pillars  tapering  from  the  base 
to  the  top,  and  not  being  quite  upright,  but  ' 
sloping  a little  inward.  The  floor  is  gener- 
al]y  covered  with  grass  and  mats,  while  to 
the  rafters  of  the  roof  are  hung  baskets, 
bundles  of  cloth,  and  other  property. 

Warfare  among  the  Society  Islands  dif- 
fers little  from  the  mode  which  is  practised 
in  many  other  parts  of  Polynesia,  and  there- 
fore does  not  require  a lengthened  notice. 

Formerly,  when  their  weapons  were  the 
spear,  the  club,  and  the  sling,  the  wars  used 
to  be  very  protracted  and  caused  much 


bloodshed,  but  the  later  introduction  Of  fire- 
arms has  had  its  usual  effect,  and  not  only 
reduced  the  number  of  wars  but  the  loss  of 
life  in  battle. 

Some  of  their  spears  were  dreadful  weap- 
ons, the  worst  of  which  seems  to  have  been 
a sort  of  trident,  something  like  an  eel  spear. 
The  head  of  it  was  armed  with  three  bones 
from  the  tail  of  the  sting- ray.  They  were 
not  fastened  to  the  head  of  the  spear,  but 
only  slipped  into  sockets,  just  tightly  enough 
to  hold  them.  When  an  enemy  was  struck 
with  either  of  these  points,  it  became  de- 
tached from  the  spear,  and,  in  consequence 
of  its  peculiarly  barbed  edges,  kept  working 
its  way  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  body,  so 
that  certain  death  was  the  result  of  a wound 
with  one  of  these  spears. 

The  natives  of  the  Society  Islands  also 
used  the  bone  of  the  sting-ray  for  secret 
assassination.  They  watched  the  intended 
victim  while  he  slept,  and,  by  gently  touch- 
ing him  with  a feather,  made  him  turn  about 
until  he  was  in  a favorable  position.  The 
fatal  dagger  was  then  struck  into  the  body, . 
and  the  assassin  made  his  escape,  being 
sure  that  the  wound  must  sooner  or  later  be 
mortal. 

The  peculiar  character  of  the  people 
shows  itself  in  other  ways.  They  are  most 
tenacious  of  memory  in  everything  that  has 
a personal  interest  to  them,  and  are  equally 
unwilling  to  forget  an  injury  or  a benefit. 
They  will  cherish  a life-long  vengeance 
against  any  one  who  has  offended  them,  so 
that  one  man  has  been  known  to  follow 
another  from  year  to  year,  from  one  island 
to  another,  with  the  certainty  and  tenacity 
of  the  bloodhound,  and  never  to  cease  from 
his  quest  until  he  has  avenged  himself  upon 
his  enemy.  There  is,  however,  a redeeming 
point  in  this  trait  of  character,  namely,  that 
although  it  is  mostly  exercised  for  evil  pur- 
poses, it  sometimes  takes  .the  opposite 
course.  Mr.  Bennett  mention!  that  on  one 
occasion,  after  a battle,  a chief  of  the  victo- 
rious side  knew  that  among  the  flying 
enemy  was  a man  who  had  shown  a kind- 
ness to  him  in  a former  war.  Knowing  the 
fate  that  w'ould  befall  the  man  if  he  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  victors,  he  followed  on  the 
track  of  the  fugitive,  and  after  seeking  his 
friend  from  cover  to  cover,  and  from  bush 
to  bush,  he  at  last  discovered  him,  took  him 
to  his  own  house,  kept  him  there  for  a time, 
and  then  dismissed  him  in  safety. 

Cruelty  toward  the  vanquished  is  one  of 
the  invariable  accompaniments  of  savage 
v/arfare,  and  we  cannot  expect  to  find  that 
the  Society  Islanders  are  more  free  from  it 
than  others.  The  only  cannibalism  of  which 
they  are  guilty  is  in  connection  with  war, 
and  even  on  those  occasions  the  victorious 
party  only  eat  a small  portion  of  the  dead 
adversary’s  body,  in  accordance  with  cus- 
tom, and  do  not  feast  upon  human  flesh,  as 
many  of  the  Polynesians  do. 


1074 


THE  SOCIETY  ISLANDS. 


They  are,  however,  on  some  occasions 
very  cruel  to  the  captured  or  wounded  ene- 
mies, absolutely  tearing  them  to  pieces  by 
degrees,  and  taking  care  to  avoid  the  vital 
parts,  so  as  to  prolong  the  agony  of  the  suf- 
ferer as  much  as  possible.  Even  Pomare, 
before  he  became  a Christian,  was  guilty  of 
many  abominable  atrocities.  He  has  been 
known  to  take  the  children  of  vanquished 
chiefs,  run  sinnet  cords  through  the  backs 
of  their  necks,  and  drag  them  about  until 
they  died  of  the  torture. 

Even  when  the  enemy  was  dead,  the  vic- 
tors could  not  be  content  without  insulting 
the  senseless  corpse.  “ When  a combatant 
had  slain  a distinguished  adversary,”  writes 
Mr.  Bennett,  “ after  the  fray  was  over,  the 
perishing  carcass  was  left  upon  the  field  for 
a day  or  two.  It  was  then  dragged  to  the 
marae,  when  the  victor  and  his  friends 
would  stand  over  it,  and  exult  in  the  most 
savage  manner  over  the  corrupted  mass. 

“ Each  taking  a fibrous  wand  of  cocoa-nut 
leaf,  tough  as  whalebone,  in  his  hand,  to 
employ  as  a drumstick,  they  would  beat  the 
body  with  these  till  they  were  weary;  say- 
ing to  it,  ‘Aha!  we  have  you  now;  your 
tongue  fills  your  mouth,  your  eyes  stand 
out  of  your  head,  and  your  face  is  swollen; 
so  would  it  have  been  with  us,  had  you  pre- 
vailed.’ Then,  after  a pause,  they  would  re- 
new their  impotent  stripes  and  not  less  im- 
potent taunts.  ‘Now  you  are  dead,  you 
will  no  more  plague  us.  We  are  revenged 
upon  5’^ou ; and  so  you  would  have  revenged 
yourself  on  us,  if  you  had  been  the  strong- 
est in  battle.’  Again:  ‘Aha!  you  will  drink 
no  more  kava;  you  will  kill  no  more  men; 
you  will  disembowel  no  more  of  our  wives 
and  daughters.  As  we  use  you,  you  would 
have  used  us;  but  we  are  the  conquerors, 
and  we  have  our  vengeance.’ 

“When  they  had  tired  themselves,  and 
beaten  the  flesh  of  the  corpse  to  a mummy, 
they  broke  ^iie  arms  above  the  elbows, 
placed  flowers  ivithin  the  hands,  and,  fasten- 
ing a rope  about  the  neck,  they  suspended 
the  mangled  remains  on  a tree,  and  danced 
with  fiend-like  exultation  about  it,  laughing 
and  shouting  as  the  wind  blew  the  dislo- 
cated limbs  and  the  rent  muscles  to  and  fro.” 

The  canoe  fights  show  some  skill  in  ma- 
noeuvres. The  war  canoes  are  double,  with  a 
platform  laid  across  the  bars,  forming  a sort 
of  stage,  on  which  the  warriors  stand  to 
fight.  The  movements  of  the  canoes  are 
directed  by  one  man,  who  tries  to  take  the 
adversary  at  a disadvantage,  and  orders  the 
vessel  to  advance  or  retreat  as  he  thinks 
best,  while  the  warriors  are  dancing  on  the 
platform,  and  exciting  themselves  to  rage 
by  frantic  shouts,  brandishing  club  and 
spear,  and  exchanging  defiances  with  the 
enemy  when  near  enough.  As  soon  as  one 
of  them  can  take  the  other  favorably,  the 
canoes  close,  and  the  warriors  from  one  try 
to  board  the  other  and  kill  its  defenders. 


The  reserves  receive  and  take  care  of  the 
wounded,  laying  them  in  the  bottom  of  the 
canoe,  where  they  are  safe  from  the  weap- 
ons of  the  enemy,  and  in  their  turn  take 
the  place  of  those  who  are  disabled,  so  that 
a constant  succession  of  fresh  warriors  is 
continually  coming  to  the  front.  When  at 
last  one  party  gets  the  better  of  the  other, 
those  of  the  vanquished  side  who  are  able  to 
use  their  limbs  leap  overboard  and  try  to 
save  themselves  by  swimming.  They  have, 
indeed,  no  other  alternative,  for  no  quarter 
is  ever  given  or  expected,  and  if  the  lives 
of  the  vanquished  be  spared  at  the  time,  it 
is  only  that  the  unfortunate  men  may  be 
tortured  to  death  next  day. 

When  Captain  Cook  visited  the  Society 
Islands,  he  found  that  all  the  decisive  bat- 
tles were  fought  by  water,  and  that  such  a 
thing  as  a great  battle  on  land  was  never 
thought  of.  Indeed,  the  chief  strength  of 
these  insular  people  lies  in  their  canoes,  and 
in  a sea  fight  a great  number  of  them  were 
usually  engaged.  In  such  a sea  fight,  when- 
ever one  party'  found  themselves  being 
worsted,  they  immediately  made  for  the 
beach,  drew  their  canoes  ashore,  jumped 
out,  and  made  the  best  of  their  v/ay  to  the 
hills,  where  they  concealed  themselves  dur- 
ing the  day,  and  at  night  slipped  off  to  their 
own  homes. 

When  a pitched  battle  of  this  kind  is  de- 
termined upon,  it  is  fought  out  very  fairly, 
and  becomes  a sort  of  general  tournament. 
The  two  opposing  chiefs  arrange  with  each 
other  as  to  the.  time  and  place  for  the  battle. 
The  whole  of  the  day  and  night  preceding 
the  battle  are  occupied  by  both  parties  in 
feasting  and  dancing,  evidently  on  the  prin- 
ciple that,  if  they  are  to  be  killed  on  the 
morrow,  they  may  as  well  enjoy  themselves 
while  they  can.  Before  daybreak  the  canoes 
are  launched  and  made  ready  for  battle,  and 
with  the  dav^rn  the  fight  commences. 

After  the  engagement  is  over,  and  the 
vanquished  have  run  away,  the  victors  go  in 
great  triumph  to  the  maraes,  where  they  re- 
turn thanks  to  their  gods,  and  offer  to  them 
the  dead,  the  wounded,  and  the  prisoners 
whom  they  have  taken.  The  chief  of  the 
conquered  party  then  opens  negotiations 
with  his  successful  opponent,  and  a treaty 
is  arranged,  in  v/hich  peace  is  restored  on 
certain  conditions.  These  are  often  very 
hard,  and  force  the  vanquished  to  give  up 
large  tracts  of  land  as  well  as  to  pay  heavy 
fines  in  property.  Sometimes  a whole  dis- 
trict changes  masters,  and,  in  one  or  two 
cases,  an  entire  island  has  been  added  to  the 
conquerors. 

As  human  sacrifices  have  several  times 
been  mentioned,  it  will  be  as  well  to  de- 
scribe the  circumstances  under  which  they 
take  place.  W e have  already  seen  that  in 
times  of  war  the  captured  enemies  are  of- 
fered to  the  idols.  There  is  a sort  of  excuse 


THE  IIUMA]S'  SACEIEICE. 


1073 


for  this  act,  the  Wea  being  that,  as  the  cap- 
tives had  sought  me  lives  of  the  worsliip- 
pers  of  the  gods,  their  own  lives  should  be 
sacrificed  to  them  as  an  atonement  for  their 
presumption. 

There  are,  however,  other  occasions  on 
which  such  sacrifices  are  offered,  and  where 
the  victim  is  selected  by  the  chief  and  killed 
in  cold  blood.  If,  for  example,  the  king  or 
principal  chief  of  an  island  or  district  should 
project  a war  against  another,  he  generally 
sacrifices  a man  to  his  god  in  order  to  be- 
speak his  aid  against  the  enemy.  One  of 
these  sacrifices  was  seen  by  Captain  Cook  in 
1777.  He  did  not  witness  the  actual  mur- 
der of  the  victim,  who  was  killed,  as  usual, 
unawares,  by  a blow  from  a stone,  but  saw 
the  body  as  it  was  prepared  for  offering,  and 
was  present  at  the  curious  ceremony  which 
accompanied  the  sacrifice. 

It  appeared  that  Towha,  the  chief  of  his 
district,  intended  to  make  war  against  the 
island  of  Eimeo,  and  sent  a message  to  his 
friend  and  relative  Otoo  that  he  had  sacri- 
ficed a man,  and  wished  for  Otoo’s  presence 
when  the  body  was  offered  at  the  great  ma- 
rae  of  Attahooroo.  Having  previously 
doubted  whether  the  usually  mild  and  gen- 
tle Tahitans  would  really  offer  human  sacri- 
fices, Captain  Cook  asked  permission  to  ac- 
company Otoo,  and  accordingly  went  with 
him  to  the  marae.  The  party  accordingly 
embarked  in  their  canoes,  taking  with  tliem 
a miserable,  half-starved  dog,  which  was  to 
form  part  of  the  sacrifice. 

When  they  arrived  at  the  landing-place, 
they  found  the  body  of  the  slain  man  al- 
ready there,  lying  in  a canoe  which  was  half 
in  and  half  out  of  the  water,  just  in  front  of 
the  marae.  Otoo,  his  visitors,  and  the  chiefs 
halted  about  ten  yards  from  the  body,  while 
the  rest  of  the  people  looked  on  from  a dis- 
tance. 

“ The  ceremonies  now  began.  One  of 
the  priests’  attendants  brought  a young 
plantain  tree,  and  laid  it  down  before  Otoo. 
Another  approached  with  a small  tuft  of  red 
feathers,  twisted  on  some  fibres  of  the  cocoa- 
nut  husk,  with, which  he  touched  one  of  the 
king’s  feet,  and  then  retired  with  it  to  his 
companions. 

“ One  of  the  priests,  seated  at  the  marae, 
facing  those  that  were  upon  the  beach,  now 
began  a long  prayer;  and,  at  certain  times, 
sent  down  young  plantain  trees,  which  were 
laid  upon  the  sacrifice.  During  this  prayer 
a man,  who  stood  by  the  officiating  priest, 
held  in  his  hand  two  bundles,  seemingly  of 
cloth.  In  one  of  them,  as  we  afterward 
found,  was  the  royal  maro;  and  the  other,  if 
I may  be  allowed  the  expression,  was  the 
ark  of  the  Eatooa'(^-  the  Atua,  or  god). 
As  soon  as  the  prayer  was  ended,  the  priests 
at  the  marae,  with  their  attendants,  went 
and  sat  down  with  those  upon  the  beach, 
carrying  with  them  the  two  bundles. 

“Here  they  renewed  their  prayers;  dur- 


ing which  the  plantain  trees  wore  taken, 
one  by  one,  at  different  times,  from  off  the 
sacrifice,  which  was  partly  wrapped  up  in 
cocoa  leaves  an(^  small  branches.  It  was 
now  taken  out  of'the  canoe  and  laid  upon 
the  beach,  with  the  feet  to  the  sea.  The 
priests  placed  themselves  around  it,  some 
sitting  and  others  standing;  and  one  or 
more  of  them  repeated  sentences  for  about 
ten  minutes.  The  dead  body  was  now 
uncovered  by  removing  the  leaves  and 
branches,  and  laid  in  a parallel  direction  by 
the  sea-shore. 

“ One  of  the  priests  then,  standing  at  the 
feet  of  it,  pronounced  a long  prayer,  in  which 
he  was  at  times  joined  by  the  others;  each 
holding  in  his  hand  a tuft  of  red  feathers. 
In  the  course  of  this  prayer  some  hair  was 
pulled  off  the  head  of  the  sacrifice,  and  the 
left  eye  taken  out;  both  which  were  pre- 
sented to  Otoo,  wrapped  up  in  a green  leaf. 
He  did  not,  however,  touch  it,  but  gave  to 
the  man  who  presented  it  the  tuft  of  feathers 
which  he  had  received  from  Towha.  This, 
with  the  hair  and  eye,  was  carried  back  to 
the  priests. 

“ Soon  after,  Otoo  sent  to  them  another 
piece  of  feathers,  which  he  had  given  me  in 
the  morning  to  keep  in  my  pocket.  During 
some  part  of  this  last  ceremony,  a king- 
fisher making  a noise  in  the  trees,  Otoo 
turned  to  me,  saying,  ‘ That  is  the  Eatooa,’ 
and  seemed  to  look  upon  it  as  a good  omen. 

“ The  body  was  then  carried  a little  way, 
with  its  head  toward  the  marae,  and  laid 
under  a tree,  near  which  were  fixed  three 
broad  thin  pieces  of  wood,  differently  but 
rudely  carved.  The  bundles  of  cloth  were 
laid  on  a part  of  the  marae;  and  the  tufts  of 
red  feathers  were  placed  at  the  feet  of  the 
sacrifice,  round  which  the  priests  took  their 
stations;  and  we  were  now  allowed  to  go  as 
near  as  we  pleased. 

“ He  who  seemed  to  be  the  cl^ef  priest  sat 
at  a small  distance,  and  spoke  fe'r  a quarter 
of  an  hour,  but  with  different  tones  and  ges- 
tures; so  that  he  seemed  often  to  expostulate 
with  the  dead  person  — to  whom  he  con- 
stantly addressed  himself  — and  sometimes 
asked  several  questions,  seemingly  with  re- 
spect to  the  propriety  of  his  having  been 
killed.  At  other  times  he  made  several  de- 
mands, as  if  the  deceased  either  now  had 
power  himself,  or  interest  with  the  divinity, 
to  engage  him  to  comply  with  such  requests. 
Amongst  which,  we  understood,  he  asked  him 
to  deliver  Eimeo,  Maheine  its  chief,  the  hogs, 
women,- and  other  things  of  the  island,  into 
their  hands,  — which  was  indeed  the  express 
intention  of  the  sacrifice.  He  then  chanted 
a prayer,  which  lasted  near  half  an  hour,  in 
a whining,  melancholy  tone,  accompanied 
by  two  other  priests,  and  in  which  Potatau 
and  some  others  joined.  In  the  course  of 
this  prayer  some  more  hair  was  plucked  by 
a priest  from  the  head  of  the  corpse,  and  put 
upon  one  of  the  bundles. 


1076 


THE  SOCIETY  ISLAJIDS. 


“ After  this,  the  chief  priest  prayed  alone, 
holding  in  his  hand  the  feathers  which  came 
from  Towha.  When  he  had  finished,  he 
gave  them  to  another,  who  prayed  in  like 
manner.  Then  all  the  tufts  of  feathers  were 
laid  upon  the  bundles  of  cloth;  which  closed 
the  ceremony  at  this  place. 

“ The  corpse  was  then  carried  up  to  the 
most  conspicuous  part  of  the  marac,  with  the 
feathers,  the  two  bundles  of  cloth,  and  the 
drums,  the  last  of  which  beat  slovvdy.  The 
feathers  and  bundles  were  laid  against  the 
])ile  of  stones,  and  the  corpse  at  the  foot  of 
them.  The  priests  having  again  seated 
themselves  round  it,  renewed  their  prayers, 
while  some  of  the  attendants  dug  a hole 
about  two  feet  deep,  into  which  they  threw 
the  unhappy  victim,  and  covered  it  over 
with  earth  .and  stones.  While  they  were 
putting  him  into  the  grave  a boy  squeaked 
aloud,  and  Omai  said  to  me  that  it  was  the 
Eatooa. 

“During  this  time,  a fire  having  been 
made,  the  dog  before  mentioned  was  pro- 
duced, and  killed,  by  twisting  his  neck,  and 
suffocating  him.  The  hair  was  singed  off, 
and  the  entrails  taken  out  and  thrown  into 
the  fire,  where  they  were  left  to  consume. 
But  the  heart,  liver,  and  kidneys  were  only 
roasted,  by  being  laid  on  hot  stones  for  a few 
minutes;  and  the  body  of  the  dog,  after  being 
besmeared  with  the  blood,  which  had  been 
collected  in  a cocoa-nut  shell,  and  dried  over 
the  fire,  was  with  the  liver,  &c.,  carried  and 
laid  down  before  the  priests,  who  sat  praying 
round  the  grave. 

“They  continued  their  ejaculations  over 
the  dog  for  some  time,  while  two  men  at  in- 
tervals beat  on  two  drums  very  loud,  and  a 
boy  screamed  as  before  in  a loud  shrill  voice 
three  different  times.  This,  as  we  were  told, 
was  to  invite  the  Eatooa  to  feast  on  the  ban- 
quet that  they  had  prepared  for  him.  As 
soon  as  the  priests  had  ended  their  prayers, 
the  carcass  the  dog  with  wdiat  belonged  to 
it  were  laid  on  a whatta,  or  scaffold,  about 
six  feet  high,  that  stood  close  by,  on  which 
lay  the  remains  of  twm  other  dogs,  and  of 
two  pigs,  which  had  lately  been  sacrificed, 
and  at  this  time  emitted  an  intolerable 
stench.  This  kept  us  at  a greater  distance 
than  would  otherwise  have  been  required 
of  us;  for  after  the  victim  was  removed  from 
the  seaside  toward  the  marae  w^e  were  al- 
lowed to  approach  as  near  as  we  pleased. 
Indeed,  after  that,  neither  seriousness  nor 
attention  were  much  observed  by  the  spec- 
tators. When  the  dog  was  put  upon  the 
whatta,  the  priests  and  attendants  gave  a 
kind  of  shout,  which  closed  the  ceremonies 
for  the  present.” 

The  scene  is  well  represented  in  illustra- 
tion No.  1,  on  the  opposite  page.  In  the 
foreground  is  the  canoe,  in  which  lies  the 
body  of  the  slain  victim,  attended  by  two 
priests;  while  just  above  it  on  the  shore  is 
the  dog  that  is  intended  to  furnish  the  second 


portion  of  the  offering.  Just  in  front  of  the 
house  are  two  platform^  on  the  taller  of 
which  lie  the  dogs  and  pigs  that  have  al- 
ready been  sacrificed,  and  on  the  lower  lies 
the  embalmed  body  of  the  late  king,  which 
is  brought  out  for  inspection.  In  front  of 
the  bier  are  the  drummers  performing  on 
their  elaborately  carved  instruments.  A 
portion  of  the  marae  is  seen  on  the  left 
hand  of  the  illustration,  and  on  it  lie  the 
skulls  of  the  human  sacrifices  that  have  been 
offered  on  various  occasions. 

Next  day  the  ceremonies  were  resumed; 
more  pigs  were  killed,  some  gifts  were  laid 
upon  the  movable  house  in  which  the  Atua 
(or  god)  was  carried  about,  and  a young 
plantain  tree  was  plucked  up  and  laid  at  the 
feet  of  the  king. 

The  mysterious  bundles  of  cloth  which  had 
been  laid  on  the  marae  were  then  unrolled, 
and  out  of  one  of  them  was  taken  the  sacred 
maro,  or  royal  girdle,  which  has  already  been 
described.  It  was  remarkable  for  the  fact 
that  a portion  of  the  scarlet  feathers  with 
which  the  maro  is  decorated  were  sewed 
upon  an  English  pennant  which  had  been 
hoisted  by  Captain  Wallis  when  he  landed 
on  the  island,  and  left  flying  when  he  left  it. 
The  second  bundle  contained  the  idol  to 
v/hom  the  sacrifices  were  made. 

Another  hog  was  then  killed,  and  the  en- 
trails inspected,  exactly  after  the  manner 
employed  by  the  old  Roman  augurs;  and  the 
ceremony  ended  with  rolling  up  the  Atua, 
together  with  a number  of  scarlet  feathers, 
in  the  bundle  of  cloth  from  which  it  had 
been  taken. 

At  the  funerals  of  very  great  men  human 
sacrifices  are  often  made,  and  near  the  large 
whattas,  or  platforms,  on  which  the  pigs  and 
other  provisions  are  offered,  there  are  num- 
bers of  human  skulls,  each  a relic  of  a hu- 
man sacrifice.  The  only  redeeming  point 
about  these  sacrifices  is,  that  the  victim  is 
quite  unconscious  of  his  fate.  He  is  struck 
to  the  ground  suddenly  by  an  assassin  who 
comes  stealthily  upon  him,  and  never  feels 
the  real  bitterness  of  death,  namely,  the 
dread  of  the  coming  fate. 

The  bodies  of  great  chiefs  undergo  a pro- 
cess by  which  they  are  preserved  for  a con- 
siderable time.  Captain  Cook  saw  the  corpse 
of  a chief  who  had  been  dead  for  several 
months,  and  whose  body  had  suffered  scarcely 
any  apparent  change.  There  was  a slight 
contraction  of  the  muscles  and  sinking  of 
the  eyes,  but  the  body  was  otherwise  per- 
fect; and  when  the  attendants  on  the  corpse 
unrolled  the  cloth  in  which  it  was  envel- 
oped, the  limbs  were  found  to  be  nearly  as 
pliant  as  in  life. 

This  result  is  obtained  by  removing  the 
whole  of  the  interior  of  the  body,  supplying 
its  place  with  cloth  soaked  in  cocoa-nut  oil, 
and  anointing  the  whole  body  repeatedly  with 
the  same  substance.  The  bodies  are  exposed 
to  public  view  for  some  time;  but  the  em- 


(1.)  THE  HUMAN  SACIHEICE.  (See  page  1076.) 


(2.)  CORPSE  AND  CHIEF  MOURNER.  (See  page  1079.) 


(1077) 


0? 


l**0WK8n’Y  ^ 


V nic  J*i " 


ii|,;iMr.^ 


THE  AEEOI  SOCIETY. 


1070 


balining  only  postpones  the  process  of  decay, 
and,  sooner  or  later,  decomposition  does  its 
work.  At  first  the  body  is  exposed  for  several 
hours  daily,  provided  that  there  be  no  rain ; 
but  by  degrees  it  is  only  shown  at  intervals, 
and  at  last  is  scarcely  ever  exhibited,  except 
by  request. 

There  is  a special  building,  called  a tupa- 
pau,  in  which  the  bodies  of  chiefs  are  exhib- 
ited when  lying  in  state.  First,  there  is  a 
tolerably  large  house,  with  a palisade  around 
it,  and  within  this  house  is  the  tupapau 
itself.  It  is  made  exactly  like  the  little 
pent-houses  that  are  built  upon  the  larger 
canoes,  and  is  profusely  decorated  with  scar- 
let feathers,  cloth,  and  other  precious  orna- 
ments. Two  men  are  attached  to  the  tupa- 
pau, who  watch  over  it  night  and  day,  attend 
to  the  proper  arrangement  of  the  cloth  and 
feathers,  receive  the  offerings  of  fruit  and 
provisions  that  are  constantly  made,  and 
prevent  intruders  from  venturing  within 
the  palisades. 

The  second  illustration  on  the  1077th  page 
exhibits  the  manner  in  which  the  bodies  of 
ordinary  chiefs  are  laid  out  under  the  pro- 
tection of  a covered  shed,  as  well  as  the 
extraordinary  dress  worn  by  the  chief 
mourner.  The  dress  is  composed  in  the 
most  ingenious  manner  of  mother-of-pearl 
shell,  feathers,  bark  cloth,  and  similar  ma- 
terials, and  has  a peculiarly  startling  appear- 
ance from  the  contrast  between  the  glitter- 
ing white  of  the  pearl-shell  and  the  dark 
feathers  with  which  the  shell  is  surrounded. 
Several  of  these  extraordinary  dresses  have 
been  brought  to  England,  and  may  be  seen 
in  different  collections. 

Before  leaving  the  Society  Islands,  it 
will  be  necessary  to  mention  an  extraordi- 
nary institution  that  in  former  times  pre- 
vailed among  them.  It  consisted  of  a soci- 
ety called  the  “ Areois.”  They  were  wor- 
shippers of  the  god  Oro;  and  though  they 
formed  a single  confraternity  throughout 
all  the  Society  group,  each  island  furnished 
its  own  members. 

Some  writers  have  likened  the  society  to 
that  of  Freemasonry;  but  no  two  institu- 
tions can  be  more  utterly  opposed  than  those 
of  the  Masonic  and  the  Areoi  societies  — 
the  one  insisting  on  monotheism,  while  the 
other  is  based  on  idolatry;  the  one  being  an 
universal,  and  the  other  a local  society;  the 
one  inculcating  morality,  and  the  other 
being  formed  for  the  express  purpose  of 
throwing  aside  the  small  relics  of  morality 
possessed  by  a native  Polynesian. 

It  is  not  improbable,  however,  that  on  its 
first  foundation  the  Areoi  society  possessed 
something  of  a religious  nature.  When 
Areois  who  had  been  converted  to  Christi- 
anity managed  to  shake  off  the  dread  with 
which  they  contemplated  any  reference  to  the 
mysteries  of  their  society,  they  all  agreed  in 
the  main  points,  though  differing  in  details. 


In  the  first  place,  the  Areois  believed  in 
the  immortality  of  the  soul,  and  in  the  ex- 
istence of  a heaven  suited  to  their  own  char- 
acters. Those  who  rose  to  high  rank  in 
the  Areoi  society  were  believed,  after  their 
death,  to  hold  corresponding  rank  in  their 
heaven,  which  they  called  by  the  name  of 
Rohutu-noa-noa,  or  Fragrant  Paradise.  All 
those  who  entered  were  restored  to  the 
vigor  and  bloom  of  youth,  no  matter  what 
might  be  their  age;  and  in  almost  every 
respect  the  resemblance  between  the  Poly- 
nesian Rohutu  and  the  Mohammedan  Para- 
dise is  close  and  almost  startling. 

The  method  by  which  this  Paradise  was 
to  be  gained  was  most  extraordinary.  Fa- 
natics of  an  ordinary  turn  of  mind  believe 
that  everlasting  happiness  hereafter  is  to 
be  gained  by  self-denial  and  mortification  of 
the  body  during  the  present  life.  The  Are- 
ois, with  an  almost  sublime  audacity,  held 
precisely  the  opposite  view,  and  proclaimed 
both  by  words  and  deeds  that  a life  of  eter- 
nal enjoyment  in  the  next  world  was  to  be 
obtained  by  leading  a life  of  unbridled 
license  in  the  present  world. 

In  order  to  carry  out  this  theory  to  the 
fullest  extent,  the  Areois  formed  themselves 
into  a society,  and  travelled  about  from  one 
island  to  another,  disseminating  their  pecu- 
liar opinions  wherever  they  went,  and  gain- 
ing fresh  recruits  to  their  number  in  each  isl- 
and. On  one  occasion  Captain  Cook  saw  sev- 
enty canoes  filled  with  Areois  set  off  on  an 
expedition  to  the  different  islands.  Wherever 
they  landed,  they  proceeded  to  the  nearest 
marae,  and  offered  a sacrifice  of  a sucking 
pig  to  the  god  who  presided  over  it,  this 
sacrifice  being  in  the  first  place  a thank- 
offering  to  the  god  for  their  safe  landing, 
and  in  the  next  a notification  that  they 
wanted  pigs  for  themselves. 

Partly  on  account  of  the  terror  inspired 
by  their  numbers  and  unanimity,  and  partly 
on  account  of  the  spread  of  their  very  intel- 
ligible doctrines,  the  invitation  always  met 
with  an  immediate  'response,  and  great 
numbers  of  pigs,  together  with  vegetable 
food,  cloth,  kava,  anh  other  luxuries  were 
produced.  A great  feast  was  then  held, 
during  which  the  peculiar  doctrines  of  the 
society  were  carried  out  to  the  full,  and  a 
scene  ensued  such  as  cannot  be  described. 

Among  the  worst  of  their  doctrines  was 
that  which  declared  them  all  to  be  celibates, 
because  the  god  Oro  was  unmarried.  Con- 
sequently, the  existence  of  children  among 
them  could  not  be  recognized,  and  as  soon 
as  a child  was  born,  it  was  murdered*  and 
the  fact  of  its  existence  ignored.  By  a sim- 
ilarly convenient  fiction,  all  Areois  were 
presumed  to  be  in  the  full  vigor  of  human 
life.  Consequently,  the  possibility  of  age 
and  debility  was  ignored,  and  in  order  to 
prove  the  non-existence  of  either  senility  or 
sickness,  any  old  or  sick  person  was  quietly 
buried  alive.  The  victims  were  never  ap- 


1080 


THE  SOCIETY  ISLANDS. 


prized  of  their  fate,  as  is  the  case  in  Fiji, 
but  a grave  was  dug  surreptitiously,  the  sick 
person  was  decoyed  to  it  on  some  pretence 
or  other,  dropped  into  the  grave,  the  earth 
flung  on  him,  and  stamped  down  almost  be- 
fore he  had  time  for  a remonstrance. 

Sometimes,  when  provisions  ran  short, 
the  Areois  had  a very  strange  method  of 
supplying  themselves.  A party  of  them,  led 
by  some  chief,  whose  rank  was  known  by 
the  marks  tattooed  on  his  body,  v/ould  visit 
a house  where  they  saw  evidences  of  pros- 
perity, and  look  about  until  they  came  on  a 
little  boy  — an  easy  matter  enough  in  a 
country  where  polygamy  is  practised.  They 
would  then  take  the  child,  and  go  through 
various  ceremonies,  by  which  they  repre- 
sented him  as  having  been  raised  to  kingly 
rank. 

They  would  then  simulate  the  utmost  def- 
erence to  the  new  king,  place  him  on  an 
elevated  seat,  prostrate  themselves  before 
him,  and  appeal  to  him  as  though  he  really 
held  the  kingly  rank.  “We  are  come  to 
the  king’s  house,  poor,  naked,  and  hungry. 
Vfc  need  raiment  — give  us  that  piece  of 
cloth.  We  need  food  — give  us  that  pig.” 
Accordingly,  the  father  of  the  child  was 
forced  to  fall  in  with  their  humor,  and,  in 
return  for  the  honor  conferred  upon  his 
house,  to  give  them  whatever  they  de- 
manded. 

The  only  redeeming  point  of  the  Areois 
was  their  value  in  keeping  up  the  old  his- 
torical records  of  the  islands.  The  food  and 
clothing  which  they  obtained  from  the  vari- 
ous people  were  repaid  by  the  dramatic  per- 
formances and  recitations  which  they  gave, 
and  which  debased  as  they  \vere  by  the  licen- 
tious element  which  permeated  every  section 
of  the  society,  performed  toward  their  local 
history  the  same  part  which  the  ancient 
mysteries  performed  toward  the  Christian 
religion.  The  Polynesians  being  unable  to 
read  or  write,  and  having  no  mode  of  re- 
cording historical  events  except  by  tradi- 
tion, these  performances  rendered  as  it  were 
history  visible,  and  enacted  before  the  eyes 
of  the  illiterate  people  the  deeds  of  days  long 
gone  by.* 

Sometimes  the  story  was  that  of  a cele- 
brated ancestor,  much  on  a par  with  the 
semi-mythical  legends  of  ancient  European 
and  Asiatic  history,  and  sometimes  it  took  a 
graver  cast,  and  narrated  the  deeds  and 


powers  of  the  native  gods.  For  example, 
the  legend  of  Taroa,  the  father  of  gods  and 
men,  was  somewhat  as  follows;  — 

In  ages  long  gone  by,  Taroa  existed  only 
in  the  form  of  a vast  egg,  and  hung  high  in 
the  firmament,  inclosing  in  the  shell  the 
sun,  moon,  and  stars.  After  floating  in 
ether  for  ages,  he  thrust  his  hands  through 
the  shell,  so  that  the  light  of  the  sun  burst 
upon  the  universe  and  illumined  the  earth 
beneath  him.  And  the  earth  was  then  small 
as  it  lay  beneath  him.  Then  Taroa  saw  the 
sands  of  the  sea,  and  cried  to  them,  “ Sands, 
come  up  to  me,  and  be  my  companions.” 
But  the  sands  replied,  “We  belong  to  the 
earth  and  sea,  O Taroa,  and  may  not  leave 
them.  Come  thou  down  to  us.”  Then  he 
saTV  the  rocks  and  cliffs,  and  cried  to  them, 
“ Bocks  come  up  to  me,  and  be  my  compan- 
ions.” But  the  rocks  replied,  “ W e are  rooted 
in  the  earth,  O Taroa,  and  may  not  leave  it. 
Come  thou  to  us.” 

Then  Taroa  descended,  and  cast  ofi*  his 
shell,  which  immediately  added  itself  to  the 
ground,  and  the  earth  was  increased  to  its 
present  dimensions,  while  the  sun  and 
moon  shone  above.  Long  did  Taroa  live 
on  the  earth  which  he  peopled  with  men 
and  women;  and  at  last  the  time  came 
when  he  should  depart  from  it.  He  trans- 
formed himself  into  a large  canoe,  which 
was  filled  with  islanders,  when  a great 
storm  arose,  and  suddenly  the  canoe"^  was 
filled  with  blood.  The  islanders  with  their 
calabashes  baled  out  the  blood,  which  ran  to 
the  east  and  west  of  the  sea;  and  ever  after- 
ward the  blood  of  Taroa  is  seen  in  the 
clouds  which  accompany  the  rising  and  set- 
ting sun,  and,  as  of  old  tinges  the  waves  with 
red. 

When  the  canoe  came  to  land,  it  was  but 
the  skeleton  of  Taroa,  which  was  laid  on  the 
ground  with  its  face  downward,  and  from 
that  time  all  the  houses  of  the  gods  have 
been  built  on  the  model  of  Taroa’s  skeleton, 
the  thatched  roofs  representing  the  backbone 
and  the  posts  the  ribs. 

Legends  such  as  these  are  often  trans- 
mitted from  one  reciter  to  another,  and  re- 
cited verbatim,  being  merely  illustrated  and 
exemplified  by  such  poetical  digressions  as 
the  mind  of  the  narrator  may  suggest. 
With  others,  on  the  contrary,  the  orator  has 
only  the  mere  skeleton,  and  tells  the  story 
in  the  manner  that  seems  him  best. 


CHAPTER  CXL 


THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS. 

CLIMATE  — DRESS  — ORMAMENTS  — WOlVIElI. 


LOCALITY  OF  THE  GROUP  — COKFORMATIOH  AND  CLIMATE  OF  HAWAH  — APPEARANCE  AND  DRESS  OF 
THE  MEN  — FEATHER  MANTLES  AND  HELMETS  — SINGULAR  RESE^TBLANCE  TO  CLASSIC  MODELS  — 
APPEARANCE  OF  THE  WOMEN  — A HAWAIIAN  BEAUTY  — DRESS  OF  THE  WOMEN  — MODES  OF 
WEARING  THE  HAIR  — BRACELETS  AND  OTHER  ORNAMENTS — FONDNESS  FOR  PIGS  AND  DOGS  — 
OCCUPATIONS  OF  THE  WOMEN  — HOSPITALITY  TO  STRANGERS  — FISH  PONDS,  AND  MODE  OF  MAK- 
ING THEM — TREATMENT  OF  WOMEN  — SEMI- AMPHIBIOUS  NATURE  OF  THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDERS 
— INGENIOUS  METHOD  OF  OBTAINING  SOUNDINGS. 


Considerably  to  the  northward  of  the 
Society  Islands  lie  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
so  called  by  Captain  Cook,  in  honor  of  the 
Earl  of  Sandwich.  The  entire  group  con- 
sists of  eight  inhabited  islands,  and  a few 
which  are  too  barren  and  rocky  to  main- 
tain human  beings.  The  largest  and  most 
important  of  them  is  Hawaii,  or  Owhyhee, 
as  the  word  is  spelt  in  Cook’s  “ Voyages.” 
It  was  on  the  shore  of  a bay  on  the  western 
side  of  this  island  that  Captain  Cook  was 
killed  in  1779.  Owing  to  the  interchange 
of  the  letters  I and  r,  which  is  so  prevalent 
among  the  Polynesian  languages,  the  name 
of  this  bay  is  sometimes  spelt  as  Karaka- 
kooa,  and  sometimes  as  Kealakekua. 

The  capital  city  of  the  Sandwich  Islands 
is  not  situated  in  Hawaii,  but  in  Oahu,  or 
Woahu,  one  of  the  smaller  islands,  and  is 
called  Honolulu.  It  rightly  deserves  the 
name  of  a city,  because  it  is  the  seat  of  a 
bishopric.  The  climate  of  the  Sandwich 
Islands  is  said  to  be  the  most  charming  in 
the  world.  The  variation  is  exceedingly 
trifling,  as  near  the  sea  the  temperature  is 
below  that  of  sultry  English  summer-time, 
while  on  the  coldest  winter’s  day  the  ther- 
mometer never  sinks  below  62°  Fahr.  Ow- 
ing, however,  to  the  mountainous  nature  of 
these  islands,  any  one  may  live  throughout 
the  year  in  almost  exactly  the  same  temper- 
ature, by  ascending  into  a cooler  atmosphere 
when  the  weather  is  too  hot,  and  descending 
into  the  warmer  strata  during  the  months  of 
winter. 


Adhering  to  the  principle  which  has  been 
followed  in  this  work,  I shall  say  but  little 
of  the  present  Europeanized  condition  of 
the  natives  of  these  islands,  and  confine  my- 
self as  far  as  j^ossible  to  the  manners  and 
customs  of  the  people  as  they  were  before 
the  white  men  had  introduced  their  own 
mode  of  civilization.  Even  at  the  present 
day,  however,  the  old  savage  character  con- 
tinually shows  itself,  and  among  the  very 
people  who  seem  to  be  most  completely  un- 
der the  influence  of  civilization  the  original 
old  heathenism  exhibits  itself  when  they  are 
off  their  guard,  or  when  they  think  them- 
selves out  of  the  ken  of  white  men.  It  will  be 
understood,  therefore,  that  although  the  pres- 
ent tense  may  be  used  in  the  following  pages, 
all  descriptions  apply  to  them  as  they  were 
originally,  and  not  to  them  as  they  are  at 
the  present  day. 

The  men  are  tall,  active  and  powerful, 
and  in  color  are  of  an  olive  brown,  the  pre- 
cise depth  of  tint  varying  much  according 
to  the  exposure  to  the  sun,  so  that  the  skins 
of  the  chiefs  are  much  lighter  than  those  of 
the  commonalty.  The  hair  is  jet  black,  and 
not  in  the  least  woolly,  being  sometimes 
quite  straight,  and  sometimes  wavy.  The 
face  is  mostly  wide,  and  is  a very  hand- 
some one,  the  only  fault  in  it  being  a ten- 
dency to  width  across  the  nostrils. 

The  men  all  wear  the  maro  or  malo,  i.  e. 
the  slight  girdle  of  cloth  which  has  already 
been  mentioned,  and  having  this,  they  con- 


(1081) 


1082 


THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS. 


sider  themselves  dressed  for  all  purposes  of 
decency.  They  also  have  a taj)pa,  or  bark- 
cloth  garment,  which  is  twisted  round  the 
waist,  and  tails  below  the  knees,  while  the 
better  class  wear  also  a sort  of  mantle,  to 
shelter  their  skin  from  the  darkening  sun- 
beams. 

The  great  chiefs  have  also  mantles  made 
of  a sort  of  network,  into  each  mesh  of 
which  are  interwoven  the  feathers  of  vari- 
ous birds,  the  most  precious  of  them  being 
that  which  supplies  the  yellow  feathers. 
This  is  a little  bird  called  3£elithreptes  paci- 
f.ca.  It  is  one  of  the  honey-birds,  and  un- 
der each  wing  there  is  a single  yellow 
feather,  one  inch  in  length.  The  late  king, 
Kamehameha,  had  a cloak  made  of  these 
feathers  alone.  It  was  four  feet  long,  and 
eleven  feet  wide  at  the  bottom.  No  less 
than  nine  successive  kings  died  before  this 
priceless  mantle  was  finished. 

The  headdress  of  the  chiefs  is  of  so  grace- 
ful and  classical  a form  as  absolutely  to  star- 
tle the  spectator.  It  is  a helmet  made  of 
wicker-work  and  covered  with  feathers,  the 
shape  being  exactly  that  of  the  ancient 
Grecian  helmet  even  to  the  elevated  crest 
which  runs  over  the  top.  One  of  these 
beautiful  helmets  is  shown  on  the  1097th 
page.  It  is  not  intended  as  a protection  for 
the  head,  the  material  being  too  fragile  for 
such  a purpose,  but  is  simply  a badge  of 
rank  and  wealth.  Mostly  they  are  covered 
with  scarlet  and  yellow  feathers,  disposed  in 
bold  bands  or  belts,  and  the  wealth  of  the 
wearer  may  be  known  by  the  proportion 
which  the  yellow  and  scarlet  feathers  bear  to 
each  other. 

Examples  of  these  beautiful  ornaments 
may  be  seen  in  several  museums,  where  it  is 
to  bo  hoped  that  they  will  be  kept  from  the 
destructive  moths  and  beetles,  inasmuch  as 
they  form  the  sole  memorials  of  a time  now 
passed  away. 

The  birds  which  furnish  these  feathers 
are  eagerly  sought  by  the  Sandwich  Isl- 
anders, who  have  the  same  love  of  scarlet 
that  distinguishes  not  only  all  Polynesians 
but  all  savages  and  children.  The  birds  are 
usually  caught  by  means  of  a tenacious  sub- 
stance much  resembling  our  birdlime,  and 
used  in  a similar  manner  by  being  smeared 
on  twigs  and  poles,  to  which  the  birds  are 
attracted  by  means  of  baits. 

The  natural  taste  in  color  is  as  good  as 
that  which  displays  itself  in  form,  and  al- 
though the  brightest  and  most  boldly  con- 
trasting colors  are  used  by  the  Sandwich  Isl- 
anders, they  are  used  with  such  admirable 
judgment  that  they  do  not  look  gaudy,  or 
even  obtrusive. 

The  women,  when  young,  are  singularly 
beautiful,  and  retain  their  good  looks  longer 
than  is  usual  among  Polynesians.  Like  the 
other  sex,  however,  they  generally  attain  to 
^reat  size  in  their  latter  years,  those  of  the 
better  sort  being  remarkable  for  their  enor- 


mous corpulence.  This  development  is 
probably  owing,  like  that  of  the  Kaffir 
chiefs,  to  the  great  quantity  of  porridge 
which  they  are  continuall}^  eating.  When 
young,  however,  they  are  exceedingly  beau- 
tiful, their  features  having  a peculiar  charm 
of  their  own,  and  their  forms  being  like  those 
of  the  ancient  Grecian  statues.  An  Ameri- 
can traveller,  writing  under  the  nom  de 
plume  of  liable,  i.  e.  foreigner,  gives  a most 
animated  description  of  a native  girl,  in  his 
interesting  work  on  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
showing  that  the  partial  civilization  to  which 
the  natives  have  been  subjected  has  not  de- 
stroyed their  beauty  of  features  nor  sym- 
metry of  form. 

“In  truth  to  nature,  it  may  be  safely 
asserted  that  beauty  is  not  confined  merel}" 
to  the  saloon  of  the  monarch,  nor'  to  the 
tapestried  chambers  of  the  patrician.  It  is 
more  frequently  found  amid  the  lowlier 
walks  of  life,  on  the  desert,  or  the  distant 
isle  of  the  ocean.  In  this  instance  I v,dsh 
to  be  understood  as  speaking  of  physical 
beauty  only.  On  leaving  the  shore-road  to 
ascend  the  mountains  for  Ilalawa,  I met 
just  such  a specimen  as  has  often  driven 
men  mad,  and  whose  possession  has  many  a 
time  paved  the  way  to  the  subversion  of 
empire  on  the  pa,rt  of  monarchs. 

“ She  was  rather  above  the  medium  size 
of  American  women.  Her  finely  chiselled 
chin,  nose,  and  forehead  were  singularly 
Grecian.  Her  beaufifully  moulded  neck 
and  shoulders,  looked  as  though  they  might 
have  been  borrowed  from  Juno.  The  devel- 
opment of  her  entire  form  was  as  perfect  as 
nature  could  make  it.  She  was  arrayed  in  a 
single  loose  robe,  beneath  which  a pretty 
little  nude  foot  was  just  peeping  out.  Her 
hair  and  eyebrows  were  as  glossy  as  a 
raven’s  wing.  Around  her  head  was  care- 
lessly twined  a wreath  of  the  beautiful 
native  ohelo  flowers  (Gualtheria  pendulifio- 
rum).  Her  lips  seemed  fragrant  with  the 
odor  of  countless  and  untiring  kisses.  Her 
complexion  was  much  fairer  than  the  fairest 
of  her  countrywomen,  and  I was  forced  into 
the  conclusion  that  she  was  the  offshoot  of 
some  white  father  who  had  trampled  on  the 
seventh  precept  in  the  Decalogue,  or  taken 
to  his  embrace,  by  the  marriage  relation, 
some  good-looking  Hawaiian  woman. 

“ But  her  eyes!  I never  shall  forget  those 
eyes!  They  retained  something  that  spoke 
of  an  affection  so  deep,  a spiritual  existence 
so  intense,  a dreamy  enchantment  so  inex- 
pressibly beautiful,  that  they  reminded  one 
of  the  beautiful  Greek  girl  Myrrha,  in 
Byron’s  tragedy  of  ‘ Sardanapalus,’  whose 
love  clung  to  the  old  monarch  when  the 
flame  of  the  funeral  pile  formed  their  wind- 
ing sheet. 

“ In  no  former  period  of  my  life  had  I 
ever  raised  my  hat  in  the  presence  of 
beauty,  but  at  this  moment,  and  in  such  a 
presence,  I took  it  off.  I was  entirely  fasci- 


a084) 


(1.)  IDOL  TANE  RETURNING  HOME,  f See  page  1069.)  (2.)  SANDWICH  ISLAND  WOMEN  AND  PIG.  (See  page  1085.) 


A HAWAIIAN  BEAUTY. 


1085 


nated,  charmed,  spell-bound  now.  I stopped 
my  horse;  and  there  I sat,  to  take  a fuller 
glance  at  the  fair  reality.  And  the  girl 
stopped,  and  returned  the  glance,  while  a 
smile  parted  her  lips,  and  partially  revealed  a 
set  of  teeth  as  white  as  snow,  and  of  match- 
less perfection.  I felt  that  smile  to  be  an 
unsafe  atmosphere  for  the  nerves  of  a bach- 
elor; so  I bowed,  replaced  my  hat,  and 
passed  on  my  way,  feeling  fully  assured  that 
nothing  but  the  chisel  of  Praxiteles  could 
have  copied  her  exquisite  charms.  And  as 
I gently  moved  past  her,  she  exclaimed,  in 
the  vocabulary  of  her  country  ‘ Love  to 
you.’  ” 

The  same  writer  mentions  in  several 
other  places  the  beauty  of  the  young  girls 
whom  he  saw  in  Hawaii.  There  was  no 
reason  for  the  surmise  that  the  girl  who 
impressed  him  so  deeply  was  a half-caste, 
because,  as  has  already  been  mentioned, 
people  of  the  better  class  are  much  fairer 
than  those  of  lower  rank,  and  are  scarcely 
so  dark  as  the  inhabitants  of  Southern 
Europe. 

The  dress  of  the  Sandwich  Islands  women 
is  much  like  that  of  the  Tongans,  and  con- 
sists essentially  of  a wrapper  of  bark  cloth 
passing  round  the  waist  and  falling  below 
the  knees.  It  is  often  arranged  so  that  the 
end  may  be  thrown  over  the  shoulders,  and 
many  of  the  better  class  of  women  have  a 
separate  piece  of  cloth  which  is  used  as  a 
mantle.  When  young  they  wear  no  cloth- 
ing at  all. 

The  methods  of  wearing  the  hair  are 
somewhat  various.  The  women  generally 
cut  it  behind,  but  allow  it  to  grow  to  its  full 
length  on  the  rest  of  the  head.  The  men 
sometimes  divide  the  hair  into  a number  of 
locks,  and  plait  or  twist  each  lock  into  a sort 
of  tail  about  the  thickness  of  a man’s  finger. 
These  tails  are  allowed  to  grow  to  their  full 
length,  and  stream  for  some  distance  down 
the  back.  The  length  of  tail  seems  to  be 
much  valued  among  these  people,  who  are 
in  the  habit  of  adding  to  their  length  by 
supplementary  additions  of  hair  woven  into 
their  own  locks.  The  hair  is  often  stained 
of  a reddish  color  by  the  use  of  lime,  as  is 
done  in  Fiji  and  other  parts  of  Polynesia. 
Sometimes  the  men  shave  the  whole  of  the 
hair  on  either  side  of  the  head,  leaving  only 
one  crest  of  long  hair  to  run  from  the  fore- 
head to  the  nape  of  the  neck,  just  like  the 
crests  of  the  feather  helmets. 

Captain  Cook  remarks  that  the  Sandwich 
Islanders  stand  almost  alone  among  Polyne- 
sians in  refusing  to  perforate  their  ears,  and 
that  they  have  no  idea  of  wearing  orna- 
ments in  them.  They  are  fond  of  orna- 
ments, some  of  which  are  worth  a brief 
description.  They  have  a sort  of  necklace 
made  of  black  cord,  doubled  forty  or  fifty 
times,  and  supporting  a piece  of  wood,  shell, 
or  bone  cut  into  the  form  of  a broad  hook. 
Necklaces  made  of  small  shells  strung  to- 


gether are  also  common,  as  are  also  neck- 
laces of  dried  flowers. 

Bracelets  of  various  kinds  are  valued  by 
the  women.  Some  of  these  ornaments  are 
made  of  hog’s  teeth  placed  side  by  side, 
with  the  concave  parts  outward,  and  joined 
by  a string  running  through  the  middle. 
Some  of  these  bracelets  are  made  entirely 
of  the  long  curved  tusks  of  boars,  and  are 
really  handsome  ornaments.  Others  are 
formed  from  pieces  of  black  wood,  fastened 
together  in  a similar  manner,  and  being 
variegated  by  small  pieces  of  hog’s  teeth  let 
into  them. 

The  men  sometimes  wear  on  their  heads 
tufts  of  feathers  tied  to  slight  sticks.  The 
most  valuable  of  these  plumes  are  those 
which  are  made  of  the  tail-feathers  of  the 
tropic  bird.  Others,  which  are  not  so  valua- 
ble, are  made  of  white  dog’s  hair.  The 
sticks  are  sometimes  two  feet  in  length. 

Tattooing  is  but  slightly  practised  among 
the  Sandwich  Islanders,  diougli  some  of 
them  have  the  arms  and  chest  decorated 
with  lines  and  figures  tolerably  well  exe- 
cuted. 

Like  many  of  the  Polynesians,  the  Sand- 
wich Islanders  have  an  absurd  liking  for 
pigs  and  dogs,  carrying  them  about  and  feed- 
ing them  when  young,  as  if  they  had  been 
children.  Even  when  the  animals  attain 
their  full  growth,  they  are  petted  to  no  small 
extent.  The  “ Haole  ” narrates  an  amusing 
example  of  the  extreme  tenderness  which 
the  Hawaiian  women  evince  for  these  ani- 
mals, and  the  artist  has  represented  the  de- 
scription in  engraving  No.  2,  on  the  pre- 
ceding page.  He  was  travelling  through  the 
island,  and  noticed  a group  of  women  sitting 
under  the  shade  of  a pandanus  tree,  and  sur- 
rounding something  in  which  they  seemed 
to  be  greatly  interested.  On  coming  closer, 
he  found  that  the  object  of  their  attention 
was  an  enormous  hog. 

The  women  were  taking  it  to  market,  a 
task  which  usually  devolves  upon  them,  and 
had  to  drive  the  animal  for  a considerable 
distance  over  lofty  mountains,  a task  which 
could  not  occupy  them  less  than  thirty-six 
• hours.  To  produce  the  hog  in  good  condi- 
tion was  evidently  their  principal  object,  and 
they  would  therefore  hurry  it  as  little  as  pos- 
sible, coax  it  along,  rather  than  drive  it,  by 
day,  and  sleep  by  its  side  at  night.  It  so 
happened  that  the  day  was  a very  warm  one, 
and  the  hog,  which  was  in  very  good  condi- 
tion, was  oppressed  with  its  own  fat,  with 
the  heat  and  the  fatigue  of  the  journey. 
Accordingly,  the  women  had  led  theiV  charge 
to  a shady  spot,  taken  off  their  only  gar- 
ments, soaked  them  in  water,  and  spread 
them  over  the  panting  animal,  which  uttered 
occasional  grunts  of  satisfaction  at  the  cool- 
ness caused  by  the  wet  garments,  and  the 
continual  fanning  which  the  women  kept  up 
with  leaves. 

■\Yliea  the  pig  is  of  smaller  size,  and  the 


1086 


THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS. 


market  is  near  at  hand,  so  that  there  is  no 
danger  the  animal  may  get  out  of  condi- 
tion, a much  simpler  plan  is  followed,  the 
legs  of  the  pig  being  tied  together,  and  a 
pole  run  between  fhem,  which  is  lifted  on 
the  shoulders  of  two  or  four  men,  according 
to  the  weight  of  the  animal. 

Although  the  Sandwich  Islanders  will  eat 
dogs,  pigs,  and  cats  too,  when  they  can  af- 
ford themselves  the  luxury,  they  are  so  fond 
of  them  while  living  that  a man  will  sooner 
resent  an  injury  done  to  his  dog  or  pig  than 
to  his  child.  When  travelling,  accompanied 
by  their  dogs,  they  treat  the  animals  just 
like  children,  taking  them  in  their  arms, 
and  carr}dng  them  over  any  rough  or  muddy 
places,  lest  perchance  the  poor  animals 
should  hurt  or  soil  their  feet.  It  is  possible 
that  this  extraordinary  predilection  may 
arise  from  the  fact  that  none  of  these  ani- 
mals are  indigenous,  but  have  been  intro- 
duced by  Europeans. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  women  do  not 
spend  their  lives  in  idleness.  Indeed,  though 
they  are  not  treated  with  the  harshness  that 
too  often  falls  to  the  lot  of  women  in  un- 
civilized countries,  they  do  a very  fair  share 
of  the  work.  The  cooking,  for  example,  is 
entirely  their  business,  and  they  are  as  great 
adepts  at  procuring  as  at  cooking  food.  For 
example,  if  a stranger  should  call  at  the 
house  of  a native,  the  wife  is  sure  to  come 
out,  pass  her  hand  over  him,  and  inquire 
whether  he  is  hungry.  Should  he  reply  in 
the  afiirmative,  she  or  another  girl  runs  out 
to  one  of  the  fish  ponds,  launches  a small 
canoe,  and  in  a very  short  space  of  time  she 
has  caught  some  fish,  broiled  them,  cooked 
some  taro,  and  laid  them  on  plantain  leaves 
before  the  guest. 

These  fish  ponds  are  very  common  in 
Hawaii,  and  are  mostly  made  by  the  women. 
They  are  formed  by  taking  advantage  of  the 
coral  beach,  which  has  numerous  small  bays 
or  inlets  with  comparatively  narrow  mouths. 
Across  the  mouths  of  these  bays  the  natives 
pile  pieces  of  coral  rock  so  as  to  prevent  any 
fish  from  escaping.  They  are  deepened  as 
occasion  may  require,  and  it  is  not  an  un- 
common thing  to  see  a number  of  women  up 
to  their  waists  in  mud  and  water  busily  em- 
ployed in  cleaning  out  a fish  pond,  and  ev- 
idently enjoying  the  work  rather  than  think- 
ing it  a hardsMp.  While  they  are  thus  at 
work  on  land,  their  husbands  and  brothers 
are  equally  hard  at  work  on  sea,  catching  the 
fish  which  are  to  be  transferred  to  the  pond. 

The  natives  rely  much  for  their  supplies 
of  food  on  these  ponds,  as  fish  forms  a con- 
siderable portion  of  their  diet,  pork  and  fowls 
being  too  expensive  to  be  considered  any- 
thing but  luxuries,  and  only  to  be  eaten  con- 
stantly by  the  rich.  The  ponds  vary  much 
in  size,  but  are  generally  of  considerable  di- 
mensions. Few  of  them  cover  less  than  an 
acre  of  ground,  while  others  are  a hundred 
times  as  large.  One  or  two  of  the  largest 


are  very  ancient,  and  may  be  considered  as 
historical  monuments,  the  coral  blocks  which 
shut  them  off  from  the  sea  being  of  such 
enormous  size  as  to  tell  of  the  time  when  the 
kings  or  principal  chiefs  were  absolute,  and 
could  command  any  amount  of  human  labor. 

Even  at  the  present  time  the  natives  rely 
much  on  their  fish  ponds  for  their  su})plies 
of  food,  and  the  size  of  the  pond  is  an  in- 
variable test  of  the  rank  and  wealth  of  the 
owner.  They  are  watched  as  carefully  as 
game  preserves  in  our  own  country,  and 
suffer  as  much  from  poachers,  who,  however, 
seldom  escape  detection. 

While,  therefore,  the  women  do  their  share 
of  the  work,  their  life  is  by  no  means  a la- 
borious one,  because  there  is  so  little  work 
to  be  done.  The  taro  patch  has  to  be  pre- 
pared and  cultivated,  but  this  is  not  a very 
laborious  task;  the  fish  ponds  have  to  be 
made  and  left  in  order,  the  cooking  has  to 
be  done,  and  the  bark  cloth  to  be  made. 
Of  all  these  tasks  the  second  is  the  hardest, 
and  this  is  rather  considered  as  an  amuse- 
ment than  a labor,  the  women  being  so  am- 
phibious in  their  habits  that  to  spend  half 
the  da}^  in  mud  and  water  is  no  hardship  to 
them,  as  is  seen  by  the  merry  talk  and 
laughter  that  accompany  the  work. 

Mr.  Bennett  mentions  one  instance  in 
which  a woman  was  badly  treated  by  her 
husband.  Being  in  a state  of  intoxication, 
he  ordered  her  to  carry  him  on  her  back  up 
one  of  the  precipices  with  which  these  islands 
abound.  In  spite  of  the  almost  perpendicular 
rocks,  which  are  in  that  spot  so  steep  that 
the  white  visitors  could  barely  climb  up 
them  without  any  burden  at  all,  the  woman 
undertook  the  task,  and  succeeded  in  reach- 
ing the  summit  in  safety. 

The  semi-amphibious  nature  of  the  Sand- 
wich. Islanders  has  already  been  mentioned. 
The  mode  in  which  both  sexes  turn  their 
aquatic  powers  into  a means  of  amusement 
will  be  presently  described,  but  we  are  now 
dealing  with  the  work  done  by  the  women, 
and  not  with  their  amusements.  There  is  a 
salt-water  lake  called  Loki  Nomilu,  which 
was  said  by  the  natives  to  be  the  handiwork 
of  the  terrible  fire-goddess  Pele,  who  dug 
deep  into  the  ground  in  search  of  fresh  water, 
but  was  baffled  by  the  sea  finding  a subterra- 
nean entrance,  although  the  lake  is  many 
yards  from  the  shore.  Being  angry  with  the 
sea  for  its  misconduct  she  took  her  departure, 
and  took  up  her  abode  in  the  crater  of  the 
great  volcano  of  Hawaii,  wdiich  is  called  by 
her  name.  There  is  little  doubt  that  the 
lake  in  question  is  itself  the  crater  of  an  ex- 
tinct volcano.  The  “ Haole  ” went  to  visit 
this  extraordinary  lake,  and  gives  the  fol- 
lowing account  of  the  mode  by  which  its 
actual  depth  was  ascertained: — 

“ Having  been  informed  that  this  lake  was 
fathomless,  I felt  only  more  solicitous  to  test 
the  mystery.  There  were  no  means,  how- 
ever, on  the  premises;  and,  two  women  ex- 


INGENIOUS  WAY  OF  OBTAINING  SOUNDINGS. 


1087 


cepted,  the  little  village  was  temporarily  de- 
serted. There  were  several  canoes  on  the 
shore,  but  the  lake  was  much  disturbed  by 
a heavy  north  wind,  so  that  they  would  have 
been  rendered  nearly  useless.  But  I felt 
as  though  I could  not  abandon  the  expedi- 
tion. The  gentleman  who  accompanied  me 
thither  inlbrmed  the  women  of  my  object  in 
coming,  and  assured  them  I was  extremely 
anxious  to  know  the  depth  of  the  water  in 
that  lake,  and  that  we  would  wait  until  some 
of  the  men  returned  from  their  fishing  ex- 
cursion. 

“ But  one  of  them  soon  provided  a remedy. 
She  proposed  swimming  into  the  lake  with 
a sounding-line  to  make  the  required  meas- 
urement. Our  remonstrance  against  such 
a measure  was  in  vain,  for  she  resolutely  as- 
sured us  it  would  be  not  only  an  easy  per- 
formance, but  afford  her  much  satisfaction 
to  have  an  opportunity  of  serving  me.  She 
l>rocured  a piece  of  wili-wili  wood,  exceed- 
ingly light,  about  six  feet  long,  and  as  many 
inches  in  diameter.  This  she  insisted  on 
carrying  to  the  north  end  of  the  lake,  where, 
under  the  lee  of  the  high  hills,  she  launched 
the  log  of  wood.  After  wading  in  until  it 
was  deep  enough  to  swim,  she  placed  the  log 
firmly  under  her  chest,  keeping  it  there  with 


one  hand,  and  retaining  the  sounding-line 
with  the  other.  In  this  position  she  struck 
down  the  lake,  stopping  at  sliort  intervals  to 
let  down  the  line,  which  she  knotted  at  the 
surface  of  the  water  every  time  she  found 
the  bottom.  This  done,  she  would  gather  up 
her  line,  replace  her  log,  and  resume  her 
course.  And  she  pursued  this  plan  until  her 
task  was  done. 

“ It  would  be  superfluous  to  say  that  this 
feat  excited  our  admiration,  or  that  we  com- 
pensated her  for  her  pains.  It  was  the  most 
novel  expedition  I had  ever  seen ; nor  could 
I fully  realize  it  until  I remembered  that  in 
these  islands,  as  in  other  parts  of  Polynesia, 
and  in  the  Caribbean  Sea,  the  women  and 
girls  are  the  best  swimmers.  The  Ilawaiians 
are  almost  amphibious.  Volumes  might  be 
written  detailing  their  extraordinary  feats  in 
the  water.  It  is  owing  to  their  frequent 
bathing  that  many  of  the  women  of  Polyne- 
sia display  such  an  exquisite  contour ^ 

The  woman  who  performed  the  feat  was 
the  mother  of  nine  children,  all  of  whom 
were  living  — an  extraordinary  event  in  the 
life  of  an  Hawaiian  woman,  so  many  chil- 
dren perishing  either  by  neglect,  disease,  or 
intentional  violence. 


OHAPTEE  CXn. 


THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS  — Conciw^d. 


WAR  — SPORT  — RELIGION. 


WEAPONS  OF  THE  SAjSrD',\Q«:;H  ISLANDERS — KAMEHAMEHA  AND  THE  SPEARS  — TWO  KINDS  OF  SLINGS  — 
THE  WOODEN  DAGGER  OR  PAHUA  — THE  KNIFE  FOR  CUTTING  UP  THE  BODIES  OF  SLAIN  ENE- 
MIES—THE  WAR  MAT  AND  ITS  USES  — THE  TOOTH  BREASTPLATE  — SUPPOSED  CANNIBALISM  OF 
THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDERS -VARIOUS  GAMES  — SURF  SWIMMING  — CHILDREN  AND  THE  WATER  — 
MASKED  PADDLERS  — BALL  PLAY  — CUP  AND  BALL  — THE  HIDDEN  STONE  — A BOXING  MATCH  IN 
THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS  — SLEDGING  AND  ITS  DANGERS  — RELIGION  OF  HAWAII  — FEATHER  AND 
WOODEN  IDOLS. 


Some  of  the  weapons  used  by  the  Sandwich 
Islanders  are  rather  curious. 

In  the  first  place  they  have  the  spear, 
Which  is  made  of  a chestnut  colored  wood, 
v/hich  takes  a high  polish,  and  is  usually 
barbed  at  the  point  and  brought  to  a flat- 
tened point  at  the  butt.  They  are  exceed- 
ingly skilful  in  the  use  of  this  weapon,  not 
only  in  throwing  it,  but  in  warding  off  the 
weapons  that  are  flung  at  them.  Kameha- 
meha,  the  well-known  king  or  chief,  w^as 
celebrated  for  his  skill  with  the  spear.  He 
used  to  stand  with  a spear  in  his  right  hand 
in  front  of  six  men,  also  armed  with  spears. 
At  a given  signal  they  flung  their  spears 
simultaneously  at  him,  when  he  used  to 
strike  three  aside  with  the  spear  in  his  right 
hand,  and  catch  the  other  three  in  his  left 
hand.  Illustration  No.  1,  on  the  next  page, 
shows  the  king  performing  this  dangerous 
and  remarkable  feat. 

These  spears,  which  are  intended  to  be 
thrown,  are  from  six  to  eight  feet  in  length, 
and  are  made  to  fly  straight  by  being  tapered 
gradually  from  the  head  to  the  butt.  There 
is  another  kind  of  spear,  which  is  used  as  a 
pike.  This  is  from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  in 
length,  and  is  not  barbed. 

The  sling  is  another  of  the  Sandwich 
weapons.  It  is  of  considerable  length,  and 
the  receptacle  for  the  stone  is  made  of 
plaited  matting.  The  stones  are  oval  in 
shape,  and  are  ground  down  for  the  express 
purpose,  so  that  the  slingers  evidently  pos- 
sess much  accuracy  of  aim.  There  is  a 
modification  of  the  sling,  the  use  of  which 
seems  to  be  forgotten  at  the  present  day, 


and  even  in  Captain  Cook’s  time  was  far 
from  universal.  The  stone  is  cut  of  an  oval 
shape,  with  a groove  round  it,  much  like  a 
lady’s  tatting-needle,  and  the  cord  is  passed 
round  the  groove  with  a half-hitch,  so  that 
when  the  end  of  the  sling  is  liberated  the 
stone  flies  off.  Some  of  these  stones  obtained 
by  Captain  Cook  were  made  of  hsematite,  or 
blood-stone,  and  were  very  heavy,  weighing 
at  least  a pound.  It  was  rather  curious  that, 
although  there  was  little  difficulty  in  pur- 
chasing the  stones,  which  must  have  cost 
much  trouble  in  making,  it  was  not  possible 
to  persuade  the  natives  to  part  with  the  cord 
by  which  they  were  flung. 

Another  of  their  weapons  is  the  dagger, 
or  paliiia^  as  the  natives  call  it.  The  mate- 
rial of  which  it  is  made  is  a very  hard  wood, 
something  like  ebony,  and  it  is  shaped  much 
like  the  ordinary  steel  dagger,  except  that  it 
has  no  guard.  It  is  about  two  feet  in  length, 
and  is  secured  to  the  wrist  by  a cord  passing 
through  a hole  at  the  end  of  the  handle. 
Some  of  these  daggers  are  still  larger,  and 
double-pointed,  being  held  in  the  middle  like 
the  antelope-horn  daggers  of  India.  This 
weapon  has  a mournful  interest  from  the 
fact  that  when  Captain  Cook  was  murdered 
his  body  was  pierced  with  innumerable 
wounds  mostly  made  by  wooden  daggers, 
though  one  of  the  natives  had  a dagger 
made  of  iron,  which  they  snatched  from  each 
other’s  hands  in  their  eagerness  to  inflict 
fresh  wounds. 

On  some  occasions  the  Sandwich  Island- 
ers employ  a weapon  which  much  resembles 
the  merai  of  the  New  Zealanders.  It  is  a 


(1088) 


(1.)  KAMEHAMEHA  AND  THE  SPEARS.  (See  page  1088.) 


(2.)  MASKED  ROWERS.  (See  page  1095.) 
(1089) 


TF  FM^ 


DEFEXSIYE  AEMOR. 


1091 


batiledoor-sliaped  piece  of  wood,  armed  with 
shark’s  teeth  round  the  edges.  Its  primary 
use  is  that  of  a knife,  and  it  is  employed  in 
cutting  to  pieces  the  bodies  of  foes  that  ai-e 
slain  in  battle.  Still,  though  it  was  origi- 
nally intended  as  an  implement  and  not  as 
a weapon,  it  is  of  so  formidable  a character 
that  it  is  often  employed  in  the  latter  capac- 
ity. As  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  this  knife 
is  considered  to  be  especially  devoted  to  the 
one  ol)ject  of  cutting  up  human  bodies,  and 
is  never  employed  in  any  meaner  work. 

As  to  clubs^  they  are  of  various  shapes, 
the  natives  having  no  special  form,  but  carv- 
ing them  into  any  device  that  may  suit  them 
best,  and  using  different  kinds  of  wood  for 
the  purpose. 

The  defensive  armor  of  the  Sandwich  Isl- 
anders is  generally  a thick  mat,  which  is 
worn  in  time  of  war,  and  is  sufficiently 
strong  to  save  the  wearer  from  the  thrust  of  a 
spear  or  the  stroke  of  a dagger,  and  can  even 
greatly  deaden  the  blow  of  a sling  stone. 

When  Captain  Cook  was  killed,  the  man 
who  precipitated  the  attack  was  wearing  his 
war  mat,  and,  on  threatening  Captain  Cook 
with  a dagger  in  one  hand  and  a stone  in 
the  other,  the  captain  was  obliged  to  fire  at 
him  in  self-defence.  ISTot  wishing  to  kill, 
but  only  to  wound  and  terrify  his  adversary, 
he  fired  a charge  of  shot,  which  was  resisted 
by  the  war  mat,  so  that  the  man  escaped 
unhurt,  his  impunity  encouraging  the  na- 
tives to  proceed  with  their  attack.  Had 
Captain  Cook  fired  the  other  barrel,  which 
was  loaded  with  ball,  against  which  the  war 
mat  would  have  been  no  protection,  it  is 
probable  that  the  natives  would  have  been 
deterred  from  their  attack,  and  that  Captain 
Cook  might  have  lived  to  complete  the 
voyage  of  discovery. 

One  of  the  most  curious  examples  of  de- 
fensive armor  is  a breastplate  made  entirely 
of  teeth,  so  arranged  that  they  overlap  each 
other  just  like  the  plates  of  scale  armor. 
One  of  these  curious  breastplates  is  in  the 
United  Service  Museum.  Teeth  hung  in  a 
similar  fashion  are  employed  as  castanets, 
and  are  hung  to  the  legs  of  dancers. 

Warfare  as  originally  practised  by  the 
Sandwich  Islanders  was  scarcely  deserving 
of  the  name,  being  little  more  than  a series 
of  desultory  skirmishes.  They  usually  be- 
gan by  practising  in  earnest  the  skill  in 
avoiding  spears  vdiich  has  already  been 
mentioned  as  exhibited  in  sport.  When 
the  opposing  parties  met,  one  of  the  chiefs, 
clad  in  his  feather  helmet  and  cloak,  ad- 
vanced in  front  of  his  own  men,  totally  un- 
armed, having  nothing  in  his  hand  but  a 
fan,  and  challenging  the  enemy  to  throw 
their  spears  at  him.  Tliis  they  did,  and  by 
means  of  wonderful  agility  in  leaping,  stoop- 
ing, and  twisting  his  body,  when  the  weap- 
ons could  not  be  struck  aside  by  the  fan  or 
caught  in  the  left  hand,  he  often  contrived 
to  escape  with  his  life. 


Though  it  was  a piece  of  military  eti- 
quette that  he  should  take  no  wea[)on  into 
the  field,  he  was  at  liberty  to  hurl  back  at 
his  adversaries  any  of  the  spears  which  he 
could  catch.  Should  one  of  the  enemy’s 
spears  bring  him  to  the  ground,  or  should 
he  be  successful  in  killing  an  adversary, 
there  was  an  immediate  struggle  for  the 
possession  of  the  dead  body,  which  is  looked 
upon  much  as  is  a fiag  among  ourselves,  to 
be  defended  or  captured  at  all  risks,  even  of 
life. . 

This  statement  naturally  brings  us  to  the 
disposal  of  the  bodies  of  the  siain,  and  to 
the  practice  of  cannibalism.  That  the  latter 
practice  existed  to  a certain  degree  cannot 
be  denied,  but  it  is  equally  certain  that  the 
practice  was  always  exceptional,  and  that  it 
was  followed  rather  as  a portion  of  military 
etiquette  than  as  a means  of  indulging  the 
appetite.  As  may  be  imagined,  the  higher 
the  rank  of  a slain  man  the  greater  the  de- 
sire to  eat  a portion,  however  small  of  his 
llesh;  and  this  theory  will  account  for  the 
fact  that  the  remains  of  Captain  Cook  which 
were  rescued  from  the  natives  bore  evident 
marks  of  fire. 

It  has  often  happened  that  cannibalism 
has  been  thought  to  exist  on  the  strength  of 
native  evidence,  which  has  afterward  been 
found  to  have  been  misunderstood.  A re- 
markable instance  of  such  an  error  occurs 
in  the  account  of  Captain  Cook’s  voyages. 
In  vol.  ii.  p.  209,  there  is  an  account  of  a na- 
tive who  was  observed  to  carry  with  him  a 
very  small  parcel  carefully  tied  up  with 
string.  After  resisting  many  solicitations, 
he  allowed  it  to  be  opened,  when  there  ap- 
peared a small  piece  of  flesh  about  two 
inches  long,  “which  to  all  appearance  had 
been  dried,  but  was  now  wet  with  salt  wa- 
ter.” On  being  further  pressed  on  the  sub- 
ject, the  man  admitted  that  it  was  human 
flesh,  and,  pointing  to  his  own  stomach,  in- 
dicated the  portion  of  the  body  from  which 
it  had  been  cut. 

Nothing  could  be  clearer  than  this  ac- 
count, but  in  vol.  iii.  p.  133,  the  whole  of 
this  evidence  is  shown  to  be  utterly  un- 
trust^vorthy.  It  seems  that  almost  every 
Sandwich  Islander  was  in  the  habit  of  carry- 
ing about  with  him  a small  piece  of  hog’s 
flesh  very  highly  salted,  which  he  v/as  accus- 
tomed to  niWjle  occasionally  as  a delicacy, 
or  by  way  of  sauce  when  eating  vegetable 
food.  By  pointing  to  his  stomach  the  man 
merely  used  the  conventional  sign  express- 
ing the  excellence  of  the  food;  and  as  to  his 
statement  that  the  flesh  was  that  of  a human 
being,  he  was  so  eagerly  and  closely  ques- 
tioned that,  being  a mere  lad  of  sixteen  or 
seventeen,  he  gave  an  affirmative  answer  to 
leading  questions.  As  far  as  we  can  see,  the 
Polynesian  race  is  not  given  to  cannibalism, 
while  the  Papuans  are  devoted  to  it. 

W E now  come  to  the  various  games  witj^ 


1092 


THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS. 


which  the  Sandwich  Islanders  amuse  them- 
selves. Chief  among  them  is  the  sport  of 
surf-swimming.  This  is  practised  in  several 
of  the  islands  of  Polynesia,  but  in  none  is  it 
carried  out  to  such  perfection  as  in  the  Sand- 
wich group.  The  following  spirited  account 
of  this  sport  is  given  in  Captain  Cook’s  Voy- 
ages:— 

“ Swimming  is  not  only  a necessary  art, 
in  which  both  the  men  and  women  are  more 
expert  than  any  people  we  had  hitherto  seen, 
but  a favorite  diversion  amongst  them.  One 
particular  mode  in  which  they  sometimes 
amused  themselves  with  this  exercise  in 
Karakakooa  Bay,  appeared  to  us  most  peril- 
ous and  extraordinary,  and  well  deserving  a 
distinct  relation. 

“ The  surf,  which  breaks  on  the  coast 
round  the  bay,  extends  to  the  distance  of 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  from  the 
shore,  within  which  space  the  surges  of  the 
sea,  accumulating  from  the  shallowness  of 
the  water,  are  dashed  against  the  beach  Avith 
prodigious  violence.  Whenever  from  stormy 
weather,  or  any  extraordinary  swell  at  sea, 
the  impetuosity  of  the  surf  is  increased  to 
its  utmost  height,  they  choose  that  time  for 
this  amusement,  which  is  performed  in  the 
following  manner : — 

“ Twent}^  or  thirty  of  the  natives,  taking 
each  a long  narrow  board,  rounded  at  the 
ends,  set  out  together  from  the  shore.  The 
first  Avave  they  meet  they  plunge  under, 
and,  sufiering  it  to  roll  over  them,  rise  again 
beyond  it,  and  make  the  best  of  their  way 
by  SAvimming  out  into  the  sea.  The  second 
wave  is  encountered  in  the  same  manner 
Avith  the  first;  the  great  ditficulty  consisting 
in  seizing  the  proper  moment  of  diving 
under  it,  which,  if  missed,  the  person  is 
caught  by  the  surf,  and  driven  back  again 
with  great  violence ; and  all  his  dexterity  is 
then  required  to  prevent  himself  from  being 
dashed  against  the  rocks.  As  soon  as  they 
have  gained,  by  these  repeated  eftbrts,  the 
smooth  water  beyond  the  surf,  they  lay 
themselves  at  length  on  their  board,  and 
prepare  for  their  return.  As  the  surf  cou- 
sins of  a number  of  Avaves,  of  Avhich  every 
third  is  remarked  to  be  always  much  larger 
than  the  others,  and  to  flow  higher  on  the 
shore,  the  rest  breaking  in  the  intermediate 
space,  their  first  object  is  to  place  them- 
selves on  the  summit  of  the  largest  surge, 
by  which  they  are  driven  along  with  amaz- 
ing rapidity  toAvard  the  shore. 

“If  by  mistake  they  should  place  them- 
selves on  one  of  the  smaller  waves,  Avhich 
breaks  up  before  they  reach  the  land,  or 
should  not  be  able  to  keep  their  plank  in  a 
proper  direction  on  the  top  of  the  SAvell, 
they  are  left  exposed  to  the  fury  of  the  next, 
and,  to  avoid  it,  are  obliged  again  to  dive 
and  regain  the  place  from  Avhich  they  set 
out. 

“Those  who  succeed  in  their  object  of 
reaching  the  shore  have  still  the  greatest 


danger  to  encounter.  The  coast  being 
guarded  by  a chain  of  rocks,  Avith  here  and 
there  a small  opening  betAveen  them,  they 
are  obliged  to  steer  their  board  through  one 
of  these,  or,  in  case  of  failure,  to  quit  it  be- 
fore they  reach  the  rocks,  and,  plunging 
under  the  Avave,  make  the  best  of  their  Avay 
back  again.  This  is  reckoned  very  disgrace- 
ful, and  is  also  attended  Avith  the  loss  of  the 
board,  which  I have  often  seen,  Avith  great 
terror,  dashed  to  pieces  at  the  very  moment 
the  islander  quitted  it.  The  boldness  and 
address  with  which  Ave  saw  them  perform 
these  difficult  and  dangerous  manoeuvres 
Avas  altogether  astonishing,  and  is  scarcely 
to  be  credited.” 

These  swimmers  used  often  to  pass  nearly 
a mile  seaward,  in  order  to  enjoy  the  rapid 
motion  of  their  return  as  long  as  possible. 
Both  sexes  and  all  ranks  unite  in  it,  and 
even  the  very  chiefs  themselves,  a? ho  ha\’e 
attained  to  the  corpulency  which  they  so 
much  admire,  join  in  the  game  of  surf-SAvim- 
ming  Avith  the  meanest  of  their  subjects. 
Some,^of  the  performers  attain  to  a Avonder- 
ful  degree  of  skill,  and,  not  content  Avith 
lying  on  the  board,  sit,  kneel,  and  even  stand 
on  it  as  they  are  hurled  shoreAvard  by  the 
giant  waves.  The  boards  are  of  various 
sizes,  according  to  the  age  and  stature  of 
the  owner.  For  adults  they  are  about  six 
feet  in  length.  They  are  slightly  convex  on 
both  sides,  and  are  kept  very  smooth — all 
surf-swimmers  cherishing  a pride  in  the 
condition  of  their  boards,  and  taking  care  to 
keep  them  well  polished  and  continually 
rubbed  Avith  cocoa-nut  oil.  The  artist  has 
finely  represented  on  the  following  page  the 
marvellous  conquest  of  the  sea  by  these  isl- 
anders. 

Such  utter  mastery  of  the  Avav^es  can  only 
be  obtained  by  familiarity  Avith  the  Avater 
from  earliest  childhood.  A Sandwich  Island 
child  can  swim  as  soon  as  it  can  Avalk,  if  not 
sooner,  the  mothers  taking  them  from  the 
breast,  laying  them  on  the  surface  of  the 
Avater  and  encouraging  them  to  kick  about 
as  if  lying  on  their  mats  ashore.  One 
Avriter  mentions  his  encounter  Avith  an  ob- 
ject AAhich  he  took  to  be  a very  large  frog, 
but  which  turned  out  to  be  a Kanaka  (i.  e. 
SandAvich  Island)  baby,  Avhich  was  lying  on 
its  back  and  disporting  itself  quite  at  its 
ease. 

Indeed,  in  the  mind  of  a SandAvich  Isl- 
ander there  seems  to  be  no  connection  be- 
tween the  ideas  of  w^ater  and  danger,  neither 
does  it  enter  his  imagination  that  any  hu- 
man being  is  unable  to  SAvim.  Conse- 
quently, there  have  been  several  instances 
where  AAdiite  men  have  fallen  into  the  Avater 
and  have  been  almost  droAvned,  though  in 
the  presence  of  the  natives,  simply  because 
the  idea  that  any  one  could  be  endangered 
by  falling  into  the  Avater  never  occurred  to 
them. 

They  are  equally  skilful  in  managing 


SUKF  SWIMMING  BY  SANDWICH  ISLANDERS. 
(See  page  1092.) 


1 

i 


(1093) 


A BOXING  MATCH. 


1095 


their  canoes,  and  have  a curious  mode  of 
extracting  amusement  out  of  them.  A 
number  of  men  will  sometimes  paddle  a 
canoe  after  dressing  themselves  up  in  a most 
ludicrous  fashion.  They  take  large  empty 
gourds,  and  put  them  over  their  heads,  after 
cutting  holes  in  them  corresponding  with 
the  eyes  and  nose,  so  that  the  effect  is  not 
at  all  unlike  that  of  a turnip  lantern.  To 
the  upper  part  of  the  gourd  is  attached  a 
bunch  of  slender  green  twigs,  which  look  at 
a little  distance  like  a plume  of  feathers,  and 
to  the  lower  part  are  suspended  a number 
of  narrow  strips  of  cloth,  looking  like  a long 
beard.  Their  appearance  is  shown  in  illus- 
tration No.  2,  on  the  1089th  page. 

In  every  case  where  these  masks  were 
worn,  the  wearers  seemed  exceedingly  jovial, 
laughing,  shouting,  and  playing  all  kinds 
of  antics.  It  was  suggested  that  these 
masks  were  in  fact  helmets,  used  to  protect 
the  wearers  against  the  stones  slung  by 
their  adversaries;  but  the  whole  demeanor 
of  those  who  wore  them  was  so  completely 
that  of  mere  masqueraders  that  the  helmet 
theory  seems  quite  untenable. 

Ball  play  is  a favorite  sport  with  the 
Sandwich  Islanders,  and  is  carried  on  with  in- 
finite variations.  Like  the  Tongans,  they 
can  play  with  five  balls  at  once,  throwing 
them  from  hand  to  hand,  so  that  four  of 
them  are  always  in  the  air.  The  balls  are 
extemporized  on  the  spot,  being  made  of 
green  leaves  rolled  together,  and  bound  with 
string. 

They  have  a modification  of  this  game, 
which  very  much  resembles  our  cup  and  ball. 
They  take  a wooden  stick,  or  handle,  about 
a foot  or  eighteen  inches  long,  and  through 
one  end  of  it  they  pass  a peg  of  hard  wood, 
some  three  inches  in  length,  so  that  an  inch 
or  more  projects  on  either  side.  They 
bring  both  ends  of  the  peg  to  a sharp  point, 
and  the  toy  is  then  ready.  Throwing  up 
the  ball  with  the  left  hand,  they  catch  it  on 
one  of  the  pointed  ends  of  the  peg,  and  then 
jerk  it  into  the  air,  and  catch  it  again,  re- 
versing the  stick  so  us  to  catch  it  upon  the 
other  end  of  the  peg.  This  game  they  will 
keep  up  for  a very  long  time  without  missing 
ball  once. 

Another  amusement  is  very  popular. 
Two  players  sit  opposite  each  other,  one 
having  a stone  and  a piece  of  bark  cloth, 
and  the  other  a stick.  The  first  player 
takes  the  bark  cloth,  spreads  it  on  the 
ground,  and  with  his  right  hand  crumples  it 
up  into  folds,  while  with  the  other  he  de- 
posits the  stone  under  the  cloth.  The  pecul- 
iar character  of  the  cloth  causes  the  folds 
and  wrinkles  to  remain  unaltered,  just  as 
would  be  the  case  if  a piece  of  thin  paper 
were  treated  in  the  same  way.  The  other 
player  carefully  examines  the  cloth,  endeav- 
oring to  discover  the  spot  under  which  the 
stone  is  concealed,  and,  when  he  has  made 
up  his  mind,  strikes  at  the  stone  with  his 


stick.  Should  he  hit  it,  he  wins  a large 
stake  from  his  opponent;  but  in  the  very 
likely  event  of  missing  it  he  forfeits  a small 
stake  to  the  adversary.  Great  interest  is 
taken  in  the  game  by  the  spectators,  and 
heavy  bets  are  laid  on  the  two  players. 

They  have  many  athletic  amusements, 
such  as  bowls,  spear  throwing,  stick  darting, 
and  similar  sports  and  occasionally  engage 
in  the  rougher  s])ort  of  boxing.  As  may  be 
seen  from  Captain  Cook's  account,  this  sport 
is  not  carried  on  with  such  fury  and  perti- 
nacity as  in  Tonga,  the  victory  being  gained 
on  comparatively  easy  terms:  — 

“As  we  had  not  yet  seen  anything  of 
their  sports  or  athletic  exercises,  the  na- 
tives, at  the  request  of  some  of  our  officers, 
entertained  us  this  evening  with  a boxing 
match.  These  games  were  much  inferior, 
as  well  in  point  of  solemnity  and  magnifi- 
cence as  in  the  skill  and  powers  of  the  com- 
batants, to  what  we  had  seen  exhibited  at 
the  Friendly  Islands;  yet,  as  they  differed  in 
some  particulars  it  may  not  be  improper  to 
give  a short  account  of  them. 

“ We  found  a vast  concourse  of  people  as- 
sembled on  a level  spot  of  ground,  at  a little 
distance  from  our  tents.  A long  space  was 
left  vacant  in  the  midst  of  them,  at  the 
upper  end  of  which  sat  the  judges,  under 
three  standards,  from  which  hung  slips  of 
cloth  of  various  colors,  the  skins  of  two  wild 
geese,  a few  small  birds,  and  bunches  of 
feathers. 

“ When  the  sports  were  ready  to  begin, 
the  signal  was  given  by  the  judges,  and  iim 
mediately  two  combatants  appeared.  They 
came  forward  slowly,  lifting  uj)  their  feet 
very  high  behind,  and  drawing  their  hand 
along  the  soles.  As  they  approached,  they 
frequently  eyed  each  other  from  head  to 
foot  in  a contemptuous  manner,  casting  sev- 
eral arch  looks  at  the  spectators,  straining 
their  muscles,  and  using  a variety  of  affected 
gestures.  Being  advanced  within  reach 
of  each  other,  they  stood  with  both  arms 
held  out  straight  before  their  faces,  at  which 
part  all  their  bloAvs  were  aimed.  They 
struck,  ill  what  appeared  to  our  eyes  an  awk- 
ward manner,  with  a full  swing  of  the  arm ; 
made  no  attempt  to  parry,  but  eluded  their 
adversary’s  attack  by  an  inclination  of  the 
body  or  tiy  retreating. 

“'The  battle  was  quickly  decided;  for  if 
either  of  them  was  knocked  down,  or  even 
fell  by  accident,  he  was  considered  as  van- 
quished, and  the  victor  expressed  his  tri- 
umph by  a variety  of  gestures,  which  usu- 
ally excited,  as  was  intended,  a loud  laugh 
among  the  spectators.  lie  then  waited  for 
a second  antagonist,  and,  if  again  victorious, 
for  a.  third,  till  he  was  at  last  in  his  turn 
defeated. 

“ A singular  rule  observed  in  these  com- 
bats is,  that  whilst  any  two  are  preparing  to 
fight,  a third  person  may  step  in,  and  choose 
either  of  them  for  his  antagonist,  when  the 


1096 


THE  SAKDIYICII  ISLAl^-DS. 


other  is  obliged  to  withdraw.  Sometimes 
three  or  four  followed  each  other  in  this 
manner  before  the  match  was  settled.  When 
the  combat  proved  longer  than  usual,  or 
appeared  too  unequal,  one  of  the  chiefs 
stepped  in,  and  ended  it  by  putting  a stick 
between  tlie  combatants.  The  same  good 
humor  was  preserved  throughout  which  we 
before  so  much  admired  in  the  Friendly 
Islanders.  As  these  games  were  given  at  our 
desire  we  found  it  was  universally  expected 
that  we  should  have  borne  our  part  in  them; 
but  our  people,  though  much  pressed  by 
the  natives,  turned  a deaf  ear  to  their  chal- 
lenge, remembering  full  well  the  blows  they 
got  at  the  Friendly  Islands.” 

A sport  wdiicli  was  formerly  in  great 
vogue  in  the  Sandwich  Islands  is  sledging, 
the  sloping  sides  of  the  mountain  ranges 
being  pressed  into  the  service  of  the  play- 
ers. The  game  is  called  holua,  and  is 
played  in  the  following  manner:  — 

Each  player  is  furnished  wdth  a sledge, 
made  of  two  narrow  runners,  varying  from 
seven  to  eighteen  feet  in  length,  three 
inches  deep,  and  rounded  off  at  one  end, 
just  like  the  steel  runner  of  a skate.  These 
are  placed  side  by  side,  not  parallel,  but 
slightly  diverging,  the  sj^ace  between  the 
runners  being  about  two  inches  at  the  tips, 
and  five  inches  at  the  other  end.  They 
are  connected  together  with  cross-pieces  of 
wood,  and  mostly  covered  with  strong  mat- 
ting. The  native  name  for  the  sledge  is 
papa.  In  order  to  prepare  a path  on  which 
the  sledge  can  travel,  the  natives  cut  a nar- 
row and  shallow  trench  from  the  top  of  the 
mountain  to  the  base,  and  even  carry  it  for 
a mile  or  more  on  level  ground.  Before  the 
sport  is  begun,  the  trench  is  laid  with  grass 
so  as  to  make  the  path  easier. 

When  the  players  have  assembled  at  the 
top  of  tlie  mountain,  onq  of  them  takes  the 
sledge  in  his  hands,  holding  it  in  front  of 
him,  retreats  a few  paces,  and  then  runs 
forward  with  all  his  speed,  flings  himself 
head  foremost  into  the  trench,  and  glides 
down  it  at  a terrific  pace,  resting  on  his 
sledge.  The  rapidity  with  which  a w'ell- 
managed  sledge  will  dash  down  the  trench, 
is  absolutely  fearful,  the  incline  being  often 
at  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees.  The  art 
of  balancing  the  narrow  sledge  is  a very 
difficult  one,  and  if  a player  should  chance 
to  lean  too  much  to  one  side^  or  should 
guide  his  sledge  out  of  the  trench,  it  is 
scarcely  possible  for  him  to  escape  with  his 
life.  The  sledge  flies  to  pieces  in  a moment, 
the  rider  is  hurled  high  in  the  air,  and  goes 
rolling  down  the  steep  hill,  without  any 
means  of  guiding  or  stopping  himself. 

The  winner  in  this  game  is  the  player 
wdio  travels  the  farthest  along  the  trench, 
and  so  foscinating  is  the  sport,  that  the  na- 
tives have  been  known  to  stake  the  whole 
of  their  property  on  their  skill.  They  staked 
their  houses,  their  lands,  their  fruit  trees, 


and  their  crops.  Husbands  staked  uieir 
wives  and  children,  and  wives  staked  them- 
selves. And  after  they  had  lost  all  that 
they  had,  or  were  likely  to  have,  they 
staked  their  very  bones,  to  be  used  after 
death  in  making  fish  hooks  and  arrow 
heads. 

The  religion  of  the  Sandwich  Islanders 
resembles  so  closely  that  of  the  Polynesians 
that  little  need  be  said  about  it.  What  wor- 
ship they  have  is  extorted  by  fear,  and,  in 
accordance  with  this  principle,  they  make 
their  idols  as  ugly  as  possible.  There  is  a 
certain  character  about  the  idols  of  the 
Sandwich  Islands  which,  like  the  carving  of 
Kew  Zealand,  cannot  be  mistaken. 

In  order  to  show  how  completely  this 
character  is  impressed  upon  the  w^orkman- 
ship,  I introduce  upon  the  following  page 
two  specimens,  one  from  the  British^Muse- 
um,  and  the  other  from  my  own  collection. 
The  former  of  these,  FTo.  1,  is  made,  like 
the  feather  helmets,  of  wicker-work,  and  is 
very  much  larger  than  any  human  head  and 
neck.  It  is  covered  Avith  the  red  and  yelloAV 
feathers  which  have  already  been  mentioned, 
and,  from  the  mere  price  of  the  material, 
must  have  been,  in  the  days  in  Avhich  it  was 
made,  a most  costly  and  precious  object. 

The  eyes  are  made  of  mother-of-pearl, 
and  in  the  centre  of  each  is  set  a black  bead 
by  Avay  of  pupil.  The  enormous  teeth  which 
beset  the  open  mouth  are  simply  the  fangs, 
or  canine  teeth,  of  dogs.  The  top  of  the 
head  is  furnished  with  a crest,  just  like 
that  of  the  feather  helmet.  In  spite  of  the 
rudeness  of  form,  the  image  possesses  a 
certain  force  and  vigor,  which  shoAvs  that 
the  native  Avho  made  it  had  some  modicum 
of  artistic  poAver,  AAdiich  in  this  case  ex- 
presses itself  in  outline,  just  as  in  the  case 
of  the  feather  cloak  it  is  exemplified  in 
color. 

By  way  of  contrast  AAuth  this  idol,  Ave  Avill 
noAV  look  at  another  specimen  (FTo.  2,  on 
same  page),  in  which  the  artist  has  been 
obliged  to  renounce  color,  and  trust  entirely 
to  outline;  and  it  cannot  be  said  that  he  has 
been  unsuccessful.  The  head  and  body  of 
this  image  are  cut  out  of  a AAdiite  and  A^ery 
light  Avood,  and  have  been  covered  Avith 
bark  cloth.  This  cloth  has  been  stained 
black,  and  the  native  artist  has  contrived  to 
apply  it  with  such  perfection  of  manipula- 
tion that  it  fits  closely  to  all  the  inequalities 
of  the  carving,  and  cannot  ewen  be  seen 
until  specially  pointed  out. 

The  head  and  neck  are  separate  from  the 
trunk,  and  carved  out  of  a single  piece  of 
wood;  and  even  the  bold  crest  and  its  sup- 
jAorting  rays  are  cut  out  of  the  same  piece 
of  Avood.  The  teeth  of  the  iq^per  jaAV  are 
those  of  a human  being;  but  those  of  the 
loAvCr  jaAV  are  simply  a roAV  of  the  palatine 
teeth  of  some  large  fish,  and  are  sixteen  in 
number.  They  are  flanked  at  each  angle  of 


(2.)  WOODEN  IDOL.  (See  page  1096.)  <1.)  FEATHER  IDOL.  (See  page  1096.) 


(1097) 


A WOODEN  IDOL. 


1090 


the  mouth  by  a human  tooth.  After  the 
teeth  have  been  inserted  into  the  wood,  the 
bark  cloth  has  been  applied,  and  is  turned 
in  at  the  roots  of  the  teeth,  so  as  to  repre- 
sent the  gums.  The  eyes  are  simply  oval 
pieces  of  mother-of-pearl. 

It  is  rather  remarkable  that  the  strip  of 
cloth  which  runs  <^ver  the  crest  has  not  been 
stained  black,  like  that  which  covers  the 
head,  face,  and  neck,  but  is  nearly  white, 
and  of  much  stronger  and  coarser  texture. 
The  skill  with  which  the  maker  has  applied 
the  cloth  to  the  wood  is  really  admirable, 
lie  has  evidently  soaked  it  until  it  was  quite 
soft  and  tender,  and  by  means  of  careful 
stretching  and  pressing  has  “ coaxed  ” it 
over  the  various  irregularities  — such  as  the 
nose,  eyes,  and  mouth  — so  that  it  fits  as 
closely  as  if  it  were  the  real  skin. 

The  neck  is  small,  narrow,  and  scarcely 
worthy  of  the  name,  being  in  fact  little  more 
than  a large  peg,  by  which  the  head  may  be 
attached  to  the  body  when  needed.  In  con- 
sequence of  this  arrangement,  the  position 
of  the  head  can  be  altered  at  vail,  and  the 
variety  of  expression  gained  by  so  simple  an 
arrangement  is  scarcely  credible. 

The  body  of  the  idol  is  made  of  the  same 


light  wood  as  the  head,  and  is  also  covered 
with  the  black  bark  cloth.  There  is  a socket 
between  the  shoulders,  into  which  the  neck 
fits  loosely.  The  arms  are  nothing  more 
than  bundles  of  rushes  or  reeds,  tied  with 
cloth;  and  each  hand  is  furnished  with  six 
fingers,  i)robably  as  a symbol  of  extraordinary 
power.  The  fingers  are  merely  dogs’  teeth, 
the  whiteness  of  which  presents  a curious 
contrast  with  the  black  head  and  body. 
There  are  no  logs,  nor  even  any  indication 
of  legs,  the  body  being  little  more  than  a 
block  of  wood,  with  a hole  at  the  top  for  the 
insertion  of  the  neck,  and  a smaller  hole  at 
each  shoulder  for  the  insertion  of  the  arms. 

Whatever  artistic  power  the  maker  pos- 
sessed has  been  given  to  the  head,  and  it 
must  be  acknowledged  that  he  has  carried 
out  his  idea  most  vigorously.  .The  long 
dress  worn  by  this  idol  is  not  stained  black, 
like  that  which  covers  the  face,  head,  and 
body,  but  is  white,  and  without  even  a 
pattern. 

For  this  interesting  specimen  I am  in- 
debted to  E.  Kandell,  Esq.,  who  has  furnished 
me  with  many  of  the  objects  which  have 
been  figured  in  this  work. 


CHAPTEE  CXIII. 


THE  CAEOLINE  AECIIIPELAGO. 


DRESS  — ARCHITECTURE  — AMUSEMEJ^TS  — WAR. 


DISCOVERY  AISTD  NAMING  OF  THE  ISLANDS — THEIR  GEOGRAPHICAL  EXTENT — THE  MARSHALL  AND 
GILBERT  GROUPS  — INHABITANTS  OF  ROMANZOFF  ISLAND  — THE  ISLAND  OF  BORNABI  AND  ITS 
INHABITANTS — TATTOOING  AND  HAIR  DRESSING  — A MAN  OF  FASHION  IN  BORNABI  — ARCHITEC- 
TURE AND  ANCIENT  RUINS  — LOVE  OF  COAST  — THE  PELEW  ISLANDS  — SHIPWRECK  OF  CAPTAIN 
WILSON  — COMPLEXION  AND  GENERAL  APPEARANCE  OF  THE  NATIVES  — THE  TATTOO— CURIOUS 
COMBINATION  OF  NAKEDNESS  AND  MODESTY  — USE  OF  THE  BETEL-NUT  — THE  RUPACKS  AND  THE 
BONE  BRACELET  — MODE  OF  INVESTITURE  — SPEAR  THROWING  — MODE  OF  CONDUCTING  SEA 
FIGHTS  — ARCHITECTURE  OF  THE  PELEW  ISLANDS  — MANUFACTURE  OF  DOMESTIC  IMPLEMENTS  — 
DANCE  OF  THE  WARRIORS  — IDEA  OF  RELIGION — A FUNERAL  IN  THE  PELEW  ISLANDS  — STORY 
OF  LEE  BOO. 


Passing  in  a south-westerly  direction  from 
the  Sandwich  Islands  we  come  to  a very 
large  group  called  the  Caroline  Archipelago. 
These  islands  were  discovered  — as  far  as  is 
known  — in  1526,  by  the  Portuguese,  who  in 
those  days  were  the  most  enterprising  navi- 
gators in  the  world.  About  fifty  years  after- 
ward they  were  visited  by  Drake,  but  they 
did  not  receive  the  name  by  which  the}'^ 
are  known  until  more  than  a hundred  years 
after  Drake’s  voyage,  when  they  were  named 
by  the  Spanish  the  Carolines,  in  honor  of 
Charles  the  Second,  the  then  king  of  Spain. 

These  islands  extend  over  a very  con- 
siderable geographical  range,  a space  of 
some  fifty  degrees  intervening  between  the 
most  easterly  and  westerly  of  them.  Owing 
to  the  extensive  range  of  these  islands, 
there  is  considerable  difference  between 
the  manners  and  customs  of  these  na- 
tives, and  ever  between  their  form  and 
complexion.  We  will  therefore  take  as  ex- 
amples some  of  the  easterly,  central,  and 
western  islands. 

The  most  easterly  of  the  group  are  those 
which  are  called  the  Marshall  and  Gilbert 
Islands,  the  former  being  those  of  the  north 
and  the  latter  those  of  the  south.  They  are 
sometimes  divided  into  the  Eastern  and 
Western  Islands,  the  former  being  the 
Radick  and  the  latter  the  Ralick  chain,  each 
group  comprising  about  fifteen  or  sixteen 
islands. 


These  islands  are  all  low  in  the  water, 
being  mostly  of  coralline  structure,  so  that 
they  are  not  visible  from  any  great  distance. 
In  consequence  of  their  lowness,  they  seem 
to  have  escaped  the  observation  of  voyagers 
until  1788,  when  they  were  discovered  by 
Marshall  and  Gilbert,  .after  whom  they  were 
named.  As  is  usual  in  coral  islands,  the  soil 
is  but  shallow,  having  been  formed  b}"  the 
decomposition  of  vegetable  matter  thrown 
on  the  coral  reefs  by  the  waves.  The  veg- 
etation is  therefore  scanty,  and  is  mostly 
confined  to  bananas,  cocoa-nut  trees,  bread- 
fruit— all  of  which  thrive  best  on  a low 
situation  near  water. 

As  a sample  of  the  Marshall  Islanders,  I 
give  a portrait  of  a man  and  woman  of  Ro- 
manzoff  Island,  on  the  next  page.  They 
are  a rather  fine  race,  taller  than  the  gen- 
erality of  the  Caroline  Islanders,  and  possess 
tolerably  good  features.  They  use  the  tattoo 
with  some  profusion,  both  sexes  appearing 
to  be  equally  addicted  to  it.  They  are  better 
clothed  than  many  Poljmesians,  the  men 
wearing  a short  mat  round  their  waists,  and 
the  women  being  clad  in  a very  fine  and 
neatly-made  mat,  falling  nearly  to  the  feet. 
The  hair  is  long,  and  naturally  curling,  and 
is  worn  long  by  both  sexes.  Earrings  are 
in  great  request,  and  some  of  thTem,  as  may 
be  seen  by  reference  to  the  illustration,  are 
enormously  large. 

From  the  structure  of  the  island,  it  is  evi- 
dent that  the  present  inhabitants  are  pot 


(2.)  DYAK  WARRIOR  AND  DUSUM.  (See  page  1112.) 


(1101) 


I 


*;.'•;«  . ■ __  , ■'  > ' ■ 

■'KT  •fe'M-  . 

vy-*'  .vv  ••■'' 

'‘•^V  , ,»  ,•-  " 

/ \/-V  .'  , ^ . 


A MAN  OF  FASHION  IN  BOENABI. 


1103 


aborigines,  but  came  from  other  islands  at 
no  very  remote  period.  They  have  kept  up 
the  nautical  spirit  to  which  they  owe  their 
presence  on  the  island,  and  make  long  voya- 
ges from  one  island  to  another.  Their 
canoes  are  well  made,  and  are  built  of 
bread-fruit  wood. 

Bornaui  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
important  of  these  islands,  being  about 
seventy  miles  in  circumference,  and  having 
a sufficient  variety  of  soil  to  be  very  fertile. 
Instead  of  being  as  low-lying  as  some  of 
these  islands,  it  is  of  volcanic  origin,  shoot- 
ing up  to  a considerable *height  in  the  mid- 
dle, and  surrounded  by  Hat  coral  reefs. 

In  consequence  of  this  structure,  it  affords 
excellent  harborage,  and  has  become  a great 
place  of  resort  for  whaling  vessels.  Like 
some  parts  of  America  within  the  same 
zone,  and  having  a somewhat  similar  con- 
tour, the  island  is  a very  wet  one,  so  that 
the  combined  heat  and  moisture  produce  a 
wonderful  fertility  of  vegetation.  Even  on 
the  higher  parts  of  the  island,  the  fresh 
water  nourishes  various  trees  and  shrubs, 
while  on  the  coast  the  mangrove,  which 
delights  in  salt  water,  absolutely  grows  into 
the  sea,  and,  by  its  interlacing  roots  and 
branches  forms  a barrier  which  cannot  be 
penetrated  except  through  the  apertures 
made  by  the  mouths  of  rivers  and  creeks. 

The  inhabitants  are  of  a fair  average 
stature,  the  men  being  about  five  feet  eight 
inches  high,  while  the  women  are  much 
shorter.  They  are,  however,  well  propor- 
tioned, and  not  stumpy  or  clumsy,  as  is  too 
often  the  case  with  the  women  of  uncivil- 
ized races. 

Like  the  Romanzoff  Islanders,  they  tattoo 
themselves  liberally,  and  both  sexes  wear 
their  black  hair  very  long,  keeping  it  well 
oiled  and  carefully  dressed,  and,  in  the  case 
of  people  of  rank,  adorning  it  with  wreaths 
of  flowers.  They  have  the  same  odd  passion 
for  turmeric  which  is  found  in  the  Polyne- 
sian races  generally,  anointing  themselves 
profusely  with  it,  and  thereby  converting 
their  naturally  pleasing  copper  color  into  a 
repulsive  yellow. 

Thp  men  dress  themselves  very  carefully, 
a Bornabi  man  of  fashion  spending  a vast 
amount  of  time  on  his  costume.  He  must 
not  exhibit  a vestige  of  hair  on  his  face,  but 
must  painfully  pluck  out  each  individual 
hair  by  means  of  forceps  made  of  a couple 
of  cockle-shells,  or  a piece  of  tortoise-shell 
bent  double.  He  must  wear  at  least  six 
aprons,  one  over  the  other.  These  aprons 
are  made  of  strips  of  the  cocoa-nut  leaf 
bleached  white  and  about  two  feet  in  length. 
He  must  have  round  his  waist  a belt  or  sash 
made  of  banana  fibre,  and  dyed  scarlet  and 


yellow.  He  must  have  his  necklaces,  his 
bead -band,  and  his  scai-let  tassels  in  his 
ears;  and  he  finishes  olf  his  costume  by  a 
sort  of  parasol  or  sunshade  made  of  leaves, 
which  he  ties  round  his  head  so  as  to  pre- 
serve the  face  from  the  sun. 

This  elaborate  toilet  must  be  made  sev- 
eral times  daily,  as  every  native  bathes,  oils, 
and  paints  his  skin  yellow  at  least  three 
times  every  day.  The  dress  of  the  women 
bears  some  resemblance  to  that  of  the  men, 
except  that,  in  lieu  of  the  series  of  apron 
fringes  they  wear  bark  cloth  fastened  round 
the  waist  and  reaching  to  the  knee. 

In  architecture  the  people  of  Bornabi  are 
superior  to  the  generality  of  Polynesians, 
Like  the  Marquesans,  they  begin  by  build- 
ing a platform  of  stones,  some  four  or  five 
feet  in  height,  and  upon  this  they  erect  the 
framework  of  the  edifice.  The  spaces  be- 
tween the  upright  timbers  are  filled  in  with 
wicker-work,  in  which  are  left  certain  aper- 
tures that  answer  the  purpose  of  windows. 
The  floor  is  covered  with  the  same  kind  of 
wicker-work,  except  a small  space  in  the 
centre,  in  which  the  fireplace  is  made.  The 
roof  is  thatched  neatly  with  pandanus  leaves. 
In  all  these  particulars  there  is  little  distinc- 
tion between  the  architecture  of  Bornabi 
and  that  of  many  other  islands.  The  chief 
point  of  difference  lies,  however,  in  the  fact 
that  the  timbers  are  squared,  and  that, 
instead  of  being  merely  lashed  together, 
they  are  fastened  by  tenon  and  mortise. 

It  seems  probable  that  the  superiority  of 
their  architecture,  more  especially  in  the 
squaring  of  beams  and  the  use  of  the  mor- 
tise, is  due  not  so  much  to  themselves  as  to 
the  remembrance  of  buildings  erected  by 
white  men  several  centuries  ago.  Near  one 
of  the  harbors  are  some  ruined  buildings, 
which  are  evidently  not  of  savage  architec- 
ture. They  are  built  of  cut  stones,  which 
have  been  imported  from  some  other  coun- 
try, and  are  arranged  in  streets,  looking  as 
if  they  iiad  formed  a portion  of  a fortifica- 
tion. It  has  been  conjectured  that  these 
buildings  were  the  work  of  the  Spanish 
buccaneers,  who  used,  some  centuries  ago, 
to  range  these  seas,  and  would  have  found 
such  a harbor  and  fort  invaluable  to  them. 

As  far  as  is  known,  the  inhabitants  of 
Bornabi  keep  almost  entirely  to  the  coast, 
and  never  visit  the  interior.  It  is  certain 
that  the  cultivated  grounds  only  extend  for 
a very  little  distance  inland,  and,  as  all  the 
energy  of  these  islanders  naturally  takes  a 
seaward  direction,  it  is  very  probable  that 
the  natives  speak  truth  when  they  say  that 
they  have  never  even  visited  the  centre  of 
their  island. 


1104 


THE  PELEW  ISLAKDS. 


THE  PELEW  ISLANDS. 


The  westernmost  group  of  the  Carolines 
is  known  by  the  name  of  the  Pelew  or  Pal- 
lou  Islands.  They  were  discovered,  in  1543, 
by  Villabolos,  but  have  been  made  known 
to  us  principally  by  means  of  Captain  II. 
Wilson,  who  was  wrecked  there  in  1783. 
The  group  consists  of  about  twenty  small 
islands,  which  are  surrounded  by  a reef. 

The  inhabitants  are  of  a dark  copper  color, 
well  made,  tall,  and  remarkable  for  their 
stately  gait.  They  employ  the  tattoo  in 
rather  a curious  manner,  pricking  the  })at- 
terns  thickly  on  their  legs  from  the  ankles 
to  a few  inches  above  the  knees,  so  that  they 
look  as  if  their  legs  were  darker  in  color 
than  the  rest  of  their  bodies.  They  are 
cleanly  in  their  habits,  bathing  frequently, 
and  rubbing  themselves  with  cocoa-nut  oil, 
so  as.  to  give  a soft  and  glossy  appearance  to 
the  skin. 

The  hair  of  the  head  is  fine  and  black,  and 
is  worn  long  by  both  sexes,  being  rolled  up 
in  a peculiar  fashion  close  to  the  back  of  the 
head.  That  of  the  face  and  chin  is  mostly 
removed,  being  plucked  out  by  tweezers, 
only  a few  men,  remarkable  for  the  strength 
and  thickness  of  their  beards,  allowing  them 
to  grow.  The  men  wear  no  clothing,  not 
even  the  king  himself  having  the  least  ves- 
tige of  raiment,  the  tattoo  being  supposed  to 
answer  the  purpose  of  dress. 

So  unacquainted  with  real  clothing  were 
they  when  Captain  Wilson  visited  them, 
that  they  were  utterly  perplexed  at  the  gar- 
ments oi’  Tie  white  men,  lifting  up  the  fiaps 
of  the  coats,  pinching  the  sleeves,  and  then 
comparing  them  with  their  own  naked  limbs, 
evidently  fancying  that  these  mysterious 
0()jects  were  the  skin  peculiar  to  the  white 
man.  They  also  took  the  blue  veins  on  the 
seamen’s  wrists  for  lines  of  tattooing,  and 
asked  to  be  allowed  to  see  the  whole  of  the 
arm,  in  order  to  find  out  whether  the  blue 
lines  were  continued  beyond  the  wrist. 

In  spite,  however,  of  the  absence  of  dress 
the  deportment  of  the  sexes  toward  each 
other  is  perfectly  modest.  For  example, 
the  men  and  women  will  not  bathe  at  the 
same  spot,  nor  even  go  near  a bathing-place 
of  the  opposite  sex  unless  it  be  deserted.  If 
a man  is  forced  to  pass  near  a women’s  bath- 
ing-place, he  is  obliged,  when  he  comes 
within  a stipulated  distance,  to  give  a loud 
shout;  and,  if  it  be  answered  by  a female 
voice,  he  must  either  pass  by  a circuitous 
route,  or  turn  back  and  wait  until  the  women 
have  left  the  spot. 

Their  features  are  tolerably  good,  the  nose 
rather  prominent,  and  the  mouth  moder- 
ately large.  They  would  look  a tolerably 
handsome  people  but  for  their  custom  of 
chewing  the  betel-nut,  which  stains  the 
mouth  red  and  the  teeth  black.  The  chiefs 
and  all  the  principal  men  are  so  devoted  to 


the  betel  that  the}^  always  carry  with  them 
a little  basket  containing  the  nuts,  and  a 
small  bamboo  vessel  in  which  they  keep  the 
quicklime  which  is  mixed  with  the  betel 
when  chewed. 

Although  they  care  nothing  for  dress,  and 
comparatively  little  for  ornament,  the  very 
great  chiefs  wear  one  decoration  winch  is 
})rized  by  them  much  as  is  the  Garter  in 
England,  or  the  Golden  Fleece  in  Spain. 
This  is  a bone  bracelet,  worn  on  the  left 
v.n-ist  and  denoting  the  very  highest  rank 
next  to  that  of  the  king  himself.  Those  who 
are  privileged  to  wear  it  are  called  Rupacks, 
and,  as  will  presently  be  seen,  the  rank  is 
not  necessarily  hereditary,  but  is  conferred 
at  the  pleasure  of  the  king. 

It  seems  si  range  to  us  that  distinctions  of 
rank  should  be  thus  sharply  defined  among 
a people  like  the  Pelew  Islanders,  and  that 
“ naked  savages  ” should  have  their  various 
gradations  of  social  position.  That  a definite 
scale  of  rank  should  exist  at  all  is  an  evi- 
dence of  some  civilization,  and  that  so  com- 
plete a system  should  be  found  among  these 
islanders  appears  a perfect  enigma  to  those 
who  have  been  accustomed  to  associate 
clothing  and  civilization  as  inseparable  con- 
ditions. Yet  here  we  have  the  singular 
fact  that  there  is  a distinct  division  of  ranks 
into  king,  nobles,  gentry,  and  peasantry; 
and  that,  although  these  ranks  are  perfectly 
well  defined  and  acknowledged,  not  a man, 
from  the  almost  despotic  king  to  the  lowest 
subject,  wears  the  slightest  article  of  cloth- 
ing. 

Yot  only  are  these  distinctions  jealously 
observed,  but  we  find  also  that  the  nobles 
are  divided  into  several  ranks,  as  is  the  case 
in  civilized  lands,  and  that  the  highest  rank 
is  denoted  by  a symbolical  badge.  This  badge 
is  conferred  only  by  the  sovereign  hiniseff, 
and  the  investiture  with  the  Rupack’s  bone 
is  conducted  with  a ceremonious  solemnity 
that  denotes  the  estimation  in  \vhich  it  is 
held.  So  deepl}^  are  the  Rupacks  attached 
to  this  symbol  of  their  rank,  that  a rebel 
Rupack,  who  had  made  war  against  the 
king,  and  was  taken  alive,  resisted  every 
attempt  to  deprive  him  of  his  braceP  and 
did  not  part  with  it  until  he  had  sacrificed 
liis  life  in  its  defence.  In  shape  the  bone 
bears  a curious  resemblance  to  the  open 
jaws  of  a skate,  and  is  probably  made  on 
that  model. 

The  mode  of  investiture  is  a very  ceremo- 
nious one,  and  is  illustrated  on  the  following 
page.  The  Rupacks  are  assembled  together 
in  a sort  of  chapter  of  their  order,  and  the 
■Rupack  elect  is  seated  at  a little  distance 
from  them.  The  king,  or  a Rupack  ap- 
pointed by  him,  then  takes  the  bracelet,  and 
directs  the  candidate  to  throw  a stone  as  far 
as  he  can.  This  is  done  in  order  to  ascer- 


(1.)  INVESTITURE  OF  THE  REPACK.  (See  page  1104.) 


(2.)  THE  WARRIORS’  DANCE.  (See  page  1108.) 
(1105) 


THE  eupaOk. 


1107 


tain  which  hand  he  habitually  uses,  so  that 
if  he  be  a right-handed  man  the  bracelet 
goes  on  the  left  wrist,  and  if  a left-handed 
man  on  the  right  wrist. 

A string  is  then  tied  to  each  Anger  of  the 
hand;  the  strings  are  passed  through  the 
bracelet,  which,  together  with  the  hand,  is 
plentifully  anointed  with  cocoa-nut  oil.  The 
principal  Unpack  then  places  himself  behind 
the  candidate,  and  holds  him  Armly  by  the 
shoulders,  while  another  hauls  at  the  strings. 
The  king,  in  the  meantime,  squeezes  to- 
gether tile  Angers  of  the  hand,  and  by  de- 
grees draws  the  bracelet  Armly  on  the  wrist. 
He  then  makes  a speech  to  the  newitupack, 
telling  him  to  polish  the  bracelet  daily,  and 
keep  it  bright;  never  to  suffer  its  honor  to 
be  tarnished,  and  never  to  part  from  it  but 
with  his  life. 

Captain  Wilson,  who  was  himself  invested 
with  the  liupack’s  bone,  writes  thus  of  the 
ceremony  and  its  object:  — “This  mark  of 
distinction  is  given  and  received  in  these 
regions  as  q reward  of  valor  and  Adelity, 
and  held  out  as  the  prize  of  merit. 

“In  this  light  such  public  honors  were 
originally  considered,  and  still  ought  to  be 
so,  in  every  state,  from  Pelew  to  Britain. 
And  while  they  continue  to  be  thus  re- 
garded they  will  operate  on  the  human  pas- 
sions— excite  emulation,  inspire  courage, 
promote  virtue,  and  challenge  respect.  The 
decoration,  indeed,  derives  all  its  splendor 
from  the  combined  ideas  of  the  mind  whilst 
viewing  it;  and  the  imagination  is  equally 
impressed  with  the  same  sentiment,  whether 
the  badge  of  honor  be  a strip  of  velvet  tied 
round  the  knee,  a tuft  of  riband  and  a cross 
dangling  at  the  button-hole,  a star  em- 
broidered on  the  coat,  or  a hone  upon  the 
arm.” 

He  might  have  added  that  the  intrinsic 
value  of  the  decoration  bears  no  comparison 
with  the  honor  which  it  denotes,  and  that 
the  bone  of  the  naked  Pelew  Islander,  the 
laurel  or  parsley  crown  of  the  ancient  war- 
rior, or  the  Victoria  Cross  of  the  modern 
hero,  are  alike  valueless  and  priceless.  It  is 
remarkable  that  the  king  does  not  wear  the 
bone,  so  that  he  has  no  external  sign  to  dis- 
tinguish him  from  the  meanest  peasant. 

_ The  Pelew  Islanders  are  not  a very  war- 
like people,  and  their  weapons  are,  there- 
fore, simple  and  few.  They  have  two  kinds 
of  spears,  ope  used  as  a missile,  and  the 
other  as  a pike.  The  missile  spear  is  thrown 
by  a very  remarkable  instrument,  remind- 
ing the  observer  of  the  Australian  wumme- 
rah,  or  throw-stick. 

It  consists  of  a piece  of  wood  about  two 
feet  in  length,  and  having  a notch  at  one 
end.  When  the  warrior  wishes  to  throw  his 
spear,  he  places  the  butt  in  the  notch  of  the 
throwing-stick,  and  with  his  left  hand  bends 
the  elastic  bamboo  shaft  until  it  is  nearly 
doubled.  The  hold  of  the  left  hand  is  then 
loosed,  and  the  spear  projects  itself  to  a con- 


siderable distance  by  means  of  its  own  elas- 
ticity. To  an  Euro})ean  nothing  can  be 
more  awkward  than  tliis  mode  of  tlirowing 
tlie  spear;  but  the  Pelew  islanders  can  send 
the  weapon  to  a consideraljle  distance,  and 
aim  it  well  besides. 

Even  without  the  aid  of  the  throwing- 
stick,  they  are  no  mean  adepts  at  hurling 
the  spear.  When  Lee  Boo,  the  son  of  the 
king,  was  at  Canton,  some  gentlemen  who 
were  skilled  in  spear  throwing  asked  him  to 
exhibit  the  manner  in  which  liis  own  people 
managed  the  weapon.  He  took  the  spear, 
and,  not  thinking  that  it  was  to  bo  thrown, 
merely  quivered  and  poised  it  according  to 
the  usual  preliminaries.  He  was  then  re- 
quested to  throw  it  at  a gauze  cage,  with  a 
bird  painted  on  it.  The  cage  was  at  such  a 
distance  that  the  gentlemen  could  seldom 
strike  it.  Lee  Boo,  however,  took  up  the 
spear  carelessly,  poised  it  for  a moment, 
hurled  it,  and  not  only  hit  the  cage,  but 
struck  the  bird  through  the  head. 

The  Kupacks  mostly  carry  swords  and 
daggers.  The  former  are  made  of  a very 
heavy  wood,  and  nearly  three  feet  in  length. 
They  are  inlaid  with  pieces  of  white  shell, 
and  are  strong  and  heavy  enough  to  kill  a 
man  with  a single  blow.  The  daggers  are 
made  of  the  tail-bone  of  the  sting-ray,  and, 
when  not  in  use,  are  carried  in  a sheath 
made  of  a single  joint  of  bamboo,  just  as  is 
the  case  with  the  small  knives  of  Borneo. 

Land  battles  are  seldom  fought  in  these 
islands,  the  natives  trusting  chieAy  to  their 
canoes,  which  are  of  large  size  and  well 
built.  Their  hulls  are  cut  out  of  tree 
trunks,  and  then  are  carved,  painted,  and 
inlaid  with  the  patient  care  which  distin- 
guishes savage  art.  When  the  king  goes 
out  in  state,  the  canoes  are  further  adorned 
with  bunches  of  shells,  strung  on  cords  and 
hung  to  the  bows  and  stern-posts.  The 
out-rigger  is  used,  and  the  sails  are  of  the 
“ latine  ” form.  Despite,  however,  of  the 
care  bestowed  upon  their  vessels,  the  Pelew 
Islanders  are  not  good  sailors,  and  seldom 
venture  outside  the  chain  of  reefs  which  en- 
circle their  group  of  islands.  Even  within  it 
when  the  sea  ran  at  all  high,  they  would  not 
venture  into  their  canoes. 

In  consequence  of  their  mode  of  Aghting, 
the  cai)ture  of  an  enemy’s  canoe  is  thought 
of  much  more  consequence  than  the  slaugh- 
ter of  his  soldiers,  and  is  looked  upon  much 
in  tile  same  light  as  we  consider  the  capture 
of  an  enemy’s  gun  or  Aag.  Therefore  when 
one  party  Ands  that  the  battle  is  going 
against  them,  they  turn  their  canoes  land- 
ward,'and  drive  them  ashore  with  all  their 
might,  and,  if  possible,  drag  them  so  high 
on  the  beach  that  they  cannot  be  Aoated 
without  exposing  the  invaders  to  almost 
certain  death. 

The  principal  tool  used  in  making  the 
canoe  is  the  adze,  or  axe.  In  form  the 
weapon  is  almost  identical  with  the  Polyne- 


1108 


THE  PELEW  ISLANDS. 


sian  adzes  which  have  been  already  de- 
scribed ill  this  work.  The  blade  is  made  of 
the  thick  and  strong  shell  of  the  giant  clam, 
and  the  most  curious  point  of  the  instru- 
ment is  that  the  head  revolves  in  a groove, 
so  that  it  can  be  used  as  an  adze  or  an  axe 
at  pleasure.  The  Dyak  boat  builder  has  a 
precisely  similar  instrument,  as  will  be  seen 
in  the  course  of  a few  pages. 

Their  smaller  tools  and  implements  — 
such  as  stone  knives,  comb,  and  string  — 
they  carry  in  the  basket  which  holds  their 
betel ; and  as  they  have  no  dress,  and  conse- 
quently no  pockets,  a man  never  walks  to 
any  distance  from  his  home  without  carry- 
ing the  basket  with  him. 

The  architecture  of  the  Pelew  Islanders 
is  very  good.  The  houses  are  raised  about 
three  feet  from  the  ground  by  means  of 
stone  posts,  upon  which  are  laid  the  beams 
which  support  the  flooring  and  side-posts. 
The  walls  are  made  of  thick  matting,  which 
extends  from  post  to  post,  and  the  floors  are 
generally  of  plank,  having  an  inch  or  so  of 
space  between  the  boards.  Sometimes  they 
are  made  of  split  bamboos,  which  become 
polished  and  very  slippery  by  the  constant 
tread  of  naked  feet. 

Each  house  has  in  the  centre  its  fireplace, 
sunk  lower  than  the  flooring,  and  formed  of 
stones  and  earth.  The  fire  is  kept  burning 
all  night,  not  for  the  purpose  of  warmth,  but 
that  the  smoke  may  fill  the  house,  and  drive 
away  mosquitoes.  When  the  house  is  a very 
large  one,  and  employed  for  the  general  use, 
there  are  two  fireplaces,  one  at  each  end. 
Along  the  sides  of  the  house  are  arranged 
certain  apertures  which  answer  equally  the 
purposes  of  windows  or  doors,  and  are  fur- 
nished with  sliding  shutters,  by  which  they 
can  be  closed  at  pleasure.  Each  of  these 
apertures  is  furnished  with  stepping  stones, 
by  means  of  which  the  inhabitants  can  en- 
ter or  leave  the  house  without  having  to 
clamber  from  the  ground  to  the  raised  floor. 
The  large  houses  are  employed  for  public 
uses,  the  councils  being  held  in  front  of 
them,  or  the  people  assembling  in  them  for 
social  talk,  in  which  the  women  bear  their 
full  share.  Some  of  these  houses  are  from 
sixty  to  eighty  feet  in  length. 

Being  a cleanly  people,  the  Pelew  Island- 
ers keep  their  houses  neatly  swept,  the 
broom  being  a bundle  of  cocoa-nut  husks 
tied  together.  The  vessels  which  contain 
fresh  water  are  simply  joints  of  the  bamboo, 
the  open  ends  of  which  are  furnished  with  a 
sort  of  spout  or  lip,  by  means  of  which  the 
water  can  be  poured  without  danger  of 
being  spilt. 

The  cooking  vessels  are  made  of  earthen- 
ware, and  are  mostly  of  an  oval  shape.  They 
are  not,  however,  very  good  potters,  their 

ots  and  pans  being  rather  fragile,  and  so 

adly  burnt  that  the  natives  dare  not  put 
them  at  once  on  the  fire,  but  set  them 
first  at  a little  distance,  and,  as  they  become 


warmer,  bring  them  nearer,  turning  them 
continually,  so  as  to  heat  each  part  equally. 

When  Captain  Wilson  was  at  the  Pelew 
Islands,  the  king  Imd  a vessel  of  which  he 
was  very  proud,  rt  was  carved  out  of  a 
block  of  wood,  plentifully  inlaid  with  pieces 
of  white  shell,  and,  when  the  cover  was 
upon  it,  formed  a tolerably  fair  representa- 
tion of  a bird.  This  vessel  held  about  nine 
gallons,  and  on  occasions  of  great  cere- 
mony, was  brought  out  and  filled  with  sweet 
drink  for  the  use  of  the  king  and  his  Ku- 
packs. 

Of  the  amusements  of  the  Pelew  Island- 
ers Captain  Wilson  says  little,  and  gives  but 
a brief  description  of  the  very  odd  dance  in 
which  they  delight.  This  description  will 
be  better  understood  by  reference  to  the 
illustration  on  the  1105th  page.  “ In  the 
evening  our  people  were  entertained  with  a 
dance  of  the  warriors,  who  were  just  then 
returned,  which  was  performed  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner:  — 

“ The  dancers  have  a quantity  of  plantain 
leaves  brought  to  them,  which  they  split 
and  shiver  into  the  form  of  ribands.  These 
they  twine  and  fix  round  their  heads,  wrists, 
waists,  ankles,  and  knees;  and  the  leaves 
being  of  a yellowish  hue,  so  prepared,  have 
not  an  inelegant  effect  when  applied  to  their 
dark  copper  skin.  They  make  also  bunches 
or  tassels  of  the  same,  which  they  hold  in 
their  hands. 

“ When  drawn  out,  they  form  themselves 
into  circles  of  two  or  three  deep,  one 
within  another.  In  general,  an  elderly  man 
amongst  them  begins  in  a very  solemn  tone 
something  like  a song,  or  long  sentence  — 
for  our  countrymen  could  not  discriminate 
which  it  was  — and  when  he  comes  to  a 
pause,  or  what  we  should  call  the  end  of  a 
stanza,  a chorus  is  struck  up,  and  the 
dancers  all  join  in  concert,  still  continuing 
their  figure. 

“ Their  dancing  does  not  so  much  consist 
in  capering  or  agility  as  in  a particular 
method  they  have  of  balancing  themselves, 
and  this  frequently  very  low  sideways,  sing- 
ing together  all  the  while;  during  which 
they  will  flatten  their  circles,  so  as  to  bring 
themselves  face  to  face  to  each  other,  lift- 
ing up  the  tassels  they  hold  in  their  hands, 
and  giving  them  a clashing  or  tremulous 
motion.  After  this  there  will  be  a sudden 
pause,  and  an  exclamation  from  every  one 
of  ‘ Weel ! ’ Then  a new  sentence  or  stanza 
is  repeated,  and  danced  to  as  before,  and  the 
same  ceremony  continued  till  every  man 
who  is  engaged  in  the  dance  has  in  his  turn 
had  his  repetition  and  chorus.” 

As  far  as  was  ascertained  by  Captain  Wil- 
son, the  Pelew  Islanders  have  some  notions 
of  religion,  and  certainly  believed  in  a life 
after  death.  They  had  several  supersti- 
tions, one  of  which  was  that  the  wood  of  a 
certain  tree  was  unlucky,  and  always  brought 
harm  wherever  it  was  used.  When  Captain 


STOEY  OF  LEE  BOO. 


1109 


Wilson  was  building  his  new  vessel,  he  used 
some  planks  of  this  tree,  much  to  the  dis- 
may of  the  king,  Abba  Thulle,  who  begged 
him  to  remove  them.  Captain  Wilson  ex- 
plained to  him  that  as  in  his  own  country 
any  kind  of  suitable  wood  was  employed  for 
ship  building  without  producing  disastrous 
results,  the  same  impunity  was  to  be  ex- 
pected in  the  Pelew  Islands.  As  it  happened, 
shortly  after  the  obnoxious  planks  had  been 
inserted,  one  of  the  carpenters  fell  from  the 
side  of  the  vessel,  and  hurt  himself  severely, 
thus  confirming  the  natives  in  their  belief. 

Their  funeral  ceremonies  are  very  short 
and  simple,  and  even  in  one  instance  wit- 
nessed by  Captain  Wilson,  when  the  son  of 
the  principal  chief  was  buried,  there  was 
scarcely  any  ceremony.  The  corpse  was 
wrapped  up  in  mats,  and  borne  by  four  men 
on  a bier,  no  men  except  the  actual  bearers 
attending.  A number  of  women  followed 
the  bier,  and  poured  out  loud  lamentations 
as  they  walked.  When  they  arrived  at  the 
place  of  burial,  the  body  was  laid  in  the 
grave,  and  the  earth  immediately  filled  in 
by  the  four  bearers,  while  the  women  knelt 
round,  and  renewed  their  lamentations, 
marking  as  if  they  would  tear  up  the  body 
from  the  ground. 

^lext  day,  however,  Kaa  Kook,  the  father 
of  the  deceased,  went  to  the  burial-place, 
and  performed  a curious  ceremony.  He 
took  two  old  cocoa-nuts  (young  nuts  being 
always  gathered  for  consumption)  and  some 
red  ochre,  with  which  he  drew  transverse 
stripes  across  the  nuts.  He  then  laid  the 
painted  nuts  by  his  side,  and  repeated,  in  an 
undertone,  some  words  which  were  sup- 
posed to  be  an  incantation  or  prayer  of  some 


kind.  A bundle  of  betel  leaves  was  treated 
in  the  same  way,  and  the  whole  were  then 
delivered  to  an  old  woman,  who  went  with 
them  toward  the  grave;  but  the  precise  ter- 
mination of  the  ceremony  was  not  ascer- 
tained. 

On  page  1107  mention  was  made  of  Lee 
Boo.  As  this  young  man  was  the  first  Pelew 
Islander  who  ever  visited  England,  and  was 
besides  a very  remarkable  character,  I will 
conclude  this  account  with  a short  memoir 
of  him. 

He  was  the  second  son  of  the  king,  Abba 
Thulle,  who  was  no  common  man,  and  well 
deserving  of  the  power  which  he  held.  He 
possessed  great  energy,  wonderful  liberality 
of  mind,  and  an  innate  nobility  of  disposi- 
tion. The  visit  of  the  white  men  taught 
him  their  infinite  superiority,  and  when 
Captain  Wilson  had  built  his  new  ship,  and 
was  about  to  start,  Abba  Thulle  begged  him 
to  take  Lee  Boo  to  England,  to  have  him 
instructed  in  the  arts  of  civilization,  and  to 
send  him  back  again  so  that  he  might  be  the 
teacher  of  his  future  people.  The  request 
was  granted,  and  Lee  Boo  accompanied 
Captain  Wilson  to  England,  where  he  lived 
for  five  months,  winning  the  esteem  and  af- 
fection of  all  whom..he  met,  by  his  intelli- 
gent, modest,  and  affectionate  nature.  Un- 
fortunately for  his  father’s  hopes,  he  was  at- 
tacked with  small-pox,  of  which  he  died,  his 
last  wish  being  that  all  presents  that  been 
given  him  should  be  sent  to  his  father.  He 
died  on  Dec.  27,  1784,  and  was  buried  in 
Kotherhithe  Church,  where  a tomb  was 
erected  to  his  memory  by  the  India  Com'^ 
pany. 


CHAPTER  cxiy. 


BOENEO. 


THE  DYAKS,  THEIR  APPEARAN-CE  AISTD  DRESS. 


SUPPOSED  ORIvOrN  OF  S’HE  DYAKS — NUMBER  OF  TRIBES — THE  SEA  AND  LAND  DYAKS  — GENERAL 
APPEARANCE  OF  THE  NATIVES  ~ TATTOOING  MOST  PREVALENT  AMONG  THE  LEAST  CIVILIZED 
TRIBES— DRESS  AND  ORNAMENT  — EXTRAORDINARY  EARRINGS  — FILING  . AND  BLACKENING  THE 
TEETH  — A DYAK  %VARRTOR  IN  FULL  DRESS  — A DUSUM  WARRIOR  IN  ORDINARY  COSTUME  — THE 
ILLINOAN  PIRATES,  THEIR  ARMAMENTS  AND  FEROCITY — A SAGHAI  DYAK  AND  HIS  STRANGE 
HEADDRESS  — STRENGTH  AND  ACTIVITY  OF  THE  DYAKS — “ BATANG  ” WALKING — AN  OBLIGING 
DYAK  — THEIR  ABILITY  TO  PENETRATE  JUNGLES  — THE  CHAWAT  AND  SARONG — A DYAK  DANDY  — 
DRESS  OF  THE  WOMEN  — THE  BEDANG  AND  SLEEVELESS  JACKET  — THE  BEAUTIFUL  HAIR  OF 
DYAK  WOMEN  — THE  METALLIC  BODICES  — A SAIBAS  GIRL  IN  FULL  DRESS— DYAK  BELLS  — 
TREATMENT  OF  THE  WOJIEN. 


W JTH  the  exception  of  Australia,  which  may 
take  rank  as  a continent,  Borneo  is  the 
largest  island  in  the  world.  It  is  situated  in 
the  tropics,  the  equator  passing  nearly 
through  the  centre  of  it,  and  forms  the 
centre  of  the  Indian  Archipelago. 

Until  late  years,  scarcely  anything  was 
known  of  Borneo;  but  since  the  late  Sir  James 
Brooke  accomplished  his  wonderful  series  of 
exploits  against  the  piratical  tribes  that  in- 
fested tlie  coast  for  more  than  a thousand 
miles,  and  destro}^ed  all  commerce,  the 
country  has  been  tolerably  explored,  and 
the  manners  and  customs  of  its  inhabitants 
investigated.  Following  the  plan  on  which 
this  work  has  been  formed,  we  will  onl}^ 
concern  ourselves  about  the  natives  of  Bor- 
neo who  live  to  a degree  the  life  of  savages, 
and  only  possess  that  amount  of  civilization 
which  is  compatible  with  savage  existence. 

Putting  aside  the  Malay  Mahometans 
who  have  settled  in  Borneo,  \ve  may  roughly 
divide  the  native  tribes  into  the  Land  and 
Sea  Dyaks.  The  former  of  these  divisions 
seldom  go  to  sea,  either  for  piracy  or  trade^ 
and  in  this  respect  are  very  different  from 
the  Sea  Dyaks,  whose’ existence  is  essentially 
a naval  one. 

Mr.  Brooke  believes  that  the  Land  Dyaks 
have  emigrated  from  a country  in  which 
they  would  be  brought  in  contact  with  Hin- 
dooism,  inasmuch  as  they  • possess  sundry 
relics  of  that  religion.  ‘‘The  remains  of 


Hindooism  found  among  them,  such  as 
stone-shaped  bulls  and  other  stone  utensils, 
and  the  refusal  among  them  to  touch  the 
tlesh  of  cattle  or  deer  — and  so  particular  are 
they  that  they  will  fine  a man  for  even 
spilling  the  blood  of  these  animals  on  their 
premises;  the  name  of  their  deity  being  Ju- 
wata  — these  testifying  points  sujiport  a fair 
conjecture  that  they  must  have  gained  a fair 
notion  of  Hindoo  worship  from  people 
coming  into  the  Kapuas  River  from  the 
island  of  Java,  which  is  onl}^  distant  from 
some  of  the  outstretching  points  of  Borneo 
two  hundred  miles,  and  fair  winds  generally 
prevail  between.” 

In  confirmation  of  this  opinion' Mr.  Brooke 
mentions  that  the  expression,  “ in  the  da}'8 
of  the  Hindoos,”  was  formerly  employed 
when  any  ancient  date  was  signified.  There 
are  about  nine  or  ten  branches  of  the  Land 
Dyaks,  each  of  which  branches  is  divided 
into  a considerable  number  of  tribes.  It  is 
impossible  to  give  the  names  and  description 
of  the  individual  tribes  on  account  of  their 
fluctuating  character.  The  people  are  con- 
tinually shifting  their  place  in  search  of  new 
lands  for  cultivation,  and  the  result  is  that 
they  quarrel  with  each  other,  fight,  are  dis- 
persed, and  thus  form  new  tribes  in  the  spots 
on  which  they  settle. 

It  is  thought  that  their  number  does  not 
exceed  forty  thousand,  many  tribes  of  which 
have  never  been  near  the  sea. 

Next  come  the  Sea  Dyaks,  a fairei’j  a finer, 


(1110) 


DYAK  DRESS  AND  ORNAMENTS. 


nil 


and  a more  interesting  people.  They  are 
about  three  times  as  numerous  as  the  Land 
Dyaks,  and  are  at  the  present  day  much 
wiiat  the  old  sea-kings  were  in  days  gone  by 
They  are  essentially  a nation  of  rovers,  liv- 
ing by  piracy,  and  carrying  out  to  the  fullest 
extent  the  abominable  practice  of  head- 
hunting, of  which  we  shall  see  something  in 
the  course  of  a few  pages. 

They  are  taller  than  the  Land  Dyaks,  who 
seldom  exceed  five  feet  six  inches  in  height, 
and  much  fairer  in  complexion.  The  skin 
of  the  Land  Dyak  is  brown,whereas  that  of  the 
Sea  Dj'ak  is  many  shades  lighter,  and  has 
been  compared  to  the  color  of  a new  saddle 
— a hue  which  admirably  suits  the  well- 
developed  forms  of  these  people.  They  are 
very  proud  of  their  complexion,  and  the 
women  are  fond  of  an  excuse  for  throwing 
off  the  jackets  which  tli6y  wear,  in  order  to 
exhibit  their  smooth  satiny  skins,  polished 
and  shining  as  if  of  new  bronze. 

Their  various  customs  in  peace  and  war 
will  be  described  in  their  proper  places,  and 
we  will  content  ourselves  at  present  with 
their  appearance  and  dress. 

The  Dyaks,  as  a rule,  are  nearly  beardless, 
and  have  a cast  of  countenance  which  might 
almost  be  called  effeminate.  Occasionally, 
however,  a man  does  possess  a few  hairs  on 
his  upper  lip,  of  which  he  is  inordinately 
proud,  and  one  or  two  instances  have  been 
known  where  a man  has  possessed  a well- 
developed  beard. 

Tattooing  is  practised  among  many  of  the 
tribes,  and  prevails  in  inverse  ratio  to  their 
civilization,  those  who  are  furthest  from 
civilization  being  most  profusely  tattooed, 
and  those  who  are  brought  in  contact  with 
it  having  almost  entirely  abandoned  the 
practice.  The  men  of  some  tribes  are  nearly 
covered  with  tattooed  patterns,  while  those 
of  other  tribes  have  stars  on  their  breasts 
and  armlets  and  bracelets  on  their  legs  and 
arms.  The  Kanowit  Dyaks,  who  belong  to 
the  great  Malanau  tribe,  are  tattooed  from 
the  breast  to  the  knees  with  a pattern  that 
has  the  effect  of  scale  armor,  and  many  of 
them  tattoo  their  chins  and  chests  so  as  to 
look  as  if  they  had  real  beards  and  mous- 
taches. The  tattoo  of  the  women  is  often 
more  elaborate  than  that  of  the  men,  as  we 
shall  presently  see. 

It  is  worthy  of  notice  that,  as  a rule’  the 
Sea  Dyaks  do  not  use  the  tattoo.  They  have 
an  idea  that  it  is  a sign  of  cowardice,  and  are 
very  much  surprised  that  English  sailors, 
whose  courage  they  can  but  respect,  will 
allow  themselves  to  be  tattooed  with  the 
anchors,  true  lovers’  knots,  ships  in  full  sail, 
entwined  initials,  and  other  figures  with 
which  a British  sailor  loves  to  disfigure 
himself.  In  consequence  of  this  feeling  many 
verbal  skirmishes  have  been  waged  between 
the  Sea  Dyaks  and  the  English  seamen. 
The  tribes  among  whom  tattooing  reaches 
its  greatest  development  are  mostly  those 


of  the  Malaccan  division,  such  as  tlic  Ka- 
no wits,  who  arc  mightily  despised  ]>y  the 
regular  Land  and  Sea  Dyidcs,  and  are  only 
tolerated  by  them  as  being  the  means  of 
aftbrding  a constant  siq)j)ly  of  heads. 

The  Dyaks  are  exceedingly  fertile  in  their 
invention  of  ear  ornaments.  Most  savages 
content  themselves  with  making  one  hole  in 
the  lobe  of  the  car,  and  often  enlarge  it  so 
that  a man’s  hand  could  be  passed  through 
the  orifice.  But  the  Dyaks  go  much  further 
in  their  ideas  of  adornment. 

In  common  with  other  savages,  they  make 
an  enormous  hole  in  the  lobe  of  the  ear,  in- 
crease it  by  inserting  a series  of  gradually 
enlarged  plugs,  and  drag  it  down  as  far  as 
the  shoulder  by  hanging  leaden  weights  to 
it.  But  they  also  bore  a series  of  holes  all 
round  the  e%e  of  the  ear,  and  fill  them  with 
various  ornaments.  The  favorite  plan  is,  to 
have  a series  of  brass  rings,  and  to  insert 
them  in  the  holes  of  the  ear,  the  smallest 
being  at  the  top,  and  the  lowest,  which  is 
large  enough  to  be  a bracelet,  at  the  bottom. 
This  decoration  prevails  chiefiy  among  the 
Sea  Dyaks,  and  there  is  a sort  of  proverb 
which  warns  the  hearer  to  beware  of  a man 
who  wears  many  earrings. 

Often  the  Dyaks  do  not  content  them- 
selves with  wearing  rings  in  their  ears, 
but  fill  the  apertures  with  such  a miscellany 
of  objects  that  they  have  been  described  as 
“ chatelaines,”  rather  than  earrings.  One 
young  man,  the  son  of  a chief,  wore  only 
one  large  ring  in  each  ear,  but  from  this 
ring  depended  a number  of  brass  chains,  to 
which  were  suspended  various  ornaments. 
To  one  ear  were  thus  hung  two  boar’s  tusks, 
one  alligator’s  tooth,  part  of  a hornbill’s 
beak,  three  small  brass  rings,  and  two  little 
bells. 

Many  of  the  men  wear  one  large  earring 
in  the  lobe,  and  bore  a hole  in  the  top  of 
the  ear,  through  which  is  passed  a canine 
tooth  of  the  tiger-cat. 

These  ornaments  are  only  worn  when 
the  Dyak  puts  on  his  dress  of  ceremony, 
and  at  other  times  the  holes  in  the  ears  are 
kept  from  closing  by  plugs  of  wood.  And, 
as  the  effect  of  the  brass  is  always  to  cause 
ulcerating  sores,  the  ordinary  appearance  of 
a Dyak’s  ears  is  not  very  pleasing.  Some 
of  them  have  a curious  fashion  of  boring 
one  hole  at  the  top  of  the  ear  and  another 
at  the  bottom,  and  tying  to  it  a brass  plate, 
to  which  are  suspended  the  jingling  orna- 
ments of  which  these  savages  are  so  fond. 

The  Dyaks  are  so  fully  impressed  with 
the  idea  that  nature  is  meant  to  be  improved 
by  art,  that  they  cannot  even  allow  their 
teeth  to  retain  their  natural  shape  and  color. 
As  a general  rule,  the  men  file  their  front 
teeth  into  sharp  j^oints,  while  others  im- 
prove upon  nature  still  farther  by  scooping 
out  the  front  face  of  each  tooth  and  render- 
ing it  concave. 

Having  thus  rendered  the  shape  of  the 


1112 


BORNEO. 


tooth  as  unlike  its  natural  form  as  possible, 
the  next  process  is  evidently  to  change  the 
color  as  completely  as  the  shape,  and  to 
turn  them  from  white  to  black.  The  habit 
of  betel-eating  has  much  to  do  with  the 
darkening  of  the  teeth,  but  besides,  there 
is  a mode  by  which  the  Dyaks  deliberately 
stain  their  teeth  black.  The  method  by 
which  the  dye  is  produced  and  applied  is 
well  told  by  Mr.  Boyle,  in  his  “ Adventures 
among  the  Dyaks  — 

“ AV e made  inquiries  about  the  means 
employed  for  blackening  the  teeth,  a cus- 
tom which  is  universal  in  the  far  East.  The 
old  medicine  man  was  finally  persuaded  to 
show  us  the  process,  and  very  curious  it 
appeared. 

“ He  j3roduced  from  his  stores  a piece  of 
dry  wood  of  the  kind  called  sinka:  this  was 
set  on  fire,  and  held  over  the  blade  of  a 
parang  (or  sword),  on  which  a few  drops 
of  water  had  been  poured.  As  the  stick' 
blazed,  a black  sap  oozed  from  it,  and 
dropped  upon  the  metal,  where  it  mingled 
with  the  water,  and  in  a few  moments 
formed  a pool  of  thick,  jetty  liquid.  AYith 
this  the  teeth  are  stained  in  childhood,  and 
one  application,  we  are  told,  will  suffice  to 
preserve  them  black  for  ever,  nor  are  there 
any  means  of  removing  the  color. 

“ The  process  seems  peculiar,  because  the 
wood  from  which  exuded  the  sap  appears  to 
be  as  dry  as  dust,  and  because  the  dye  will 
not  affect  any  substance  except  the  teeth, 
not  even  bone  or  horn.  This  is  the  more 
curious  since  some  of  the  Malays  file  the 
enamel  carefully  from  their  teeth  before 
applying  the  sinka.  Man}q  indeed,  file 
them  to  a point  as  shaiqo  as  a needle,  as  do 
some  of  the  Dyak  tribes.”  The  reader  will 
remember  that  several  of  the  West  African 
tribes  file  their  teeth  in  like  manner. 

Illustration  No.  2,  on  the  1101st  page, 
represents  two  Dyak  warriors,  one  in  full 
costume,  and  the  other  a Dusum-  Dyak  in 
ordinary  dress.  The  former  of  these  men 
carries  in  his  right  hand  the  sumpitan,  with 
its  spear  head,  and  the  other  rests  on  his 
wooden  shield  covered  with  tufts  of  human 
hair.  His  parang- ihlang  or  war  sword  is  on 
his  left  side,  with  its  tufts  of  human  hair 
depending  from  the  handle.  His  ankles, 
legs,  and  arms  are  covered  with  multitudes 
of  brass  rings,  he  wears  a sort  of  jacket 
formed  from  the  skin  of  the  orang-outan,  and 
on  his  head  is  a kind  of  coronal  made  from 
the  feathers,  of  the  Argus  pheasant.  This 
figure  is  taken  from  a photograph. 

The  next  figure  represents  a man  in  ordi- 
nary costume.  He  belongs  to  the  tribe  of 
Dusums,  who  live  on  the  northern  coast  of 
Borneo,  and  who  wear  less  clothing  than 
any  of  the  tribes  of  the  island,  their  whole 
dress  consisting  of  the  chawat  and  a num- 
ber of  large  metal  rings  round  their  necks 
and  hips.  The  Dusum  warriors  wear  their 
hair  long,  merely  bound  with  a piece  of 


cotton  cloth,  and  their  spears  are  as  simple 
as  their  clothing,  being  nothing  more  than  a 
metal  head  lashed  to  a shaft  of  bamboo. 

In  order  to  show  at  a glance  the  appear- 
ance of  various  tribes  of  Borneans,  two 
more  Dyaks  are  represented  in  the  engrav- 
ing No.  1 on  the  following  page.  The  left- 
hand  figure  represents  an  Ilhnoan  pirate. 
These  men  are  found  at  Tampassook  or 
Tampasuk  as  the  name  is  sometimes  spelt, 
a place  on  the  north-western  coast  of  Bor- 
neo, not  very  much  above  the  island  of 
Labuan. 

The  Illinoans  possess  many  large  and  for- 
midable war  boats,  which  are  armed  in  the 
bows  with  a very  long  gun,  and  have,  after 
the  fashion  of  Bornean  boats,  an  upper 
deck,  which  serves  as  a platform  for  the 
combatants  and  a shelter  for  the  rowers, 
who  sit  beneath.  There  is  a small  cabin 
astern  for  the  captain,  about  the  size  of  a 
dog  kennel,  but  the  boats  have  no  other 
sleeping  accommodation. 

The  paddles  with  which  the  rowers  propel 
the  vessel  are  shaped  rather  curiously,  look- 
ing at  a distance  like  mere  sticks  with  flat 
discs  of  wood  fastened  to  their  ends.  The 
boats  are  steered  by  an  oar  rudder  at  the 
starboard  side  of  the  stern,  and  each  is 
furnished  with  a mast  and  huge  sail,  which 
can  be  raised  in  a few  minutes,  and  strucK 
in  almost  as  many  seconds.  Although  the 
Illinoans  are  wealthy  tribes,  and  possess 
quantities  of  fire-arms,  they  are  rather  afraid 
to  use  these  weapons,  and  trust  in  prefer- 
ence to  the  spear  and  parang. 

The  Illinoans  were  instrumental  in  the 
murder  of  two  native  chiefs  who  were 
friendly  to  the  English,  and  who  had  been 
suspected  of  aiding  the  cession  of  Labuan. 
One  of  them,  named  Bud-ruddeen,  a man  of 
celebrity  as  a warrior,  did  not  fall  unavenged. 
AVhen  the  enemy  approached,  he  retired  to 
his  house,  together  with  his  favorite  wife 
and  his  sister,  neither  of  whom  would  leave 
him.  By  the  aid  of  his  followers,  he  fought 
desperately  to  the  very  last,  until  nearly  all 
his  men  were  killed,  and  he  himself  was 
dangerously  wounded. 

He  then  retired  with  his  wife  and  sister 
into  an  inner  chamber,  while  the  enemy 
crowded  into  the  house  in  search  of  him, 
and  then,  firing  his  pistol  into  a barrel  of 
gunpowder  which  he  had  placed  there  in 
readiness,  blew  to  pieces  himself,  his  two 
relatives,  and  his  enemies. 

The  other  figure  represents  a Saghai 
Dyak. 

This  tribe  lives  on  the  south-eastern  coast 
of  Borneo,  and  is  remarkable  for  the  superb 
costumes  of  the  men,  who  have  about  them 
an  air  of  barbaric  splendor,  which  they  are 
exceedingly  fond  of  displaying.  Wearing, 
in  common  with  all  Dyaks,  the  chawat  or 
waist  cloth,  they  take  a pride  in  adorning 
themselves  with  short  tunics  made  of  tiger 
or  leopard  skin,  or  rich  and  embroidered 


(1.)  ILLINOAN  PIRATE  AND  SAGHAI  DYAK.  (Seepage  1112.)  (2.)  DYAK  WOMEN.  (See  page  1118.) 


(1113) 


lwaw 

Of  THE 
, OS' 


STRENGTH  AND  ACTIVITY  OF  THE  DYAKS. 


1115 


cloth;  while  on  their  heads  they  wear  mag- 
nificent caps  made  of  monkey-skin,  and 
decorated  with  the  beautiful  feathers  of  the 
Argus  ])heasant,  two  of  the  largest  feathers 
being  placed  so  that  one  droops  over  each 
ear.  All  these  Dyaks  liave  a very  singular 
profile,  in  consequence  of  their  habit  of  filing 
the  teeth  and  so  reducing  their  bulk,  those 
who  have  concave  teethqiresenting  the  most 
curious  outline. 

Comparatively  slight  and  feeble  as  the 
Dyaks  look  by  the  side  of  the  stalwart  and 
muscular  European,  their  strength  is  really 
wonderful,  and  enables  them  to  perform 
tasks  which  the  powerful  white  man  could 
not  by  any  possibility  achieve.  On  a jour- 
ney, when  an  European  has  fallen  from 
sheer  fatigue,  a Dyak  has  taken  the  burden 
with  which  the  fallen  man  was  laden,  and 
added  it  to  his  own,  without  seeming  to  dis- 
play any  particular  sense  of  having  increased 
his  own  labor;  and  when  the  stranger,  in 
spite  of  the  relief,  has  lain  down  in  absolute 
inability  to  move,  a little  wiry  Dyak  has 
picked  him  up,  put  him  on  his  back,  and 
proceeded  on  his  journey  with  perfect 
ease. 

The  Dyaks  are  in  the  habit  of  crossing 
the  swamps  with  which  Borneo  abounds  by 
means  of  primitive  bridges,  called  batangs. 
These  are  the  very  simplest  form  in  which 
the  principle  of  the  bridge  can  be  carried 
out.  If  the  reader  wishes  to  obtain  a cor- 
rect idea  of  a batang,  he  can  do  so  easily 
enough.  Two  bamboo  poles  are  driven  into 
the  ground  so  as  to  cross  one  another  near 
the  top,  like  an  X with  the  lower  limbs 
much  developed.  They  are  then  lashed  to- 
gether at  the  intersection,  just  like  the  sup- 
ports between  which  a modern  rope  dancer 
stretches  his  cord.  At  about  thirty  feet 
distance,  another  pair  of  poles  are  fixed  in  a 
similar  way,  and  a horizontal  bamboo  laid 
upon  them. 

In  fact,  the  Avhole  apparatus  looks  just  like 
a rope  dancer’s  apparatus,  a bamboo  taking 
the  place  of  the  rope.  Beyond  the  second 
supports  others  are  added  and  connected  by 
horizontal  bamboos  as  far  as  the  marsh  ex- 
tends; and  so  fond  are  the  natives  of  these 
very  primitive  bridges  that  they  will  make 
them  a mile  or  more  in  length,  and  extend 
them  over  gorges  of  terrible  depth. 

To  tread  these  extraordinary  bridges  is  a 
task  that  would  tax  the  powers  of  a profes- 
sional rope  dancer,  and  yet  a Dyak  has  been 
known  to  take  a heavy  white  man  on  his 
back,  and  carry  him  a mile  or  more  over 
these  slippery  batangs,  when,  in  many 
places,  a false  step  would  be  certain  destruc- 
tion for  both.  He  does  not  seem  at  all  fa- 
tigued by  this  extraordinary  feat  of  muscu- 
lar power,  but  rather  has  a sort  of  boyish 
exultation  in  his  strength,  and  a decided 
delight  that  he  is  able  at  all  events  in  one 
respect  to  prove  himself  the  superior  of  the 
white  man,  whom  he  regards  with  the  most 


profound  respect  as  a being  of  supernatural 
wisdom  and  power. 

The  Dyaks  are  able,  in  some  astonishing 
manner,  to  penetrate  with  comj)arative  ease 
through  jungles  which  are  absolutely  imper- 
vious to  Europeans.  One  of  these  men, 
while  on  the  march  with  some  English  sol- 
diers, exhibited  his  strength  in  a very  unex- 
pected manner.  The  path  was  a terrible 
one,  all  uj)  and  down  steej)  and  slippery 
hills,  so  that  the  Chinese  coolies  who  accom- 
panied the  party  first  threw  away  their  rice, 
and  lastly  sat  down  and  wept  like  children. 
The  English  sergeant,  a veteran,  accustomed 
to  hard  marching  both  in  China  and  India, 
broke  down  at  the  first  hill,  and  declared  his 
inability  to  move  another  stej)  under  the 
load  which  he  carried.  Mr.  Brooke,  who 
was  in  command  of  the  party,  asked  one  of 
the  Dyaks  to  carry  the  sergeant’s  burden, 
and  promised  him  an  additional  piece  of 
tobacco. 

The  man  was  delighted  with  the  proposal, 
and  accepted  it.  He  was  already  carrying 
food  for  three  weeks,  his  whole  store  of 
clothes,  one  twelve-pound  shot,  two  twelve- 
pound  cartridges,  a double-barrelled  gun,  a 
hundred  rounds  of  ball  cartridge,  and  his 
own  heavy  sword  and  spear.  Such  a load  as 
this,  which  would  be  almost  too  great  even 
for  a man  walking  on  good  roads,  seemed  a 
mere  trifle  to  the  agile  Dj^ak,  who  went 
lightly  and  easily  up  and  down  paths  which 
the  foreigners  could  hardly  traverse  even 
without  having  to  carry  anything  except 
their  own  weight. 

So  little,  indeed,  was  he  incommoded,  that 
he  strapped  the  whole  of  the  sergeant’s  kit 
on  his  back,  and  walked  off  as  easily  as  if 
the  whole  load  were  but  a feather  weight. 
No  one  who  has  not  actually  traversed 
those  paths  can  form  an  idea  of  the  miseries 
attending  the  journey.  The  paths  them- 
selves are  bad  enough,  but,  in  addition  to 
the  terribly  severe  labor  of  walking,  the 
traveller  has  to  endure  mosquitoes,  sand- 
flies, intense  heat  at  mid-day,  and  intense 
cold  at  night,  thirst,  wet,  and  every  imagin- 
able discomfort. 

Yet  the  native  seems  quite  easy  in  the 
journey,  and  gets  over  tlie  ground  in  a 
manner  that  is  absolutely  exasperating  to 
the  Europeans  who  accompany  him.  He  is 
able  to  push  his  way  through  ])rickly  thick- 
ets and  morasses  in  a way  which  seems  al- 
most impenetrable.  Indeed,  he  says  him- 
self that  it  is  impenetrable,  and  that  he 
achieves  these  feats  by  means  of  certain 
charms  which  he  carries  about  with  him.  On 
one  occasion  it  happened  that  at  the  end  of 
a hard  five  hours’  journey,  a number  of 
sketching  materials  and  other  necessaries 
had  been  forgotten,  and  a Dyak  was  sent  to 
the  boats  to  fetch  them,  being  promised  a 
pocket-knife  for  his  trouble.  He  started 
about  two  P.M.  and  arrived  with  the  par- 
cels before  sunset,  having  thus,  in  addition 


IIIG 


BORNEO. 


to  his  first  journey  'vvith  the  travellers,  and 
the  heavy  parcels  wliich  he  had  to  carry, 
twice  traversed  the  distance  which  had  oc- 
cupied them  five  hours  in  the  transit. 

When  questioned  about  the  manner  in 
which  he  performed  the  journey,  he  said 
that  it  was  owing  to  the  Aurtues  of  a charm 
Avhich  he  carried,  and  which  he  produced. 
It  Avas  a small  misshapen  horn,  which  he 
said  that  he  had  cut  from  the  head  of  an 
antelope,  and  that  its  felloAV  horn  Avas  brass, 
lie  further  offered  to  sell  it  for  fifteen  dol- 
lars, averring  that  its  powers  were  unfail- 
ing, and  that  eA^en  any  one  Avho  borroAved  it 
AA^as  able  to  traverse  the  country  at  the 
same  speed  Avhich  he  had  exhibited. 

The  ordinary  dress  of  the  men  is  simple 
enough,  consisting  merely  of  the  “ chaAvat,” 
or  slight  strip  of  cloth,  Avhich  is  twisted 
round  the  loins  in  such  a manner  that  one 
end  falls  in  front  and  the  other  behind.  The 
chaAA^at  is  often  A’^ery  gaily  colored.  Some- 
times the  D}"ak  Avears  a sarong,  or  short 
petticoat  of  cotton  cloth,  Avhich  reaches  from 
the  AA^aist  to  a little  above  the  knees.  It  is 
simply  a strip  of  cloth,  AAdth  the  tAvo  ends 
seAA^ed  together,  and  is  almost  large  enough 
to  encircle  two  ordinary  men.  When  it  is 
put  on  the  Avearer  steps  into  it,  draAvs  it 
up  to  his  AA^aist,  pulls  it  out  in  front  as  far  as 
it  AAill  go  and  then  doubles  back  the  fold  and 
turns  the  edges  iiward,  in  such  a manner 
that  it  is  held  tight  in  its  place,  AAdiile  the 
folds  caused  by  its  large  diameter  alloAv 
the  limbs  full  play. 

One  of  these  chaAvats  in  my  collection  is 
AYOven  in  a sort  of  plaid  pattern,  the  ground 
hue  being  a bright  and  rather  peculiar  red, 
and  the  cross-lines  being  nearly  Avhite.  The 
texture  is  rather  coarse,  and  the  whole  fab- 
ric has  a stiffness  Avhich  is  characteristic  of 
native  fabrics  made  of  this  material. 

Those  jmung  men  Avho  are  proud  of  their 
personal  appearance,  and  are  able  to  afford 
the  expense  do  not  content  themselves  Avitli 
the  plain  chaAA^at,  but  adorn  it  with  all 
kinds  of  strange  decorations.  One  of  these 
Amung  dandies  is  Avell  described  by  Mr. 
Boyle:  — “The  young  man  did  not  dress  in 
Malay  trousers  like  his  father,  probably  be- 
cause one  pair  alone  of  such  articles  existed 
in  the  house;  but  his  chaAvat  Avas  parti-col- 
ored, and  his  ornaments  numerous.  He 
Avas  about  five  feet  four  inches  in  height, 
Amry  fair  complexioned,  and  his  face,  though 
Tartar  like  in  character,  had  a pleasant  ex- 
pression. From  the  elboAv  to  the  knuckles, 
both  his  arms  Avere  covered  with  rings  of 
brass,  and  above  the  joint  Avere  tAVO  broad 
armlets  of  snoAvy  shells,  AAdiich  contrasted 
admirably  Avith  his  yelloAv-brown  skin. 

“But  the  marvel  and  glory  of  his  array 
hung  behind.  To  the  end  of  his  chawat  Avas 
attached  a long  iietAvork  of  agate  beads  and 
bugles-,  Avhich  jingled  merrily  Avhenever  he 
moved.  Round  his  neck  Avere  strings  of 
bright  beads,  and  his  knees  Avere  encircled 


by  brazen  wire.  A profusion  of  dried  scalps 
fluttered  from  the  ])arang  by  his  side;  and  in 
Avalking  before  us  through  the  sunny  glades 
of  the  jungle,  his  brazen  gauntlet  flashing  in 
the  light,  and  his  beads  of  agate  tinkling  be- 
hind, he  presented  the  very  ideal  of  a bar- 
baric dandy.” 

One  chief,  desirous  of  outdoing  his  fel- 
loAvs,  had  taken  a §|ong  and  beaten  it  out 
into  a belt  of  solid  metal  affoot  in  Avidth.  In 
consequence  of  the  extraordinary  A^alue 
Avhich  the  Hyaks  set  upon  gongs,  this  belt 
Avas  a mark  of  wealth  Avhich  no  one  could 
venture  to  challenge.  Beside  the  chaAvat, 
the  Avell-to-do  man  Avears  a sort  of  shaAAd 
mantle,  much  like  a Scotch  plaid,  and  capa- 
ble of  being  disposed  after  as  many  different 
fashions.  They  display  great  taste  in  the 
graceful  folds  Avhich  they  give  to  it,  and 
seem  to  take  a pride  in  the  variety  Avhich 
they  can  produce  by  the  different  modes  of 
folding  this  simple  garment. 

The  women  dress  in  a manner  somewhat 
like  that  of  the  rnen;  but,  in  lieu  of  the 
sarong,  they  mostly  Avear  a rather  longer 
petticoat,  called  a bedang.  When  obliged 
to  go  out  in  the  sun,  they  also  wear  a jacket, 
Avithout  sleeves  and  open  in  front;  but  as 
this  jacket  hides  the  glossy  broAvn  skin  on 
Avhicii  they  pride  themselves,  they  generally 
lay  it  aside  Avhen  in  the  house. 

In  youth  they  are  remarkable  for  their 
slender  and  graceful  forms;  but,  unfortu- 
nately, after  a Avoman  has  passed  the  age  of 
tAventy,  she  begins  to  deteriorate,  and  at 
thirty  is  an  old  Avoman.  The  face  is  pleas- 
ing in  expression,  despite  of  the  artificial 
means  whereby  the  Avomen  do  their  best  to 
make  themselves  hideous.  The  eyes  are 
black,  clear,  and  expressive,  and  the  lashes 
singularly  long.  The  nose  is  rather  dis- 
posed to  turn  upAvard  than  dowiiAvard,  and 
the  mouth  is  terribly  disfigured  Avith  the 
continual  cheAving  of  betel  and  the  mode  in 
Avhich  the  teeth  are  filed  and  blackened. 

The  chief  point  in  a Dyak  Avoman’s  beauty 
is  her  hair,  Avhich  is  black,  Avonderfully 
thick,  and  shining,  and  so  long  that  when 
alloAved  to  flow  over  the  back  it  nearly 
touches  the  ground.  Of  this  ornament  the 
Avomen  are  inordinately  vain,  and,  AAdien  en- 
gaged in  conversation,  are  fond  of  flinging 
their  shining  tresses  from  side  to  side  by 
coquettish  tossings  of  the  head.  Unfortu- 
nately, the  feA^er  Avhich  is  so  preA’alent  in 
many  parts  of  Borneo  has  the  effect  of 
bringing  off  all  the  hair,  so  that  many  a 
voung  girl  is  thus  deprived  of  her  chief  or- 
nament. 

The  AAmmen  belonging  to  some  of  the 
tribes  wear  a most  singular  bodice,  com- 
posed of  bark  and  bamboo,  and  kept  together 
by  successive  rings  of  brass  Avire,  AAdiich  form 
a strong  and  AA^eighty  bodice,  to  the  lower 
part  of  Avhich  is  attached  the  bedang,  or  pet- 
ticoat. 


A SAIBAS  GIRL  IIS'  FULL  DRESS. 


1117 


Mr.  Boyle  seems  to  have  taken  a strong 
aversion  to  these  bodices.  “ When  a Dyak 
lover  attempts  to  pass  a tender  arm  round 
his  sweetheart’s  waist,  instead  of  the  soft 
flesh,  he  fiiuls  himsels  clasping  a cuirass  of 
solid  metal.  Nor  is  this  all;  for  fashion  or- 
dains that  the  Dyak  heiress  shall  invest  her 
available  means  in  the  purchase  of  long 
gauntlets  of  twisted  brass  wire,  reaching 
from  the  knuckles  to  the  elbow;  and  if,  in 
her  turn,  she  encircles  her  lover’s  neck  with  a 
responsive  arm,  the  wretched  man  finds  him- 
self clasped  by  a horrible  fetter,  which  draws  a 
little  bit  of  his  flesh  between  each  of  its 
links,  and  pinches  him  fearfully.  For  these 
reasons,  caresses  are  not  common  among 
Dyak  lovers;  after  all,  perhaps,  they  are  only 
a habit. 

“But,  apart  from  their  inconvenience, 
these  brazen  ornaments  are  decidedly  tasteful 
and  pretty.  The  ordinary  color  of  a Dyak 
girl,  when  she  docs  not  stain  her  body  with 
turmeric,  is  a dull  brownish  yellow,  and 
the  sparkling  brass  rings  are  a great  relief 
to  this  complexion.  They  are  not  removed 
at  night,  nor,  in  fact,  during  the  wearer’s 
lifetime,  unless  she  outgrow  them.” 

More  than  once  the  possession  of  these 
strange  ornaments  has  proved  fatal  to  the 
wearer,  the  woman  having  fallen  overboard 
from  a canoe,  and  drowned  by  the  enor- 
mous weight  of  her  brass  ornaments.  In 
some  parts  of  Borneo  the  girls  are  not  con- 
tent with  their  brass  bodices,  bracelets,  and 
anklets,  but  must  needs  encircle  their 
throats  with  the  same  material.  They  take 
a long  piece  of  stout  brass  wire,  and  twist  it 
spirally  round  their  necks,  so  that  the  lower 
part  of  the  coil  rests  on  the  shoulders,,  and 
the  upper  part  comes  just  under  the  chin, 
causing  the  wearer  to  hold  her  head  upright, 
and  having  a most  inelegant  and  awkward 
effect. 

The  Kayan  women  are  exceedingly  fond 
of  a peculiar  bead  which  is  of  several  colors, 
looking  as  if  it  were  a black  bead  into  which 
pieces  of  green,  yellow,  blue,  and  gray  ma- 
terial had  been  carefully  let.  A rich  woman 
will  sometimes  wear  several  strings  of  such 
beads  just  above  the  hips.  The  different 
strings  are  connected  with  each  other  so  as 
to  form  a single  ornament.  For  one  such 
hip-lace  (as  Mr.  St.  John  calls  it)  a woman 
has  given  property  equal  to  thirty-five  pounds 
of  our  money;  and  the  same  woman  had 
several  others  for  which  she  had  given 
scarcely  less,  together  with  a great  number  of 
inferior  value. 

The  Kayan  women  carry  the  tattoo  to  a 
great  extent,  and  follow  exactly  the  same 
plan  as  the  Samoan  warriors,  i.  e.  being 
completely  tattooed  from  the  waist  to  the 
knees.  They  are  very  fond  of  this  orna- 
ment, and  are  apt  to  wear  their  dress  open 
at  the  side  so  as  to  exhibit  it.  When  the 
women  bathe,  they  think  that  the  tattoo  is 
quite  sufficient  dress,  and  at  a little  dis- 
54 


tance  they  really  look  as  if  they  were 
wearing  sliort  trousers. 

A s has  been  already  mentioned,  the  Sea 
Dyaks  do  not,  as  a rule,  care  for  the  tattoo, 
and  in  this  respect  tlie  women  follow  the  ex- 
ample of  the  men.  They  arc,  however, 
equally  fond  of  ornament  with  their  sisters 
of  the  land,  and  adorn  themselves  with 
most  scrupulous  care  on  festive  occasions. 
Mr.  Boyle  gives  an  animated  description  of 
the  gala-dress  Worn  by  the  Saibas  Dyak 
girls  and  women  during  a great  feast  given 
by  the  chief. 

“Meanwhile  the  female  portion  of  the 
community  had  been  preparing  for  their 
part  in  the  proceedings.  At  this  moment 
they  came  from  the  interior  of  the  house, 
and  the  stately  magnificence  of  their  appear- 
ance showed  that  time  and  labor  had  not 
been  spared  in  arraying  themselves  for  this 
great  occasion.  From  the  neck  to  the  hips 
they  were  covered  over  with  large  agate 
beads;  string  of  them  was  heaped  on  string, 
till  many  of  the  women  were  cuirassed  an 
inch  thick  in  solid  stone  before  and  behind. 

“Upon  their  heads  was  placed  a piece' of 
bead-embroidered  cloth,  in  which  were  ar- 
ranged thin  skewers  of  painted  wood  about 
five  inches  long;  there  were  about  twenty 
of  these  bits  of  wood  disposed  about  their 
heads,  and  each  was  attached  to  the  other 
by  strings  of  brilliant  glass  beads.  Five  or 
six  of  these  many-colored  loops  hung  from 
each  skewer,  and  they  were  entwined  into 
a graceful  network.  The  effect  was  very 
pretty,  though  barbarous,  and  the  solemnity 
of  the  ceremonies  was  much  enhanced  by 
the  stately  uprightness  which  the  women 
were  compelled  to  observe  in  moving,  on 
peril  of  disarrangement  of  this  delicate 
structure.” 

They  also  wear  conical  hats,  made  of  split 
rattan.  These  hats  are  very  light,  and  last 
for  a wonderful  time.  A specimen  was  pre- 
sented to  me  by  a lady  who  had  wmrn  it 
for  four  years,  and  had  certainly  not  treated 
it  with  any  consideration.  Yet  it  is  as 
strong  and  good  as  ever,  and  the  colors  are 
as  fresh  and  bright  as  when  the  hat  was  first 
made.  The  rattan  has  been  split  into  very 
narrow  strips,  and  stained  red,  yellow,  and 
black,  while  some  of  the  strips  have  had  the 
natural  color  discharged,  so  as  to  make  them 
nearly  white.  ^ 

The  hat  is  fixed  on  the  head  by  a broad 
loop  of  plaited  palm  leaf,  which  is  fastened 
to  the  side.  Hats  made  on  this  principle 
are  prevalent  throughout  the  whole  Archi- 
pelago. 

Among  the  ornaments  which  are  worn  by 
the  Dyaks  are  the  little  bells  which  have 
already  been  mentioned  as  forming  part  ol 
the  appendages  of  an  earring.  These  or- 
naments called  “ garunongs,”  and  mostly 
worn  by  the  women  on  the  edges  of  the 
bedang  or  petticoat,  are  almost  exactly  like 
our  hawk-bells,  being  nothing  more  than 


1118 


BOK^TEO. 


little  hollow  spheres  of  brass  or  bronze 
about  the  size  of  a boy’s  playing  marble, 
with  a small  metal  ball  in  the  interior  by 
way  of  a clapper,  and  a moderately  wide 
slit  at  the  bottom.  To  some  of  the  bells 
the  remarkable  beads  are  attached.  These 
bells  keep  up  a musical  chime  or  jingle  as 
the  wearer  walks,  and  are  therefore  used  in 
dances  and  on  great  occasions. 

The  general  treatment  of  the  Dyak  women 
is  good.  They  certainly  have  to  work  hard, 
but  so  have  their  husbands,  and,  as  we  shall 
presently  see,  they  are  not  the  abject  slaves 
such  as  are  too  often  found  among  savage 
nations,  but  maintain  their  share  of  influence 
in  the  family,  and  are  perfectly  capable  of 
assisting  themselves  when  the  occasion  re- 
quires it.  They  are  accustomed  to  work  in 
the  fields,  and  the  universal  chopping-knife 
or  parang  is  seldom  out  of  their  hands. 
The  constant  use  of  this  weapon  hardens 
their  hands  and  often  deforms  the  fingers. 

"When  they  come  home  from  their  work  in 
the  field,  they  have  the  heaviest  portion  of 
their  work  before  them,  their  evening  task 
being  the  husking  and  winnowing  of  the 
rice  for  supper  and  for  the  meals  of  the 
following  day.  The  rice  is  first  pounded  in 
large  troughs  by  means  of  long  and  heavy 
wooden  poles,  which  are  held  perpendicu- 
larly, lifted  up,  and  then  allowed  to  fall  on 
the  grain,  and,  as  a rule  each  trough  occu- 
pies three  women,  who  work  for  about  half 
an  hour.  This  pounding  separates  the  husk 
from  the  grain,  and  the  next  process  is  to 
winnow  the  rice  by  means  of  a shovel  and  a 
fan. 

The  evening  meal  is  then  cooked  and 
eaten,  the  children  fed,  the  bronze  dishes 
put  away,  and  then  the  women  can  sit 
quietly  in  the  veranda,  and  eat  their  betel 
in  peace.  Although  this  mode  of  life  seems 
rather  hard,  and  the  husbands  appear  to  be 
acting  harshly  toward  their  partners  in  let- 
ting them  work  in  this  manner  while  they 
sit  in  their  houses,  chew  betel,  and  talk 
over  the  gossip  of  the  day,  there  is  really  a 


very  fair  reciprocity  of  labor.  While  the 
wives  have  been  working  in  the  fields,  the 
husbands  have  been  fishing,  and  in  so  doing 
have  repeatedly  exposed  their  lives  to  dan- 
ger, the  rollers  being  at  certain  seasons  of 
tlie  year  exceedingly  dangerous.  At  Mukah, 
as  at  other  places,  the  wives  insist  upon 
being  furnished  with  fish  by  their  husbands, 
and,  in  case  the  men  should  come  home  un- 
successful, the  women  fasten  their  doors 
and  bar  them  out.  Indeed,  so  long  as  the 
marriage  holds  good,  the  relation  of  hus- 
band and  wife  seems  to  be  conducted  in  a 
manner  similar  to  that  which  is  so  graphi- 
cally depicted  by  Scott  in  his  “ Antiquary.” 

In  order  to  show  the  appearance  of  the 
Dyak  women  in  their  ordinary  and  gala 
costumes,  two  figures  are  introduced  into 
illustration  No.  2 on  page  1113.  One  repre- 
sents a D}^ak  girl  before  arraying  herself  in 
the  mass  of  ornaments  with  which  she  loves 
to  decorate  herself  on  festivals.  She  wears, 
as  usual,  the  bedang,  or  petticoat,  which,  if 
she  be  of  ordinary  condition,  is  made  of 
cotton,  but  if  she  be  rich,  of  silk.  It  is 
twisted  round  the  waist  in  the  manner  prac- 
tised by  the  men,  but,  in  addition,  is  fas- 
tened to  the  brass  belts  which  surround  her 
waist.  Her  long  glossy  hair  is  flowing  to 
the  full  extent,  before  the  owner  gathers  up 
its  massive  tresses  preparatory  to  adorning 
her  head  with  the  complicated  decorations, 
of  full  dress. 

The  other  figure  represents  her  as  she 
appears  in  all  the  glory  of  full  gala  costume. 
As  far  as  absolute  dress  goes,  she  wears  no 
more  than  she  did  before,  the  only  altera- 
tion being  that  her  bedang  is  the  best  which 
she  has,  and  is  sometimes  beautifully  em- 
broidered. On  her  arms  are  several  thick 
rings  of  brass,  and  the  singularly  uncom- 
fortable brass  gauntlet  extends  from  the 
wrist  to  the  elbow.  Her  neck  and  bust  are 
nearly  covered  with  the  heavy  agate  beads, 
and  on  her  head  is  the  complicated  cap, 
with  its  curious  arrangement  of  wooden 
spikes  and  glass  beads. 


CIL\PTBE  CXV. 


BOEXEO  — Continued. 
WAR. 


DYAK  WEAPONS — THE  SUMPITAN,  OR  BLOW  GUN  — CONSTRUCTION  OF  THE  WEAPON—  THE  INLAID  OR 
METAL  BUTT  — THE  SPEAR  HEAD,  OR  BAYONET  — THE  SUMPIT  ARROW  — THE  UPAS  POISON  AND 
ITS  EFFECTS  — DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  TREE — THE  QUIVER  — THE  PARANG,  OR  SWORD,  AND  ITS 
VARIETIES  — THE  PARANG-LATOK,  AND  ITS  CURIOUS  HANDLE  — POWER  OF  ITS  BLOW  — TWO 
BLOWS  OF  AN  EXECUTIONER — THE  PARANG-IHLANG : ITS  CURIOUSLY  FORMED  BLADE  — AN 
AWKWARD  WEAPON  — POWER  OF  THE  PARANG-IHLANG,  AND  ITS  VALUE  — THE  SHEATH  AND  ITS 
ADDITIONAL  KNIFE  — DOUBLE-EDGED  PARANG,  WITH  CHARMS  — A SINGULAR  ORNAMENT  — THE 
KRIS  AND  ITS  VARIETIES  — ITS  WAVED  AND  LAJVIINATED  BLADE — EFFECT  OF  THE  LLVIE  JUICE  — 
THE  executioner’s  KRIS. 


We  now  come  to  the  subject  of  Warfare, 
which  forms  perhaps  the  most  important 
branch  of  Dyak  history.  Whether  the 
aks  belong  to  the  Land  or  Sea  division,  they 
are  always  warlike,  though  the  latter  are 
•fiercer,  perhaps  braver,  and  certainly  more 
enterprising  than  the  former.  In  order  to 
.understand  the  system  by  which  they  wage 
war,  we  must  first  examine  their  weapons. 
I will  take  that  which  is  the  most  character- 
istic; namely,  the  sumpitan,  or  blow  gun. 

We  have  here  a weapon,  the  like  of  which 
we  have  not  seen  in  any  country  that  we 
have  hitherto  investigated;  namely,  an  in- 
strument by  means  of  which  missiles  are 
projected  by  means  of  compressed  air.  The 
principle  on  which  the  sumpitan  acts  is  pre- 
cisely similar  to  that  of  fire-arms,  though 
the  propelling  power  is  obtained  in  a differ- 
ent and  more  simple  manner.  In  fact,  the 
sumpitan  is  nothing  but  the  “ pea-shooter  ” 
of  boys,  very  much  enlarged,  and  carrying 
an  arrow  instead  of  a pea  or  clay  ball. 

This  curious  weapon  is  about  eight  feet  in 
length,  and  not  quite  an  inch  in  diameter, 
and  is  bored  with  the  greatest  accuracy,  a 
task  that  occupies  a very  long  time,  the 
wood  being  very  hard,  and  the  interior  of 
the  sumpitan  smooth  and  even  polished.  It 
is  not  always  made  of  the  same  wood,  the 
specimens  in  my  own  collection  being  of  dif- 
ferent material,  one  of  very  dark  and  the 
other  of  very  light  wood.  The  surface  is  of 
equal  thickness  from  end  to  end,  and,  as  it 
generally  has  to  enact  the  part  of  a spear  as 


well  as  of  a sumpitan,  it  is  very  strong  and 
heavy. 

One  of  these  weapons,  brought  to  Eng- 
land by  the  late  Admiral  Young,  is  of  a 
beautiful  colored  wood,  and  is  beautifully 
inlaid,  both  at  the  butt  and  the  point,  with 
metal.  The  last  few  inches  of  the  butt  are 
entirely  made  of  metal,  the  weight  of  which 
causes  the  weapon  to  balance  itself  easily 
when  held  to  the  lips.  The  pattern  of  the 
inlaying  may  be  seen  in  fig.  1,  of  the  illus- 
tration entitled  “ Sumpitans,”  on  the  1122nd 
page. 

The  other  sumpitan,  fig.  2,  is  of  a very 
dark,  almost  black  wood,  which  is  brightly 
polished  on  the  exterior  as  well  as  in  the 
interior,  and  is  not  inlaid.  The  butt,  how- 
ever, is  encased  with  brass  for  five  inches, 
the  brass  being  very  thick  and  heavy  at  the 
end,  and  deeply  ridged,  so  as  to  look  at  a lit- 
tle distance  as  if  it  were  a spiral  brass  wire 
coiled  round  the  butt  of  the  sumpitan. 

At  the  tip  of  this  weapon  is  a spear  head, 
very  thick,  broad,  and  strong,  sharply  edged 
and  pointed,  and  decorated  with  engraved 
patterns  after  the  manner  employed  by 
D3’-ak  smiths.  It  is  firmly  bound  to  the 
sumpitan  by  brass  wire  or  rattan,  and  is  an 
exact  analogue  of  the  bayonet,  the  spear 
head  being  fastened  to  the  side  of  the 
weapon,  and  not  interfering  with  the  flight 
of  the  missile.  The  bore  of  the  weapon  is 
very  small,  not  quite  half  an  inch  in  diame- 
ter, and  it  is  really  wonderful  that  the  maker 
could  contrive  to  hollow  it  with  the  perfect 


(1119) 


1120 


BORNEO. 


precision  which  is  necessary  for  the  accurate 
flight  of  the  arrow. 

We  next  come  to  the  missile  which  is  pro- 
jected through  the  sumpitan.  This  is  a very 
tiny  arrow,  made  of  the  thorn  of  the  sago 
palm,  about  seven  or  eight  inches  long, 
equally  thick  from  base  to  point,  and  not 
thicker  than  a large  steel  knitting-needle. 
In  order  to  make  it  fit  the  bore  so  that  it 
can  be  propelled  by  the  breath,  it  is  fur- 
nished at  the  butt  with  a conical  piece  of 
pith  or  soft  wood,  so  that  it  exactly  fits  the 
bore.  In  some  of  the  arrows,  the  cone  is 
hollow,  and  a few  of  them  are  furnished 
with  wing-like  appendages  along  the  shaft. 
As  a rule,  however,  fhe  solid  cone  is  in  most 
general  use. 

These  arrows  are  so  small  that  the  wound 
which  they  inflict  is  in  itself  insignificant, 
and  Vv^ould  not  be  sufficient  to  kill  any  ani- 
mal larger  than  a rat.  They  are,  however, 
converted  into  weapons  of  the  most  formi- 
dable character  by  being  smeared  at  the  tip 
with  poison  obtained  from  the  upas-tree. 

The  reader  is  probably  aware  of  the  many 
tales  that  are  told  of  this  tree — how  that  it 
poisons  the  country  for  a mile  round,  and 
how  that  the  deadly  juice  can  only  be  ob- 
tained by  means  of  condemned  criminals, 
who  earn  their  pardon  in  case  they  can 
bring  off  a bottle  of  the  juice.  Even  in 
more  recent  days  the  upas-tree  has  not  lost 
all  its  legends,  and  many  persons  still  be- 
lieve that  actual  contact  with  the  tree  or  its 
leaves  produces  a sensation  of  faintness. 
This,  however,  is  not  the  case;  neither  is 
the  actual  juice  of  the  tree  so  deadly  as  is 
supposed. 

A wound  made  by  an  arrow  poisoned  with 
upas  juice  is  sure  to  be  fatal,  provided  that 
the  poison  be  quite  fresh;  but  it  loses  its 
i:>ower  very  rapidly,  and  after  it  has  been 
exposed  to  the  air  for  two  hours  it  is  use- 
less, and  must  be  renewed.  "When  fresh,  it 
is  fatal  in  a very  short  time,  as  was  found  by 
Mr.  Johnson,  who  led  an  attack  on  the  Kan- 
owit  Dyaks  in  1859.  He  lost  thirty  men  in 
the  attack,  every  one  of  them  being  killed 
by  the  tiny  sumpit  arrow,  and  not  one  hav- 
ing a mark  on  him,  except  the  little  wound 
made  by  the  arrow’s  point. 

Should  the  poison  have  been  exposed  to 
the  air,  the  wounded  man  has  a chance  of 
recovery;  and  it  has  been  found  that  a large 
dose  of  spirits,  sucking  the  wound,  and 
keeping  the  sufferer  continually  in  motion 
will  generally  overcome  the  virulence  of  the 
poison.  Indeed,  the  sumpit  arrow  seems  to 
have  much  the  same  effect  as  the  bite  of  the 
cobra,  and  the  treatment  which  is  efficacious 
for  the  snake  bite  answers  equally  well  for 
the  arrow  wound. 

The  juice  of  the  upas-tree  is  procured 
simply  by  boring  a hole  in  the  trunk,  from 
which  the  juice  issues  in  a white,  cream-like 
state.  It  is  received  in  little  flasks  made  of 
bamboo,  which  are  closed  in  the  most  care- 


ful manner,  in  order  to  exclude  the  air.  One 
of  these  flasks  in  my  possession  is  five 
inches  in  length,  and  about  half  an  inch  in 
diameter.  One  end  is  naturally  closed  by  a 
knot,  and  the  other  is  sealed  with  the  most 
scrupulous  care.  First,  a plug  of  soft  wood 
has  been  inserted  into  the  end,  after  the 
manner  of  a cork.  Over  the  plug  a lump  of 
beeswax  has  been  firmly  kneaded,  and  over 
the  wax  a piece  of  membrane  has  been  tied 
when  w^et.  Although  the  upas  juice  is  white 
when  it  first  issues  from  the  tree,  it  speedily 
becomes  black  when  exposed  to  the  air. 

The  upas-tree  is  called  scientifically  Anfia- 
Tis  toxicaria,  and  it  belongs  to  the  natural 
order  Astocav2)ea3^  the  best  known  species  of 
which  order  is  the  well-known  bread-fruit 
tree.  All  the  plants  of  this  order  produce  a 
white  milky  juice,  which  is  always  acrid  and 
deleterious,  and  in  many  instances  is  ex- 
•ceedingly  poisonous.  Yet  those  parts  of 
the  plant,  such  as  the  fruit,  in  which  the 
milk  is  replaced  by  sugar  in  the  process  of 
ripening,  are  not  only  harmless,  but  even 
nutritious.  The  tree  grows  to  a consider- 
able size,  and  the  bark  of  the  trunk  has  a 
reddish  hue. 

The  reader  wdll  at  once  understand  how 
formidable  is  this  weapon.  It  is  greatly  to 
be  dreaded  even  when  the  Dyak  warriors 
are  met  in  open  battle,  and  in  naval  engage- 
ments the  showers  of  poisoned  arrows  that 
are  continually  shot  through  the  port-holes 
render  the  gunners’  task  a most  unpleasant 
one.  But  the  sumpitan  is  much  more  to  be 
dreaded  by  land  than  by  sea;  and  when  it  is 
employed  in  bush  warfare,  the  boldest  sol- 
dier shrinks  from  the  encounter.  The  Dyak 
who  wields  it  lies  hidden  in  the  thick  foli- 
age, sure  that,  even  in  case  of  discovery,  he 
can  glide  through  the  tangled  thickets  into 
a place  of  security.  The  sumpitan  makes 
no  report,  and  gives  out  no  smoke  as  an  in- 
dication of  its  position,  but  the  deadi}'  arrow 
flies  silently  on  its  errand,  and  the  only  inti- 
mation of  the  presence  of  an  adversary  is 
the  slight  tap  with  which  the  arrow  strikes 
its  mark. 

The  only  disadvantage  of  the  sumpitan  is 
that  its  range  is  a short  one,  the  light  arrow 
being  seldom  used  at  a distance  exceeding 
forty  yards,  though  a man  who  is  accustomed 
to  its  use  can  propel  an  arrow  for  seventy  or 
eighty  yards.  At  this  distance,  however,  it 
is  not  to  be  dreaded,  as  its  force  is  so  ex- 
pended that  it  can  scarcely  break  the  human 
skin.  Some  of  these  arrows  have  their  heads 
made  of  the  barbed  bone  of  the  sting-ray, 
which  snaps  off  at  a touch,  and  remains  in 
the  wound  if  the  man  tries  to  draw  out  the 
weapon.  Others  have  separate  heads  made 
of  wood,  which  become  detached  as  soon  as 
the  shaft  is  pulled.  The  native  name  of  the 
head  is  j owing. 

The  Dyak  generally  carries  thirty  or  forty 
of  these  arrows  in  a peculiar-shaped  quiver. 
It  is  made  of  the  ever  useful  bamboo,  and  is 


Ct 

IWRESsn’  If  PJJW} 


1 


(3.)  PARANG  IHLANG. 
(See  page  1124.) 


(1.)  PARANG  LATOK. 
(See  page  1123.) 


(2.)  DYAK  SUMPITANS. 
(See  page  1119.) 


(1122) 


THE  PARANG-LATOK. 


112-3 


furnished  with  an  appendage  by  which  it  can 
be  stuck  into  the  belt  and  carried  at  the  side. 
This  appendage  is  made  of  hard  wood,  and  is 
lashed  to  the  quiver  by  a broad  belt  of  rattan, 
most  beautifully  plaited.  The  quiver  is 
closed  by  a conical  wooden  cover,  which  is 
always  secured  by  a string  so  that  it  shall 
not  be  lost.  Some  of  the  Dyak  quivers  are 
highly  polished,  covered  with  carvings,  and 
are  almost  to  be  ranked  with  works  of  art. 
Many  of  these  quivers  have  an  inner  case 
or  lining  of  dried  skin  or  membrane,  so  as 
to  exclude  the  air,  and  preserve  the  poison 
of  the  arrow  as  long  as  possible. 

When  the  Dyak  uses  the  sumpitan,  he 
holds  the  mouthpiece  to  his  lips  between 
the  two  first  fingers  of  his  left  hand,  while 
with  his  right  he  supports  and  aims  the 
heavy  weapon,  which  requires  a strong  as 
well  as  a practised  man  to  direct  it  steadily. 

The  weapon  which  comes  next  in  impor- 
tance to  the  sumpitan  is  the  parang  or 
sword,  of  which  there  are  several  varieties. 
The  Dya'ks  pride  themselves  greatly  on 
their  swords,  and  the  excellence  of  their 
workmanship  is  so  great  that  they  have 
good  reason  for  pride.  Their  forges  are  of 
excellent  quality,  and  some  of  the  tribes  are 
able  not  only  to  forge  their  own  -weapons 
but  to  smelt  their  own  iron. 

The  commonest  of  all  the  Dyak  weapons 
is  the  sword  called  parang-latok,  which  is 
carried  by  every  man  and  nearly  every 
woman.  It  is  used  not  only  as  a sword,  but 
as  an  axe,  and  is  indifferently  employed  for 
cutting  through  the  jungl  or  cutting  down 
the  enemy.  The  shape  of  this  sword  is  very 
peculiar,  as  may  be  seen  from  illustration 
ISTo.  1,  on  the  preceding  page,  which  repre- 
sents a specimen  in  my  collection. 

The  blade  is  formed  after  a very  curious 
pattern.  Toward  the  hilt  it  is  squared,  and 
is  in  fact  nothing  but  a square  bar  of  steel 
nearly  half  an  inch  in  thickness,  and  three 
quarters  of  an  inch  in  width.  From  the  hilt 
to  the  point  the  blade  becomes  gradually 
wider  and  thinner,  so  that  the  broad  point, 
two  inches  in  width,  contains  just  the 
same  amount  of  metal  as  the  half-inch  square 
hilt.  It  is  evident  that  the  sword  is  first 
forged  into  a square  bar  of  equable  size,  and 
is  then  beaten  out  flatter  and  flatter  toward 
the  point. 

The  illustration  shows  that  the  blade  of 
the  sword  is  bent  at  a considerable  angle 
toward  the  hilt.  This  curious  shape,  awk- 
ward as  it  is  to  an  unaccustomed  hand,  forms 
the  principal  value  of  the  sword.  When 
the  parang-latok  is  used  for  cutting  down 
branches  or  chopping  a path  through  the 
jungle,  it  is  grasped  at  the  squared  portion 
of  the  blade,  and  is  used  just  as  we  use  the 
common  bill-hook  in  this  country.  But 
when  the  object  which  is  to  be  chopped  lies 
on  the  ground,  the  parang  is  held  by  the 
handle,  so  that  the  angular  shape  allows  the 


blade  to  be  used  with  full  force.  It  is  the 
habit  of  holding  the  parang  by  the  squared 
portion  of  the  blade,  tliat  disfigures  and 
even  deforms  the  fingers  of  the  women, 
as  has  already  been  mentioned  on  page 
lllfi. 

The  ordinary  parangs  have  no  attempt  at 
ornament  upon  them,  but  those  of  better 
construction  are  covered  with  patterns  en- 
graved upon  the  blade,  of  which  we  shall 
see  some  examples. 

In  war,  this  sword  is  a most  formidable 
weapon.  It  is  so  heavy,  weighing  on  an 
average  two  pounds,  that  a blow  from  it  is 
sufficient  to  crush  the  skull  or  break  the 
limb  of  a man,  and,  even  if  it  had  no  edge,  it 
would  equal  in  efficacy  the  merai  of  the  New 
Zealander.  But  the  parang-latok  has  a very 
sharp  edge,  which  is  kept  in  the  best  order, 
and,  when  a blow  is  delivered  with  it,  the 
very  form  of  the  weapon  causes  it  to  make 
the  terrible  “ drawing  cut,”  the  blade  being 
drawn  through  the  wound  nearly  from  hilt 
to  point.  In  consequence  of  this  peculiarity, 
the  wounds  made  by  the  parang-latok  are 
very  severe,  and  the  natives  pride  them- 
selves greatly  on  the  depth  of  the  wound 
which  they  can  inflict. 

One  of  the  modes  by  which  they  try  their 
skill  is  killing  a pig  with  a single  blow  of  a 
i^arang-latok,  a good  swordsman  being  able 
to  sever  the  animal  completely,  and  to  drive 
the  point  of  his  weapon  into  the  earth.  If 
the  reader  has  been  accustomed  to  use  the 
sword,  he  will  see  that  to  strike  downward 
at  an  object  so  near  the  ground  is  by  no 
means  an  easy  task. 

When  an  English  swordsman  performs 
the  feat  of  severing  a sheep  at  a single  blow, 
he  has  several  advantages  which  are  denied 
to  the  Dyak.  In  the  first  place,  the  sheep  is 
already  dead,  so  that  he  can  take  his  aim  in 
quiet,  whereas  the  pig  is  alive,  so  that  the 
Dyak  must  aim  his  blow  as  he  can.  Then 
the  sheep  has  been  skinned  and  cleaned,  so 
that  the  sword  has  not  so  much  resistance 
to  overcome.  Lastl}q  the  sheep  is  suspended, 
so  that  the  swordsman  can  use  the  most  ef- 
fective blow,  namely,  “ Cut  6,”  i.  e.  a sweep- 
ing, horizontal  cut  from  left  to  right,  which 
can  be  delivered  with  the  full  swing  of  the 
arm. 

W ere  it  not  for  the  peculiar  form  of  the 
parang-latok  the  feat  of  severing  a pig  could 
not  be  accomplished,  but  the  angular  shape 
of  the  blade  and  its  gradually  increasing 
width  combine  the  power  of  the  drawing 
cut  with  the  chopping  force  gained  by  the 
weight  of  the  weapon. 

The  sheath  of  this  parang  is  neatly  made 
of  two  flat  pieces  of  wood,  neatly  hollowed 
inside  to  receive  the  blade,  and  bound  to- 
gether in  the  most  elaborate  manner  by  a 
series  of  belts,  twelve  or  fourteen  in  num- 
ber. These  belts  are  made  of  very  narrow 
strips  of  dark  rattan,  and  are  twined  into  an 
endless  four-plait.  In  my  own  specimen, 


1124 


BOENEO. 


tlicrc  are  thirteen  of  these  belts.  Attached 
to  the  upper  end  of  the  sheath  is  the  cord 
by  which  the  weapon  is  hung  to  the  side. 
This  cord  is  doubled,  is  made  of  scarlet 
and  yellow  cotton  plaited  square,  and  is  or- 
namented at  the  ends  with  two  large  tassels, 
the  strings  of  which  are  yellow  tipped  with 
scarlet  tufts. 

The  parang-latok  is  more  a Malayan  than 
a Dyak  weapon,  but  it  is  in  favor  with  the 
Dyaks,  and,  as  has  been  mentioned,  has 
come  into  general  use. 

The  Malays  use  it  in  execution,  and  are 
able  to  decapitate  a man  at  a single  blow, 
the  executioner  standing  at  his  side  and  a 
little  behind  him.  On  one  occasion,  an  exe- 
cutioner, who  was  distinguished  for  the  skill 
with  which  he  wielded  a very  heavy  parang 
which  he  possessed,  stood  between  two 
criminals  as  they  knelt  on  the  ground,  and 
with  a right  and  left  hand  blow  struck  off 
both  their  heads.  The  same  man,  who  was 
one  of  the  police,  being  annoyed  by  the 
howling  of  some  dogs  in  the  street,  rushed 
out  with  his  parang,  and  with  one  blow  cut 
in  two  the  first  animal  which  he  met. 

We  now  come  to  another  weapon,  the 
parang-ihlang,  v.diich  is  one  of  the  most  ex- 
traordinaiy  swords  in  the  world,  and  more 
troublesome  and  even  dangerous  to  stran- 
gers than  can  well  be  conceived.  This  is  a 
smaller,  shorter,  and  lighter  weapon  than 
the  parang-latok.  From  point  to  hilt  it 
measures  nineteen  inches,  and  in  extreme 
breadth  of  blade  is  rather  under  an  inch  and 
a half.  It  weighs  rather  less  than  one 
pound  six  ounces,  and  altogether  appears  to 
be  quite  insignificant  when  compared  with 
the  parang-latok.  We  shall  see,  how'ever, 
that  in  tlie  hands  of  an  experienced  swords- 
man it  is  even  superior  to  that  weapon  on 
account  of  a strange  peculiarity  in  construc- 
tion. The  general  shape  of  the  blade  of  the 
parang-ihlang  can  be  seen  in  illustration 
No.  3,  on  page  1122.  It  is  very  thick  and 
heavy  toward  the  hilt,  where  it  is  nearly 
squared,  like  the  parang-latok,  but  becomes 
gradually  thinner  toward  the  point,  which 
is  finished  off  in  a series  of  scooped  patterns 
that  look  at  a little  distance  as  if  the  sword 
had  been  broken.  The  back  is  quite 
straight,  and  along  it  and  on  either  side  of 
the  blade  is  a series  of  small  patterns  en- 
graved with  much  neatness  and  freedom  of 
execution. 

But  the  most  remarkable  thing  about  the 
blade  is,  that  instead  of  being  nearly  fiat  as 
are  European  sword  blades,  it  is  convex  on 
one  side,  and  concave  on  the  other,  as  is 
shown  at  the  section,  fig.  5.  Owing  to  this 
form-,  it  can  only  be  used  for  two  cuts,  one 
downward  and  one  upward;  and  if  used  in  the 
wrong  direction,  it  flies  off  at  an  angle,  and 
is  nearly  certain  to  inflict  a wound  on  the  man 
who  wields  it.  These  swords  are  made  either 
for  the  right  or  left  hand,  so  that  a man  who 
is  not  acquainted  with  the  peculiarities  of 


any  parang  is  afraid  to  use  it  without  a care- 
ful trial,  lest  he  should  make  the  wrong  cut 
with  it,  and  so  wound  himself. 

Small  and  insignificant  as  this  weapon 
looks,  it  is  capable  of  inflicting  the  most 
dreadful  wounds,  the  peculiar  concavity  of 
the  blade  aiding  it  in  a most  remarkable 
manner.  Like  the  parang-latok,  it  is  used 
as  a chopper  as  well  as  a sword,  -and  in  ex- 
perienced hands  is  a most  effective  tool. 
One  man,  described  by  Mr.  Brooke,  was  a 
celebrated  swordsman,  and  has  been  known 
to  sever  at  a single  blow  a log  of  tolerably 
hard  wood  as  thick  as  a man’s  leg. 

Even  English  officers  have  been  so  much 
impressed  with  the  value  of  this  weapon, 
that  they  have  only  carried  the  regulation 
sword  for  show,  preferring  the  parang-ihlang 
for  use.  The  Sea  Dyaks,  who  have  been  al- 
ready mentioned  as  essentially  warriors, 
prefer  this  sword  to  any  other  weapon, 
though  the  real  inventors  and  principal 
makers  of  it  are  the  Kayans,  who  belong  to 
the  Malanau  division  of  the  Land  Dyaks. 
As  a rule,  the  ordinary  Land  Dyaks  use  the 
parang-ihlang  but  little,  and  when  they  do 
use  it  are  apt  to  hurt  themselves.  Mr. 
Boyle  mentions  an  instance  where  the 
eldest  son  of  a chief  had  cut  himself  seriously 
on  both  shins  through  his  incautious  use  of 
this  weapon. 

“ The  finest  parangs,”  writes  Mr.  Boyle, 
“or  those  esteemed  so,  are  found  in  the 
graves  of  Kayan  warriors,  which  are  conse- 
quently rifled  by  Dyaks  and  Malays  on 
every  possible  occasion.  I have  one,  pur- 
chased at  Kennowit,  which  I was  told  had 
been  obtained  from  a sepulchre,  three  hun- 
dred years  old  — a rather  improbable  as- 
sertion, though  I believe  the  weapon  was 
really  found  in  a Kayan  grave,  for  it  was 
strangely  stained  and  rusted  when  I bought 
it.” 

The  Dyaks  are  very  proud  of  the  quality 
of  their  blades,  and  hold  even  the  best  Eu- 
ropean steel  in  utter  contempt.  It  is  said 
that  their  swords  are  made  of  old  files, 
which  are  imiiorted  in  large  quantities;  but, 
whatever  may  be  the  material,  the  temper 
of  their  blades  is  marvellously  excellent. 
These  parangs  not  only  take  a razor-like 
edge,  but  are  exceedingly  tough,  and  when 
used  for  bush-work  beat  the  very  best  Eng- 
lish implements.  Mr.  Boyle  remarks,  that 
whereas  his  own  hunting-knives,  which  pro- 
fessed to  be  the  finest  steel  possible,  broke  and 
gapped,  the  Dyak  parangs  were  not  in  the 
least  injured. 

Such  a blade  as  has  been  described  is  ex- 
ceedingly valuable,  even  in  its  own  country, 
and  one  of  the  best  quality  cannot  be  pur- 
chased under  ten  pounds  sterling.  It  may 
be  easily  imagined  that  when  a Dyak  is  for- 
tunate enough  to  possess  one  of  these  valu- 
able blades  he  will  not  be  content  with  an 
ordinary  handle  and  sheath,  but  will  lavish 
upon  his  weapon  all  the  powers  of  his  na- 


DOUBLE-EDGED  PAKAKG  WITH  CIIAKMS. 


1125 


tive  art.  The  handle,  instead  of  being  of 
simple  wood,  is  of  bone,  carved  deeply  and 
boldly  into  patterns,  and  is  always  bent  at 
right  angles  to  the  line  of  the  blade.  It  is 
further  ornamented  by  sundry  tufts  of  hu- 
man hair,  dyed  of  various  colors,  of  which 
deep  red,  yellow,  and  green  are  the  favor- 
ites. The  hilt  is  generally  bound  with  brass 
wire,  and,  for  a small-handed  race  like  the 
Dyaks,  affords  an  excellent  hold.  An  Euro- 
pean generally  finds  that  the  narrow  handle 
is  very  awkward  and  cramped,  and  is  not 
sufficient  for  his  grasp. 

The  scabbard  of  this  weapon  is  covered 
with  ornaments.  Instead  of  being  a plain 
and  simple  sheath,  like  that  of  the  parang- 
latok,  it  is  made  of  a hard  wood,  of  a dark, 
rich,  mahogany  color,  which  takes  a very 
high  polish.  This  is  carved  in  elaborate  and 
really  artistic  patterns,  the  carving  being 
confined  to  the  front  of  the  scabbard. 

In  the  middle,  just  under  the  carved  part, 
is  a piece  of  fur,  and  below  the  fur  is  a tuft 
of  human  hair  dyed  red.  In  most  cases  of 
swords  made  by  uncivilized  races,  there  is 
some  danger  to  the  hand  in  drawing  them, 
the  edge  of  the  sword  being  apt  to  project 
between  the  two  fiat  pieces  of  which  the 
sheath  is  made.  In  order,  however,  to 
guard  against  such  an  accident,  the  maker 
of  the  parang-ihlang  places  a piece  of  rattan 
against  each  edge  of  the  scabbard,  so  that 
the  blade  cannot  by  any  possibility  cut  the 
fingers,  even  if  the  hand  should  grasp  the 
sheath.  The  various  parts  of  this  sheath 
are  bound  together  by  six  belts  of  plaited 
rattan  and  three  belts  of  brass  wire,  plaited 
most  beautifully,  in  that  form  which  is 
known  to  sailors  as  the  Turk’s  head. 

The  belt  by  which  the  sword  is  attached 
to  the  wearer  is  made  of  rattan,  cut  into 
very  narrow  strips  and  plaited  into  thongs, 
three  of  which  thongs  are  again  plaited  to- 
gether to  form  the  belt.  On  the  opposite 
side  of  the  scabbard  is  a second  sheath,  of 
the  same  length  as  that  to  which  it  is  fas- 
tened, but  small  and  cylindrical.  This 
sheath  is  made  of  red  and  yellow  cloth,  is 
lined  with  bark,  and  is  intended  for  the  re- 
ception of  a knife  which  is  peculiar  to  the 
Dyaks.  One  of  these  knives  maybe  seen  at 
fig.  3,  in  the  illustration  of  the  parang  on 
page  1129.  The  handle  of  this  knife  is  made 
of  the  same  hard  wood  as  that  of  which  the 
sheath  is  formed.  It  is  nearly  cylindrical, 
about  half  an  inch  in  diameter,  and  four- 
teen inches  in  length,  the  blade  being  short, 
pointed,  and  barely  two  inches  in  length. 
This  curious  knife  is  used  by  the  Dyaks  for 
splitting  rattan,  and  similar  purposes,  the 
long  handle  being  held  under  the  left  arm, 
while  the  rattan  is  drawn  with  both  hands 
across  the  edge  of  the  blade. 

The  natives  are  singularly  averse  to  part- 
ing with  this  knife.  They  will  sell  the  sword, 
if  a sufficient  price  be  offered,  but  will  always 
endeavor  surreptitiously  to  withdraw  the 


knife,  so  that,  out  of  many  parangs  which 
have  been  Ijrought  to  Europe,  comparatively 
few  have  the  knife  attached  to  them.  In  one 
specimen  in  my  collection,  the  weapon 
appears  to  be  quite  perfect,  but,  on  with- 
drawing the  knife  from  its  sheath,  it  is  seen 
that  the  Dyak  has  cleverly  substituted  a 
bladeless  handle  for  the  real  knife. 

Both  the  weapons  which  have  been  de- 
scribed were  presented  to  me  by  C.  T.  C. 
Grant,  Esq. 

There  is  also  in  my  collection  a third  kind 
of  parang,  which  at  first  sight  looks  almost 
exactly  like  the  old  Koman  sword.  It  is 
thick,  massive,  weighty,  and  at  first  sight 
looks  more  like  an  ancient  than  a modern 
weapon.  On  a closer  examination,  however, 
the  peculiar  Dyak  workmanship  is  evident. 
Though  it  is  not  like  the  preceding  weapon, 
convex  on  one  side,  and  concave  on  the 
other,  the  two  sides  are  entirely  distinct. 
The  blade  is  double-edged,  very  thick  in  the 
middle,  and  sloped  off  rather  abruptly  to  the 
edge  on  either  side. 

The  handle  is  only  made  of  wood,  but  is 
profusely  decorated  with  human  hair  of  dif- 
ferent colors  and  considerable  length,  and 
it  is  bound  with  a broad  belt  of  plaited  rattan. 
The  sheath  for  the  knife  is  entirely  made  of 
bark,  and  the  knife  itself  is  shown  at  fig.  2. 
Like  the  scabbard  of  the  parang-ihlang  al- 
ready described,  that  of  this  weapon  is  richly 
carved,  and  adorned  with  fur  and  long  tufts 
of  human  hair. 

The  belt  by  which  it  is  suspended  is  made 
of  rattan  split  very  fine,  and  plaited  so  as  to 
form  a strap  nearly  an  inch  in  width,  and  the 
sixth  of  an  inch  in  thickness.  It  is  rounded 
at  the  edges,  and  at  the  upper  part  it  is  in- 
geniously separated  into  two  portions,  so  as 
to  form  a loop. 

The  chief  peculiarity  of  this  weapon  lies 
in  the  number  of  charms  which  are  attached 
to  it.  First  come  two  teeth,  and  then  there 
is  a beautifully  plaited  little  case,  something 
like  the  cocoon  of  an  insect,  containing 
several  little  pieces  of  wood.  Next  comes  a 
small  bag  of  netted  string,  about  an  inch  and 
a half  in  length,  in  which  is  a stone,  and 
then  come  three  little  flattish  baskets,  with 
covers,  which  are  empty.  Fastened  to  the 
belt  by  several  thongs  is  a curiously  shaped 
piece  of  wood  which  I believe  to  be  used  for 
sharpening  the  edges  of  the  sword,  and  to 
the  end  of  the  sheath  is  hung  by  a string 
of  beads  a feather,  the  quill  of  which  has 
been  carefully  wrapped  with  red  and  black 
string. 

This  weapon  is  *n  all  ways  a most  formi- 
dable one,  and  to  European  travellers  is  by 
far  the  best  for  practical  purposes.  The 
handle  is  rather  larger  than  is  the  case  with 
either  of  the  preceding  weapons;  the  blade 
has  not  that  curvature  which  renders  it  so 
perilous  a weapon  in  unpractised  hands; 
it  is  double-edged,  and  either  edge  can  be 
used  with  equal  facility;  and  lastly,  it  pos- 


1126 


BOENEO. 


sesses  a point,  which  is  not  the  case  with 
the  other  forms  of  the  sword. 

One  Dyak  chief  had  an  ornament  attached 
to  his  sword  of  which  he  was  exceedingly 
proud.  It  was  an  enormous  tuft  of  hair, 
being  nothing  more  nor  less  than  the  pigtails 
of  ten  Chinese  whom  he  had  killed,  and 
whose  hair  he  had  fastened  to  the  scabbard 
of  his  sword.  This  ornament  must  have 
been  singularly  inconvenient  to  him.  There 
is  in  my  collection  an  average  specimen  of 
a Chinese  pigtail.  It  weighs  nine  ounces,  so 
that  the  weight  of  the  ten  must  rather  exceed 
five  pounds  and  a half,  while  the  length  is 
five  feet,  so  that  ten  tufts  of  hair,  each  five 
feet  in  length,  must  have  given  the  ’wearer 
an  infinity  of  trouble  as  he  walked. 

The  reader  will  already  have  noticed  how 
the  various  forms  of  sword  are  used  alike  by 
the  Malays  and  the  Dyak  tribes.  There  is 
another  weapon,  which,  though  strictly  a 
Malay  invention,  is  used  by  the  Dyaks,  and 
indeed,  with  some  variations,  throughout  the 
whole  of  the  Malay  Archipelago.  It  is  called 
the  kris,  sometimes,  but  wrongly,  spelt  creese^ 
and  is  so  common  that  any  ordinary  collec- 
tion of  weapons  is  sure  to  contain  several 
specimens  of  the  kris.  It  is  remarkable  for 
three  points.  In  the  first  place,  the  handle 
is  not  set  in  a line  with  the  blade,  as  in  or- 
dinary daggers,  but  is  bent  at  a right  angle; 
next,  the  blade  is  almost  ahvays  waved  in 
form,  like  the  flaming  swmrd  with  which  the 
old  painters  armed  the  angels  who  kept  the 
gates  of  Paradise;  and  thirdly,  the  blade  is 
never  smooth,  but  dull,  rough,  and  indented 
wfith  curved  grooves  much  resembling  in 
form  the  marks  on  a “ browned  ” gun-barrel. 
By  referring  to  the  illustration  “ Kris  ” on 
page  1129,  the  reader  will  better  understand 
its  peculiarities. 

There  are  few  weapons  which  var}'-  more 
in  value,  or  in  which  the  price  set  upon  them 
is  so  apparently  excessive.  A first-rate 
blade,  even  without  the  handle  and  sheath, 
will  cost  from  eighteen  to  t^venty  pounds, 
and  an  ordinary  one  can  scarcely  be  pur- 
chased under  two  pounds.  They  have  by  no 
means  the  appearance  of  being  valuable 
weapons,  the  steel  of  the  blade  being  not  only 
rough  and  corroded,  but  looking  as  if  it  were 
composed  of  successive  laminae  which  are  on 
the  point  of  being  separated.  This  effect  is 
produced  by  steeping  the  blade  in  lime  juice, 
thus  causing  a partial  corrosion  of  the  metal, 
which  is  made  of  small  pieces  of  steel  twisted 
and  welded  together  in  such  a manner  as  to 
produce  exceeding  toughness. 

One  of  these  weapons  in  my  collection  is 
worn  away  almost  to  a mere  ribbon  of  steel  by 
the*  action  of  the  acid,  and,  strange  as  it 
may  seem,  weapons  of  this  kind,  which  look 
much  as  if  they  were  mere  pieces  of  rusty 
iron-hooping,  are  the  most  valued  by  con- 
noisseurs. The  length  of  grain  in  this 
weapon  is  w'onderful,  the  corrosion  of  the 


lime  juice  showing  it  in  the  most  perfect 
maimer.  The  long  grooves  can  be  traced 
from  one  end  of  the  blade  to  the  other, 
following  the  waved  form  of  the  narrower 
portion,  and  curling  round  in  the  wider 
part  near  the  hilt,  as  if  the  whole  of  the 
blade  had  been  forged  out  of  steel  wires 
laid  parallel  to  each  other  and  then  welded 
together. 

The  lime  juice  takes  off  from  the  edge 
that  razor-like  smoothness  wiiich  is  so  much 
admired  in  European  blades,  and  gives  it  a 
ragged,  saw-like  appearance  that  is  peculiar 
to  the  instrument.  This  edge,  however,  is 
a terrible  one  for  penetration  into  human 
flesh,  and  answ^ers  the  purpose  even  better 
than  a plain  and  sharp  edge  could  do. 

The  form  of  the  kris  is  sufficient  to  tell 
the  reader  the  mode  of  handling  it,  the 
weapon  being  thrust  forward  just  as  a man 
points  wfith  his  extended  forefinger,  and  not 
grasped  according  to  the  conventional  ideas 
of  painters.  Spaniards,  who  are  prover- 
bially expert  in  the  use  of  their  long  knives, 
hokf  and  use  them  in  nearly  the  same  man- 
ner, laying  the  extended  forefinger  along 
the  blade  as  a guide,  and  thrusting  foiwvard 
instead  of  striking  dowmw^ard.  The  aver- 
age length  of  a kris  blade  is  about  a foot, 
but  some  are  nearly  as  long  as  ordinary 
swmrds,  while  others  are  only  six  or  seyen 
inches  in  length. 

Very  great  pride  is  taken  in  an  old  family 
kris,  the  owmer  regarding  it  with  a venera- 
tion that  is  almost  superstitious.  Generally, 
the  handle  is  quite  plain,  but  the  more 
W'ealthy  have  it  made  of  gold,  and  encrusted 
wfith  precious  stones.  This  weapon  is  sel- 
dom used  in  war.  It  is  carried  more  as  the 
symbol  of  a gentleman  than  as  a weapon  to 
be  used  in  actual  fight,  and  plays  the  part 
that  the  sword  used  to  play  in  the  last  cen- 
tury. 

The  kris  is  much  used  in  executions,  the 
weapon  being  one  made  expressly  for  the 
purpose,  quite  straight,  thin,  and  narrow. 
In  all  cases  it  is  used  in  the  same  manner, 
though  there  are  some  variations  in  detail. 
Generally,  the  man  wdio  is  to  sufier  wnlks 
quietly  and  unbound  to  a chair,  in  wdiich 
he  seats  himself,  mostly  solacing  his  last 
moments  by  chewing  the  betel-nut.  His 
arms  are  then  extended,  and  held  by  two 
men,  while  the  executioner,  standing  behind 
him,  places  the  point  of  the  kris  just  above 
the  left  collar-bone,  and  strikes  it  dowmw^ard 
into  the  heart,  so  that  death  is  instanta- 
neous. 

In  some  places  the  execution  kris  is  very 
narrow,  thin,  and  sharp  on  both  edges,  like  a 
lancet.  The  executioner  takes  a small  tuft 
of  cotton  wool,  and  twists  it  lightly  round 
the  blade  of  the  kris,  just  above  the  point, 
lie  then  holds  the  cotton  wool  betw^een 
the  finger  and  thumb  of  his  left  hand,  so 
as  to  keep  the  kris  upright.  After  placing 
the  point  of  the  weapon  on  the  right  spot 


THE  EXECUTIONER’S  KRIS. 


1127 


above  the  left  collar-bone,  he  drives  it  down- 
ward into  the  heart  with  his  right  hand,  and 
the  man  is  dead.  Still  holding  the  cotton 
wool  between  the  finger  and  thumb,  he 
draws  out  the  kris,  and,  as  the  point  is  with- 
drawn, presses  the  cotton  wool  into  the 
small  wound  which  it  has  made,  so  that  the 
weapon  is  quite  clean  and  bright,  and  not  a 
drop  of  blood  is  allowed  to  be  seen.  There 
is  no  doubt  that  this  mode  of  execution  is 
as  certain,  swift  and  merciful  as  any  that 
can  be  devised.  It  is  equal  in  these  respects 
to  the  guillotine,  and  has  the  great  advan- 
tage of  being  absolutely  bloodless,  and  re- 
quiring no  scaffold  or  visible  apparatus.  A 
traveller  might  pass  within  two  yards  of  the 
fatal  spot,  and  not  know  that  anything  out 
of  the  ordinary  way  was  being  done. 

Some  of  these  weapons  have  been  used 
for  many  successive  generations,  and  are 
highly  prized,  some  being  valued  at  sums 
which  to  Europeans  seem  almost  fabulous. 
One  of  these  execution  krises  was  shown  at 


the  Great  Exhibition  in  London,  but  was 
lost,  together  with  many  oilier  weapons  of 
great  value. 

The  spear  is  a weapon  much  favored  by 
many  Ilyak  tribes,  but  little  employed 
by  others,  the  spear  head  at  the  end  of  the 
sumpitan  answering  every  jiractical  pur- 
pose. In  fact  it  is  used,  like  the  club  of  the 
Fiji  Islander,  as  a summons  to  battle,  and 
serves  the  same  purpose  as  the  fiery  cross 
of  the  Scotch  Highlands.  This  symbol  is 
instantaneously  obeyed,  and,  as  it  runs 
through  a country  with  almost  magical 
speed,  a chief  can  raise  a large  force  within 
a very  short  time.  On  one  occasion,  during 
the  rajahship  of  Sir  James  Brooke,  an  in- 
cipient rebellion  was  ingeniously  stopped  by 
finding  the  “ calling-out  spear  ” as  it  lay 
hidden  in  a canoe,  and  taking  possession  of 
it.  The  people  strenuously  de^iied  that  such 
an  article  ever  existed;  but,  when  it  was 
taken  from  its  hiding-place,  Gie  projected 
rising  instantly  collapsed. 


CHAPTER  CXYI. 


BOKNEO  — Continued, 


WAR  — Concluded, 


THE  BORNEAN  SHIELD,  ITS  USUAL  SHAPE  AND  DECORATIONS — MODE  OF  USING  IT  — A CURIOUS  SHIELD 
IN  MY  COLLECTION  — HEAD  HUNTING  AND  ITS  ACCOMPANYING  HORRORS  — OBJECTS  OF  SIR  JAMES 

Brooke’s  mission  — his  mode  of  suppressing  the  practice  — “opening  mourning ” — the 

' FISH  spearing  and  THE  FEAST  — VALUE  OF  HEADS  — TREACHERY  AND  CUNNING  — THE  BAFFLED 
HEAD  HUNTERS  — DYEING  AND  PRESERVING  THE  HEADS  — THE  HEAD  HOUSES  — COURAGE  IN 
WAR  — STORMING  A NATIVE  FORT  — A NAVAL  BATTLE — TRAPS  AND  PITFALLS  — MAKING  PEACE. 


By  way  of  defensive  weapons,  the  Dyaks 
use  the  shield,  which  is  made  of  wood,  and 
is  generally  of  an  oblong  form.  Like  the 
parang,  it  is  decorated  with  various  orna- 
ments, the  chief  of  which  are  hair,  heads, 
and  feathers.  The  hair  is  made  into  flat 
tufts,  and  fastened  at  regular  intervals  all 
over  the  shield,  as  is  seen  in  an  illustration 
at  the  foot  of  next  page,  which  represents  a 
fine  specimen  in  the  magnificent  collection 
of  the  late  Mr.  Christy.  In  the  centre  of 
this  shield  there  is  a rude  and  evidently 
conventional  representation  of  the  human 
face,  the  eye  being  circular,  of  very  great 
size,  and  painted  white  in  the  centre.  At 
the  top  and  bottom  of  the  shield  are  similar 
figures,  but  of  smaller  size.  Some  shields, 
which  are  now  very  seldom  seen,  have  the 
entire  human  form  painted  on  them,  the 
legs  issuing  from  the  chest,  and  the  neck 
being  entirely  dispensed  with.  The  tufts  of 
hair  on  this  shield  are  black. 

The  mode  of  using  the  shield  and  sword 
is  shown  in  their  sword  dances,  and  Mr. 
Brooke,  who  had  great  experience  in  the 
Dyak  weapons,  gives  the  following  opinion 
of  their  value:  — Sword  dances  with  shields 
were  going  on.  Each  tribe  has  a peculiar 
step  and  code  of  its  own;  but  as  an  attack 
and  defence  in  earnest  they  all  seemed  to  be 
equally  ridiculous. 

“However,  in  the  event  of  an  opponent 
using  a shield,  I feel  convinced  that  an  Eu- 
ropean could  not  stand  against  them,  as 
they  are  able  to  crouch  their  bodies  entirely 
behind  it,  and  can  spring  immediately  from 
such  an  attitude  behind  it  without  losing 


their  balance.  But  without  a shield  a man 
with  a rapier  would  be  more  than  a match 
for  any  of  them,  unless,  as  is  possible,  a 
heavy  D}’ak  weapon  were  to  cut  a light 
sword  in  "two.  This,  however,  no  dexterous 
fencer  would  be  likely  to  allow,  and,  after 
the  first  blow  from  a heavy  weapon  had 
fallen,  the  opponent  would  be  at  the  mercy 
of  a light  swordsman.” 

With  due  respect  to  the  opinion  of  so 
competent  an  authority,  I cannot  but  think 
that,  even  when  furnished  with  this  shield, 
the  D3Lak  ought  not  to  overcome  a good 
fencer.  The  very  fact  that  he  is  obliged  to 
hold  his  shield  before  him,  and  conse- 
quently to  stand  either  with  his  left  side  or 
at  least  his  breast  fronting  his  adversary, 
shows  that  he  can  have  but  a very  short 
reach  with  his  weapon,  while  his  opponent, 
armed  with  a small  sword,  and  using  only 
the  point,  can  remain  entirely  out  of  reach 
of  the  parang’s  edge,  while  he  himself  is 
within  easy  distance  of  the  Dyak,  and  ready 
to  bring  in  the  fatal  point  of  his  weapon  at 
the  slightest  opening  made  by  his  opponent. 

The  reader  may  remember  that  the  pa- 
rang described  on  page  1125  has  attached  to 
it,  among  other  ornaments,  a single  feather. 
This  feather  has  been  taken  from  the  rhi- 
noceros hornbill,  a bird  which  the  Dj^aks 
hold  in  much  respect,  and  which  they  will 
not  eat,  however  hungry  they  may  be.  The 
quill  feathers  of  the  wing  and  tail  are  black, 
with  a band  of  white,  and  by  both  Malays 
and  Dyaks  they  are  thought  to  possess  cer- 
tain virtues,  and  are  used  as  talismans.  The 
bird  is  considered  to  be  an  emblem  of  war, 
(1128) 


(See  page  1132- ) 


(1129) 


uro».w 

Of  THS 

I'ft'lYESSm'  Of 


HEAD  IIUNTIKG. 


1131 


and  for  this  reason  the  sword  sheaths, 
shields,  and  cloaks  worn  in  war  time  are 
decorated  with  its  feathers;  and  the  huge 
horny  beak  of  the  bird  is  scraped  thin,  pol- 
ished, and  made  into  earrings. 

I insert  also  on  page  1129,  a figure  of  a 
shield  in  my  collection,  which  I believe  to 
be  of  Bornean  make,  the  materials  and 
mode  of  employing  them  being  evidently 
Bornean.  In  shape  it  exactly  resembles  the 
small  shields  used  by  horsemen  in  the  early 
age  of  English  history,  and,  small  as  it  is,  it 
forms  a very  efficient  defence.  It  is  twenty 
inches  in  length,  and  thirteen  inches  in 
width,  and  it  is  wielded  by  means  of  a sepa- 
rate handle,  firmly  lashed  to  the  body  of  the 
shield  by  strips  of  rattan.  The  characteristic 
feature  of  the  shield  is  the  manner  in  which 
it  is  built  up  of  a number  of  pieces,  the 
whole,  though  merely  bound  together  by 
rattan,  being  as  firm  as  if  it  were  cut  out  of 
one  piece  of  wood. 

If  the  reader  will  look  at  figure  2,  which 
shows  the  back  of  the  shield,  he  will  see 
that  it  is  made  of  four  flat  pieces  of  wood, 
which  are  laid  side  by  side.  These  pieces 
are  of  a lightish  colored  wood,  and  are  but 
slightly  smoothed.  The  handle  is  cut  from 
a separate  piece  of  wood,  which  runs  the 
whole  length  of  the  shield.  As  is  usual  with 
Bornean  weapons,  the  handle  is  much  too 
small  for  the  grasp  of  an  European. 

The  front  of  the  shield  is  made  of  a single 
flat  piece  of  wood,  to  which  the  others  are 
lashed,  or  rather  sewed,  by  means  of  rattan 
passing  through  holes.  In  order  to  hold  all 
these  cross-pieces  more  firmly  together,  a 
deep  groove  has  been  cut  in  a thick  rattan, 
which  has  been  bound  round  the  shield  so 
as  to  receive  the  edges  of  the  wood  in  the 
groove,  and  has  been  sewed  to  them  by  rat- 
tan at  regular  intervals. 

The  shield  is  further  strengthened  by  an 
upright  piece  of  wood,  which  runs  along  the 
front,  and  to  which  the  handle  at  the  back 
is  lashed  by  rattan,  so  that  the  handle  and 
the  corresponding  piece  in  front  actually 
strengthen  the  shield  instead  of  being  a 
strain  upon  it.  The  materials  have  been 
chosen  with  the  eye  for  color  which  the 
Dyak  usually  possesses.  The  thin  flat 
wooden  plate  which  forms  the  front  of  the 
shield  is  nearly  black,  the  central  piece  is 
yellowish  white,  and  the  rattans  with  which 
it  is  edged  and  sewed  are  of  a bright  5^ellow. 
The  weight  of  the  shield  is  exactly  a pound 
and  a half.  Besides  the  centre  ornament  on 
the  front,  a section  of  the  shield  is  also  given, 
so  as  to  show  the  form  of  the  handle,  and 
the  slight  curvature  of  the  whole  imple- 
ment. 

The  perpetual  feuds  that  rage  among  the 
Dyak  tribes  are  mostly  caused  by  the  prac- 
tice of  “head  hunting,”  which  is  exactly 
analogous  to  the  scalp  hunting  propensities 
of  the  North  American  tribes.  Mr.  Boyle 
has  sketched  the  outlines  of  this  horrid  cus- 


tom in  a few  nervous  words,  which  will 
afterward  be  examined  in  detail.  “The 
great  tribes  of  Sakarrang  and  Saribas  have 
never  been  more  than  nominally  sulpect  to 
the  Malays  of  Kuching  or  Bruni,  and  Sir 
James  Brooke  is  the  first  master  whom  they 
have  really  obeyed.  Every  year  a cloud  of 
murderous  pirates  issued  from  their  rivers 
and  swept  the  adjacent  coasts.  No  man  was 
safe  by  reason  of  his  poverty  or  insignifi- 
cance, for  human  heads  were  the  booty 
sought  by  these  rovers,  and  not  wealth 
alone.  Villages  were  attacked  in  the  dead  of 
the  night,  and  every  adult  cut  off;  the  women 
and  grown  girls  were  frequently  slaugh- 
tered with  the  men, and  children  alone  were 
jDreserved  to  be  the  slaves  of  the  conquerors. 

“ Never  was  warfare  so  terrible  as  this. 
Head  hunting,  a fashion  of  comparatively 
modern  growth,  became  a mania,  which 
spread  like  a horrible  disease  ower  the  whole 
land.  No  longer  were  the  trophies  regarded 
as  proofs  of  individual  valor;  they  be^me 
the  indiscriminate  property  of  the  claig  and 
were  valued  for  their  number  alone.  Mur- 
der lurked  in  the  jungle  and  on  the  river; 
the  aged  of  the  people  were  no  longer  safe 
among  their  own  kindred,  and  corpses  were 
secretly  disinterred  to  increase  the  grisly 
store. 

“ Superstition  soon  added  its  ready  im- 
pulse to  the  general  movement.  The  aged 
warrior  could  not  rest  in  his  grave  till  his 
relations  had  taken  a head  in  his  name ; the 
maiden  disdained  the  weak-hearted  suitor 
whose  hand  was  not  yet  stained  with  some 
cowardly  murder. 

“ Bitterly  did  the  Malay  Pangerans  of 
Kuching  regret  the  folly  which  had  dissemi- 
nated this  frenzy.  They  themselves  had 
fostered  the  bloodthirsty  superstition  in 
furtherance  of  their  political  ends,  but  it 
had  grown  beyond  their  control,  and  the 
country  was  one  red  field  of  battle  and  mur- 
der. Pretexts  for  war  were  neither  sought 
nor  expected;  the  possession  of  a human 
head,  no  matter  how  obtained,  was  the  sole 
happiness  coveted  throughout  the  land.” 

It  was  in  order  to  stop  this  terrible  cus- 
tom that  Sir  James  Brooke  undertook  his 
rule.  Tlie  sultan  of  Bruni,  in  despair  at  the 
state  of  things,  and  utterly  unable  to  check 
the  increasing  rage  for  head  hunting,  ceded 
the  territory  to  him,  hoping  that  the  Eng- 
lishman, with  his  small  forces,  would  suc- 
ceed where  he  himself  with  all  his  soldiers 
had  failed.  Although  these  tribes  were 
nominally  his  subjects,  they  never  thought 
of  obeying  him,  and  the  only  sign  of  their 
subjection  was  a small  tribute  very  irregu- 
larly paid.  The  sultan  was  right  in  his  con- 
jecture, and  we  know  how  the  Englishman, 
with  his  steady,  unflinching  rule,  succeeded 
in  abolishing  head  hunting  as  an  acknowl- 
edged practice,  and,  by  his  system  of  inflict- 
ing heavy  fines  on  any  one  who  took  a head, 
gradually  and  steadily  put  an  end  to  the 


1132 


BORNEO. 


practice.  For  several  years  the  Dyaks 
could  not  understand  the  prohibition,  and 
the  English  rajah  and  his  olhcers  were  con- 
tinually pestered  with  requests  from  Dyaks 
to  be  allowed  to  go  and  take  heads.  An  old 
man,  for  example,  had  lost  his  wife,  and 
begged  piteously  to  be  allowed  to  take  just 
one  head,  so  that  she  might  rest  quietly  in 
her  grave.  Then  a young  man  would  come, 
who  had  been  rejected  by  a Dyak  damsel, 
lay  his  case  before  the  authorities,  and  be- 
seech them  to  permit  him  to  take  a head, 
and  so  to  win  the  hand  of  the  disdainful 
lady.  One  man,  after  meeting  with  the 
usual  refusal,  proposed  a compromise,  and 
asked  whether  he  might  not  go  and  take 
the  head  of  a Pakarran,  because  Pakarrans 
really  could  not  be  considered  as  men.  In 
fact,  as  Mr.  Brooke  well  remarks,  the  Dyaks 
behaved  just  like  children  crying  after 
sugar-plums.  No  plan  could  have  been 
devised  which  was  more  effective  than  that 
whioh  was  carried  out  by  the  English  rajah. 
Whenever  a part}"  of  Dyaks  started  surrep- 
titiously off  on  a head  hunting  expedition,  a 
force  was  always  despatched  after  them,  in 
order  to  cut  them  off  and  bring  them  to 
justice,  when  they  were  fined  heavily.  If 
they  succeeded  in  procuring  heads,  their 
trophies  were  taken  away  from  them,  and 
they  were  fined  still  more  heavily.  Those 
who  refused  to  submit  to  the  punishment 
were  declared  to  be  enemies  to  the  govern- 
ment, and  their  houses  were  burnt  down. 
Dyaks  of  more  peaceful  tribes  were  always 
employed  in  such  expeditions,  as,  owing  to 
the  feuds  which  had  existed  for  so  long,  they 
had  been  exasperated  by  the  numerous  mur- 
ders which  had  been  perpetrated  by  the 
more  warlike  tribes.  The  English  rule,  un- 
like that  of  the  Malay  sultan,  was  irrespec- 
tive of  persons,  and  the  highest  chiefs  were 
punished  as  swiftly  and  surely  as  the  lowest 
of  the  people.  On  one  occasion,  a quarrel 
arose  between  two  parties  of  Dyaks,  one  of 
which,  commanded  by  a chief  named  Jannah, 
was  entirely  in  the  wrong,  having  first  tres- 
passed on  the  property  of  the  other  party, 
and  then  got  up  a quarrel  because  they  had 
hurt  themselves  against  the  spiked  bamboos, 
which  were  planted  by  way  of  fences.  In 
the  fight  that  ensued  Jannah  himself  shot 
the  other  chief;  but  he  gained  little  by  his 
act.  As  soon  as  the  facts  were  known,  Mr. 
Brooke  sent  a large  force  against  him,  and 
he  was  fined  nearly  two  hundred  pounds. 
He  and  his  party  took  to  the  bush,  but  they 
were  soon  starved  out,  and  had  to  submit. 
The  other  chiefs  were  .delighted  at  the  re- 
sult, and  were  accustomed  ever  afterward  to 
check  those  who  wished  to  go  head  hunting 
by  telling  them  to  remember  Jannah  and 
his  two  hundred  pounds.  It  is  rather  curi- 
ous that  this  high-handed  proceeding  in- 
spired Jannah  with  the  greatest  respect  and 
affection  for  Mr.  Brooke,  for  whom  he  after- 
ward entertained  a sincere  friendship.  He 


asserted  that  the  three  years  subsequent  to 
this  episode  in  his  life  had  been  marked 
by  very  much  better  harvests  than  he  had  be- 
fore obtained  from  his  land,  and  attributed 
his  prosperity  to  his  friendship  for  the  white 
man. 

One  ingenious  portion  of  the  system  was, 
that  a large  share  of  the  fines  was  distributed 
among  chiefs  who  had  abstained  from  head- 
hunting. This  ]dan  had  a double  effect;  it 
proved  to  the  Dyaks  that  they  were  not 
fined  for  the  benefit  of  the  English,  and  it 
induced  them  to  be  always  on  the  look-out 
for  those  who  were  going  to  hunt  after 
heads. 

It  has  been  mentioned  that  the  heads  are 
wanted  to  “ open  the  mourning  ” after  the 
death  of  aii}^  person.  This  phrase  requires 
some  little  explanation.  When  a chief  loses 
a relative,  he  closes  some  stream  during  the 
time  of  mourning.  This  is  done  by  driving 
spears  into  the  bank,  on  either  side,  and  fas- 
tening bamboos  to  them  across  the  stream. 
No  one  is  allowed  to  pass  this  obstruction 
until  the  mourning  is  over,  an  event  which 
cannot  take  place,  according  to  Dyak  custom, 
until  a head  had  been  obtained. 

When  he  has  brought  home  the  required 
troph}’-,  he  leaves  it  at  the  head  house  to  be 
prepared,  while  he  makes  ready  for  the  feast 
with  which  a new  head  is  received.  He 
takes  some  plants,  the  juice  of  which  has  a 
stupifying  quality,  pounds  them,  and  throws 
them  into  the  river.  The  fish  come  floating 
to  the  surface,  /and  are  then  captured  by 
means  of  barbed  spears,  which  are  flung  at 
them  from  the  bank.  The  spears  are-  very 
light,  their  shafts  being  made  of  bamboo, 
so  that  they  always  float,  and  enable  the 
thrower  to  recover  both  the  spear  and  the 
fish  which  it  has  struck.  The  spears  and 
poles  which  closed  the  stream  are  removed 
in  order  to  allow  the  fishermen  to  use  their 
weapons,  and  thus,  by  the  arrival  of  the 
coveted  head,  the  stream  is  again  thrown 
o^Den. 

One  of  these  fish  spears  is  shown  on  page 
1129.  It  is  five  feet  in  length,  and  the  shaft, 
which  is  three-quarters  of  an  inch  in  diam- 
eter, is  made  of  hollow  bamboo,  and  is  ex- 
ceedinglv  light.  The  four  prongs  are  made 
of  iron,  *^and  very  slightly  barbed.  Owing 
to  the  manner  in  which  they  are  lashed  to 
the  shaft,  they  are  very  elastic,  so  that  their 
slight  barbs  are  perfectly  capable  of  retain- 
ing the  fish.  With  the  natural  love  of  orna- 
ment which  distinguishes  the  Dyaks,  the 
owner  of  this  spear  has  decorated  it  with 
several  broad  belts  of  split  rattan,  plaited  in 
a very  artistic  manner.  One  was  placed 
just  below  the  head  of  the  spear,  another 
was  placed  at  the  centre  of  gravity,  so  as  to 
guide  the  hand  at  once  to  the  “ balance  ” of 
the  weapon,  and  the  third  was  near  the  butt. 
Of  the  three,  however,  only  the  central  belt 
remained  when  the  spear  reached  me. 


VALUE  OF  HEADS. 


1133 


Owing  to  the  enormous  demand  for  heads, 
quantity  rather  than  quality  was  the  chief 
requisite,  so  that  at  the  time  when  Sir 
James  Brooke  undertook  the  task  of  putting 
down  the  practice  of  head  hunting,  no  prac- 
tical distinction  was  made  between  the  head 
of  a stalwart  warrior  and  that  of  a tender 
girl.  A head  was  a head;  the  body  to  which 
it  belonged  was  of  no  consequence. 

The  rage  for  heads  was  so  great  that  in 
one  head  house  an  Englishman,  who  hap- 
pened to  know  something  of  comparative 
anatomy,  espied  a head  which  seemed 
scarcely  human,  and  which,  on  examination, 
turned  out  to  be  that  of  an  orang-outan. 
The  proprietors  of  the  head  house  at  first 
indignantly  denied  that  any  imposture  had 
been  practised,  and  adhered  to  the  human 
origin  of  the  head.  At  last,  however,  they 
were  obliged  to  yield  to  a certain  degree, 
but  they  only  said  that  the  head  in  question 
was  that  of  an  Antu  or  goblin,  which  had 
infested  the  village  for  a considerable  time, 
and  had  at  last  been  killed. 

One  exception  was  made  in  the  value  of 
these  trophies,  the  head  of  a white  man 
being  beyond  all  price,  and  being  so  valued 
that  a Dyak  who  had  obtained  one  would 
not  place  it  in  the  common  head  house,  but 
would  build  a special  house  to  contain  it. 
One  of  these  Dyak  warriors  was  seen  ex- 
posing himself  to  great  danger  in  his  anxi- 
et}''  to  secure  a white  man’s  head.  A boat- 
man had  been  killed,  and  one  of  the  Dyak 
murderers  was  observed  dragging  up  the 
hill  the  body  of  the  slain  man,  hacking  with 
his  knife  at  the  neck  so  as  to  secure  the 
head,  regardless  of  the  fhct  that  he  was 
likely  to  be  shot  in  the  endeavor. 

As  the  possession  of  a head  is  the  height 
of  a Dyak’s  ambition,  it  is  not  extraordinary 
that  the  natives  should  use  all  their  powers 
of  force  or  craft  to  secure  the  trophy.  One 
example  of  treachery  is  narrated  by  Mr. 
Brooke  (the  present  Kajah). 

“ Five  years  ago  the  Saribas  Malays  were 
living  at  the  mouth  of  their  river,  and,  with 
very  few  exceptions,  were  hostile  to  us. 
Still  they  were  on  friendly  terms  so  far  as 
gaining  trade,  and  making  use  of  the  mer- 
chandise they  could  only  get  by  communica- 
tion with  Sarawak.  A party  of  five  people, 
three  men  and  two  women,  left  Sakarrang 
to  go  to  Saribas  for  the  purpose  of  meeting 
some  of  their  relatives.  After  they  had 
been  absent  a considerable  time,  the  news 
was  brought  back  that  they  had  been  be- 
headed by  Dyaks  in  the  river. 

“It  happened  thus:  They  met  a boat’s 
crew  of  Dyaks  while  in  Saribas,  and  spoke 
together,  saying  they  were  traders,  and  were 
also  seeking  for  fish.  When  the  Malays 
were  leaving  Saribas  to  return,  the  Dyak 
boat  followed  in  their  wake,  entered  this 
river  together,  and  on  the  following  day 
proceeded  to  carry  out  their  sly  and  mur- 
derous design. 


“In  the  morning  they  offered  their  swords 
for  sale,  and  sold  or  exchanged  one,  suffer- 
ing th.e  Malays  to  make  an  exceedingly  prof- 
itable bargain.  They  then  proposed  lisliing 
with  a hand  net  on  the  mud  bank,  and  per- 
suaded a Malay  named  Limin  (who  was  well 
known,  and  considered  a brave  man)  to  sep- 
arate from  the  others  and  cast  the  net.  This 
was  done,  and  for  some  time  they  were  suc- 
cessful in  bagging  fish,  and  were  going  fur- 
ther and  further  from  the  boats. 

“ At  length  the  net  fouled  on  a stump  at 
the  bottom,  and  one  of  the  Dyaks  immedi- 
ately took  off  his  sword  and  dived  down,  as 
poor  Limin  thought,  to  clear  it,  but,  instead 
of  doing  so,  the  wily  rascal  twisted  it  firmly 
round  and  round,  came  up  to  take  breath, 
and  then  again  dived,  and  again  twisted  it 
in  various  ways  round  the  stumps;  he  then 
rose,  and  said  he  could  not  clear  it,  but 
asked  Limin  to  try.  Limin  unsuspectingly 
took  off  his  sword,  dived,  and,  on  approach- 
ing the  surface  breathless,  the  two  Dyaks 
struck  and  decapitated  him  without  a sound. 
They  then  took  his  head  and  returned  to 
their  boat. 

“ A third  Malay  was  persuaded  to  admin- 
ister some  cure  to  a Dyak’s  foot,  which  was 
bleeding  slightly.  While  the  Malay  was 
leaning  over  and  looking  to  the  wound,  one 
of  them  chopped  off  his  head  from  behind. 
After  this,  the  woman  was  decapitated. 
Tlfey  lost  one  head,  which  tumbled  into  the 
water,  but  the  other  four,  with  all  the  prop- 
erty belonging  to  the  Malay  party,  were 
taken  and  carried  away  to  Sadok.” 

On  another  occasion,  a party  of  Dyaks  in 
a canoe  met  a boat  containing  a man,  his 
wife,  and  their  young  daughter.  They 
stopped  the  boat,  and  offered  betel-nut  for 
sale.  As  soon  as  they  came  within  reach, 
they  drew  their  swords,  struck  off  the  wo- 
man’s head,  and  took  the  girl  prisoner,  but 
the  father  had  just  time  to  jump  overboard 
and  swim  ashore. 

This  occurred  in  the  Saribas  River,  and, 
strangely  enough,  the  murderer,  whose 
name  was  Sadji,  nearly  came  in  contact 
.with  Mr.  Brooke,  who  had  gone  out  ex- 
pressly to  check  his  head  hunting  propensi- 
ties. Mr.  Brooke  passed  him  on  the  river, 
but,  not  being  acquainted  with  him,  did  not 
arrest  him.  This,  as  was  afterward  learned, 
was  fortunate  for  Sadji  sat  in  the  boat  with 
his  sword  drawn,  and  if  the  captive  girl  had 
called  for  help,  or  if  the  English  had  shown 
any  signs  of  arresting  him,  he  would  have 
struck  off  her  head,  jumped  with  it  into  the 
river,  swum  ashore,  and  escaped  together 
with  his  followers  through  the  jungle. 

The  same  author  gives  another  example 
of  head  hunting,  which  is  a curious  mixture 
of  the  terrible  and  the  ludicrous.  A young 
man  named  Achang  was  brought  before 
Mr.  Brooke  in  irons.  He  was  only  nine- 
teen years  of  age,  and  yet  he  had  gray  hair, 
the  natural  color  having  vanished  in  conse- 


1134 


BORNEO. 


quence  of  his  troubles.  Some  time  pre- 
viously, he  had  fallen  in  love  with  a young 
Dyak  girl,  who  spurned  all  his  advances 
because  he  had  never  taken  a head,  and  so 
proved  himself  to  be  a warrior.  She  was 
evidently  a girl  of  energy,  for  she  proposed 
that  he  should  go  to  the  Saribas  fort,  and 
take  the  head  of  Bakir,  the  Dyak  chief,  or 
of  the  Tuan  Ilassan,  i.  e.  Mr.  Watson. 

Being  thus  pressed,  Achang,  with  another 
lad  of  his  own  age,  set  oft*  for  the  fort,  and 
on  the  way  suffered  the  usual  drawbacks  of 
bad  birds,  bad  dreams,  and  missing  the 
path,  so  that  when  they  came  within  sight 
of  the  fort  they  thought  they  had  better 
change  their  plans.  They  determined  on 
going  to  a Chinaman’s  house  under  pretext 
of  purchasing  his  goods,  and  taking  his 
head  while  he  was  off  his  guard.  When 
well  cooked  and  dried,  one  head  would  do 
as  w^ell  as  another,  and  they  thought  that 
they  would  have  no  difficulty  in  passing  off 
the  Chinaman’s  head  for  that  of  the  white 
man. 

Accordingly,  they  went  to  a Chinaman’s 
house,  had  their  supper  with  him  very 
amicably,  and  then  retired  to  rest,  after 
agreeing  that  at  midnight  they  would  strike 
the  fatal  blow.  Now  it  happened  that 
Achang  overslept  himself,  and  his  friend 
thought  that  he  might  as  well  take  advan- 
tage of  his  drowsiness,  and  secure  the  head 
for  himself.  Accordingly,  at  midnight,  hid- 
eous yells  were  heard  from  the  Chinaman’s 
house,  and  when  the  people  rushed  into  the 
room,  they  found  the  unfortunate  owner 
with  his  face  gashed  all  down  one  side,  the 
Dyak  youth  having  missed  his  blow  in  his 
haste.  The  actual  perpetrator  escaped,  but 
Achang  was  found  still  fast  asleep,  and  was 
instantl^y  put  in  irons. 

Next  day  he  w'as  brought  down  to  Sakar- 
rang,  with  a chain  round  his  waist,  and  on 
the  way  he  was  followed  by  a body  of  Dyaks, 
who  were  trying  to  bribe  his  keepers  to  let 
them  take  his  head.  They  actually  held  an 
auction  for  his  head  as  they  went  along, 
each  bidding  higher  than  the  other,  and  the 
horrors  of  that  twelve-mile  march  were 
such  that  the  poor  lad  became  gray  before 
the  next  morning. 

After  all,  Achang  was  really  a most  gen- 
tle and  innocent  lad,  and  was  only  following 
the  habits  of  his  country  in  obeying  the  be- 
hests of  his  mistress.  He  was  kept  in  irons 
for  about  a month,  and  then  released,  after 
which  he  attached  himself  to  the  service  of 
the  white  men,  worked  in  the  garden,  and,  as 
the  saying  is,  made  himself  generally  useful. 

The  heads  are  subjected  to  a sort  of  dry- 
ing process,  called  “ cooking,”  which  is  tol- 
erably eft*ectual,  but  is  far  inferior  to  that 
which  is  employed  by  the  New  Zealanders, 
and,  for  a considerable  time  after  the  heads 
are  cooked,  they  are  very  offensive  to  Eu- 
ropean nostrils,  though  Dyaks  seem  to  be 
quite  unconscious  of  the  evil  odor.  They 


are  always  kept  in  the  pangarangs,  or  head 
houses,  which  are  very  unlike  the  ordinary 
dwelling-houses  of  the  Dyaks.  A very  good 
account  of  a head  house  is  given  by  Mr.  F. 
S.  Marryat:  — 

“We  were  escorted,  through  a crowd  of 
wandering  Dyaks,  to  a house  in  the  centre 
of  the  village,  which  was  very  different  in 
construction  from  the  others.  It  was  per- 
fectly round,  and  well  ventilated  by  nume- 
rous port-holes  in  the  roof,  which  was  pointed. 
We  ascended  to  the  room  above  by  means 
of  a rough  ladder,  and  when  we  entered, 
we  were  rather  taken  aback  by  finding  that 
we  were  in  the  head  house,  as  it  is  termed, 
and  that  the  beams  were  lined  with  human 
heads,  all  hanging  by  a small  line  passed 
through  the  top  of  the  skull. 

“ They  were  painted  in  the  most  fantastic 
and  hideous  manner.  Pieces  of  wood  painted 
to  imitate  the  eyes  were  inserted  in  the 
sockets,  and  added  not  a little  to  their 
ghastly,  grinning  appearance.  The  strang, 
est  part  of  the  story,  and  which  added  very 
much  to  the  effect  of  the  scene,  was,  that 
these  skulls  were  perpetually  moving  to  and 
fro,  and  knocking  against  each  other.  This, 
1 presume,  was  occasioned  by  the  different 
currents  of  air  blowing  in  at  the  port-holes 
cut  in  the  roof;  but  what  wdth  their  contin- 
ual motion,  their  nodding  their  chins  when 
they  hit  each  other,  and  their  grinning 
teeth,  they  really  appeared  to  be  endowed 
with  new  life,  and  to  be  a very  merry  set  of 
fellows. 

“ However,  whatever  might  be  the  first 
impression  occasioned  by  this  very  unusual 
sight,  it  very  soon  wore  off,  and  we  amused 
ourselves  with  their  motions,  which  were  not 
life,  as  Byron  says;  and  in  the  course  of  the 
day  we  succeeded  in  making  a very  excel- 
lent dinner  in  company  with  these  gentle- 
men, although  we  were  none  of  us  suffi- 
ciently Don  Giovannistic  to  invite  our 
friends  above  to  supper.” 

These  head  houses  are,  as  we  have  just 
seen,  the  places  wherein  guests  are  received, 
and  we  can  therefore  understand  that  the 
natives  of  any  village  would  have  a pride  in 
showing  to  their  visitors  the  trophies  won  by 
themselves.  One  of  these  houses  scantily 
furnished  with  heads  would  be  held  as  a 
scandal  to  the  village,  so  that  the  three  emo- 
tions of  pride,  love,  and  sorrow  have  all 
their  effect  in  aiding  the  custom  of  head 
hunting. 

In  these  head  houses,  the  unmarried  men 
of  the  village  sleep.  The  reason  for  this 
custom  is  two-fold.  In  the  first  place,  the 
bachelors  are  kept  out  of  mischief;  and  in 
the  next,  they  are  always  ready  with  their 
arms  at  hand  to  turn  out  in  defence  of  the 
village  should  it  be  attacked.  In  such  expe- 
ditions, the  head  house  is  always  the  central 
object  of  attack,  and  by  having  the  young 
warriors  at  hand  the  Dyaks  ensure  the 
security  of  their  cherished  trophies. 


HEAD  HOUSES. 


1135 


Some  of  the  horrors  of  the  head  hunting 
custom  are  well  described  by  Mr.  St.  John: 
— “ About  thirteen  years  ago,  I heard  the 
Katuna  people  give  an  account  of  a horrible 
transaction  that  took  place  in  one  of  their 
islands.  A party  of  Saribas  Dyaks  were 
cruising  about  among  the  little  isles  near, 
and  had  destroyed  several  women  and  many 
fishermen,  when  they  were  observed,  tow- 
ard evening,  creeping  into  a deep  and 
narrow  inlet  to  remain  during  the  night. 

“The  islanders  quietly  assembled  and 
surprised  their  enemies,  killing  all  but 
seven,  who  were  taken  prisoners  — six  men 
and  one  lad.  The  former  they  roasted  over 
a slow  fire,  and  they  declared  that  the  bold 
fellows  died  without  uttering  a cry  of  pain, 
but  defying  them  to  the  last;  the  lad,  who 
stood  trembling  by,  uncertain  of  his  fate, 
was  sent  back  to  the  coast,  with  a message 
to  his  countrymen  that,  if  ever  they  came 
there  again,  they  would  all  be  treated  in  the 
same  way.  This  fearful  warning  was  suffi- 
cient to  deter  their  seeking  heads  again  in 
that  direction. 

“ Parties  of  two  and  three  sometimes 
went  away  for  months  on  an  inland  incur- 
sion, taking  nothing  with  them  but  salt 
wrapped  up  in  their  waist-cloths,  with  which 
they  seasoned  the  young  shoots  and  leaves, 
and  palm  cabbages  found  in  the  forests;  and 
when  they  returned  home,  they  were  as 
thill  as  scare-crows. 

“ It  is  this  kind  of  cat-like  warfare  which 
causes  them  to  be  formidable  enemies  both  to 
the  Chinese  and  the  Malays,  who  never  felt 
themselves  safe  from  a Dyak  enemy.  They 
have  been  knov/n  to  keep  watch  in  a well 
up  to  their  chins  in  water,  with  a covering 
of  a few  leaves  over  their  heads,  to  endeavor 
to  cut  off  the  first  person  who  might  come 
to  draw  water.  At  night  they  would  drift 
down  on  a log,  and  cut  the  rattan  cable  of 
trading  prahus,  while  others  of  their  party 
would  keep  watch  on  the  bank,  knowing 
well  where  the  stream  would  take  the  boat 
ashore ; and  when  aground  they  kill  the  men 
and  plunder  the  goods.” 

In  war  Dyaks  have  often  proved  them- 
selves to  be  valiant  soldiers.  Mr.  Brooke 
relates  that  when  he  was  attacking  the  fort 
of  a hostile  chief  having  with  him  a mixed 
force  of  Malays  and  Dyaks,  the  latter  were 
by  far  the  better  soldiers.  The  former  ad- 
vanced to  thirty  or  forty  yards  of  the 
house,  i.  e.  just  beyond  the  range  of  the 
Sumpitan  arrows,  which  were  being  blown 
from  the  fort,  and  ensconced  themselves 
behind  trees  and  stumps,  where  they  could 
fire  without  exposing  themselves  to  the 
deadly  darts.  The  Dyaks,  however,  dashed 
boldly  at  the  house,  clambering  up  the  posts 
on  which  it  was  built,  carrying  their  weap- 
ons with  them,  hacking  at  the  breaches 
which  had  previously  been  made  with  shot, 
and  trying  to  force  their  way  into  the  fort. 

At  last,  one  Dyak  succeeded  in  getting  into 


the  house,  and  remained  there  for  about  five 
minutes,  when  he  was  oliligedto  retreat  and 
slide  to  the  ground  down  the  })ost.  After 
much  fighting,  the  Dyaks  managed  to  set  fire 
to  the  building  at  both  ends,  thus  foi-cing  the 
inmates  to  rush  out  among  their  enemies. 
Scarcely  any  of  them  csca])ed,  some  per- 
ishing in  the  flames,  others  lieing  liadly 
wounded,  and  the  rest  being  taken  prisoners. 

The  victorious  Dyaks  were  mad  with  ex- 
citement, and  .rushed  about  with  furious 
shouts,  carrying  heads  in  their  hands,  and 
insensible  to  the  wounds  which  many  of 
them  had  received.  One  lad  came  yelling  by, 
having  a head  in  one  hand,  and  with  the 
other  holding  on  one  side  of  his  face.  An 
enemy’s  sword  had  nearly  sliced  off  the 
whole  of  that  side  of  his  face,  but  he  was 
almost  unconscious  of  the  fact,  and  his  ex- 
citement prevented  him  from  feeling  an}?" 
pain.  Ill  a few  minutes,  however,  he  fainted 
from  loss  of  blood,  and,  in  spite  of  the 
terrible  wound  which  he  had  received,  event- 
ually recovered. 

Sometimes  the  Dyaks  are  exceedingly 
cruel  to  their  captives,  not  being  content 
with  merely  taking  their  heads,  but  killing 
them  slowly  by  torture.  Generally,  however, 
the  competition  for  heads  is  so  keen  that  a 
man  who  has  overcome  an  enemy  has  no  time 
for  torturing  him,  and  is  obliged  to  content 
himself  with  getting  oft*  the  head  as  fast  as 
he  can. 

Some  of  these  forts  are  most  perilous 
places  to  attack.  The  approaches  are  guarded 
with  “ranjows,”  L e.  slips  of  bamboo  sharp- 
ened at  the  end  and  stuck  in  the  ground. 
Kanjows  are  troublesome  enough  on  open 
ground,  but  when  they  are  stuck  among 
leaves,  grass,  and  herbage,  they  become 
terrible  weapons,  and  impede  very  effectually 
the  advance  of  the  attacking  force. 

Then  tlie  Dyaks  set  various  ingenious 
traps.  They  place  bent  bows  near  the  path, 
so  constructed  that  as  soon  as  a man  comes 
opposite  them,  the  string  is  liberated,  and  an 
arrow  is  tolerably  sure  to  transfix  both  his 
legs.  Sometimes  they  bend  a young  tree 
down,  and  lay  a javelin,  so  that  when  the 
tree  is  freed,  it  strikes  the  end  of  the  javelin 
and  urges  it  onward  with  terrific  violence, 
just  like  the  mangonel  of  olden  times.  They 
dig  numberless  pitfalls  of  no  very  great  size 
in  depth,  but  each  having  a sharp  bamboo 
stuck  upright  in  the  centre,  so  that  any  ono 
who  falls  into  the  pit  must  inevitably  be  im- 
paled. 

The  forts  themselves  have  been  much 
modified  since  the  introduction  of  fire-arms, 
the  stockades  which  surround  them  being 
made  of  the  hardest  wood,  about  two  feet  in 
thickness,  and  capable  of  resisting  the  fire 
of  any  small  arms.  In  fact,  nothing  but  ar- 
tillery is  of  much  use  against  one  of  these 
forts.  Many  of  them  are  furnished  with  a 
sally.-port  through  which,  when  the  place 
becomes  untenable,  the  defenders  quietly 


113G 


BORNEO. 


escape,  just  as  is  done  with  the  pahs  of  New 
Zealand. 

The  Sea  Dyaks,  as  their  name  implies, 
are  a maritime  set  of  tribes,  and  fight  chiefly 
in  canoes.  They  have  some  ideas  of  tactics, 
and  can  arrange  their  canoes  in  regular  array 
when  they  meet  with  an  enemy.  One  of 
their  favorite  tactics  is  to  conceal  some  of 
their  larger  boats,  and  then  to  send  some 
small  and  badly-manned  canoes  forward  to 
attack  the  enemy.  They  are,  of  course,  soon 
repulsed,  and  obliged  to  retreat.  The  enemy, 
thinking  himself  victorious,  follows  them  ex- 
ultingly,  and,  as  soon  as  he  passes  the  spot 
where  the  larger  canoes  are  hidden,  he  is  at- 
tacked by  them  in  the  rear,  while  the  smaller 
canoes,  which  have  acted  as  deco}^s,  turn  and 
join  in  the  onslaught.  The  rivers  are  almost 
invariably  chosen  for  this  kind  of  attack,  the 
overhanging  branches  of  trees  and  the  dense 
foliage  of  the  bank  affording  excellent  hiding- 
places  for  the  canoes.  An  illustration  of  a 
“ Canoe  fight  ” is  given  on  page  1139. 

When  peace  is  declared,  or  when  people 
desire  to  renew  friendship  to  each  other,  they 
declare  themselves  friends  by  a ceremony 
which  is  identical  in  principle  with  that 
which  is  practised  in  many  parts  of  Africa, 
each  of  the  contracting  parties  partaking  of 
the  blood  of  the  other.  Sometimes  the  blood 
is  actually  drunk,  but  generally  it  is  taken 
by  mixing  it  with  tobacco  and  smoking  it. 
Mr.  St.  John,  in  his  “ Forests  of  the  Far 
East,”  describes  this  ceremony  with  much 
force : — 

“ Singanding  sent  on  board  to  request  me 
to  become  his  brother  by  going  through  the 
sacred  custom  of  imbibing  each  other’s  blood. 
I say  imbibing,  because  it  is  either  mixed 
with  water  and  drunk,  or  else  it  is  placed 
within  a native  cigar,  and  drawn  in  with  the 
smoke.  I agreed  to  do  so,  and  the  following 
day  was  fixed  for  the  ceremony,  which  is 
called  Berbiang  by  the  Kayans,  Bersabibah 
by  the  Borneans. 

“ I landed  with  our  party  of  Malays,  and 
after  a preliminary  talk,  to  give  time  for  the 
population  to  assemble,  the  affair  com- 


menced. We  sat  in  the  broad  veranda  of  a 
long  house,  surrounded  by  hundreds  of  men, 
women,  and  children,  all  looking  eagerly  at 
the  white  stranger  who  was  about  to  enter 
their  tribe.  Stripping  my  left  arm,  Kum- 
Lia  took  a small  piece  of  wood  shaped  like  a 
knife-blade,  and,  slightly  piercing  the  skin, 
brought  the  blood  to  the  surface;  this  he 
carefully  scraped  off.  Then  one  of  my  Ma- 
lays drew  blood  in  the  same  w^ay  from  Siii- 
ganding,  and  a small  cigarette  being  pro- 
duced, the  blood  on  the  wooden  blade  was 
spread  on  the  tobacco. 

“ A chief  then  arose,  and,  walking  to  an 
open  place,  looked  forth  upon  the  river,  and 
invoked  their  god  and  all  the  spirits  of  good 
and  evil  to  be  witness  of  this  tie  of  brother- 
hood. The  cigarette  was  then  lighted,  and 
each  of  us  took  several  puffs,  and  the  cere- 
mony was  concluded.  I was  glad  to  find 
that  they  had  chosen  the  form  of  inhaling 
the  blood  in  smoke,  as  to  have  swallowed 
even  a drop  would  have  been  unpleasant, 
though  the  disgust  would  only  arise  from 
the  imagination. 

“ They  sometimes  vary  the  custom,  though 
the  variation  may  be  confined  to  the  Kiniahs, 
who  live  further  up  the  river,  and  are  inter- 
married with  the  Kayans.  There  a pig  is 
brought  and  placed  between  the  two  who 
are  to  be  joined  in  brotherhood.  A chief 
offers  an  invocation  to  the  gods,  and  marks 
with  a lighted  brand  the  pig’s  shoulder.  The 
beast  is  then  killed,  and,  after  an  exchange 
of  jackets,  a sword  is  thrust  into  the  wound, 
and  the  two  are  marked  with  the  blood  of 
the  pig.” 

The  stranger  thus  admitted  into  member- 
ship with  the  Kayans  is  called  Niau,  or 
friend,  and  in  some  cases  the  experiment 
proves  to  be  successful.  Generally,  how- 
ever, the  honor,  such  as  it  is,  is  greater  than 
the  profit,  the  Kayans  assuming  that  their 
newly-admitted  member  ought  to  make 
plenty  of  rich  presents  to  his  tribe,  in  order 
to  show  his  sense  of  the  privileges  that  have 
been  conferred  upon  him. 


CHAPTER  CXVH. 


BOENEO  — Continued. 

SOCIAL  LIFE. 


ttLillRIAGE  AMONG  THE  DYAKS  — COURTSHIP,  ACCEPTANCE  OR  REJECTION  — A SIBUYAN  WEDDING  — 
CURIOUS  DOMESTIC  ARRANGEMENTS  — PRIDE  OF  BIRTH  — ST  ATE  OF  MORALITY  — FACILITIES  OF 
DIVORCE  — JEALOUSY,  AND  ITS  RESULTS  — HOW  TO  TREAT  A RIVAL  — FORBIDDEN  DEGREES  — 
SPORTS  AND  GAMES  — BEE  HUNTING — THE  BORNEAN  SWING  — TRIALS  OF  STRENGTH  AND  EQUI- 
LIBRIUM — TRICKS  WITH  STRING  — COCK  FIGHTING  — THE  SWORD  DANCE  — A DYAK  WAR  DANCE 
WITH  HEADS  — THE  CAT-o’-NINE  TAILS  — DYAK  FESTIVALS  — STRANGE  COOKERY  — THE  DURIAN 
FRUIT  — THE  NATIONAL  DRINK,  ITS  ODOR  AND  TASTE  — HABIT  OF  INTOXICATION  — A DYAK 
CIRCE  — STOUT  DRINKERS  AND  STRONG  HEADS  — THE  FORCE  OF  RIDICULE. 


Passiistg-  from  war  to  peace,  we  will  begin 
with  • marriage  as  practised  among  the 
Pjaks. 

In  some  parts  of  the  country  marriage  is 
a very  simple  business,  the  two  parties  liv- 
ing together  as  long  as  they  like  each  other, 
and  separating  if  either  feels  dissatisfied. 
In  any  case,  as  we  shall  see,  the  facilities  for 
divorce  are  extreme,  and  the  bonds  of  mat- 
rimony are  worn  with  marvellous  loose- 
ness. 

The  reader  cannot  but  have  remembered 
the  singular  coincidence  that  often  exists 
between  customs  of  savage  and  of  civilized 
life. 

Among  the  Sinambau  Dyaks  there  is  a 
mode  of  courtship  which  still  prevails  in 
some  parts  of  Europe,  though  it  is  generally 
falling  into  disuse.  A young  Sinambau 
Dyak,  when  struck  with  the  charms  of  a girl, 
shows  his  preference  in  various  ways,  such 
as  helping  her  in  her  daily  labor,  carrying 
home  her  load  of  wood  for  her,  and  mak- 
ing her  such  presents  as  are  in  his  power  to 
give. 

After  he  has  carried  on  these  attentions 
for  some  time,  he  thinks  that  he  may  pro- 
ceed to  a more  explicit  declaration.  At 
night,  when  the  family  is  supposed  to  be 
asleep,  he  quietly  slides  back  the  bolt  of  the 
door,  steals  to  the  spot  where  his  beloved  is 
sleeping  under  her  mosquito  curtains,  and 
gently  awakes  her.  He  always  brings  with 
him  an  abundant  supply  of  betel-nut  and 
sirih  leaf,  and  the  two  sit  talking  together 
65  (11 


throughout  the  greater  part  of  thd  night. 
It  cannot  be  expected  that  the  parents  of  the 
girl,  who  sleep  in  the  same  room,  should  be 
wholly  ignorant  of  the  proceeding,  but  they 
are  conventionally  supposed  to  be  so,  and  if 
they  approve  of  the  young  man  they  take  no 
notice,  while  if  they  do  not,  they  use  their 
influence  with  the  girl  to  induce  her  to  dis- 
miss him. 

The  mode  of  rejection  is  in  keeping  with 
the  rest  of  the  jiroceedings.  Should  the  girl 
dislike  the  too  adventurous  suitor,  she  de- 
clines accepting  the  betel-nut,  and  merely 
asks  him  to  blow  up  the  fire  or  light  the 
lamp,  a request  which  is  tantamount  to  in- 
stant dismissal. 

When  the  marriage  takes  place  a feast  is 
made,  and  then  the  parties  are  made  man 
and  wife  without  any  more  ceremony.  It 
is  very  seldom  that  the  young  couple  begin 
housekeeping  on  their  own  account,  and,  as  a 
general  rule,  the  bridegroom  enters  the 
household  of  his  father-in-law,  or,  at  all 
events,  of  some  of  his  wife’s  relations,  and  so 
becomes  one  of  the  family,  laboring  for 
the  common  stock,  and  taking  his  share 
when  the  head  of  the  household  dies.  Occa- 
sionally this  plan  is  reversed,  and  when  the 
bride  is  one  of  a large  family  of  brothers 
and  sisters,  or  if  the  toidegroom  is  the  sole 
support  of  his  parents,  she  accompanies  her 
husband,  and  becomes  part  of  his  house- 
hold. 

The  ceremony  of  marriage  among  the 
Sibuyan  Dyaks  of  Lundu  is  worthy  of  no- 


1138 


EORKEO. 


tice.  The  artist  has  given  an  admirable 
representation  of  this  unique  ceremony  on 
the  following  page.  Two  bars  of  iron  are  laid 
on  the  groLuul  in  the  spot  appointed  for  the 
ceremony,  and  the  young  couple  are  brought 
from  opposite  ends  of  the  village.  The  first 
part  of  the  ceremony  consists  in  seating 
them  on  the  bars  of  iron,  as  token  that  the 
blessings  of  their  married  life  are  to  be  as 
strong  as  iron.  The  priest,  gives  to  ehch  of 
the  pair  a cigar  and  some  betel-nut  and  sirih 
leaf,  which  they  hold  in  their  hand  until  the 
next  part  of  the  ceremony  is  completed. 
Taking  two  fowls  in  his  hands,  the  priest 
waves  them  over  the  heads  of  the  couple, 
and,  in  the  course  of  a long  address,  invokes 
every  blessing  upon  them.  He  then  sol- 
emnly knocks  their  heads  together  three 
times,  after  which  the  bridegroom  places 
the  betel-nut  in  the  mouth  of  his  bride,  and 
inserts  the  cheroot  between  her  lips,  she 
afterward  doing  the  same  by  him,  this  cere- 
mony being  the  public  acknowledgment 
of  accepting  each  other  as  husband  and 
wife. 

After  they  have  thus  declared  their  accept- 
ance of  each  other,  the  fowls  are  killed,  and 
their  blood  received  in  two  cups,  the  color  of 
the  blood  being  carefully  inspected  by  the 
priest,  and  its  hue  being  held  as  an  omen  of 
the  future  well-being  or  misery  of  the  newly 
married  pair.  One  of  the  feasts  which 
will  presently  be  described  closes  the  cere- 
monies. 

It  has  already  been  mentioned  that  in 
most  cases  the  bridegroom  enters  the  family 
of  his  wife.  But  in  any  case  he  is  bound  to 
honor  the  father  of  his  wife  even  above  his 
own  father.  The  young  husband  may  never 
even  pronounce  the  name  of  his  father-in- 
law,  he  may  not  eat  from  the  same  dish, 
drink  from  the  same  cup,  or  rest  on  the  same 
mat. 

Among  another  tribe  of  Dyaks,  the  Balaus 
of  Lingga,  the  ceremonies  of  marriage  are 
rather  different.  By  way  of  a propitiatory 
offering,  the  mother  of  the  bridegroom  gives 
to  the  relatives  of  the  bride  some  domestic 
utensil,  such  as  a plate  or  a basin,  and  three 
days  afterward  the  very  simple  ceremony  is 
performed. 

The  bridegroom’s  mother  takes  a quantity 
of  the  areca-nut  prepared  for  chewing,  di- 
vides it  into  three  portions,  places  them  in 
a basket,  and  sets  them  on  a sort  of  altar  in 
front  of  the  bride’s  house.  The  friends  of 
both  parties  then  assemble,  and  chew  the 
nuts  while  they  discuss  the  future  prospects 
of  the  young  couple,  and  they  decide  as  to 
the  amount  of  fine  which  the  husband  shall 
pay  to  his  wife  in  case  he  separates  from 
her  after  she  is  a mother,  or  when  she  is 
likely  to  be  so.  In  fact,  in  their  own  rough- 
and-ready  way,  these  Dyaks  have  contrived 
to  organize  a tolerably  complete  code  of 
marriage  settlements,  which,  in  consequence 
of  the  very  easy  system  of  divorce,  is  abso- 


lutely necessary  for  the  protection  of  the 
women. 

These  Sea  Dyaks  of  Lingga  have,  in  com- 
mon with  all  the  sea  tribes,  the  greatest 
pride  of  birth;  and  if  a girl  were  to  listen  to 
the  addresses  of  a man  of  much  inferior 
rank,  her  parents  would  prohibit  the  match. 
In  one  such  case  the  two  lovers  fled  into  the 
jungle,  poisoned  themselves  with  the  juice 
of  the  tuba  plant,  and  were  found  dead  next 
morning  in  each  other’s  arms.  So  full  are 
they  of  their  family  pride,  that  they  look 
upon  any  mixture  of  their  noble  blood  as  a 
dire  disgrace,  and  this  is  carried  to  so  great 
an  extent  that,  although  within  their  own 
degree  their  morals  are  of  the  laxest  order, 
the  men  would  scorn  an  intrigue  with  a 
woman  of  low  condition. 

The  Dyaks  of  Sibuyan  are  remarkable 
for  the  superiority  of  their  morals  when 
compared  with  the  generality  of  the  Dyak 
tribes,  believing  that  immorality  is  an  of- 
fence against  the  higher  powers,  and  that,  if 
a girl  becomes  a mother  before  she  is  mar- 
ried, she  angers  the  deities  of  the  tribe,  who 
show  their  wu’ath  by  visitations  upon  the 
whole  of  the  tribe.  If,  therefore,  such  a 
case  be  discovered,  both  the  erring  lovers 
are  heavily  fined,  and  a pig  is  sacrificed  in 
order  to  avert  the  anger  of  the  offended 
deities.  Nor  do  the  delinquents  always  es- 
cape the  fine  even  after  the  sacrifice  of  the 
pig,  for  every  one  who  was  smitten  with 
sickness,  or  met  with  an  accident,  within  a 
month  of  the  sacrifice,  has  a claim  on  them 
for  damages,  as  having  been  the  cause  of  the 
misfortune,  while,  if  any  one  has  died,  the 
survivors  claim  compensation  for  the  loss  of 
their  relative. 

The  reader  will  remember  that  the  5mung 
people  of  both  sexes  live  with  their  parents, 
contributing  their  labor  to  the  common 
stock,  and  being  therefore  incapable  of  pos- 
sessing property  of  their  own.  In  conse- 
quence of  this  arrangement,  the  fines  which 
are  levied  upon  the  lovers  practically  fall 
upon  the  parents,  who  therefore  take  care  to 
look  after  their  daughters,  while  the  young 
men  are  partly  kept  out  of  mischief  by 
being  obliged  to  sleep  together  at  the  head 
house. 

The  Dyaks  of  the  Batang  Lupar  are  more 
lax  in  their  notion  of  morality  than  the 
Sibuyans,and  it  is  seldom  that  a girl  is  mar- 
ried until  she  is  likely  to  become  a mother. 
When  this  is  the  case,  the  lover  marries  her 
as  a matter  of  course,  but  in  those  cases 
where  a man  denies  his  complicity,  and  the 
girl  is  unable  to  prove  it,  she  is  so  bitterly 
scorned  and  reproached  by  her  kindred  that 
she  generally  runs  away  from  the  village. 
Some  such  delinquents  have  been  known  to 
take  poison  in  order  to  escape  the  contempt 
of  their  relatives  and  acquaintances.  They 
are  thought  to  have  brought  such  a disgrace 
on  their  family,  that  the  parents  sacrifice  a 
pig  to  the  higher  powers,  and  wash  the  door 


(2.)  A DYAK  WEDDING.  (See  page  1138.) 


(1139) 


MM 


Of  ms 

Of  f?;lPimr. 


JEALOUSY  AND  ITS  RESULTS. 


1141 


of  the  house  with  Its  blood,  in  order  to  pro- 
pitiate the  offended  deities. 

When  the  pair  are  married,  they  illmost 
invariably  remain  faithful  to  each  other. 
There  is,  however,  small  credit  to  them  for 
it,  inasmuch  as  they  can  be  divorced  on  the 
slightest  pretext.  An  evil  omen  in  the 
night,  such  as  a “ bad  bird,”  will  frighten 
both  parties  so  much  that  they  will  separate 
by  mutual  consent  on  the  next  day.  Mr.  St. 
John  mentions  that  many  men  and  women 
are  married  seven  or  eight  times  before  they 
finally  fix  upon  a partner  ^ with  whom  they 
mean  to  spend  the  rest  of  their  lives,  and  as 
an  example  of  the  exceeding  facility  for 
divorce  which  exists  among  the  Dyaks, 
states  that  he  saw  a young  girl  of  seventeen 
who  had  already  had  three  husbands. 

Still,  it  is  very  seldom  that  married  couples 
part  after  they  are  parents ; and  if  they  do  so, 
the  family  of  the  women  expect  a heavy  fine 
from  the  fickle  husband.  Now  and  then,  a 
married  pair  are  really  so  attached  to  each 
other  that  they  do  not  like  to  part,  even  when 
they  hear  the  voice  of  a bad  bird.”  In 
such  a case  they  avert  the  anger  of  the  su- 
perior powers  by  sacrificing  a pig,  and  are 
then  able  to  remain  together  without  fear. 
It  often  happens  that  a man  and  wife  quarrel, 
and  divorce  themselves.  After  a while,  how- 
ever, they  begin  to  think  that  they  have 
made  a mistake,  and  are  allowed  to  renew 
their  matrimonial  relations  without  any  cere- 
mony or  fresh  rites  of  marriage. 

Mr.  St.  John  mentions  a curious  case  of 
jealousy  after  a divorce,  and  its  consequences. 

The  Pangeran  Mumein  took  a Murout 
girl,  and  paid  her  father  as  a marriage  por- 
tion a heavy  weight  of  brass  guns  — a curi- 
ous sort  of  currency  which  is  much  valued 
by  the  Dyaks,  and  perfectly  useless  for  any 
practical  purposes.  He  left  her  for  some 
time,  and  then,  after  she  had  borne  him  a 
child,  repudiated  her,  telling  her  father  that 
he  did  not  want  her  any  more,  unless  she 
liked  to  follow  him  to  Brunei.  This,  how- 
ever, the  girl  refused  to  do,  so  the  Pangeran 
made  her  father  refund  the  brass  guns,  and 
besides  pay  a fine  of  double  the  amount,  as 
a penalty  for  not  allowing  the  girl  to  go  to 
Brunei,  where  he  meant  to  have  sold  her  as 
a slave.  The  father  paid  the  fine,  and  was 
told  that  the  girl  might  then  go  where  she 
liked,  and  marry  whom  she  chose,  as  was 
only  just  after  the  previous  event. 

Accordingly,  some  little  time  afterward, 
she  did  marry  one  of  her  countrymen,  where- 
upon the  Pailgeran  flew  into  a fit  of  jealousy, 
and  ordered  thb  head  man  or  Orang-Kaya 
of  the  village  to  seize  them  and  bring  them 
to  him.  The  Orang-Kaya  was  afraid,  and 
hid  himself,  so  that  the  Pangeran  had  to 
employ  the  Bisayas,  who  captured  the 
husband  and  brought  him  to  their  employer. 
The  unfortunate  man  was  then  tied  up  to  the 
Orang-Kaya’s  landing  place,  and  the  Pan- 
geran cut  him  to  pieces  with  his  own  hand, 


finishing  by  making  a present  of  his  head  to 
the  Gadong  Murut  Dyaks.  Having  thus 
wreaked  his  vengeance  on  the  man  who  ex- 
cited his  jealousy,  he  allowed  the  girl  and 
her  father  to  go  unharmed.  Dyak  history  is 
full  of  similar  tales. 

Jealousy  is  by  no  means  confined  to  the 
men,  the  women  being  far  more  jealous  of, 
the  men  than  they  of  their  wives,  and  with 
good  reason.  There  is  a tacit  law  that,  when- 
ever a vvife  detects  her  husband  in  flirting, 
she  may  beat  her  rival  to  her  heart’s  content, 
provided  that  she  use  nothing  except  a stick, 
and,  if  the  woman  be  married,  her  husband 
may  beat  the  disturber  of  his  domestic  peace, 
if  he  can.  The  usual  result  of  discovery  in 
such  cases  is,  that  the  man  goes  off  into  the 
bush  under  the  pretext  of  head  hunting,  and 
stays  there  until  he  thinks  his  wife’s  anger 
has  cooled  down.  If  he  is  fortunate  enough 
to  return  with  a head,  his  success  as  a 
warrior  ensures  a condonation  for  his  short- 
comings as  a husband. 

The  Dyaks  have  a code  of  forbidden 
degrees  for  marriages,  differing  slightly  in 
the  various  tribes,  but  tolerably  uniform  on 
the  whole.  Marriage  with  first  cousins  is  not 
permitted,  they  being  looked  upon  as  brother 
and  sister;  neither,  as  a general  rule,  is  an 
uncle  allowed  to  marry  his  niece.  To  this 
latter  rule,  however,  there  are  exceptions. 
Marriage  with  a deceased  wife’s  sister  is 
almost  universally  permitted,  and,  in  fact, 
encouraged,  provided  that  the  parents  of  the 
woman  approve  of  the  match,  because  in 
that  case  all  the  children  belong  to  one 
family. 

Of  sport,  as  we  understand  the  word,  the 
Dyaks  have  no  idea,  though  they  possess  all 
the  capabilities  for  it,  being  active,  daring, 
and  quick  sighted.  All  these  characteristics 
are  shown  in  the  mode  by  which  they  supply 
themselves  with  honey.  They  do  not  keep 
hives  in  or  near  their  houses,  but  seldom  fail 
to  see  a bees’  nest  in  a tree,  though  the  un- 
accustomed eyes  of  an  European  can  see 
nothing  of  the  bees  at  the  great  height  at 
which  the  nests  are  usually  found. 

Sometimes  the  stem  of  the  tree  rises  for 
a hundred  feet  without  a branch,  and  is  from 
fifteen  to  twenty-five  feet  in  circumference. 
The  Dyaks,  however,  ascend  such  a tree 
with  ease.  They  bore  holes  in  the  trunk  of 
the  tree  as  high  as  they  can  reach,  and  drive 
into  them  wooden  pegs  rather  more  than  a 
foot  in  length.  A stout  rattan  or  a bamboo 
is  then  driven  into  the  ground,  and  the  ends 
of  the  wooden  pegs  are  lashed  to  it  so  as  to 
form  a sort  of  ladder,  of  which  the  bamboo 
forms  one  side,  and  the  trunk  of  the  tree  the 
other.  On  this  slender  ladder  they  ascend, 
drive  in  more  pegs,  and  lash  them  to  the 
bamboo,  adding  one  bamboo  after  another 
until  the  nest  is  reached. 

Nothing  looks  more  insecure  than  this 
primitive  ladder,  which  sways  fearfully  as  the 


1142 


BORNEO. 


man  ascends,  the  rattan  lashings  cracking 
and  creaking  as  if  the  whole  structure  were 
coming  to  pieces.  It  is,  however,  perfectly 
adapted  for  its  purpose,  and,  armed  with  a 
flaming  torch,  the  almost  naked  Dyak 
ascends,  and  fearlessly  takes  the  nest,  which 
he  lowers  down  by  means  of  a rattan. 

The  nest  is  generally  attacked  at  night, 
the  I)yaks  saying  the  bees  always  fly  after 
the  sparks  that  fall  from  the  torch,  believing 
them  to  be  the  enemy  that  is  disturbing  the 
nest,  the  man  himself  escaping  unhurt. 
Some  of  the  tribes  have  another  plan,  and 
before  they  ascend  the  tree  light  beneath  it 
a large  fire  in  which  they  throw  a quantity 
of  green  branches.  The  smoke  from  these 
branches  drives  the  bees  out  of  their  nest, 
and  stupefies  them  for  a time,  so  that  the 
combs  can  be  taken  Avithout  danger. 

Of  games  Avhich  are,  in  fact,  an  imita- 
tion of  Avar,  the  Dyaks  are  equally  ignorant, 
and,  although  so  warlike  a people,  they  do 
not  Avrestle,  nor  box,  nor  race.  It  AAmukl  be 
expected  that  a people  \Adio  trust  so  much 
to  the  SAVord  Avould  exercise  Avith  sham 
A’/eapons,  for  the  purpose  of  accustoming 
themselves  to  the  proper  management  of  the 
sword  and  shield.  This,  hoAvever,  they  never 
do,  thinking  that  all  such  exercises  are  un- 
lucky. 

They  have  one  game  which  somewhat  re- 
sembles our  SAving,  but  which  partakes  in 
some  degree  of  the  nature  ol  a religious  cere- 
mony. A strong  derrick  is  erected  some 
forty  or  fifty  feet  high,  and.  to  this  is  sus- 
pended a stout  single  rattan,  which  reaches 
within  a fcAv  feet  of  the  ground.  The  derrick 
is  strengthened  by  rattan  stays  lashed  to  a 
neighboring  tree.  The  end  of  the  rattan  is 
formed  into  a large  loop. 

At  some  distance  from  the  derrick,  just 
where  the  end  of  the  rattan  describes  its 
circle,  a slight  bamboo  stage  is  erected.  One 
of  the  SAvingers  mounts  on  the  stage,  draAA^s 
the  rati  an  to  him  by  means  of  a string,  places 
his  foot  in  the  loop,  and  swings  off  Avith  as 
much  impetus  as  he  can  give  himself.  As 
he  returns,  another  leaps  on  the  swing,  and 
sometimes  tAvo  at  a time  Avill  do  so,  until 
ten  or  twelve  are  all  SAvinging  aAvay  at  the 
same  time.  Of  course,  they  cannot  all  put 
their  feet  in  the  loop,  but  content  themselves 
Avith  clinging  to  the  arms  and  legs  of  those 
who  have  done  so.  As  they  swing,  they 
strike  up  a monotonous  song,  which  sounds 
like  a dirge.  It  is,  howeA^er,  merely  an  in- 
vocation to  the  deities  for  a plentiful  harvest 
and  a good  fishing  season.  As  may  be  im- 
agined, they  often  get  bad  falls  from  those 
swings. 

The  boys  and  youths  have  a game  which 
is  familiar  to  all  gymnasts.  The  two  com- 
petitors sit  opposite  each  other  on  the 
ground,  the  soles  of  their  feet  being  placed 
in  contact.  They  then  grasf)  a short  stick, 
and  each  tries  to  pull  the  other  on  his  face  or 
to  raise  him  off  the  ground.  There  is  also  a 


game  which  bears  a close  resemblance  to  our 
“ prisoners’  base,”  twenty  or  thirty  players 
joining  in  the  game;  and  there  is  another 
game,  which  is  very  much  like  the  “‘cock 
fighting”  of  English  school-boys.  The 
players  stand  on  one  foot,  holding  the  other 
foot  in  one  hand  and  try  to  upset  each  other, 
or  at  least  to  make  their  antagonists  put  both 
feet  to  the  ground. 

In  “ cat’s  cradle  ” they  are  wonderful  pro- 
ficients. Mr.  Wallace  thought  that  he  could 
instruct  them  in  the  game  but  found  that  they 
kncAv  much  more  about  it  than  he  did. 
They  were  acquainted  Avith  all  the  mysteries 
of  the  English  modification  of  the  game,  and 
produced  a vast  number  of  additional 
changes  from  the  string.  Indeed,  the  Dyaks 
can  do  almost  anything  with  a piece  of  string, 
and  they  could  well  instruct  our  OAvn  con- 
jurors in  this  branch  of  legerdemain. 

Cock  fighting  is  an  amusement  of  which 
the  Dyaks  are  very  fond,  though  they  do  not 
indulge  in  that  amusement  Avith  the  reckless 
enthusiasm  of  the  Malays.  Mr.  St.  John 
Avrites  of  the  birds  used  for  this  purpose: 
“ We  did  not  see  more  than  a feAv  of  these 
birds  in  Dyak  houses,  but  since  they  are 
usually  kept,  when  not  in  training  or  ex- 
ercise, closely  wrapped  in  linen  bands  and 
hung  on  nails  in  a dry  place,  they  might 
easily  escape  our  notice. 

“ Not  having  the  fear  of  police  magistrates 
and  Humane  Society  prosecutions  before 
our  eyes,  Ave  assisted  at  one  or  tAvo  briet 
combats,  evidently  mere  trial  matches  to 
assist  the  calculations  of  the  ‘ bookmakers,’ 
by  testing  each  bird’s  pluck  and  skill. 
When  this  object  was  attained  by  a few 
minutes’  struggle,  held  with  much  secrecy 
in  the  veranda  by  the  gray  light  of  early 
morning,  the  cocks  Avere  picked  up  before 
any  injury  was  inflicted,  and  carefully 
SAvathed  in  their  bandages,  from  the  midst 
of  Avhich  they  soothed  their  ruffled  feelings 
with  an  occasional  crow  of  defiance.” 

Allusion  has  already  been  made  to  the 
feasts  held  by  the  Dyaks  on  several  occa- 
sions, and  it  is  only  on  such  festivities  that 
the  men  ever  use  their  weapons  in  sham 
fight.  Even  in  those  cases,  they  do  not  so 
employ  them  by  way  of  practising  them- 
selves, but  merely  because  they  form  part 
of  the  movementshf  the  dance.  In  one  of 
these  dances,  described  by  Mr.  Keppel,  tv/o 
SAvords  are  laid  on  a mat  in  the  middle  of 
the  room,  and  tAVO  men  advance  toAvard 
them  from  opposite  sides,  waving  their 
arms,  revolving  on  their  toes,  and  perform- 
ing various  manoeuvres  with  their  legs. 

As  soon  as  they  come  to  the  mat,  they 
suddenly  stoop,  seize  the  SAVords,  and  go 
through  the  movements  of  actual  combat, 
crossing  sAVords,  advancing,  retiring,  cutting 
at  each  other,  kneeling  at  one  moment  as  if 
to  collect  force,  and  then  springing  up  with 
reneAved  energy.  Both  dancers  have  pre- 
viously studied  and  practised  the  various 


THE  WAE  DANCE. 


1143 


movements,  each  of  which  they  make  simul- 
taneously. 

Sometimes  the  sword  dance  is  performed 
with  the  shield  as  well  as  the  sword,  and  of 
this  dance  Mr.  Marryat  has  written  so 
graphic  an  account  that  his  own  words  must 
be  used.  The  guests  were  asked  if  they 
wished  for  a specimen  of  the  war  dance. 

“ Having  expressed  our  wishes  in  the 
affirmative,  the  music  struck  up;  it  con- 
sisted of  gongs  and  tom-toms.  The  Malay 
gong,  which  the  Dyaks  also  make  use  of,  is 
like  the  Javanese,  thick  with  a broad  rim, 
and  very  different  from  the  gong  of  the 
Chinese^  Instead  of  the  clanging  noise  of 
the  latter,  it  gives  out  a muffled  sound  of  a 
deep  tone.  The  gong  and  tom-tom  are  used 
by  the  Dyaks  and  Malays  in  war,  and  for 
signals  at  night,  and  the  Dyaks  procure 
them  from  the  Malays.  I said  that  the 
music  struck  up,  for,  rude  as  the  instruments 
w'ere,  they  modulate  the  sound,  and  keep 
time  so  admirably,  that  it  was  anything  but 
inharmonious. 

“ A space  was  now  cleared  in  the  centre 
of  the  house,  and  two  of  the  oldest  ^varriors 
stepped  into  it.  They  w^ere  dressed  in  tur- 
bans, long  loose  jackets,  sashes  round  their 
waists  descending  to  their  feet,  and  small 
bells  vfere  attached  to  their  ankles.  They 
commenced  by  first  shaking  hands  with  the 
rajah,  and  then  with  all  the  Europeans  pres- 
ent, thereby  giving  us  to  understand,  as  was 
explained  to  us,  tliat  the  dance  was  to  be 
considered  only  as  a spectacle,  and  not  to  be 
taken  in  its  literal  sense,  as  preparatory  to 
an  attack  upon  us,  a view  of  the  case  in 
wffiich  we  fully  coincided  with  them. 

“ This  ceremony  being  over,  they  rushed 
into  the  centre  and  gave  a most  unearthly 
scream,  then  poising  themselves  on  one  foot 
they  described  a circle  with  the  other,  at 
the  same  time  extending  their  arms  like  the 
wings  of  a bird,  and  then  meeting  their 
hands,  clapping  them  and  keeping  time 
with  the  music.  After  a little  while  the 
music  became  louder,  and  suddenly  our  ears 
were  pierced  with  the  whole  of  the  natives 
present  joining  in  the  hideous  war  cry. 
Then  the  motions  and  the  screams  of  the 
dancers  became  more  violent,  and  every- 
thing was  working  up  to  a state  of  excite- 
ment by  which  even  we  were  influenced. 

“ Suddenly  a very  unpleasant  odor  per- 
vaded the  room,  already  too  warm  from  the 
numbers  it  contained.  Involuntarily  we 
held  our  noses,  wondering  what  might  be 
the  cause,  when  we  perceived  that  one  of 
the  warriors  had  stepped  into  the  centre, 
and  suspended  round  the  shoulders  of  each 
dancer  a human  head  in  a wide-meshed 
basket  of  rattan.  These  heads  had  been 
taken  in  the  late  Sakarran  business,  and 
were  therefore  but  a fortnight  old.  They 
were  encased  in  a wide  network  of  rattan, 
and  were  ornamented  with  beads.  Their 
stench  was  intolerable,  although,  as  we  dis- 1 


covered  upon  after-examination,  when  they 
were  suspended  against  the  wall,  they  had 
been  partially  baked,  and  were  quite  black. 
The  teeth  and  hair  were  quite  perfect,  the 
features  somewhat  shrunk,  and  they  were 
altogether  very  fair  specimens  of  pickled 
heads;  but  our  worthy  friends  required  a 
lesson  from  the  New  Zealanders  in  the  art 
of  preserving. 

“ The  appearance  of  the  heads  was  a sign  . 
for  the  music  to  play  louder,  for  the  war  cry 
of  the  natives  to  be  more  energetic,  and  for 
the  screams  of  the  dancers  to  be  more  pierc- 
ing. Their  motions  now  became  more 
rapid,  and  the  excitement  in  proportion. 
Their  eyes  glistened  with  unwonted  bright- 
ness, the  perspiration  dropped  down  their 
faces;  ard  thus  did  yelling,  dancing,  gongs, 
and  tom-toms  become  more  rapid  and  more 
vnolent  every  minute,  till  the  dancing  war- 
riors were  ready  to  drop.  A farewell  yell, 
wnth  emphasis,  was  given  by  the  surround- 
ing w^arriors ; immediately  the  music  ceased, 
the  dancers  disappeared,  and  the  tumultu- 
ous excitement  and  noise  were  succeeded  by 
a dead  silence. 

“Such  was  the  excitement  communicated, 
that  when  it  was  all  over  we  ourselves 
remained  for  some  time  panting  to  recover 
our  breath.  Again  we  lighted  our  cheroots, 
and  smoked  for  awhile  the  pipe  of  peace. 

“A  quarter  of  an  hour  elapsed,  and  the 
preparations  were  made  for  another  martial 
dance.  This  was  performed  by  two  of  the 
Eajah’s  sons,  the  same  young  men  I have 
previously  made  mention  of.  They  came 
forward  each  having  on  his  arm  one  of  the 
large  Dyak  shields,  and  in  the  centre  of 
the  cleared  space  were  two  long  swmrds 
lying  on  the  floor.  The  ceremony  of  shak- 
ing hands,  as  described,  preparatory  to  the 
former  dance,  was  gone  through;  the  music 
then  struck  up,  and  they  entered  the  arena. 

“ At  first  they  confined  themselves  to  evo- 
lutions of  defence,  springing  from  one  side 
to  the  other  with  wonderful  quickness,  keep- 
ing their  shields  in  front  of  them,  falling  on 
one  knee,  and  performing  various  feats  of 
agility.  After  a short  time,  they  each  seized 
a sword  and  then  the  display  was  very  re- 
markable, and  proved  what  ugly  customers 
they  must  be  in  single  conflict.  Blows  in 
every  direction,  feints  of  every  description, 
were  made  by  both,  but  invariably  received 
upon  the  shield.  Cumbrous  as  these  shields 
were,  no  opening  was  left;  retreating,  pursu- 
ing, dodging,  and  striking,  the  body  was 
never  exposed. 

“ Occasionally,  during  this  performance, 
the  war  cry  was  given  by  the  surrounding 
warriors,  but  the  combatants  held  their 
peace ; in  fact,  they  could  not  afford  to  open 
their  mouths,  lost  an  opening  should  be 
made.  It  was  a most  masterly  performance, 
and  we  were  delighted  with  it.” 

I A rather  curious  dance  was  witnessed  by 
I Mr.  Boyle  at  a feast  of  which  an  account  will 


1144 


BOEKEO. 


presently  be  given.  First  two  chiefs  each 
took  a sword,  and  began  a maniacal  sort  of 
dance,  which  was  intended  to  be  very  im- 
posing, but  only  succeeded  in  being  very 
ludicrous,  owing  to  the  fact  that  both  were 
too  much  intoxicated  to  preserve  their  bal- 
ance, and,  being  of  opposite  tempers  in  their 
cups,  one  was  merry  and  the  other  was 
sulky. 

After  this  performance  was  over,  a tall 
chief  stepped  forward  with  a whip,  much 
like  a cat-o’-nine-tails,  another  produced  a 
human  head,  and  the  two  began  to  chase 
each  other  round  the  veranda  of  the  build- 
ing. Presently,  the  chief  with  the  head 
stopped,  and  with  one  foot  in  the  air  began 
to  pirouette  slowly,  while  he  swung  the  head 
backward  and  forward,  the  chief  wuth  the 
whip  lashing  vigorously  at  the  spectators, 
and  laughing  derisively  at  each  cut. 

After  a while  these  performers  became 
too  tired  to  proceed  without  refreshment, 
and  their  place  was.  taken  by  four  or  five 
others  carrying  blocks  of  wood  having  a 
feather  at  each  end.  The  foreign  guests 
took  these  objects  to  represent  canoes,  but 
were  told  that  they  were  rhinoceros  horn- 
bills,  and  w^ere  thought  by  all  competent 
judges  to  be  fine  works  of  art.  Suddenly  a 
number  of  gongs  were  beaten,  and  over  the 
mass  of  human  beings  arose  swords,  heads, 
rhinoceros  hornbills,  and  cat-o’-nine-tails  in 
profusion,  the  Dyaks  being  for  the  time  half 
mad  with  excitement. 

It  was  remarkable  that  in  this  wild  scene 
no  harm  wms  done,  no  blow  was  struck  in 
anger,  and  no  quarrel  took  place.  De- 
corum was  maintained  throughout  the  whole 
of  the  festival,  though  not  one  of  the  revellers 
was  sober,  and  then,  as  Mr.  Boyle  remarks, 
“a  scene  which,  according  to  all  precedent, 
should  have  been  disgusting,  turned  out  to 
be  pleasantly  amusing.” 

This  feast  was  a very  good  example  of  a 
Dyak  revel.  It  was  given  by  the  chief  Gas- 
ing,  who  was  gorgeously  attired  for  the  oc- 
casion in  an  old  consular  uniform  coat, 
covered  with  gold  lace,  the  top  of  a dragoon’s 
helmet  tied  on  his  head  with  a handker- 
chief, a brass  regimental  breastplate  on  his 
forehead,  and  a plated  tureen  cover  on  his 
breast.  This  tureen  cover,  by  the  w'ay,  was 
the  most  valued  of  Gasing’s  possessions,  and 
one  which  was  madly  envied  by  all  the 
neighboring  chiefs.  Being  a tall,  thin  man, 
the  effect  of  his  naked,  lean,  yellow  legs,  ap- 
pearing from  beneath  all  this  splendor,  was 
remarkable. 

He  had  prepared  his  long  house  carefully 
for  the  festival.  He  had  erected  a bamboo 
railing  on  the  edge  of  the  veranda,  as  a 
necessary  precaution  against  accidents,  for 
the  veranda  was  at  a considerable  height 
from  the  ground,  and  the  guests  are  all  ex- 
pected to  be  very  unsteady  on . their  feet, 
even  if  they  can  stand  at  all.  From  the  top 
of  the  ralGto  the  eaves  of  the  veranda  he 


had  thrown  a quantity  of  cloths,  so  as  to  ah 
low  the  chiefs  who  sat  under  them  to  be 
sheltered  from  the  rays  of  the  sun. 

For  this  festival  Gasing  had  been  mak- 
ing preparations  for  months  past,  half-starv- 
ing himself  in  order  to  collect  the  requisite 
amount  of  provisions,  and  being  likely  to 
find  himself  rather  deeply  in  debt  before  the 
preparations  were  completed.  Unfortu- 
nately for  the  English  guests,  the  smell  of 
Dyak  cookery  is  anything  but  agreeable, 
and  one  of  their  favorite  articles  of  food,  the 
fruit  called  the  durian,  exhales  a most  intol- 
erable odor,  so  that,  if  they  had  not  been 
furnished  with  plenty  of  tobacQC,  they 
would  have  been  obliged  to  retire  from  the 
scene. 

The  Dyaks  roast  fowls  without  removing 
the  feathers,  tear  them  joint  from  joint,  and 
so  eat  them.  They  have  a most  extraordi- 
nary liking  for  viands  in  a nearly  putrid 
state,  such  as  fish  or  molluscs  in  a very  ad- 
vanced state  of  decomposition,  eggs  black 
from  age,  and  rotten  fruit,  the  chief  being 
the  durian,  which  smells  like  all  the  other 
dishes  put  together,  but  with  a sort  of  pecul- 
iar fragrance  of  its  own.  Even  foreigners 
have  learned  to  like  the  durian,  but  they 
have  not  found  that  it  acclimatizes  them  to 
the  bad  eggs,  burnt  feathers,  and  very  high 
fish. 

This  very  remarkable  fruit  is  about  as 
large  as  a cocoa-nut,  slightly  oval,  and  is 
covered  with  a thick,  tough  skin,  armed  with 
sharp,  short,  and  stout  spines,  the  bases  of 
which  touch  each  other.  The  skin  is  so 
strong,  that  even  when  it  falls,  as  it  always 
does  when  ripe,  from  a considerable  height, 
it  does  not  break,  and  the  spines  are  so  sharp 
and  hard,  that,  if  a durian  falls  on  a man,  it 
inflicts  a very  severe  wound,  and  causes  great 
loss  of  blood. 

When  possible  it  is  eaten  fresh,  as  it  falls 
ripe  from  the  tree,  but  it  is  often  cooked 
while  still  green,  and,  when  especially  plen- 
tiful, is  preserved  in  jars  by  means  of  salt. 
In  this  state  its  natural  odor  is  very  greatly 
increased,  and  the  very  opening  of  a jar  of 
preserved  durians  is  enough  to  drive  a 
stranger  to  the  country  out  of  the  room. 

Mr.  Wallace  gives  a very  interesting  ac- 
count of  the  durian,  mentioning  that,  although 
for  some  time  the  odor  of  the  fruit  com- 
pletely deterred  him  from  tasting  it,  he  once 
found  a ripe  durian  just  fallen  from  the 
tree,  overcame  his  repugnance  to  the  fruit, 
tried  it,  ate  it,  and  became  from  that  moment 
a confirmed  durian  eater.  The  following  pas- 
sage contains  his  description  of  the  peculiar 
flavor  of  the  durian : — 

“ The  five  cells  are  satiny  white  within,  and 
are  each  filled  with  an  oval  mass  of  cream- 
colored  pulp,  embedded  in  which  are  two  or 
three  seeds  about  the  size  of  chestnuts. 
This  pulp  is  the  eatable  part,  and  its  con- 
sistence and  flavor  are  indescribable.  A 
rich,  butter-like  custard,  highly  flavored 


THE  KATIOKAL  DEIKK. 


1145 


with  almonds,  gives  the  best  general  idea  of 
it,  but  intermingled  with  it  come  wafts  of 
flavor  that  call  to  mind  cream  cheese,  onion 
since,  brown  sherry,  and  other  incongrui- 
ties. 

“ Then  there  is  a rich  glutinous  smooth- 
ness ill  the  pulp  which  nothing  else  pos- 
sesses, but  which  adds  to  its  delicacy.  It  is 
neither  acid,  nor  sweet,  nor  juicy,  yet  one 
feels  the  want  of  none  of  these  qualities, 
for  it  is  perfect  as  it  is.  It  produces  no 
nausea  or  other  bad  effect,  and  the  more 
you  eat  of  it  the  less  you  feel  inclined  to 
stop.  In  fact,  to  eat  durians  is  a new  sensa- 
tion, worth  a voyage  to  the  East  to  experi- 
ence.” 

. Mr.  Wallace,  in  summing  up  the  merits 
of  the  various  fruits  with  which  we  are 
acquainted,  says  that  if  he  had  to  fix  on  two 
only,  which  would  represent  the  very  per- 
fection of  flavor  and  refreshing  qualities,  he 
would  choose  the  durian  and  the  orange, 
which  he  terms  the  king  and  queen  of 
fruits. 

Their  national  drink,  called  “ tuak,”  is 
worthily  matched  with  the  viands.  It  is  in 
color  like  thin  milk,  and  its  odor  has  been 
forcibly  compared  to  that  of  five  hundred 
negroes  drunk  in  a slave-pen.  The  same 
traveller,  having  fortified  his  palate  with 
the  strongest  tobacco,  drank  some  of  the 
liquid  in  honor  of  his  host,  and  gives  a very 
vivid  description  of  its  flavor.  When  first 
taken  into  the  mouth,  it  gives  the  idea  of 
cocoa-nut  milk  gone  very  sour,  and  holding 
in  solution  a considerable  quantity  of  brown 
sugar  and  old  cheese.  When  it  is  swallowed, 
the  victim  is  conscious  of  a suffocating  sensa- 
tion, as  if  the  liquid  were  thickened  with 
starch  and  a great'quantity  of  the  strongest 
cayenne  pepper,  the  general  effect  produced 
on  the  novice  being  comparable  to  nothing 
but  a very  bad  attack  of  sea  sickness. 

Strange  to  say,  this  abominable  liquid 
retains  the  strongest  hold  on  three  mil- 
lions of  human  beings,  who  can  conceive  no 
greater  luxury  than  the  privilege  of  drink- 
ing it  without  stint.  At  their  feasts  it  is 
kept  in  huge  bathing  jars,  and  is  handed 
about  in  all  kinds  of  vessels,  which  are  con- 
tinually emptied  and  sent  back  to  be  replen- 
ished, so  that  a continual  stream  of  full  and 
empty  vessels  passes  from  and  to  the  large 
jars. 

Even  if  the  warriors  who  are  invited  to 
the  festival  were  to  feel  inclined  to  sobriety, 
they  would  be  forced  to  drink  by  the  women, 
who  seem  to  think  themselves  bound  to 
make  every  man  completely  intoxicated. 
“No  Delilah  of  Europe  better  knows  her 
power  to  make  a fool  of  a strong  man  than 
one  of  these  Dyak  syrens,  nor  is  more  in- 
clined to  exert  her  fascinations. 

“ The  presence  of  the  female  element  was 
soon  felt  in  the  noise  and  confusion,  which 
absolutely  seemed  to  increase.  Several  of 
the  girls  were  so  charming  as  to  excuse  the 


infatuation  of  their  victims,  and  I need 
scarcely  say  that  the  prettiest  were  tlie 
most  culpable.  But  ugly  or  beautiful,  old 
or  young,  all  instantly  enqiloyed  their  most 
cunning  arts  in  enticing  the  bravest  and 
most  famous  warriors  to  drink  and  drink 
again. 

“We  saw  a little  beauty  seat  herself  lov- 
ingly beside  a tall  fellow  with  a simple  face 
and  honest  eyes,  whom  she  coaxed  to  toast 
her  from  a large  jar  which  she  offered  to  his 
lips,  until  he  fairly  fell  backward  upon  the 
floor.  This  satisfactory  conclusion  attained, 
his  tormentor,  who,  we  heard,  was  affianced 
to  him,  ran  screaming  with  laughter  to 
bring  seven  other  wretches  as  mischievous 
as  herself  to  jeer  at  the  vanquished  lover. 
Eaising  her  hopes  to  sport  of  a higher 
order,  she  shortly  after  brought  her  jm'  to 
the  spot  where  we  sat,  in  the  hope,  no 
doubt,  of  beguiling  the  white  men  into  the 
same  condition  as  her  other  admirers;  but 
in  Europe  we  are  accustomed  to  run  the 
gauntlet  of  more  dangerous  fascinations, 
and  she  relinquished  the  attempt  in  de- 
spair.” 

Mr.  St.  John  mentions  that  the  men  are 
in  no  way  behind  the  women  in  their  efforts 
to  seduce  their  guests  to  intoxication,  and 
it  is  their  greatest  pride  to  have  as  much  ' 
tuak  drunk  as  possible,  to  drink  their  own 
share  and  remain  comparatively  sober, 
while  all  their  guests  are  laid  prostrate  and 
insensible.  In  fact,  if  we  substitute  punch 
and  port  for  tuak,  and  an  open  veranda  for 
a closed  dining-room,  there  is  little  differ- 
ence between  the  hospitality  of  the  present 
Dyak  chief  and  that  of  the  average  English 
squire  of  the  last  century. 

A chief,  for  example,  who  prides  himself 
on  his  strong  head,  will  sit  before  a huge 
jar  of  tuak,  and  pledge  every  one  around. 
For  every  one  whom  he  serves  he  drinks 
one  cup  himself,  and  it  is  his  ambition  to 
keep  his  seat  after  all  his  companions  are 
insensible..  Of  course,  it  is  impossible  that 
any  man  can  drink  an  equal  amount  with 
ten  or  twelve  others,  and  it  is  most  likely 
that  he  forces  the  tuak  on  them  so  fast  that 
they  are  soon  rendered  incapable  of  seeing 
whether  their  host  drinks  or  not.  They  are 
very  proud  of  being  fresh  on  the  following 
morning,  and  boast  that  although  their 
guests,  who  belonged  to  another  tribe,  had 
severe  headaches,  they  themselves  suffered 
nothing  at  all. 

It  is  partly  by  means  of  appealing  to  this 
pride  that  the  girls  are  able  to  make  the 
men  drink  to  the  extent  which  has  been 
mentioned,  and  they  derive  so  much  amuse- 
ment from  exercising  their  power  that  they 
lose  no  opportunity  that  falls  in  their  way, 
and  essay  their  blandishments  even  when 
there  is  no  definite  feast. 

Once,  when  Mr.  St.  John  had  travelled 
from  the  Sibuyan  Dyaks  to  the  Bukars,  he 
and  his  guides  were  received,  as  usual,  in 


1146 


BOKNEO. 


the  head  house.  While  the  English  guests 
were  making  their  toilet,  two  young  Dyak 
girls  came  very  gently  up  the  ladder  and 
slipped  into  the  chamber.  Kow  the  head 
house  is,  as  the  reader  may  remember,  the 
bachelors’  hall,  and  consequently  the  girls 
had  no  business  there.  ■ So,  pretending  not 
to  see  them,  the  white  men  proceeded  with 
their  toilets,  and  quietly  watched  their  j^ro- 
ceedings. 

The  two  girls,  after  glancing  cautiously  at 
the  strangers,  and  thinking  themselves  un- 
observed, made  their  way  to  the  Dyak 
guides,  each  having  in  her  hands  a vast 
bowl  of  fresh  tuak,  which  they  otfered  to  the 
visitors.  The  young  men,  knowing  their 
object,  declined  to  drink,  and  thereby  drew 
on  themselves  a battery  of  mixed  blandish- 
ments and  reproaches.  Above  all,  they 
were  entreated  not  to  inflict  on  the  girls  the 
shame  of  refusing  their  gift,  and  making 
them  take  it  back,  to  be  laughed  at  by  all 
their  friends. 

Cajolery,  honied  words,  and  caresses  hav- 
ing been  resisted,  they  tried  the  effect  of 
ridicule,  and  their  taunts  succeeded  where 
their  coaxings  failed.  “What!”  said  they, 
“ are  the  Sibuyans  so  weak-headed  as  to  be 
afraid  of  drinking  Bukar  tuak?”  This 
touched  the  visitors  on  a very  tender  point. 
The  Sibuyans  specially  pride  themselves  on 
the  strength  of  their  heads  and  of  their 
tuak,  and  a refusal  to  drink  was  thus  made 
tantamount  to  a confession  of  inferiority  in 
both  respects.  So  they  raised  the  huge 
bowls  to  their  lips,  and  were  allowed  no 


peace  until  they  had  drained  the  last  drops, 
when  their  tempters  ran  away  laughing, 
knowing  that  in  a very  short  time  their  two 
victims  would  be  senseless. 

It  is  a most  extraordinary  thing  that  the 
Dyak  women,  most  of  whom  do  not  drink  at 
all,  and  very  few  drink  even  moderately, 
take  such  a delight  in  forcing  the  men  into 
intoxication.  The  young  girls  are  the  most 
successful  temptresses.  They  take  advan- 
tage of  their  youth  and  beauty,  and  employ 
all  their  fascinations  to  inveigle  the  men 
into  drinking.  'No  man  is  safe  from  them. 

Their  brothers,  friends,  and  even  their 
betrothed,  fall,  as  we  have  seen,  victims  to 
their  blandishments.  They  will  make  up  to 
perfect  strangers,  get  up  a flirtation,  and 
lavish  all  their  enchantments  upon  them 
like  Circe  of  old,  until  they  have  reduced 
their  helpless  admirers  to  a state  little  bet- 
ter than  that  of  the  mythological  swine. 
Even  after  the  men  have  sunk  on  the 
ground,  and  are  incapable  of  raising  the  cup 
to  their  lips,  the  women  think  their  task  not 
quite  completed,  and  pour  the  tuak  down 
the  throats  of  the  helpless  men.  In  the 
“ Dyak  Feast,”  which  the  artist  has  so  finely 
drawn  on  the  opposite  page,  the  appeal  and 
dresses  of  these  Eastern  syrens  are  illustra- 
ted. 

Y et,  although  on  such  occasions  they  give 
themselves  over  to  utter  drunkenness,  the 
Dyaks  are  a sober  race,  and  except  at  these 
feasts,  or  when  beset  l3y  women,-  they  are 
singularly  temperate,  the  betel-nut  supply- 
ing the  place  of  all  intoxicating  liquor. 


A DYAK  FEAST. 
(See  pages  U45 , 1146.) 


(1147) 


CHAPTER  CXVin. 


BORNEO.  — Continued. 
ARCHITECTURE  — MANUFACTURES. 


AERIAL  HOUSES  — THE  LONG  HOUSE  AND  ITS  ARRANGEMENTS  — THE  ORANG-KATA’s  ROOM  — STRUC- 
TURE OF  THE  FLOORING — REASONS  FOR  THE  DYAK  ARCHITECTURE  — THE  NIPA  PALM  AND  ITS 
USES  — THE  ATAPS  — SALT  AND  SUGAR  MANUFACTURE  — ERECTION  OF  THE  FIRST  POST  — VARI- 
OUS MODES  OF  PROCURING  FIRE  — CONSTRUCTION  OF  THE  DYAK  BRIDGE  — A NARROW  ESCAPE  — 
MANUFACTURES  — THE  ADZE  AXE  OF  THE  DYAKS  — ITS ‘ANALOGY  WITH  THE  BANYAI  AXE  — 
SMELTING  AND  FORGING  IRON — BASKET  MAKING  — THE  DYAK  MAT  — SPLITTING  THE  RATTAN  — 
THE  BORNEAN  KNIFE,  AND  MODE  OF  USING  IT — THE  SACRED  JARS  AND  THEIR  PROPERTIES. 


The  architecture  of  the  Dyaks  is  very  pe- 
culiar. The  reader  may  find  a Dyak  village 
represented  on  page  1153. 

In  the  first  place,  the  houses  are  all  built 
on  posts,  some  of  them  twenty  feet  in 
height,  and  the  mode  of  access  to  them  is 
by  climbing  up  a notched  pole,  which  an- 
swers the  purpose  of  a ladder.  The  chief 
dwelling  in  every  village,  and  indeed  practi- 
cally the  village  itself,  is  the  long  house, 
which  is  of  wonderfully  large  dimensions. 
One  of  these  houses,  measured  by  Mr.  St. 
John,  was  more  than  five  hundred  and 
thirty  feet  long,  and  was  inhabited  by  nearly 
five  hundred  people. 

Throughout  the  entire  length  of  the 
house  runs  the  broad  veranda  or  common 
room,  which  is  open  to  all  the  membet^,  and 
at  the  side  are  rooms  partitioned  off  for  the 
different  families,  as  many  as  sixty  or  sev- 
enty such  rooms  being  sometimes  seen  in 
one  long  house.  Although  the  veranda  is 
common  ground  to  all  the  tribe,  and  in  it 
the  members  go  through  their  various  sed- 
entary occupations,  each  family  occupies  by 
tacit  consent  the  portion  of  the  veranda 
opposite  their  own  rooms. 

These  rooms  are  strictly  private,  and 
none  except  the  members  of  the  family,  or 
their  intimate  friends,  would  think  of  enter- 
ing them.  The  chief  or  Orang-kaya  of  the 
long  house  has  a much  larger  room  than  the 
others,  and  the  space  in  front  of  his  room  is 
considered  to  be  devoted  to  the  use  of  the 
lesser  chiefs  and  councillors,  and,  although 


free  to  all  the  inhabitants,  is  frequented  al- 
most entirely  by  the  old  men  and  warriors 
of  known  courage. 

One  of  the  rooms  inhabited  by  the  Orang- 
kaya  was  visited  by  Mr.  Boyle,  and  was  not 
an  attractive  apartment.  On  each  side  of 
the  entrance  there  was  a piece  of  furniture 
somewhat  resembling  an  old  English  plate- 
rack,  upon  the  lower  shelf  of  which  was 
placed  a flat  stone.  In  spite  of  the  heat, 
which  was  terrific,  a large  fire  was  burning 
on  the  stone,  and  on  the  range  above  were 
wood,  rice,  pots,  and  other  utensils.  There 
was  no  chimney  to  the  house,  but  a sort  of 
flap  in  the  roof  was  lifted  up,  and  kept  open 
by  a notched  stick.  This  flap  answered  both 
for  window  and  chimney,  and  when  it  was 
closed  the  room  was  in  total  darkness,  be- 
side being  at  once  filled  with  smoke. 

The  height  of  the  chamber  was  barely 
seven  feet,  and  the  space  was  rendered  stiil 
more  limited  by  the  weapons,  girdles,  mats, 
mosquito  curtains,  strings  of  boars’  tusks, 
aprons,  and  other  property,  that  hung  from 
the  rafters.  The  sides  were  adorned  with  a 
quantity  of  English  and  Dutch  crockery, 
each  piece  being  in  a separate  rattan  basket 
and  suspended  from  the  wall.  The  house 
being  an  old  one,  the  smell  was  abominable ; 
and  the  Orang-kaya’s  chamber  was,  on  the 
whole,  a singularly  uncomfortable  residence. 

A number  of  fire-places,  varying  accord- 
ing to  the  population  of  the  house,  are  ar- 
ranged along  the  veranda,  and,  as  a general 
rule,  one  of  the  primitive  ladders  already 


1150 


BORNEO. 


mentioned  is  placed  at  either  end,  so  that 
when  a visitor  enters  the  house,  he  sees 
throughout  its  entire  length,  the  range  of  his 
eye  being  only  interrupted  by  the  posts, 
which  after  supporting  the  floor  pass  upward 
and  serve  also  to  support  the  roof.  Outside 
this  veranda  extends  another,  called  the 
outer  veranda.  It  has  no  roof,  and  is  ex- 
posed to  the  blazing  sunbeams.  It  is  used, 
not  as  a habitation,  but  as  a kind  of  store- 
house and  drying  ground. 

As  the  flooring  is  made  of  bamboo,  the 
Dyaks  can  easily,  if  they  choose,  keep  the 
interior  of  their  rooms  clean.  This,  however, 
they  seldom  choose  to  do,  limiting  their 
cleanliness  to  the  simple  process  of  sweeping 
any  offal  through  the  floor  so  as  to  fall  under 
the  house.  They  never  think  of  removing 
it  after  it  has  fallen,  so  that  by  degrees  the 
heaps  of  refuse  become  higher  and  higher, 
and  gradually  diminish  the  distance  be- 
tween the  floor  of  the  house  .and  the  soil  be- 
neath. In  some  of  the  older  houses,  these 
heaps  of  rubbish  have  increased  to  such  an  ex- 
tent that  when  the  pigs  are  grubbing  in  them 
their  backs  touch  the  bamboo  flooring  of 
tlie  house. 

The  reason  for  building  the  Dyak  houses 
on  piles  are  several,  the  chief  being  that 
such  a house  acts  as  a fort  in  case  of  attack. 
The  custom  of  building  on  piles  is  universal, 
but  only  those  tribes  that  are  liable  to  in- 
vasion employ  piles  of  the  height  which  have 
been  mentioned.  This  mode  of  architecture 
also  protects  the  inhabitants  from  floods  and 
from  the  intrusion  of  reptiles.  The  Dyaks 
do  not  use  the  bow  and  arrow,  and  before 
they  learned  the  use  of  fire-arms,  a house 
built  on  piles  some  twenty  or  thirty  feet  in 
height  made  a very  secure  fort,  which  could 
not  be  fired,  and  which  exposed  the  storm- 
ing party  to  certain  and  heavy  loss.  Even 
since  the  English  have  taken  up  their  res- 
idence in  Borneo,  some  of  these  houses,  be- 
longing to  revolted  chiefs,  have  given  great 
trouble  before  they  could  be  taken,  artillery 
appearing  to  be  the  only  W'eapon  to  which 
they  at  once  succumb. 

The  piles  are  made  of  the  hardest  iron- 
wood,  and  are  very  thick,  much  thicker  than 
is  needed  for  the  support  of  the  house.  The 
reason  for  this  strength  and  thickness  is,  that 
in  case  of  attack,  the  assailing  party  dash 
under  the  house,  protecting  themselves  from 
missiles  by  a canoe  which  they  turn  keel 
upward,  and  hold  over  their  heads  while  they 
chop  at  the  posts,  so  as  to  bring  the  house 
and  its  defenders  down  together.  If  the 
posts  are  but  moderately  stout,  they  will 
sometimes  succeed;  but  if  they  are  very  thick 
and  strong,  the  defenders  can  remove  part  of 
the  floor,  and  throw  on  the  attacking  party 
weights  sufficiently  heavy  to  break  through 
their  roof  and  kill  them. 

It  is  probable  that  the  custom  of  building 
houses  on  piles  is  partly  derived  from  the 
Malay  fashion  of  erecting  buildings  over  the 


water.  The  Dyaks  copied  this  plan,  and 
became  so  used  to  it  that  when  they  built 
inland  they  still  continued  the  practice.  The 
same  theory  accounts  for  the  habit  already 
mentioned  of  throwing  all  kinds  of  offal 
through  the  open  bamboo  flooring.  This 
custom  was  cleanly  enough  when  the  houses 
were  built  over  the  water,  but  became  a 
source  of  utter  pollution  when  they  w^ere 
erected  on  land,  and  the  offal  was  allowed  to 
accumulate  below,  undisturbed  except  by  the 
dogs  and  pigs. 

Most  of  these  houses  are  built  rather  high 
up  the  rivers,  especially  upon  the  tributary 
streams;  and  booms,  composed  of  bamboos 
and  rattans,  are  fastened  across  the  stream 
below  them,  so  as  to  hinder  the  advance  of 
the  enemy’s  canoes.  The  thatch,  as  well  as 
a considerable  portion  of  the  material,  is  ob- 
tained from  the  nipa  palm,  a tree  wRich  to 
the  Borneans  is  almost  a necessity  of  exist- 
ence, and  supplies  a vast  number  of  their 
wants.  It  grows  in  large  numbers  at  the 
water’s  edge;  its  huge  leaves,  fifteen  or 
twenty  feet  in  length,  projecting  like  the 
fronds  of  vast  ferns. 

When  dried,  the  leaves  are  woven  into  a 
sort  of  matted  fabric  called  “ ataps,  ” which 
is  used  sometimes  as  thatch,  sometimes  as 
the  indispensable  covering  of  boats,  and 
sometimes  even  as  w^alls  of  houses,  the  mats 
being  fastened  from  post  to  post.  By  the 
use  of  these  ataps  certain  portions  of  the  roof 
can  be  raised  on  sticks  in  trap-door  fashion, 
so  as  to  answer  the  double  purpose  of  ad- 
mitting light  and  securing  ventilation. 

Various  other  mats  are  made  of  the  nipa 
palm  leaf,  and  so  are  hats  and  similar  articles. 
The  entire  leaf  is  often  used  in  canoes  as  an 
extemporized  sail,  the  leaf  being  fastened 
upright,  and  driving  the  boat  onward  at  a 
very  fair  pace.  Besides  these  uses  the  nipa 
leaves,  when  young,  are  dressed  as  vege- 
tables, and  are  both  agreeable  and  nutritious, 
and  the  fine  inner  leaves,  when  dried,  are 
rolled  round  tobacco  so  as  to  form  cigars. 

From  the  root  and  stem  a coarse  sugar 
is  made,  which  is  used  for  all  general  pur- 
poses; for,  although  the  sugar-cane  grows 
magnificently  in  Borneo,  the  natives  only 
consider  it  in  the  light  of  a sweetmeat.  It 
seems  rather  strange  that  sugar  and  salt 
should  be  extracted  from  the  same  plant,  but 
such  is  really  the  case,  and  salt-making  is 
one  of  the  principal  occupations  of  some  of 
the  tribes. 

They  gather  great  quantities  of  the  nipa 
root,  and  burn  them.  The  ashes  are  then 
swept  together,  and  thrown  into  sliallow 
pans  half  filled  with  water,  so  that  the  salt 
is  dissolved  and  remains  in  the  water,  while 
the  charcoal  and  woody  particles  float  at  the 
surface,  andean  be  skimmed  off.  When  the 
water  is  clear,  the  pans  are  placed  over  the 
fire  and  the  water  driven  off  by  evaporation, 
after  which  the  salt,  which  remains  on  the 
bottom  and  sides  of  the  pans,  is  scraped  off. 


CONSTRUCTIOK  OF  A DYAK  BRIDGE. 


1151 


It  is  of  a coarse  and  decidedly  bitter  char- 
acter, but  it  is 'much  liked  by  the  natives, 
and  even  the  European  settlers  soon  become 
accustomed  to  it.  Salt  is  imported  largely 
from  Siam,  but  the  Borneans  prefer  that  of 
their  own  manufacture  for  home  use,  re- 
serving the  Siamese  salt  for  preserving 
iisli. 

The  nipa  and  the  mangrove  grow  in 
similar  localities  and  on  the  same  streams, 
and  are  useful  to  those  who  are  engaged  in 
ascending  rivers,  as  they  know  that  the  water 
is  always  shallow  where  the  mangrove  grows, 
and  deep  near  the  nipa. 

In  the  olden  times,  when  a long  house  was 
projected,  the  erection  of  the  first  post  was 
always  accompanied  by  a human  sacrifice, 
precisely  as  has  been  mentioned  of  several 
other  parts  of  the  world.  Mr.  St.  John  saw 
one  of  these  houses  where  a human  sacrifice 
had  been  made.  A deep  hole  was  dug  in  the 
ground,  and  the  huge  post,  which,  as  the 
reader  may  remember,  is  cut  from  the 
trunk  of  the  hardest  and  heaviest  wood  which 
can  be  found,  was  suspended  over  it  by 
rattan  lashings.  A girl  was  laid  at  the 
bottom  of  the  hole,  and  at  a given  signal  the 
lashings  were  cut,  permitting  the  jjost  to 
drop  into  the  hole,  and  crush  the  girl  to 
atoms. 

The  same  traveller  saw  a ceremony  among 
the  Quop  Dyaks,  which  showed  that  the 
principle  of  sacrifice  still  remained,  though 
the  victim  was  of  a different  character.  The 
builder  wanted  to  raise  a flag-staff  near  his 
house,  and  proceeded  on  exactly  the  same 
plan.  The  excavation  was  made,  the  pole 
was  suspended  by  a rattan,  but,  instead  of  a 
human  being,  a fowl  was  bound  and  laid  at 
the  bottom  of  the  hole,  so  as  to  be  crushed 
to  death  when  the  lashings  were  cut. 

These  houses  are  often  approached  by 
bridges,  which  are  very  curious  structures, 
so  apparently  fragile  that  they  seem  unable 
to  sustain  the  weight  of  a human  being,  and 
of  so  slight  a character  that  to  traverse  them 
seems  to  imply  the  skill  of  a rope  dancer.  As 
these  houses  are  often  built  on  the  side  of  a 
steep  hill,  a pole  is  laid  from  the  platform  to 
the  hill,  and,  if  it  be  a tolerably  long  one, 
supported  by  several  rattan  ropes  fastened 
to  trees.  A very  slight  bamboo  handrail  is 
fastened  a little  above  it,  and  the  bridge  is 
considered  as  complete. 

One  of  these  simple  bridges  is  shown  in 
illustration  l^o.  2,  on  the  1153d  page,  which 
gives  a good  idea  of  the  height  of  the 
house  and  its  general  style  of  architecture. 
Near  the  foreground  is  a man  engaged  in 
making  fire  by  means  of  twirling  one  stick 
upon  another,  precisely  as  is  done  by  the 
Kaffirs  and  other  savage  tribes.  There  is, 
however,  one  improvement  on  the  usual 
mode.  Instead  of  merely  causing  a pointed 
stick  to  revolve  upon  another,  the  Dyaks 
use  instead  of  the  lower  stick  a thick  slab  of 
very  dry  wood,  with  a deep  groove  cut  on 


one  side  of  it,  and  a small  hole  on  the  other, 
bored  down  to  the  groove. 

When  the  Dyak  wishes  to  procure  fire,  he 
places  the  wooden  slab  on  the  ground  with 
the  groove  undermost,  and  inserts  his 
pointed  stick  in  the  little  hole  and  twirls 
it  rapidly  between  his  hands.  The  revolu- 
tion of  the  stick  soon  causes  a current  of  air 
to  pass  through  the  groove,  and  in  conse- 
quence the  fire  is  rapidly  blown  up  as  soon 
as  the  wood  is  heated  to  the  proper  extent. 
In  consequence  of  this  arrangement,  much 
labor  is  saved,  as  the  firemaker  is  not 
obliged  to  stop  at  intervals  to  blow  upon  the 
just  kindled  dust  which  collects  in  the  little 
hole  around  the  firestick.  Some  tribes 
merely  cut  two  cross  grooves  on  the  lower 
piece  of  wood,  and  insert  the  point  of  the 
firestick  at  their  intersection. 

The  Saribas  and  Sakarrang  Dyaks  have  a 
very  remarkable  instrument  for  obtaining 
fire,  called  by  them  “ besi-api.”  It  consists 
of  a metal  tube,  about  three  inches  in  length, 
with  a piston  working  nearly  air-tight  in  it. 
A piece  of  dry  stuff  by  way  of  tinder  is  in- 
troduced into  the  tube,  the  piston  rod  is 
slapped  smartly  down  and  withdrawn  with  a 
jerk,  when  the  tinder  is  seen  to  be  on  fire. 
Europeans  find  that  to  manage  the  besi-api 
is  as  difficult  a task  as  to  procure  fire  by 
two  sticks.  The  reader  may  remember 
that  a machine  of  similar  construction  is 
sold  at  the  philosophical  instrument  mak- 
ers, and  that  a piece  of  German  tinder  is 
lighted  by  the  sudden  compression  of  the  air. 

Another  form  of  the  besi-api  is  thus  de- 
scribed by  Mr.  Boyle:  — “Among  some  ot 
the  Dyak  tribes  there  is  a manner  of  strik- 
ing fire  much  more  extraordinary.  The 
instrument  used  is  a slender  cube  of  lead, 
which  fits  tightly  in  a case  of  bamboo.  The 
top  of  the  cube  is  hollowed  into  a cup,  and 
when  fire  is  required  this  cup  is  filled  with 
tinder,  the  leaden  piston  is  held  upright  in 
the  left  hand,  the  bamboo  case  is  thrust 
sharply  down  over  it,  as  quickly  withdrawn, 
and  the  tinder  is  found  to  be  lighted.  The 
natives  say  that  no  metal  but  lead  will  pro- 
duce the  effect.” 

The  same  traveller  gives  an  account  of 
another  mode  of  obtaining  fire:  — “An- 
other interesting  phenomenon  these  natives 
showed  us,  which,  though  no  doubt  easily 
explained  on  scientific  principles,  appeared 
very  remarkable.  As  we  sat  in  the  veranda 
my  cheroot  went  out,  and  I asked  one  of  the 
Dyaks  squatted  at  our  side  to  give  me  a 
light. 

“ He  took  from  his  box  of  bamboo  a piece 
of  pitcher  and'a  little  tinder;  put  the  lat- 
ter upon  the  pitcher  and  held  it  under  his 
thumb,  struck  sharply  against  the  bamboo, 
and  instantly  offered  ine  the  tinder  lighted. 
Several  times  subsequently  we  watched 
them  obtain  fire  by  this  means,  but  failed 
to  make  out  a reasonable  theory  for  the  re- 
sult.” 


1152 


BOKKEO. 


Even  rivers  are  bridged  over  in  the  same 
simple,  but  really  efficacious  manner,  as  the 
approaches  to  the  houses.  The  mountain 
streams  alternate  greatly  in  depth  and  rapid- 
ity, and  it  is  no  uncommon  occurrence  for  a 
heavy  rain  to  raise  a river  some  forty  feet  in 
its  deep  and  rocky  channel,  and  even  after  a 
single  heavy  shower  the  fords  are  rendered 
impassable.  In  consequence  of  this  uncer- 
tainty, the  Dyaks  throw  across  the  chasms 
such  bridges  as  are  described  by  Mr.  St. 
John: — 

“ Ilovf  light  and  elegant  do  these  suspen- 
sion-bridges look!  One,  in  particular,  I will 
attempt  to  describe.  It  was  a broad  part  of 
the  stream,  and  two  fine  old  trees  hung  over 
the  Vv^ater  opposite  to  each  other.  Long 
bamboos  lashed  together  formed  the  main 
})ortion,  and  were  fastened  by  smaller  ones 
to  the  branches  above;  railings  on  either 
side  were  added  to  give  greater  strength  and 
security,  yet  the  whole  affair  appeared  so 
flimsy,  and  was  so  far  above  the  stream,  that 
’when  w#3  saw  a woman  and  child  pass  over 
it  we  drew  our  breath  until  they  were  safe 
on  the  other  side.  And  yet  we  knew  that 
the}^  were  secure. 

“ I have  often  passed  over  them  myself; 
they  are  of  the  wfidth  of  one  bamboo,  but 
the  side  railings  give  one  confidence.  Acci- 
dents do  happen  from  carelessly  allowing 
the  rattan  lashings  to  rot.  Once,  when 
pressed  for  time,  I was  passing  rapidly 
across  with  many  men  following  close  be- 
hind me,  when  it  began  to  sway  most  un- 
pleasantly, and  crack!  crack!  w’as  heard  as 
several  of  the  supports  gave  way.  Most  of 
my  men  were  fortunately  not  near  the  cen- 
tre, and  relieved  the  bridge  of  their  weight 
by  clinging  to  the  branches,  otherwise  those 
who  were  with  me  in  the  middle  would  have 
been  precipitated  on  the  rocks  below.  After 
that,  we  always  passed  singly  over  such  neg- 
lected bridges.” 

The  domestic  manufactures  of  fhe  Dyaks 
are  of  a very  high  order,  and  display  a won- 
derful amount  of  artistic  taste.  The  mode 
of  building  canoes  has  already  been  men- 
tioned, but  the  principal  tool  of  the  canoe 
maker  is  too  curious  to  be  passed  over.  The 
implement  in  question  is  singularly  ingen- 
ious, combining  within  itself  a number  of 
qualifications.  The  general  appearance  of 
it  can  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  illustra- 
tion, which  is  drawn  from  a specimen  pre- 
sented to  me  by  C.  T.  C.  Grant,  Esq. 

It  is  apparently  a most  insignificant  tool, 
hardly  worthy  the  hands  of  a child;  and 
yet,  when  wielded  by  a Dyak,  it  produces 
the  most  remarkable  results.  The  handle  is 
only  ten  inches  in  length,  and  the  blade 
measures  barely  an  inch  and  a quarter 
across  the  widest  part.  The  handle  is 
made  of  two  portions,  united  with  a strong 
lashing  of  rattan,  backed  up  by  cement. 
The  lower  portion,  which  is  curved  exactly 


like  the  hilts  of  the  Byak  swords,  is  made 
of  a soft  and  light  wood,  while  the  upper 
part,  which  carries  the  head,  is  made  of  a 
hard,  strong,  and  moderately  elastic  wood. 


The  head  is  made  of  iron,  mostly  imported, 
and  is  in*  all  probability  formed  on  the  model 
of  a stone  implement  that  was  formerly  in 
use.  As  the  reader  may  see,  it  is  fastened 
to  the  wood  by  rattan,  exactly  as  the  stone 
heads  of  the  Polynesian  axes  are  held  in 
their  places  by  lashings  of  plaited  sinnet. 

But  here  the  resemblance  ends.  The  head 
of  the  Polynesian  axe  is  immovable,  whereas 
the  essence  of  the  Bornean  axe  is  that  the 
head  can  be  shifted  at  will,  by  taking  it  out 
of  the  rattan  lashing,  reversing  and  replac- 
ing it,  so  that  it  forms  an  axe  or  an  adze, 
as  the  user  desires.  The  reader  may  re- 
member that  the  Banyai  tribe  of  Southern 
Africa  have  an  axe  made  on  a similar 
principle,  though  in  their  case  the  reversal 
is  accomplished  by  cutting  holes  at  right 
angles  to  each  other,  through  which  the 
shank  of  the  iron  head  can  be  passed.  (See 
p.  364,  figs.  4,  5.) 

■With  this  tiny  instrument  the  Dyaks  not 
only  shape  their  planks,  but  cut  down  the 
largest  trees  with  a rapidity  that  an  English 
workman  could  scarcely  equal,  in  spite  of  the 
superiority  of  his  axe.  They  have  a very 
curious  method  of  clearing  away  timber 
from  a space  of  ground.  They  first  cut 
away  all  the  underwood  wfith  their  parangs, 
or  choppers,  and  then,  with  their  little  axes, 
cut  the  larger  trees  rather  more  than  half 
through,  leaving  the  largest  to  the  last.  This 
tree  is  then  felled,  and,  as  all  the  trees  are 
bound  together  with  rattans  and  other 
creepers,  it  brings  down  all  the  others  in 
its  fall. 

Although  the  iron  which  the  Dyaks  use  is 
mostly  imported,  they  are  capable  nf  smelt- 
ing tlieir  own-  metal  by  a very  simple  proc- 


(1.)  A DYAK  VILLAGE. 
(See  page  1149.) 


(2.)  A DYAK  HOUSE. 
(See  page  1161.) 


(1153) 


V, 


BORNEAK  MANUFACTURES. 


1155 


es3.  By  way  of  a crucible,  they  dig  a 
small  pit  in  the  ground,  and  perforate  the 
sides  with  holes,  through  which  currents  of 
air  can  be  passed  by  means  of  the  native 
bellows.  Charcoal  is  first  placed  in  the  pit, 
and  then  the  ore,  well  broken,  is  laid  on  the 
ciiarcoal;  and  so  the  Ilyak  workmen  proceed 
to  iiil  the  pit  with  alternate  layers  of  char- 
coal and  ore.  A light  is  then  introduced  by 
means  of  a hole,  the  bellows  are  worked,  and 
in  a short  time  the  metal  is  smelted.  Al- 
though each  man  is  generally  capable  of 
making  his  own  tools  on  a pinch,  there  is 
generally  a man  in  each  village  who  is  a 
professional  blacksmith,  and  makes  his  liv- 
ing by  forging  spear  heads  and  parang 
blades,  as  well  as  by  keeping  the  weapons 
ot  the  villagers  in  repair. 

The  basket  work  of  the  Dyaks  is  exceed- 
ingly good,  color  as  well  as  form  being 
studied  ill  the  manufacture.  The  basket 
called  tambok  is  made  of  the  nipa  palm  leaf, 
cut  into  strips  not  quite  the  twelfth  of  an 
inch  wide,  and  stained  alternately  yellow 
and  red.  These  are  interwoven  so  as  to  pro- 
duce a considerable  variety  of  pattern,  some- 
what resembling  that  which  is  used  in  the 
sarongs  and  other  woven  fabrics.  These 
patterns  are  nearly  all  combinations  of  the 
square,  the  zigzag,  and  the  diamond;  the 
last  form,  however,  being  nothing  more  than 
the  square  turned  diagonally. 

Although  made  in  cylindrical  form,  the 
tambok  is  slightly  squared  by  means  of  four 
strips  of  hard  red  wood,  which  are  tightly 
fastened  to  the  basket  by  rattan  lashing. 
The  bottom  of  the  basket  is  squared  in  a 
similar  manner,  so  as  to  flatten  it  and  enable 
it  to  stand  upright,  and  is  defended  by 
thicker  strips  of  wood  than  those  which  run 
up  the  sides.  The  lid  is  guarded  by  two 
cross-strips  of  wood,  and  both  the  lid  and 
the  top  of  the  basket  are  strengthened  by 
two  similar  strips  bound  firmly  round  their 
edges.  This  basket  is  exceedingly  light, 
elastic,  strong,  easily  carried,  and  fully  war- 
rants the  estimation  in  which  it  is  held. 
Tamboks  are  made  of  almost  all  sizes,  and 
are  extensively  used  by  the  Dyaks,  the  Ma- 
lays, and  the  European  colonists. 

Mats  of  various  kinds  are  made  by  this 
ingenious  people.  One  of  these  mats,  which 
is  in  my  possession,  is  a wonderful  specimen 
of  Dyak  work.  It  is  nine  feet  long  and  five 
wide,  and  is  made  of  rattan,  cut  into  very 
narrow  strips  — not  wider,  indeed,  than 
those  of  the  enlarged  patterns  of  the  tambok 
basket.  These  strips  are  interwoven  with 
such  skill  as  to  form  an  intricate  and  artistic 
pattern.  The  centre  of  the  mat  is  occupied 
by  a number  of  spiral  patterns,  two  inches 
in  diameter,  the  spiral  being  produced  by 
extensions  of  the  zigzag  already  men- 
tioned. 

Around  the  spirals  are  three  distinct  bor- 
ders, each  with  a definite  pattern,  and  the 
whole  is  edged  by  a sort  of  selvage,  which 


gives  strength  to  the  fabric,  and  prevents  it 
from  being  torn.  This  kind  of  mat  is  ex- 
ceedingly durable,  the  specimen  in  question 
having  been  long  used  in  Borneo,  tlien 
brought  over  to  England,  and  employed  as 
a floor-cloth;  and,  alLliough  cut  in  one  or  two 
places  by  chair-legs,  is  on  tlic  whole  as  firm 
as  when  it  was  made.  As  the  rattan  has  not 
been  dyed,  the  color  of  the  mat  is  a pale  yel- 
low; but  the  pattern  comes  out  with  wonder- 
ful distinctness,  just  as  is  the  case  with  good 
English  table  linen. 

Like  all  uncivilized  people,  the  Dyaks 
never  hurry  themselves  about  their  manu- 
factures. Time  is  no  object  to  them;  there 
is  none  of  the  competition  which  hurries 
European  W'orkmen  through  life.  The 
women,  who  make  these  beautiful  mats,  go 
about  their  work  in  a very  leisurely  way, 
interweaving  the  slender  rattan  strips  with 
infinite  care,  and  certainly  producing  work 
that  is  thorough  and  sound. 

The  rattan  is  split  in  rather  a curious 
manner.  On  account  of  the  direction  and 
length  of  its  fibre,  it  wdll  split  almost  ad 
infinitum  into  perfectly  straight  strips  of 
very  great  length,  so  that  the  only  difficulty 
is  to  cut  the  slips  of  precisely  the  same 
width.  The  knives  with  which  this  task  is 
performed  are  rather  peculiar.  One  of  them 
has  already  been  described  on  page  1125,  as 
an  appendage  to  the  Bornean  sw^ord;  but 
there  is  another  which  is  so  remarkable  that 
it  deserves  a separate  description. 

The  handle  is  bent  at  an  angle  like  that 
of  the  parang-latok,  described  and  figured 
on  the  page  to  which  reference  w^as  just 
made.  In  order  to  produce  this  effect,  the 
handle  is  made  of  two  pieces  of  wood,  the 
ends  of  which  are  bevelled  off,  so  that  when 
they  are  placed  together  they  produce  the 
angular  form  which  is  desired.  The  two 
pieces  are  fitted  very  neatly  together,  and 
the  joint  is  strengthened  by  a thick  coating 
of  cement.  The  handle  is  further  orna- 
mented by  having  a long  piece  of  brass  wire 
coiled  tightly  round  it,  and  is  finished  off  at 
the  end  with  the  same  kind  of  cement  as 
that  which  is  used  at  the  joint. 

Not  only  does  the  handle  resemble  that  of 
the  parang,  but  there  is  a great  resemblance 
between  the  blades  of  the  sword  and  the 
knife.  The  blade  of  this  knife  has  been 
forged  out  of  a square  bar  of  steel,  which 
has  been  first  flattened,  and  then  beaten  out 
into  the  slightly  curved  form  which  is  so 
largely  used  throughout  the  whole  of  this 
part  of  the  world. 

As  is  the  case  with  the  sword  knife  already 
described,  this  implement  is  used  by  putting 
the  handle  under  the  left  arm  and  holding 
the  blade  firmly  in  front  of  the  body,  while 
both  hands  are  at  liberty  to  press  the  end  of 
the  rattan  against  the  edge  of  the  knife,  and 
so  to  split  it  into  as  many  strips  as  are  needed. 
In  spite  of  the  comparative  roughness  of  the 
manufacture,  which  dispenses  with  a finish 


1156 


BOBKEO. 


and  polish,  the  knife  can  take  a very  fine 
edge;  and  my  own  specimen,  after  having 
sutfered  rather  rough  usage,  is  so  sharp  that 
1 have  just  mended  a pen  with  it,  and  cut  a 
piece  of  note  paper  edgewise.  The  blade  of 
this  knife  is  eleven  inches  in  length. 

In  order  to  preserve  the  sharpness  of  the 
edge,  the  Dyak  carries  the  knife  in  a sheath 
made  simply  of  a small  joint  of  bamboo, 
closed  at' the  lower  end  of  the  natural  knot, 
and  carefully  wrapped  at  each  end  with  rat- 
tan to  prevent  it  from  splitting. 

The  cotton  fabrics  are  entirely  made  by 
the  women,  from  the  preparation  of  the 
thread  to  the  weaving  of  the  stuff.  They 
beat  out  the  cotton  with  small  sticks,  and, 
•by  means  of  a rude  sort  of  wheel,  spin  it  out 
into  thread  very  rapidly.  Tliey  cannot 
compete  with  the  English  manufacturer 
in  fineness  of  thread,  but  in  durability  there 
is  no  comparison  between  the  two,  the  Dyak 
thread  being  stronger  than  that  made  in 
England,  and  the  dye  with  which  it  is 
stained  being  so  permanent  that  no  fabric 
wears  so  well  as  that  which  is  of  native 
manufacture. 

Although  we  can  hardly  rank  the  Dyak 
jars  among  native  manufactures,  they  play 
so  important  a part  in  the  domestic  life  of 
these  tribes  that  they  cannot  be  passed  over 
without  some  notice. 

The  Dyaks  have  no  real  currency,  and 
can  scarcely  be  made  to  understand  it. 
They  perfectly  comprehend  direct  barter, 
but  the  secondary  barter  by  means  of  a cir- 
culating medium  is,  as  a rule,  beyond  an 
ordinary  Dyak.  He  will  take  some  goods 
to  the  market  for  the  purpose  of  exchanging 
them  for  some  article  which  he  wants;  but 
he  has  no  idea  of  selling  his  goods  for  money, 
and  buying  with  that  money  the  needed 
article. 

The  reader  may  remember  that  brass  guns 
have  already  been  mentioned  as  a sort  of 
currency.  These  are  nothing  more  or  less 
than  cannon  of  various  sizes,  which  are  val- 
ued by  weight,  and  form  a sort  of  standard 
by  which  prices  are  measured,  like  the  Eng- 
lish pound  or  the  French  franc.  They  are 
bored  to  carry  balls  from  one  to  two  pounds 
weight,  and,  though  regarded  chiefly  in  tire 
light  of  money,  are  serviceable  weapons,  and 
can  throw  a ball  to  a considerable  distance. 
There  is  an  advantage  about  this  kind  of 
currency.  It  is  not  easily  stolen,  and  out- 
side the  chiefs’  houses  may  be  seen  rows  of 
brass  guns  lying  on  the  ground  unmounted 
and  owing  their  safety  to  their  weight. 

There  is  also  a second  standard  of  value 
among  the  Dyaks.  This  is  the  Jar,  an  in- 


stitution which,  I believe,  is  unique.  These 
jars  are  of  earthenware,  and  as  far  as  can  be 
judged  by  appearance,  must  have  been  of 
Chinese  manufacture.  They  are  of  diflerent 
descriptions,  and  vary  greatly  in  value.  The 
commonest  jars,  called  Naga  or  Dragon  jars, 
are  worth  about  seven  or  eight  pounds,  and 
derive  their  name  from  figures  of  dragons 
rudely  scrawled  on  them.  They  are  about 
two  feet  in  height.  The  Busa  jar,  which  is 
next  higher  in  value,  is  worth  from  ten  to 
fifteen  pounds,  according  to  its  quality,  and 
is  known  by  the  figures  of  the  Busa  deer 
which  are  drawn  upon  it. 

But  the  most  costly  is  the  Gusi,  which  is 
worth  almost  any  sum  that  the  owner  chooses 
to  demand  for  it.  The  Gusi  jar  is  neither  large 
nor  pretty.  It  is  of  a dark  olive  green  color, 
and  about  two  feet  in  height.  These  jars 
are  very  scarce,  and  are  considered  as  being 
worth  on  an  average  about  five  hundred 
pounds.  Seven  or  eight  hundred  pounds 
have  been  paid  for  a Gusi  jar,  and  there  have 
been  one  or  two  so  valuable  that  many  thou- 
sands pounds  have  been  offered  and  refused 
for  them. 

Mr.  St.  John  mentions  a jar  of  this  kind 
belonging  to  the  Sultan  of  Brunei,  which 
derived  its  chief  value  from  the  fact  that  it 
spoke  on  certain  great  occasions.  For  ex- 
ample, the  Sultan  declared  that  on  the  night 
before  his  wife  died  the  jar  uttered  hollow 
moaning  sounds,  and  that  it  never  failed  to 
apprize  him  of  any  coming  misfortune  by 
wailing  pitifully.  This  jar  is  kept  in  the 
women’s  apartments,  and  is  always  'covered 
with  gold  brocade,  except  when  wanted  for 
consultation,  or  to  exhibit  its  medicinal 
properties.  Water  poured  into  a Gusi  jar  is 
thought  by  the  Dyaks  and  by  the  Malays  to 
be  the  best  possible  medicine  for  all  kinds  of 
diseases,  and,  when  sprinkled  over  the 
fields,  to  be  a certain  means  of  procuring  a 
good  crop.  As  the  people  are  willing  to 
pay  highly  for  this  medicated  water,  there  is 
some  reason  for  the  enormous  cost  of  these 
jars. 

One  of  them  is  said  to  possess  a quality 
which  belongs  to  itself.  It  increased  every- 
thing that  was  put  into  it.  If,  for  example, 
it  were  half  filled  with  rice  in  the  evening  it 
would  be  nearl}"  full  in  the  morning;  and 
if  water  was  poured  into  it,  a few  hours 
would  increase  the  depth  of  water  by  several 
inches.  It  is  remarkable  that  the  art  of 
making  these  jars  is  lost.  The  Chinese,  ad- 
mirable imitators  as  they  are,  have  always 
failed  when  they  have  endeavored  to  palm 
off  upon  a Dyak  a jar  manufactured  by  them- 
selves. 


CHAPTER  CXIX. 


BORNEO.  — Concluded. 
RELIGION  — OMENS  — FUNERALS. 


THE  STATE  OF  RELIGION  AMONG  THE  DYAKS  — THEIR  BELIEF  IN  A SUPREME  BEING  — THE  VARIOUS 
SUBORDINATE  GODS  — THE  ANTUS,  AND  THEIR  FORMS — CATCHING  A RUNAWAY  SOUL  — THE  BUAU 
AND  HIS  NATURE  — ORIGIN  OF  LAND  LEECHES  — CHARMS,  AND  THEIR  VALUE  — OMENS  — THE  GOOD 
AND  EVIL  BIRDS  — A SIMPLE  CAUSE  OF  DIVORCE  — THE  ENCHANTED  LEAF — THE  ORDEALS  OF  DIV- 
ING, BOILING  WATER,  SALT,  AND  SNAILS  — THE  ENCHANTED  WATER  — A CURIOUS  CEREMONY  — DYAK 
FUNERALS  — THE  OFFICE  OF  SEXTON. 


The  religion  of  the  Dyaks  is  a very  difficult 
subject,  as  the  people  themselves  seem  to 
have  an  exceedingly  vague  idea  of  it,  and  to 
be  rather  unwilling  to  impart  the  little 
knowledge  which  they  have.  It  is  tolera- 
bly clear  that  they  have  an  idea  of  a Su- 
preme Being,  whom  they  call  by  different 
names,  according  to  their  tribes;  the  Sea 
Dyaks,  for  example,  calling  him  Batara,  and 
the  land  Dyaks  Tapa.  Next  to  the  Su- 
preme, by  whom  mankind  was  created,  were 
some  very  powerful  though  inferior  deities, 
such  as  Tenabi,  who  made  the  earth  and  the 
lower  animals;  lang,  who  taught  religion  to 
the  Dyaks,  and  still  inspires  them  with 
holiness;  and  Jirong,  the  lord  of  life  and 
death. 

Besides  those  chief  deities  there  are  in- 
numerable Antus  or  minor  gods,  which  cor- 
respond in  some  degree  to  the  fauns  and 
satyrs  of  the  ancients.  They  are  called  by 
many  names,  and  as,  according  to  Dyak 
ideas,  there  is  scarcely  a square  rod  of  for- 
est that  does  not  contain  its  Antu,  the  peo- 
ple live  as  it  were  in  a world  peopled  with 
supernatural  beings.  Some  of  them  even 
declare  that  they  have  seen  the  Antus,  the 
chief  distinction  of  whom  seems  to  be  that 
they  have  no  heads,  the  neck  being  termi- 
nated in  a sharp  point.  They  are  capable  of 
assuming  the  form  of  a human  being  or  of 
any  animal  at  will,  but  always  without 
heads,  so  that  they  can  be  at  once  recog- 
nized. 

The  story  of  one  of  these  Antu-seers  is  a 
very  strange  one.  He  declared  that  he  saw 
a squirrel  in  a tree,  threw  a spear  at  it,  and 


brought  it  to  the  ground.  When  he  went 
to  pick  it  up,  it  suddenly  rose,  faced  him, 
and  changed  itself  into  a dog.  The  dog 
walked  a few  paces,  changed  again  into  a 
human  being,  and  sat  slowly  down  on  the 
trunk  of  a fallen  tree.  The  body  of  the  spec- 
tre was  parti-colored,  and  instead  of  a head 
it  had  a pointed  neck. 

The  Dyak  ran  off  in  terror,  and  was  im- 
mediately smitten  with  a violent  fever,  his 
soul  having  been  drawn  from  the  body  by 
the  Antu,  and  about  to  journey  toward  the 
spirit  world.  The  doctor,  however,  went  off 
to  the  spot  where  the  Antu  appeared,  cap- 
tured the  fugitive  soul,  brought  it  back,  and 
restored  it  to  the  body  by  means  of  the  in- 
visible hole  in  the  head  through  which  the 
Antu  had  summoned  it.  Next  morning  the 
fever  was  gone,  and  the  man  was  quite  well.  ■ 

They  tell  another  story  of  one  of  these  in- 
imical beings,  who  are  supposed  to  be  ghosts 
of  persons  killed  in  battle,  and  called  Buaus. 
A Buau  pounced  upon  a woman  named 
Temunyan  during  her  husband’s  absence, 
carried  her  off,  and  by  his  magic  arts  fixed 
her  against  a rock  from  which  she  could  not 
move.  When  the  husband  returned,  he 
went  in  search  of  his  wife,  and,  having' 
found  her,  concocted  a scheme  by  which  the 
Buau  was  induced  to  release  her.  By  strat- 
agem the  husband  contrived  to  destroy  the 
Buau,  and  took  his  wife  home. 

She  had,  however,  scarcely  reached  her 
home  when  she  gave  birth  to  a horrible 
being,  of  which  the  Buau  was  the  father. 
Her  husband  instantly  chopped  it  into  a 
thousand  pieces  with  his  parang,  and  flung 


1158 


BOKNEO. 


nr 


it  into  the  jungle,  when  each  fragment  took 
life,  and  assumed  the  blood- sucking  charac- 
ter of  the  demon  parent.  And  thus  the 
Buau  was  the  original  parent  of  land- 
leeches. 

In  order  to  propitiate  these  beings,  the 
Dyaks  are  in  the  habit  of  making  otierings 
of  food,  drink,  and  flow'ers  to  them  before 
they  undertake  any  great  task,  mostly  put- 
ting the  food  into  dishes  or  baskets,  and  lay- 
ing it  in  the  jungle  for  the  use  of  the  Antus. 

Satisfied  apparently  with  the  multitude  of 
their  deities,  the  Dyaks  possess  no  idols,  a 
fact  which  is  really  remarkable,  as  showing 
the  character  of  their  minds.  Charms,  how- 
ever, they  have  in  plenty,  and  place  the 
greatest  reliance  on  them.  Some  charms 
are  credited  as  rendering  the  wearer  invul- 
nerable, and  it  is  likely  that  those  attached 
to  the  parang  described  on  page  1125  are  of 
that  character. 

Mr.  St.  John  mentions  an  amusing  exam- 
ple of  the  value  set  upon  these  charms. 
There  was  a chief  of  very  high  rank,  who 
possessed  some  exceedingly  potent  charms, 
which  had  been  in  his  family  for  many  gen^ 
erations,  and  had  been  handed  down  from 
father  to  son.  They  consisted  of  two  round 
lebbles,  one  flat  pebble,  a little  stone  which 
lad  been  found  in  a banana,  and  some  sand. 
All  these  valuables  were  sewed  up  together 
and  fastened  to  a string,  by  which  they 
could  be  attached  to  the  waist  in  times  of 
peril. 

Unfortunately,  the  chief  lent  these  charms 
to  a man  who  lost  them,  and  w^as  sued  by 
the  aggrieved  owner  before  the  English 
court.  'He  gained  his  case,  but  was  nearly 
as  much  dissatisfied  with  the  court  as  wdth 
the  defendant,  inasmuch  as  he  estimated  the 
value  of  the  charms  at  a Kusa  jar,  i.  e.  about 
thirty  dollars,  or  seven  pounds,  whereas  the 
value  set  on  them  by  the  court,  and  paid  by 
the  defendant,  was  fivepence. 

Allusion  has  been  already  made  to  the 
birds  on  which  the  Dyaks  so  much  rely  as 
omens.  These  are  three  in  number,  the 
Kushah,  the  Kariak,  and  the  Katupung. 
When  a Dyak  is  about  to  start  on  an  expe- 
dition, he  goes  to  the  place  near  the  village 
where  the  feasting  sheds  are  built,  and  there 
waits  until  he  hears  the  cry  of  one  of  these 
birds.  Should  either  the  kushah  or  the  kat- 
upung cry  in  the  front,  or  on  either  side, 
and  not  be  answered,  the  omen  is  bad,  and 
the  man  gives  up  his  expedition.  It  is  a 
good  sign,  however,  if  the  bird  should  first 
cry  on  one  side  and  then  be  answered  on 
the  other.  The  most  important  bird  is  the 
kariak.  If  the  cry  of  the  kariak  be  heard 
on  the  right,  the  omen  is  good;  if  on  the 
left,  it  is  doubtful.  But  if  the  cry  be  heard 
behind  the  diviner,  the  omen  is  as  bad  as  it 
can  be,  and  portends  at  least  sickness,  if  not 
death. 

The  Dyaks  scarcely  engage  in  any  under- 
taking without  consulting  the  birds,  whom 


they  believe  to  be  half  Dyaks,  all  birds  hav- 
ing proceeded  from  the  union  of  an  Antu 
with  a Dyak  woman. 

Mr.  Brooke,  in  treating  of  this  subject, 
has  the  following  forcible  remarks:  — “ Some 
of  our  party  of  Dyaks  had  proceeded,  but 
most  were  yet  behind,  and  will  be  sweeping 
down  for  the  next  week  or  more.  Many  go 
through  the  forms  of  their  forefathers  in 
listening  to  the  sounds  of  omens;  but  the 
ceremony  is  now  very  curtailed,  compared 
with  what  it  was  ti  few  years  ago,  when  I 
have  known  a chief  live  in  a hut  for  six 
weeks,  partly  waiting  for  the  twittering  of 
birds  to  be  in  a proper  direction,  and  partly 
detained  by  his  followers.  Besides,  the 
wholb  way  in  advancing,  their  dreams  are 
religiously  interpreted  and  adhered  to;  but, 
as  in  all  such  matters,  interpretations  are 
liable  to  a double  construction.  The  finale 
is,  that  inclination,  or  often  fear,  is  most 
powerful.  A fearful  heart  produces  a disa- 
greeable dream,  or  a bad  omen  in  imagined 
sounds  from  birds  or  deer,  and  this  always 
makes  a force  return.  But  they  often  loiter 
about  so  long,  that  the  enemy  gains  intelli- 
gence of  their  intended  attack,  and  is  on  the 
alert. 

“ However  absurdly  these  omens  lead  the 
human  race,  they  steadily  continue  to  fol- 
low and  believe  in  such  practices.  Faith 
predominates,  and  hugs  huge  wonders,  and 
tenaciously  lives  in  the  minds  of  the  igno- 
rant. Some  of  the  Dyaks  are  somewhat 
shaken  in  the  belief  in  hereditary  omens, 
and  a few  follow  the  Malay  custom  of  using 
a particular  day,  which  has  a strange  eflect 
on  Euroj)ean  imaginations.  The  white  man 
who  commands  the  force  is  supposed  to 
have  an  express  bird  and  lucky  charm  to 
guide  him  onward;  and  to  these  the  Dyaks 
trust  considerably.  ‘You  are  our  bird,  we 
follow  you.’  I well  know  the  names,  and 
can  distinguish  the  sounds  of  their  birds, 
and  the  different  hands  on  which  the  good 
and  bad  omens  are  interpreted. 

“ The  effect  of  these  signs  on  myself  was 
often  very  marked,  and  no  Dyak  could  feel 
an  adverse  omen  more  than  myself  when 
away  in  the  jungle,  surrounded  by  these  su- 
perstitious people.  Still,  I could  sympathize 
with  the  multitude,  and  the  difficulty  lay  in 
the  qpestion,  whether  any  influence  would 
be  sufficient  to  counteract  such  phantoms. 
It  must  not  be  thought  I ever  attempted  to 
lead  the  Dyaks  to  believe  that  I was  the 
owner  of  charms  and  such  absurdities, 
which  could  not  have  lasted  above  a season, 
and  could  never  be  successful  for  a length 
of  time.  A maias’  (orang-outan’s)  head  was 
hanging  in  my  room,  and  this  they  thought 
to  be  my  director  to  successful  expeditions.” 

The  cries  of  various  animals  are  all  inter- 
preted by  the  Dyaks,  those  which  have  evil 
significations  far  outnumbering  the  good- 
omened  cries.  The  worst  of  all  omens  is 
the  cry  of  a deer,  which  will  make  a Dyak 


OllDEALS. 


1159 


abandon  any  project  on  which  he  is  engaged, 
no  matter  how  deeply  his  heart  may  be  set 
on  it. 

On  one  occasion,  a Dyak  had  married  a 
young  girl  for  whom  he  had  a very  strong 
attachment,  which  was  returned.  On  the 
third  day  after  the  marriage,  the  English 
missionary  entered  the  head  house  and  was 
surprised  to  see  the  young  liusband  sitting 
in  it  hard  at  work  on  some  brass  wire.  This 
was  a very  strong  circumstance,  as  the  head 
house  is  tenanted  only  by  the  bachelors. 
The  missionary  naturally  asked  him  what 
he  was  doing  there,  and  what  had  become  of 
his  wife,  to  which  he  answered  sorrowfully 
that  he  had  no  wife,  a deer  having  cried  on 
the  preceding  night,  so  that  they  were 
obliged  to  dissolve  the  marriage  at  once. 

“ But,”  said  his  interrogator,  “ are  you  not 
sorry  for  this?  ” 

“ Very  sorry!  ” 

“ What  are  you  doing  with  the  wire?  ” 

“ Making  ornaments  for  the  girl  whom  1 
want  for  my  new  wife.” 

It  seems  that  the  belief  in  the  Antus  is  so 
ingrained  in  the  minds  of  the  Dyaks,  that 
whenever  any  one  meets  with  an  accident, 
some  Antu  or  other  is  presumed  to  have 
been  the  author  of  the  injury,  and  to  require 
appeasal.’  Mr.  Brooke  mentions  that  he  once 
found  the  leaf  of  a palm  tree  folded  in  a pe- 
culiar manner,  lying  near  his  house.  This 
was  an  offering  to  the  Antu,  because  a man 
had  fallen  down  there  and  injured  himself. 

The  leaf  was  supposed  to  be  possessed  by 
the  Antu,  who  would  avenge  himself  if  his 
leaf  were  disturbed  by  causing  the  arm  of 
the  offender  to  swell.  However,  Mr.  Brooke 
picked  up  the  leaf  and  threw  it  away,  and 
within  two  days  his  arm  became  swollen 
and  inflamed,  and  remained  in  that  state  for 
nearly  a fortnight  afterward. 

In  connection  with  this  subject  must  be 
mentioned  the  ordeals  by  which  disputes  are 
often  settled.  These  are  of  various  kinds, 
but  the  favorite  plan  is  the  ordeal  of  diving. 
The  two  disputants  are  taken  to  the  river 
and  wade  into  the  water  up  to  the  chin.  At 
a given  signal  they  plunge  beneath  the  sur- 
face, and  the  one  who  can  remain  longest 
under  water  wins  the  case.  There  was  a 
very  curious  instance  of  such  an  ordeal 
where  the  honor  of  a family  was  involved. 
The  daughter  of  a chief  was  found  to  have 
disgraced  herself,  and  laid  the  blame  upon  a 
young  man  of  rank.  He,  however,  utterly 
contradicted  her  story,  and  at  last  the  dis- 
pute was  brought  to  an  end  by  the  ordeal  of 
diving.  The  young  chief  won  his  cause,  and 
the  result  was  that  the  offending  girl  had  to 
leave  the  village,  and  her  father  was  deserted 
by  his  followers,  so  that  he  was  also  obliged 
to  seek  another  home. 

Then  there  is  the  salt  ordeal.  Each  liti- 
gant is  provided  with  a lump  of  salt  of  pre- 
cisely the  same  weight,  and  he  whose  salt 
retains  its  shape  longest  in  water  is  held  to 

56 


be  the  winner.  There  is  also  the  boiling- 
water  test,  which  is  exactly  the  same  as  tliat 
which  was  practised  in  England  in  former 
days,  the  hand  being  di])ped  into  the  hot 
liquid,  and  coming  out  uninjured  if  tlie  ap- 
pellant be  innocent.  Lastly,  there  is  the 
snail  ordeal.  Each  party  takes  a snail  and 
puts  it  on  a ])late,  and  lime  juice  is  poured 
over  them,  when  the  snail  tliat  lirst  moves 
is  considered  to  have  indicated  that  its 
owner  is  in  the  wrong. 

The  reader  may  remember  that  the  Dyaks 
are  in  tlie  habit  of  purchasing  water  that  has 
been  poured  into  the  sacred  jars,  and  sprink- 
ling it  over  their  fields  by  way  of  ensuring 
fertility.  They  believe  that  water  which  has 
touched  the  person  of  a white  man  will  have 
the  same  effect,  especially  if  he  be  a man  of 
some  rank.  So  as  soon  as  English  officers 
arrive  at  a Dyak  village,  the  natives  have  a 
custom  of  seizing  them,  pulling  off  their 
shoes  and  stockings,  and  washing  their  feet, 
the  water  being  preserved  as  an  infallible 
charm  for  promoting  the  growth  of  their 
crops. 

They  carry  this  principle  to  an  extent 
which  to  us  seems  exceedingly  disgusting. 
Long  bamboos  filled  with  dressed  rice  are 
brought  to  the  visitors,  who  are  requested 
to  spit  in  them.  The  rice  thus  medicated  is 
distributed  among  the  assembled  crowd,  who 
press  eagerly  round,  each  attempting  to  se- 
cure a portion  of  the  health-giving  food. 
Some  of  the  more  cunning  among  the  people 
try  to  secure  a second  and  some  a third  sup- 
ply, and  Mr.  St.  John  mentions  an  instance 
when  one  horrid  old  woman  managed  to  be 
helped  six  times. 

The  same  traveller  mentions  that  the 
blood  of  fowls  is  thought  to  be  a very  power- 
ful charm,  and  the  Dyaks  have  a ceremony 
connected  with  the  shedding  of  blood  which 
is  almost  identical  with  the  Jewish  Passover. 
(See  Exod.  xii.  22.)  A festival  had  been 
given  in  honor  of  the  visitors.  Their  feet 
had  been  washed,  and  the  water  put  aside. 
Their  rice  had  been  duly  medicated,  and  the 
Orang-kaya  began  some  curious  ceremonies, 
flinging  rice  out  of  the  windows,  and  accom- 
panying the  act  with  a prayer  for  fertility 
to  the  fields  and  prosperity  to  the  village. 
He  was  evidently  repeating  a well-learned 
lesson,  and  it  was  ascertained  that  the  wmrds 
which  he  used  were  not  understood  by  him- 
self, so  that  we  find  among  the  Dyaks  the 
relics  of  an  expired  language,  the  few  rem- 
nants of  which  are  preserved  by  religion, 
just  as  is  the  case  with  the  inhabitants  of 
Hew  Zealand  and  other  islands. 

This  portion  of  the  ceremony  being  ended 
a sort  of  sacred  dance  was  performed,  the 
Orang-kaya  and  the  elders  going  succes- 
sively to  the  white  visitors,  passing  their 
hands  over  their  arms,  and  going  off  in  a 
slow,  measured  tread,  “ moving  their  arms 
and  hands  in  unison  with  their  feet  until 
they  reached  the  end  of  the  house,  and  came 


1160 


BOENEO. 


back  to  where  we  sat.  Then  came  another 
pressure  of  the  palm,  a few  more  passes  to 
draw  virtue  out  of  us,  another  yell,  and  off 
they  went  again  — at  one  time  there  were 
at  least  a hundred  dancing. 

‘‘  For  three  nights  we  had  had  little  sleep, 
on  account  of  these  ceremonies,  but  at 
length,  notwithstanding  clash  of  gong  and 
beat  of  drum,  we  sank  back  in  our  beds,  and 
were  soon  fast  asleep.  In  perhaj^s  a couple 
of  hours  I awoke,  my  companion  was  still 
sleeping  uneasily,  the  din  was  deafening, 
and  I sat  up  to  look  around. 

Unfortunate  moment!  I was  instantly 
seized  by  the  hands  of  two  priests,  and  led 
up  to  the  Orang-kaya,  who  was  himself  cut- 
ting a fowl’s  throat.  He  wanted  Captain 
Brooke  to  perform  the  following  ceremony, 
but  I objected  to  his  being  awakened,  and 
offered  to  do  it  for  him.  I was  taken  to  the 
very  end  of  the  house,  and  the  bleeding 
fovd  put  in  my  hands.  Holding  him  by  his 
legs  I had  to  strike  the  lintel  of  the  doors, 
sprinkling  a little  blood  over  each.  When 
this  was  over,  I had  to  wave  the  fowl  over 
the  heads  of  the  women  and  wish  them  fer- 
tility; over  the  children,  and  wish  them 
health;  over  all  the  people,  and  wish  them 
prosperity;  out  of  the  window,  and  invoke 
good  crops  for  them.” 

Funerals  among  the  Dyaks  differ 
slightly  in  the  various  tribes.  The  com- 
mon people  are  buried  or  even  burned  with 
scarcely  any  ceremony,  but  the  bodies  of 
chiefs  and  their  relatives  are  treated  with  a 
whole  series  of  rites. 

As  soon  as  a chief  dies,  the  corpse  is 
dressed  in  his  finest  clothes,  every  ornament 
that  he  possessed  is  hung  upon  him,  and  his 
favorite  swords  and  other  weapons  are  laid 
by  his  side.  The  body  is  then  placed  on  an 
elevated  platform,  and  is  watched  and  tended 
as  if  the  dead  man  were  still  alive,  food, 
drink,  tobacco,  and  sirih  being  continually 


offered  him,  and  the  air  kept  cool  by  constant 
fanning.  The  men  assemble  on  one  side  of 
the  corpse,  and  the  women  on  the  other,  and 
romp  with  each  other  as  if  the  occasion  were 
of  a joyful  rather  than  a sorrowful  character. 
These  games  are  continued  until  the  corpse 
is  far  gone  in  decomposition,  when  it  is 
placed  in  a coffin  made  of  a hollowed  tree 
trunk,  and  buried  in  a grave  which  must  not 
be  more  than  five  feet  deep. 

Knowing  the  customs  of  the  people,  the 
Malays  are  apt  to  rifle  the  graves  of  dead 
chiefs,  for  the  sake  of  obtaining  the  swords 
and  other  valuables  that  are  buried  with 
them.  Formerly,  after  the  body  was  laid  in 
the  grave,  the  sword,  a jar  or  two,  clothes, 
ornaments,  and  a female  slave  were  placed 
in  a canoe,  the  woman  being  firml}^  chained 
to  it.  When  the  tide  was  ebbing  the  boat 
was  sent  adrift,  and  was  supposed  to  supply 
the  spirit  of  the  departed  with  all  the  goods 
that  were  on  board.  This  custom,  however, 
has  been  long  discontinued,  as  the  Dyaks 
found  that  the  canoe  and  its  contents  almost 
invariably  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Malays, 
who  thus  procured  slaves  without  paying  for 
them,  and  enriched  themselves  besides  with 
the  swords,  gold,  and  clothing. 

The  sexton’s  office  is  hereditary,  and 
whenever  the  line  fails  the  Dyaks  have 
great  difficulty  in  finding  some  -one  who 
will  not  only  take  the  office  upon  himself, 
but  must  also  entail  it  upon  his  descendants. 
The  office,  however,  is  a very  lucrative  one, 
varying  from  a rupee  to  two  dollars,  a sum  of 
money  which  can  procure  for  a Dyak  all  the 
necessaries  and  most  of  the  luxuries  of  life 
for  several  weeks. 

The  Kayan  Dyaks  do  not  bury  their  dead, 
but  place  the  body  in  a very  "stout  coffin 
made  of  a hollowed  tree,  and  elevate  it  on 
two  stout  carved  posts,  with  woodwork  pro- 
jecting from  each  corner,  like  the  roofs  of 
Siamese  houses. 


CHAPTER  CXX. 


TIEEEA  DEL  FUEGO. 


APPEAKANCE  — AECHITECTUKB  — IIAKTJFACTTTEES. 

POSITION  OF  THE  COUNTRY  AND  SIGNIFICATION  OF  THE  NAME  — CONFORMATION  OF  THE  LAND  AND 
ITS  ANIMAL  AND  VEGETABLE  LIFE — APPEARANCE  OF  THE  FUEGIANS  — ERRONEOUS  IDEAS  CON- 
CERNING THEM  — COLOR,  COSTUME,  AND  MODE  OF  WEARING  THE  HAIR  — INDIFFERENCE  TO 
DRESS  — PAINT  AND  ORNAMENTS  — FUEGIAN  ARCHITECTURE  — THE  POINTED  AND  ROUNDED  HUTS 
— THE  SPEAR  AND  ITS  HEAD— BOWS  AND  ARROWS  — STONE  THROWING  — WONDERFUL  STRENGTH 
OF  THE  FUEGIANS  — SKILL  WITH  THE  SLING  — STUDY  OF  PARTICULAR  AVEAPONS — FOOD  OF  THE 
FUEGIANS  — ANGLING  WITHOUT  HOOKS  — THE  DOGS,  FISHERS  AND  BIRD  CATCHERS — THE  DOG 
RESPECTED  BY  THE  FirEGIANS — CANNIBALISM — THE  TREE  FUNGUS  — CANOES  — THE  LARGE  AND 
SMALL  CANOES,  AND  THEIR  USES  — SHIFTING  QUARTERS  AND  TRANSPORTING  CANOES  — COOKERY 
— GENERAL  TEMPERAMENT  OF  THE  FUEGIANS  — JEMMY  BUTTON  — FUEGIAN  GOVERNMENT, 


At  the  extreme  southern  point  of  America 
is  a large  island,  or  rather  a collection  of  isl- 
ands separated  by  very  narrow  armlets  of 
the  sea.  It  is  separated  from  the  mainland 
hy  the  strange  tortuous  Magellan’s  Strait, 
which  is  in  no  place  wide  enough  to  permit 
a ship  to  be  out  of  sight  of  land,  and  in  some 
points  is  exceedingly  narroAv.  As  Magellan 
sailed  through  this  channel  by  night,  he  saAv 
that  the  southern  shore  Avas  studded  Avith 
innumerable  fires,  and  he  therefore  called 
the  country  Tierra  dee  Fuego,  or  Land 
of  Fire.  These  fires  Avere  probably  beacons 
lighted  by  the  natives  in  order  to  warn  each 
other  of  the  approach  of  strangers,  to  whom 
the  Fuegians  have  at  times  evinced  the 
most  bitter  hostility,  Avhile  at  others  they 
have  been  kind  and  hospitable  in  their 
way. 

The  country  is  a singularly  unpromising 
one,  and  Tierra  del  Fuego  on  the  south  and 
the  Esquimaux  country  on  the  north  seem 
to  be  exactly  the  lands  in  Avhich  human 
beings  could  not  live.  Yet  both  are  popu- 
lated, and  the  natives  of  both  extremities  of 
this  vast  continent  are  fully  impressed  with 
the  superiority  of  their  country  over  all 
others. 

Tierra  del  Fuego  is,  as  its  proximity  to 
the  South  Pole  infers,  a miserably  cold 
country,  and  even  in  the  summer  time  the 
place  is  so  cold  that  in  comparison  England 


would  seem  to  be  quite  a tropical  island.  In 
consequence  of  this  extreme  cold  neither 
animal  nor  vegetable  life  can  be  luxuriant. 
The  forests  are  small,  and  the  trees  short, 
stumpy,  and  ceasing  to  exist  at  all  at  some 
fifteen  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea.  There  is  a sort  of  evergreen  beech 
(Fagus  hetuloides). 

There  is  only  one  redeeming  point  in  the 
climate  of  Tierra  del  Fuego.  The  mos- 
quito that  haunts  alike  the  hottest  and 
coldest  countries,  and  equally  a terror  in 
tropical  and  Arctic  America,  cannot  live  in 
Tierra  del  Fuego,  the  damp,  as  Avell  as  the 
cold,  being  fatal  to  it.  Indeed,  there  are 
very  feAV  insects  in  this  strange  land,  and 
reptiles  are  altogether  absent. 

Absence  of  vegetable  life  naturally  results 
in  absence  of  animal  life,  the  herbivoroqs 
animals  being  starved  out  for  Av^ant  of  their 
proper  food,  and  the  carnivora  being  equally 
unable  to  live,  as  finding.no  animals  on 
which  to  feed.  Man  being  omnivorous,  has 
a slightly  better  chance  of  living,  but  eA^en 
he  could  not  multiply  and  fill  the  country 
when  food  is  so  limited,  provided  he  were 
limited  to  the  land,  but,  as  he  is  master  of 
the  waters  as  well  as  of  the  earth,  he  can 
draAv  his  living  from  the  sea  and  rivers  Avhen 
the  land  refuses  to  supply  him  -with  food. 
Such  is  the  case  Avith  the  Fuegians,  who  are 
essentially  people  of  the  sea  and  its  shore, 


(llGl) 


1162 


TIEREA  DEL  FUEGO. 


and  who  draw  nearly  the  whole  of  their  sub- 
sistence from  its  waters,  as  we  shall  see  in  a 
future  page. 

Perhaps  in  consequence  of  the  scantiness, 
the  irregularity,  and  the  quality  of  their 
food,  the  Euegians  are  a very  short  race  of 
men,  often  shorter  than  the  average  Bosjes- 
man  of  Southern  Africa,  and  even  lower  in 
the  social  scale.  They  ought  not  to  be  called 
dwarfs,  as  is  too  often  the  case,  their  bodies 
being  tolerably  proportioned,  and  their  fig- 
ures not  stunted,  but  simply  smaller  than 
the  average  of  Europeans,  while  the  muscu- 
lar development  of  the  upper  part  of  the  body 
is  really  wonderful.  As  a rule,  the  average 
height  of  the  Fuegian  men  is  about  five  feet, 
and  that  of  the  women  four  feet  six  inches. 
In  some  parts  of  the  islands  there  are  na- 
tives of  much  larger  size,  but  these  are  evi- 
dently immigrants  from  the  adjacent  coun- 
try of  Patagonia,  where  the  stature  is  as 
much  above  the  average  of  Europeans  as  that 
of  the  Fuegians  is  below  it. 

The  color  of  the  natives  is  a dark  coppery 
brown,  the  reddish  hue  being  only  percep- 
tible in  spots  where  they  happen  accident- 
ally to  be  clean.  The  limbs  are  generally 
slight,  so  that  the  knees  and  elbows  seem  to 
be  disproportionately  large,  and  their  heads 
are  covered  with  masses  of  black  hair,  that 
possesses  no  curl,  and  falls  in  long,  wild 
tangled  locks  over  their  shoulders.  The 
men  are  almost  entirely  beardless. 

An  illustration  on  the  opposite  page  of  a 
Fuegian  man  and  woman  gives  a correct  rep- 
resentation of  the  ugliness  of  feature  and 
want  of  intelligence  which  characterize  this 
people. 

Both  sexes  allow  their  hair  to  run  to  its  full 
length,  except  over  the  forehead,  where  it 
is  roughly  cut  with  a shell  to  prevent  it  from 
falling  into  the  eyes.  The  people  have  a 
strange  superstitious  reverence  for  hair,  and 
that  portion  which  is  cut  off  is  deposited  in 
a basket,  and  afterward  carefully  disposed 
of.  Once,  when  the  captain  had  snipped  off 
a little  hair  from  a Fuegian’s  head,  he  found 
that  he  had  given  great  offence,  and  was 
obliged  to  restore  the  severed  hair  and  put 
away  the  scissors  before  the  angry  feel- 
ings of  the  native  could  be  smoothed.  On 
another  occasion,  the  only  mode  of  pacify- 
ing the  offended  native  was  by  restoring  the 
lock  of  hair,  together  with  a similar  lock 
from  the  head  of  the  white  man.  The  cut 
hair  is  generally  burned. 

Captain  King’s  account  of  the  Fuegian 
women  is  not  attractive. 

“ The  hair  of  the  women  is  longer,  less 
coarse,  and  certainly  cleaner  than  that  of 
the  men.  It  is  combed  with  the  jaw  of  a 
porpoise,  but  neither  plaited  nor  tied;  and 
none  is  cut  away,  except  from  over  their 
eyes.  They  are  short,  with  bodies  largely 
out  of  proportion  to  their  height;  their  fea- 
tures, especially  those  of  the  old,  are  scarcely 
less  disagreeable  than  the  repulsive  ones  of 


the  men.  About  four  feet  and  some  inches 
is  the  stature  of  these  she-Fuegians,  by 
courtesy  called  women.  They  never  walk 
upright;  a stooping  posture  and  awkward 
movement  is  their  natural  gait.  They  may 
be  fit  mates  for  such  uncouth  men;  but  to 
civilized  people  their  appearance  is  disgust- 
ing. Very  few  exceptions  were  noticed. 

‘^The  color  of  the  women  is  similar  to 
that  of  the  men.  As  they  are  just  as  much 
exposed,  and  do  harder  work,  this  is  a natu- 
ral consequence.  Besides,  while  children 
they  run  about  quite  naked,  picking  up 
shell-fish,  carrying  wood,  or  bringing  water. 
In  the  color  of  the  older  people  there  is  a 
tinge  of  yellow,  which  is  not  noticed  in  the 
middle-aged  or  young.” 

As  is  the  case  with  many  savage  tribes, 
the  teeth  of  the  Fuegians  are  ground  down 
to  an  almost  flat  surface.  This  is  most  con- 
spicuous in  the  front  teeth.  There  is  little 
apparenkdistinction  between  the  canine  and 
the  incisor  teeth,  both  being  ground  down  to 
such  an  extent  that  the  only  remains  of  the 
enamel  are  on  the  sides,  and,  as  Captain 
King  graphically  remarks,  “ the  front  teeth 
are  solid,  and  often  flat-topped  like  those  of 
a horse  eight  years  old.  . . . the  interior 
substance  of  each  tooth  is  then  seen  as 
plainly  in  proportion  to  its  size  as  that  of  a 
horse.” 

The  mouth  is  large,  and  very  coarsely 
formed,  and  as  there  is  not  a vestige  of 
beard  its  full  ugliness  is  shown  to  the  best 
advantage. 

One  of  the  strangest  phenomena  con- 
nected with  the  Fuegians  is  their  lack  of 
clothing.  In  a climate  so  cold  that  in  the 
middle  of  summer  people  have  been  frozen 
to  death  at  no  great  elevation  above  the 
level  of  the  sea,  it  might  well  be  imagined 
that  the  natives  would  follow  the  same 
course  as  that  adopted  by  the  Esquimaux, 
and  make  for  themselves  garments  out  of 
the  thickest  and  warmest  furs  that  can  be 
procured. 

They  might  do  so  if  they  chose.  In  some 
parts  of  their  country  they  have  the  thick- 
woolled  guanaco  (probably  an  importation 
from  the  mainland),  and  in  others  are  deer 
and  foxes,  not  to  mention  the  dogs  which 
they  keep  in  a domesticated  state.  Besides, 
there  are  few  furs  warmer  than  those  of  the 
seal,  and  seals  of  various  kinds  abound  on 
the  Fuegian  coasts,  some,  such  as  the  sea- 
lion,  being  of  very  large  size.  Then  there 
are  various  water  birds,  whose  skins  would 
make  dresses  equally  light  and  warm,  such 
as  the  penguin,  the  duck,  the  albatross,  and 
the  like. 

It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  if  the  Fue- 
gian is  not  warmly  and  thickly  clothed,  it  is 
not  from  want  of  material,  and  that  he  is 
naked  not  from  necessity  but  choice.  And 
he  chooses  nudity,  neither  sex  wearing  any 
description  of  clothes  except  a piece  of  seal 
or  deer  skin  about  eighteen  inches  square 


(1.)  FUEGIANS. 
(See  page  1162.) 


(2.)  PATAGONIANS. 
(See  page  1173.1 


(1163) 


HOUSES  OF  THE  FUEGIANS. 


11G5 


Imng  over  one  shoulder.  No  other  cover- 
ing is  worn  except  this  patch  of  skin,  whicli 
is  shifted  about  from  one  side  of  the  body 
to  the  other  according  to  the  direction  of 
the  wind,  the  Fuegian  appearing  to  be  per- 
fectly indifferent  to  frost,  rain,  or  snov/.  For 
example,  a Fuegian  mother  has  been  seen 
with  her  child  in  her  arms,  wearing  nothing 
but  the  little  patch  of  seal-skin  on  the  wind- 
ward side,  and  yet  standing  unconcernedly 
in  the  snow,  which  not  only  fell  on  her  naked 
shoulder,  but  was  heaped  between  her  child 
and  her  breast,  neither  mother  nor  infant 
seeming  td  be  more  than  ordinarily  cold. 
During  mild  weather,  or  when  the  Fuegian 
is  paddling  or  otherwise  engaged  in  work, 
he  thinks  that  even  the  piece  of  seal-skin  is 
too  much  for  him,  and  throws  it  off. 

Though  careless  about  clothing,  he  is  not 
indifferent  to  ornament,  and  decorates  his 
copper-colored  body  in  various  ways.  lie 
uses  paint  in  profusion,  generally  laying  on 
a white  ground  made  of  a chalky  clay,  and 
drawing  patterns  upon  it  of  black  or  dull 
brick-red.  The  black  is  simply  charcoal  re- 
duced to  powder.  He  likes  necklaces,  which 
are  mostly  white,  and  are  made  of  the  teeth 
of  fishes  and  seals,  or  of  pieces  of  bone. 
Ornaments  of  the  same  character  are  worn 
upon  the  wrists  and  ankles,  so  that,  although 
the  Fuegian  has  no  clothes,  he  has  plenty  of 
savage  jewelry. 

Both  sexes  keep  their  long,  straggling 
locks  out  of  their  eyes  by  means  of  a small 
fillet  made  of  sinews,  or  the  hair  of  the 
guanaco,  twined  round  the  forehead.  Fea- 
thers and  similar  ornaments  are  stuck  into 
this  fillet;  but  if  they  be  white,  the  specta- 
tor must  be  on  his  guard,  for  white  down 
and  feathers  on  the  head  are  signs  of  war. 
Red,  on  the  contrary,  denotes  peace;  so  that 
these  people  entirely  reverse  the  symbolism 
of  color  which  is  accepted  almost  over  the 
entire  world.  Sometimes  a native  may  be 
seen  so  covered  with  black  paint  that  the 
coppery  color  of  the  skin  is  entirely  lost,  and 
the  complexion  is  as  black  as  that  of  a ne- 
gro. This  is  a sign  of  mourning,  and  is 
used  on  the  death  of  a relation  or  friend. 

The  houses  of  the  Fuegians  are  as  simple 
as  their  dress,  and  practically  are  little  but 
rude  shelters  from  the  wind.  Any  boy  can 
make  a Fuegian  house  in  half  an  hour.  lie 
has  only  to  cut  a number  of  long  branches, 
sharpen  the  thicker  ends,  and  stick  them 
into  the  ground,  so  as  to  occupy  seven- 
eighths  or  so  of  a circle.  Let  him  then  tie 
the  sticks  together  at  the  top,  and  the  frame- 
work of  the  house  is  completed.  The  walls 
and  roof  are  made  by  twisting  smaller  boughs 
among  the  uprights  and  throwing  long  coarse 
rass  on  them,  and  the  entire  furniture  of  the 
ut  is  comprised  in  a few  armfuls  of  the  same 
grass  thrown  on  the  ground. 

The  opening  at  the  side  is  always  made 
in  the  direction  opposite  the  wind,  and 
there  is  no  attempt  at  a door;  so  that,  in 


fact,  as  has  been  said,  the  Fuegian’s  only 
idea  of  a house  is  a shelter  from  the  wind,  so 
that  the  natives  liave  no  idea  of  a homo  or 
even  of  a dwelling-place.  This  is  the  form 
of  hut  used  by  the  Tekoenika  tribes  of 
south-eastern  Fuegia.  A Fuegian  settle- 
ment, with  houses  and  surrounding  scen- 
ery, is  well  represented  on  the  llGlJth 
page. 

That  which  is  generally  employed  in  other 
parts  of  Fuegia  is  even  more  simple.  It  is 
barely  half  the  height  of  dhe  Tekeenika  hut, 
and  looks  something  like  a large  bee-hive.  It 
seldom,  if  ever,  exceeds  five  feet  in  height, 
but,  as  the  earth  is  scraped  away  within, 
another  foot  in  height  is  given  to  the  in- 
terior. It  is  made  simply  by  digging  a cir- 
cular hole  a foot  or  so  in  depth,  planting 
green  boughs  around  the  excavation,  bend- 
ing them  over,  and  tying  their  tops  to- 
gether. Upon  this  rude  framework  are  fas- 
tened bunches  of  grass,  sheets  of  bark,  and 
skins;  so  that,  on  the  whole,  a habitation  is 
formed  which  is  equal  in  point  of  accom- 
modation to  a gipsy’s  tent.  These  huts  vary 
much  in  diameter,  though  not  in  height;  for, 
while  a number  of  huts  are  from  four  to 
five  feet  in  height,  their  diameter  will  vary 
from  six  to  twenty  feet. 

The  Fuegians  are  a quarrelsome  people, 
and  the  different  tribes  are  constantly  at 
war  with  each  other;  and,  although  they 
can  scarcely  be  divided  into  definite  tribes, 
the  spirit  of  local  jealousy  is  sufficiently 
strong  within  them’to  keep  the  inhabitants 
of  one  district  at  perpetual  feud  with  those 
of  another.  The  conformation  of  the  coun- 
try aids  this  feeling  of  jealousy,  the  land 
being  divided  by  numerous  ravines,  armlets 
of  the  sea,  and  precipitous  mountains;  but, 
fortunately  for  the  Fuegians,  this  very 
structure  prevents  destruction  in  war,  al- 
though it  encourages  the  ill-feeling  which 
leads  to  war;  and  the  battles  of  the  Fue- 
gians are,  at  the  best,  nothing  but  detached 
skirmishes,  without  producing  the  least 
political  effect. 

Their  weapons  are  the  bow  and  arrow, 
the  spear,  and  the  sling.  These  weapons 
are  primarily  intended  for  hunting,  and  are 
much  more  used  for  killing  seals,  guanacos, 
deer,  fish,  and  birds  than  in  slaying  men. 
In  the  use  of  them  the  Fuegians  are  won- 
derfully expert.  Capt.  Parker  Snow  men- 
tions a case  where  a number  of  Fuegians 
had  assembled  in  their  canoes  round  his 
vessel.  A large  fish  happened  to  pass, 
whereupon  the  natives  instantly  speared  it, 
and  pitched  it  on  board  the  ship. 

The  shafts  of  the  spears  sometimes  reach 
the  length  of  ten  feet,  and,  instead  of  being 
rounded,  as  is  mostly  the  case  with  spear 
shafts,  are  octagonal.  The  heads  are  made 
of  bone,  about  seven  inches  in  length,  and 
have  a single  barb  about  four  inches  from 
the  point.  The  Patagonians  use  a very 
similar  weapon,  as  we  shall  presently  see. 


1166 


TIERRA  DEL  EUEGO. 


There  is  another  kind  of  spear  head,  which 
has  a whole  row  of  small  barbs  down  one 
side.  This  weapon  is  used  as  a javelin,  and 
is  thrown  with  great  force  and  accuracy,  the 
native  grasping  it  near  the  middle,  poising 
for  a moment,  so  as  to  look  along  it,  and 
then  hurling  it. 

The  bow  and  arrow  are  mostly  used  for 
killing  birds,  the  arrows  being  made  of  hard 
wood,  about  two  feet  long.  They  are  headed 
with  pieces  of  Hint  or  obsidian,  which 
are  merely  stuck  in  a notch  at  the  end  of 
the  arrow,  so  that,  when  the  shaft  is  with- 
drawn, the  head  remains  in  the  wound. 
The  bow  is  strung  Avith  twisted  sineAvs. 
Birds  are  also  killed  by  stones,  some  throAvn 
by  hand,  and  others  Avith  the  sling,  the  Avon- 
derful  strength  of  these  strange  people  en- 
abling them  to  use  their  missiles  with  terri- 
ble effect. 

Although  not  tall,  the  Fuegians  are  very 
thick-set  and  enormously  powerful.  One  of 
them,  named  by  the  sailors  York  Minster, 
was  a match  in  point  of  muscular  strength 
for  any  tAVO  of  the  men  belonging  to  "the 
ship.  The  women  are  as  strong  as  the  men. 
On  one  occasion,  when  three  Fuegians,  a 
man  and  two  women,  had  treacherously 
attacked  a Avhite  sailor,  and  Avere  trying  to 
beat  out  his  brains  with  stones,  they  Avere 
interrupted,  and  the  sailor  rescued.  The 
man  Avas  shot.  One  of  the  women  tried  to 
conceal  herself  under  the  bank,  and  the 
other  Avas  seized  by  the  captain  and  his  cox- 
SAvain,  AA^ho  tried  to  pinion  her  arms.  She 
struggled  and  fought  so  stoutly  that  they 
could  scarcely  achieve  their  object,  and  had 
no  idea  that  they  Avere  contending  with  a 
woman  until  they  heard  some  one  announce 
the  sex  of  their  captive.  As  to  the  other 
woman,  Avho  Avas  the  oldest  of  the  party, 
she  clung  so  tightly  to  the  bank  that  tAvo  of 
the  strongest  sailors  could  scarcely  remove 
her. 

The  fate  of  the  man  was  very  curious, 
and  illustrates  the  reckless,  not  to  say 
senseless,  courage  of  these  people.  He 
was  mortally  Avoimded,  and  fell  back 
for  a moment,  alloAving  the  maltreated 
sailor  to  escape.  IIoAvever,  he  instantly 
recovered  himself,  and,  snatching  stones 
from  the  bed  of  the  stream  in  which  he  was 
standing,  began  to  hurl  them  Avith  astound- 
ing force  and  quickness.  He  used  both 
hands,  and  flung  stones  with  such  truth 
of  aim  that  the  first  struck  the  master, 
smashed  his  poAvder-horn  to  pieces,  and 
nearly  knocked  him  doAvn.  The  tAVO  next 
AA'ere  hurled  at  the  heads  of  the  nearest 
seamen,  who  just  escaped  by  stooping  as 
the  missiles  Avere  throAvn.  All  this  passed 
in  a second  or  tAVO,  and  with  an  attempt  to 
hurl  a fourth  stone  the  man  fell  dead. 

Some  time  before  this  event  the  sailors 
had  been  astonished  at  the  stone-throwing 
powers  of  the  Fuegians,  Avho  nearly  struck 
them  with  stones  throAvn  by  hand  when  | 


they  thought  themselves  even  beyond  mus- 
ket shot.  They  generally  carry  a store  of 
pebbles  ready  for  use  in  the  corner  of  their 
little  skin  mantles. 

The  sling  is  made  of  a cup  of  seal  or 
guanaco  skin,  to  Avhich  are  attached  two 
cords  similar  in  material  to  the  boAv-strings, 
thus  combining  apparent  delicacy  Avith  great 
strength.  The  cords  of  the  sling  are  more 
than  three  feet  in  length.  The  skill  which 
the  Fuegians  possess  Avith  this  Aveapon  is 
Avorthy  of  the  reputation  attained  by  the 
Balearic  islanders.  Captain  King  has  seen 
them  strike  Avith  a sling-stone  a <^p  placed 
on  a stump  at  fifty  or  ^ixty  yards’  distance, 
and  on  one  occasion  he  AAutnessed  a really 
Avonderful  display  of  dexterity.  He  asked  a 
Fuegian  to  shoAv  him  the  use  of  the  weapon. 
The  man  immediately  jAicked  up  a stone 
about  as  large  as  a pigeon’s  egg,  placed  it  in 
the  sling,  and  pointed  to  a canoe  as  his  mark. 
He  then  turned  his  back,  and  flung  the  stone 
in  exactly  the  opposite  direction,  so  that  it 
struck  the  trunk  of  a tree,  and  rebounded  to 
the  canoe.  The  men  seem  to  think  the 
sling  a necessity  of  life,  and  it  is  very  seldom 
that  a Fuegian  is  seen  Avithout  it  either  hung 
over  his  neck  or  tied  round  his  waist. 

It  is  rather  a curious  fact  that  the  Fue- 
gians alAva}^s  devote  themselves  to  one  par- 
ticular weapon.  One,  for  example,  Avill  be 
pre-eminent  in  the  use  of  the  boAV,  another 
Avill  excel  in  throwing  stones  with  the  hand, 
and  a third  will  giA'e  all  his  energies  to  the 
sling.  Yet,  although  each  man  selects  some 
particular  arm  in  the  use  of  Avhich  he  excels, 
they  all  are  tolerable  masters  of  the  other 
weapons,  and  it  sometimes  happens  that  a 
Fuegian  crosses  over  to  the  Patagonian 
coast,  procures  the  singular  Aveapon  called 
the  “ bolas,”  of  wdiich  the  reader  Avill  learn 
more  presently,  and  becomes  almost  as  ex- 
pert in  its  use  as  the  man  from  whom  he 
obtained  it. 

As  for  the  food  of  the  Fuegians,  it  is,  as  I 
have  already  mentioned,  chiefly  drawn  from 
the  sea.  He  is  an  excellent  fisherman,  and 
manages  to  capture  his  prey  Avithout  even  a 
hook.  He  ties  a bait  on  the  end  of  the 
line,  dangles  it  before  the  fish,  and  gradually 
coaxes  it  toward  the  surface  of  the  water. 
He  then  alloAvs  it  to  bite,  and,  before  it  can 
detach  its  teeth  from  the  bait,  jerks  it  out  of 
the  water  Avith  his  right  hand,  Avhile  Avith 
the  left  he  catches  or  strikes  it  into  the 
canoe.  It  is  evident  that  by  this  manner  of 
angling  it  is  impossible  to  catch  fish  of  any 
great  size.  As  soon  as  he  has  caught  the 
fish,  the  Fuegian  opens  it  by  the  simple  plan 
of  biting  a piece  out  of  its  under  surface, 
cleans  it,  and  hangs  it  on  a stick. 

Molluscs,  especially  the  mussels  and  lim- 
pets which  are  found  onlhe  sea-shores,  form 
a very  considerable  portion  of  the  Fuegian’s 
diet;  and  it  is  a curious  fact  that  these  na- 
tives never  throw  the  empty  shells  about, 


ArFECTIO^q"  FOR  DOGS. 


116T 


but  carefully  lay  them  in  heaps.  They  are 
especially  careful  not  to  throw  them  back 
into  the  sea,  thinking  that  the  molluscs  would 
take  warning  by  seeing  the  shells  of  their 
comrades,  and  would  forsake  the  coast. 
Every  woman  is  furnished  with  a short 
pointed  stick  of  hard  wood,  with  which  she 
knocks  the  limpets  off  the  rocks. 

There  is  a very  large  species  of  mussel 
found  on  these  shores,  which  is  particularly 
useful  to  the  Fuegian,  who  employs  its  shell 
as  a knife.  These  tools  are  made  in  a very 
simple  manner.  The  Fuegian  first  knocks 
off  the  original  edge  of  the  shell,  which  is 
brittle  and  rather  fragile,  and,  by  grinding 
it  against  the  rocks,  produces  a new  edge, 
which  is  sharp  enough  to  cut  wood  and  even 
bone. 

By  means  of  the  spear  and  arrows,  the 
Fuegian  contrives  even  to  capture  seals  and 
sea-otters,  but  the  pursuit  in  which  he 
shows  his  greatest  ingenuity  is  the  capture 
of  fish  by  means  of  dogs.  These  dogs  are 
little,  fox-like  looking  dogs,  which  appear 
utterly  incapable  of  aiding  their  masters  in 
hunting.  _ Yet  they  are  singularly  intelli- 
gent in  their  own  way,  and  have  learned  a 
most  curious  fashion  of  taking  fish.  When 
a shoal  of  fish  approaches  the  land,  the  dogs 
swim  out  and  enclose  them,  splashing  and 
diviiig  until  they  drive  the  shoal  into  a net, 
or  into  some  creek  when  the  water  is  suffi- 
ciently shallow  for  the  spear  and  arrow  to 
be  used.  The  dogs  are  also  taught  to  catch 
the  birds  while  sleeping.  They  creep  up  to 
the  birds  quietly,  pounce  upon  them,  carry 
them  to  their  masters,  and  return  for  more, 
and  all  so  silently  that  the  birds  around  are 
not  disturbed. 

These  animals  are  regarded  with  very 
mingled  feelings.  The  Fuegian  neglects 
them  and  illtreats  them,  scarcely  ever  tak- 
ing the  trouble  to  feed  them,  so  that  if  they 
depended  on  the  food  given  them  by  their 
masters  they  would  starve.  However,  their 
aquatic  training  gives  them  the  power  of 
foraging  for  themselves,  and,  when  not 
required  by  their  masters,  they  can  catch 
fish  on  their  own  account.  They  are  odd, 
sharp  nosed,  bushy  tailed  animals,  with 
large,  pointed,  erect  ears,  and  usually  with 
dark  rough  hair,  though  a few  among  them 
have  the  fur  nearly  white.  They  are  watch- 
ful and  faithful  to  their  masters,  and  the 
sight  of  a stranger,  much  more  of  a clothed 
stranger,  sets  them  barking  furiously. 

Although  the  Fuegian  neglects  his  dog, 
he  has  a great  respect  and  even  affection  for 
the  animal.  It  often  happens  that  the  mus- 
sels and  limpets  fail,  that  the  weather  is  too 
tempestuous  for  fishing,  and  that  in  conse- 
quence the  people  are  reduced  to  the  brink 
of  starvation.  It  might  be  presumed  that, 
having  their  dogs  at  hand,  they  would  avail 
themselves  of  so  obvious  a source  of  food. 
This,  however,  they  never  do,  except  when 
reduced  to  the  last  extremity,  and,  instead  of 


eating  their  dogs,  they  eat  their  old  women, 
who,  as  they  think,  are  worn  out  and  can  do 
no  good,  wiiile  the  dogs,  if  suffered  to  live, 
will  assist  in  catching  fish  and  guanacos. 

When  they  have  determined  on  killing  an 
old  woman,  they  put  a quantity  of  green 
wood  on  their  fire,  so  as  to  cause  a thick, 
suffocating  smoke,  and  in  this  smoke  they 
hold  the  poor  creature’s  head  until  she  is 
stifled.  Unless  there  is  very  great  distress, 
the  women  eat  the  upper  part  of  the  victim 
and  the  men  the  lower,  the  trunk  being 
thrown  into  the  sea. 

Several  species  of  echinus,  or  sea  urchins, 
are  eaten  by  the  Fuegians,  wlio  dive  for  them 
and  bring  them  to  the  surface,  in  spite  of  the 
sharp  prickles  with  which  the  entire  surface 
is  beset. 

The  Fuegian’s  great  feast,  however,  takes 
place  when  a whale  is  stranded  on  the 
shore.  All  the  people  within  reach  flock  to 
the  spot,  while  fleets  of  canoes  surround  the 
stranded  monster,  and  its  body  is  covered 
Avith  little  copper-colored  men  carving  away 
the  blubber  with  their  shell  knives.  Each 
cuts  as  much  as  he  can  get,  andAvhen  he  has 
torn  and  carved  off  a large  piece  of  blubber, 
he  makes  a hole  in  the  middle,  puts  his  head 
through  the  aperture,  and  thus  leaves  his 
hands  free  to  carry  more  of  the  dainty  food. 
Besides  this  animal  food,  the  Fuegian  eats 
a remarkable  kind  of  fungus,  which  is  found 
on  the  antarctic  beech,  the  tree  which 
has  already  been  mentioned.  Mr.  W ebster 
gives  the  folloAAung  description  of  it:  — 

“ The  antarctic  beech  is  the  common  and 
prevailing  tree.  It  is  an  elegant  evergreen. 
It  groAvs  to  the  height  of  thirty  or  forty  feet, 
Avith  a girth  of  from  three  to  five  feet,  and 
sometimes,  doubling  these  dimensions,  it 
forms  a majestic  tree.  In  December  it  puts 
forth  a profusion  of  blossoms,  Avith  anthers 
of  bright  pink,  large  and  pendent.  This 
evergreen  beech  frequently  has  round  the 
upper  part  of  the  trunk,  or  on  some  of  the 
larger  branches,  large  clusters  of  globular 
fungi  of  a bright  orange  color.  Each  fun- 
gus is  about  the  size  of  a small  apple,  of  a 
soft  pulpy  nature,  with  a smooth  yellow 
skin.  As  it  approaches  maturity  it  becomes 
cellular  and  latticed  on  its  surface,  and 
Avhen  it  drops  from  the  tree,  dries,  and 
shrivels  into  a broAvn  mass  resembling  a 
morel. 

“ The  Fuegians  eat  this  fungus  Avith  avid- 
ity. The  gelatinous  mass  is  pale,  without 
taste  or  odor;  at  the  part  in  contact  Avith  the 
tree  are  two  germs  or  processes.  From 
tAventy  to  thirty  of  these  fungi  are  clustered 
together,  and  encircle  the  tree.  They  form 
a very  conspicuous  object,  and  wherever 
they  are  attached  they  produce  a hard  knot, 
or  woody  tumor,  of  considerable  density.  I 
did  not  observe  them  on  any  other  tree  than 
the  evergreen  beech.” 

Passing  so  much  of  his  time  on  the  sea, 
the  Fuegian  needs  a boat  of  some  kind,  and, 


1168 


TIEEKA  DEL  EUEGO. 


debased  as  he  is  in  many  points,  he  is  capa- 
ble of  constructing  a vessel  that  answers 
every  purpose  he  requires.  There  are  sev- 
eral kinds  of  Euegian  canoes.  The  simplest 
form  is  made  of  the  bark  of  a sort  of  birch, 
and  is  in  fact  formed  much  like  the  primi- 
tive canoes  of  the  Australians.  It  is  a 
single  sheet  of  bark  stripped  from  the  tree, 
and  tied  firmly  together  at  each  end.  Sev- 
eral sticks  placed  crosswise  in  the  middle 
serve  to  keep  it  open;  and  if  any  part  has  a 
tendency  to  bulge  in  the  opposite  direction,  a 
skin  thong  is  passed  across  the  boat  and 
keeps  it  in  shape.  The  ends  of  the  canoe, 
as  well  as  any  cracks  or  holes'  in  the  bark, 
are  caulked  with  dry  rushes  and  a pitchy 
resin  procured  from  trees. 

Like  the  Australian,  the  Euegian  carries 
fire  in  these  tiny  canoes,  placing  a lump  of 
clay  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  building  the 
fire  on  it,  and  so  being  able  to  remain  at  sea 
for  a considerable  time,  cooking  and  eating 
the  fish  as  fast  as  he  catches  them.  Such  a 
boat  as  this,  however,  is  too  frail  to  be  taken 
far  from  land,  or  indeed  to  be  used  at  all 
when  thd'  weather  is  tempestuous.  More- 
over, it  only  holds  one  or  two  persons,  and 
is  therefore  unfitted  for  many  purposes  for 
which  a Euegian  requires  a canoe.  A much 
larger  and  better  kind  of  canoe  is  therefore 
made,  which  has  the  useful  property  of  being 
made  in  separate  parts,  so  that  the  canoe  can 
be  taken  to  pieces,  and  the  various  portions 
carried  overland  to  any  spot  where  the 
canoe  may  be  wanted.  Such  a vessel  as  this 
is  about  fifteen  feet  in  length  and  a yard  in 
width,  and,  being  very  buoyant,  is  capable 
of  holding  a whole  family,  together  with 
their  house,  and  weapons,  and  utensils.  It 
is  considerably  raised  both  at  the  bow  and 
the  stern,  and  the  various  pieces  of  which  it 
is  made  are  sewed  together  with  thongs  of 
raw  hide. 

The  very  character  of  a Euegian’s  life 
shows  that  he  must,  to  a certain  degree,  be 
a nomad.  Pie  never  cultivates  the  soil,  he 
never  builds  a real  house,  he  never  stores  up 
food  for  the  future,  and  so  it  necessarily 
follows  that  when  he  has  eaten  all  the  mus- 
sels, limpets,  oysters,  and  fungi  in  one  spot, 
he  must  move  to  another.  And,  the  demands 
of  hunger  being  imperious,  he  cannot  wait, 
but,  even  if  the  weather  be  too  stormy  to 
allow  him  to  take  his  canoe  from  one  part  of 
the  coast  to  another,  he  is  still  forced  to  go, 
and  has  therefore  hit  upon  the  ingenious  plan 
of  taking  his  canoe  to  pieces,  and  making  the 
journey  by  land  and  not  by  sea.  An  illus- 
tration on  the  following  page  shows  him 
shifting  quarters. 

All  he  has  to  do  in  this  case  is  to  unlace 
the  hide  thongs  that  lash  the  canoe  together, 
take  it  to  pieces,  and  give  each  piece  to  some 
member  of  the  tkmily  to  carry,  the  strongest 
taking  the  most  cumbrous  pieces,  such  as 
the  side  and  bottom  planks,  while  the  smaller 
portions  are  borne  hy  the  children.  When 


the  snow  lies  deep,  the  smaller  canoe  is  gen- 
erally used  as  a sledge,  on  which  the  heavier 
articles  are  placed.  As  to  the  hut,  in  some 
cases  the  Euegians  carry  the  upright  rods 
with  them;  but  they  often  do  not  trouble 
themselves  with  the  burden,  but  leave  the 
hut  to  perish,  and  cut  down  fresh  sticks  when 
they  arrive  at  the  spot  on  which  they  mean 
to  settle  for  a time. 

The  Euegians  are  good  fire  makers,  and  do 
not  go  through  the  troublesome  process  of 
rubbing  two  sticks  upon  each  other.  They 
have  learned  the  value  of  iron  pyrites  (the 
same  mineral  which  was  used  in  the  “ wheel- 
lock”  fire-arm  of  Elizabeth’s  time),  and 
obtain  it  from  the  mountains  of  their  islands. 
The  tinder  is  made  either  of  a dried  fungus 
or  moss,  and  Avhen  the  pyrites  and  a pebble 
are  struck  together  by  a skilful  hand,  a spark 
is  produced  of  sufficient  intensity  to  set  fire 
to  the  tinder.  As  soon  as  the  spark  has 
taken  hold  of  the  tinder,  the  Euegian  blows 
it  until  it  spreads,  and  then  wraps  it  up  in  a 
ball  of  dry  grass.  He  rapidly  whirls  the 
grass  ball  round  his  head,  when  the  dry 
foliage  bursts  into  flames,  and  the  fire  is  com- 
plete. 

Still,  the  process  of  fire  making  is  not  a 
very  easy  one,  and  the  Euegians  never  use 
their  pyrites  except  when  forced  to  do  so, 
preferring  to  keep  a fire  always  lighted,  and 
to  carry  a firestick  with  them  when  they 
travel.  Eire  is,  indeed,  a necessary  of  life  to 
the  Euegians,  not  so  much  for  cooking  as  for 
warming  purposes.  Those  who  have  visited 
them  say  that  the  natives  always  look  cold 
and  shivering,  as  indeed  they  are  likely  to 
do,  considering  that  they  wear  no  clothes, 
and  that  even  in  their  houses  they  can  but 
obtain  a very  partial  shelter  from  the  ele- 
ments. 

Their  cookery  is  of  the  rudest  description, 
and  generally  consists  in  putting  the  food 
into  the  hot  ashes,  and  allowing  it  to  remain 
there  until  it  is  sufficiently  done  for  their 
taste  — or,  in  other  words,  until  it  is  fairly 
warmed  through.  Cooking  in  vessels  of  any 
kind  is  unknown  to  them,  and  the  first 
lessons  given  them  in  cooking  mussels  in  a 
tin  pan  were  scarcely  more  successful  than 
those  in  sewing,  when  the  women  invariably 
made  a hole  in  the  stuff  with  the  needle, 
pulled  the  thread  out  of  the  eye,  and  then 
insinuated  it  through  the  hole  made  by  the 
needle.  They  were  repeatedly  taught  the 
use  of  the  eye  in  carrying  the  thread,  but  to 
little  purpose,  as  they  invariably  returned  to 
the  old  fashion  which  they  had  learned  with 
a fish-bone  and  fibre  of  sinew. 

Though  so  constantly  in  the  water,  the 
Euegians  have  not  the  most  distant  idea  of 
washing  themselves.  Such  a notion  never 
occurs  to  them,  and  when  Europeans  first 
came  among  them,  the  sight  of  a man  wash- 
ing his  face  seemed  to  them  so  irresistibly 
ludicrous  that  they  burst  into  shouts  of 
laughter.  In  consequence  of  this  utter 


(1.)  A Fl’EGIAN  SETTLEMENT.  (See  page  nco.) 


(li.)  FUEGIANS  SHIFTING  QUARTERS.  (See  page  1168.) 


(1169) 


rws 

^-^hiJ?Suy  f, 


JEMMY  BUTTOK. 


1171 


neglect  of  cleanliness,  and  the  habit  of  be- 
daubing themselves  with  grease  and  clay, 
they  are  very  offensive  to  the  nostrils,  and 
any  one  who  wishes  to  cultivate  an  acquaint- 
ance with  them  must  make  up  his  mind  to 
a singular  variety  of  evil  odors.  Moreover, 
they  swarm  with  parasites,  and,  as  they  will 
persist  in  demonstrating  friendly  feelings  by 
embracing  their  guest  with  a succession  of 
violently  affectionate  hugs,  the  cautious 
visitor  provides  himself  either  with  an  oil- 
skin suit,  or  with  some  very  old  clothes, 
which  he  can  give  away  to  the  natives  as 
soon  as  he  regains  his  vessel. 

Although  the  Fuegians  are  often  ill-dis- 
posed toward  strangers,  and  indeed  have 
murdered  many  boats’  crews.  Captain  Par- 
ker Snow  contrived  to  be  on  very  friendly 
terms  with  them,  going  on  shore  and  visit- 
ing them  in  their  huts,  so  as  to  place  himself 
•entirely  in  their  power,  and  allowing  them 
to  eome  on  board  his  ship.  lie  was  fortunate 
in  obtaining  the  serviees  of  a native,  called 
Jemmy  Button,  who  had  been  partially 
educated  in  England,  with  the  hope  that  he 
might  civilize  his  countrymen.  However, 
as  mostly  happened  in  such  cases,  he  was 
soon  stripped  of  all  his  goods;  and  when  Cap- 
tain Snow  visited  Tierra  del  Fuego,  twenty- 
three  years  afterward,  he  found  Jemmy 
Button  as  naked  and  dirty  as  any  of  his 
countrymen,  as  were  his  wife  and  daughter. 

The  man,  however,  retained  mueh  of  his 
knowledge  of  English,  a few  words  of  which 
he  had  engrafted  upon  his  native  language. 
When  first  he  arrived  on  board,  the  English 
words  e/ime  with  difficulty;  but  he  soon  re- 
covered his  fluency,  and  had  not  forgotten 
his  manners,  touching  his  forehead  as  he 
stepped  on  the  quarter-deck,  and  making  his 
bow  in  sailor  fashion  when  he  addressed  the 
captain,  to  the  entire  consternation  of  the 
sailors,  who  could  not  understand  an  abso- 
lutely naked  savage  speaking  English,  and 
being  as  well-mannered  as  themselves. 

The  faculty  of  acquiring  language  is  sin- 
gularly developed  in  the  Fuegian.  Gen- 
erally, the  inhabitants  of  one  country  find 
great  difficulty  in  mastering  the  pronuncia- 
tion, and  especially  the  intonation,  of  a for- 
eign land;  but  a Fuegian  can  repeat  almost 


any  sentence  after  hearing  it  once,  though 
of  course  he  has  not  the  slightest  idea  of  its 
meaning. 

A very  absurd  example  of  this  curious 
facility  of  tongue  occurred  to  some  sailors 
who  went  ashore,  and  taught  the  natives  to 
drink  coffee.  One  of  the  Fuegians,  after 
drinking  his  coffee,  contrived  to  conceal  the 
tin  pot,  with  the  intention  of  stealing  it. 
The  sailor  demanded  the  restoration  of  his 
property,  and  was  greatly  annoyed  that 
every  word  which  he  uttered  was  instantly 
repeated  by  the  Fuegian.  Thinking  at  last, 
that  the  man  must  be  mocking  liim,  and 
forgetting  fer  the  instant  that  he  did  not 
understand  one  word  of  English,  the  sailor 
assumed  a menacing  attitude,  and  bawled 
out,  “You  copper-colored  rascal,  where  is 
my  tin  pot?  ” The  Fuegian,  nowise  discon- 
certed, assumed  precisely  the  same  attitude, 
and  exclaimed  in  exactly  the  same  manner, 
“ You  copper-colored  rascal,  where  is  my  tin 
pot?  ” As  it  turned  out,  “ the  copper-colored 
rascal  ” had  the  pot  tucked  under  his  arm. 

The  natives  evidently  seemed  to  think 
that  their  white  visitors  were  very  foolish 
for  failing  to  comprehend  their  language,  and 
tried  to  make  them  understand  by  bawling 
at  the  top  of  their  voice.  On  one  or  two  oc- 
casions, when  a number  of  them  came  on 
board,  they  much  annoyed  Captain  Snow  by 
the  noise  which  they  made,  until  a bright 
thought  struek  him.  He  snatched  up  a 
speaking  trumpet,  and  bellowed  at  his 
visitors  through  it  with  such  a stunning 
effect  that  their  voices  dropped  into  re- 
spectful silence,  and  they  began  to  laugh  at 
the  manner  in  which  they  had  been  out- 
bawled  by  a single  man. 

As  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  the  Fuegians 
have  no  form  of  government.  They  liye  in 
small  communities,  not  worthy  of  the  name 
of  tribes,  and  having  no  particular  leader, 
except  that  the  oldest  man  among  them,  so 
long  as  he  retains  his  strength,  is  looked  up 
to  as  a sort  of  authority.  Their  ideas  of 
religion  appear  to  be  as  ill-defined  as  those 
of  government,  the  only  representative  of 
religion  being  the  conjuror,  who,  however, 
exercises  but  very  slight  influence  upon  his 
fellow  countrymen. 


CHAPTER  OXXI. 


THE  PATAGONIAN’S. 

I i » 

APPEARANCE  — WEAPONS  — HORSEMANSHIP. 


POSITION  OF  PATAGONIA  — STATURE  OF  THE  INHABITANTS  — SIGNIFICATION  OF  THE  NAME  — HORSE 
FURNITURE — THE  STIRRUP  AND  BOOT  — AN  INGENIOUS  SPUR  — THE  GIRTH  AND  ITS  CONSTRUC- 
TION— PRIMITIVE  BUCKLES  — THE  BRIDLE  AND  ITS  ACCOMPANYING  WHIP  — THE  PATAGONIAN 
AND  SPANISH  BITS  — SIZE  AND  STRENGTH  OF  THEIR  HORSES  — HORSE-RACING  — THE  BOLAS, 
THEIR  CONSTRUCTION,  AND  DIFFERENT  VARIETIES  OF  FORM  — WAR  IN  PATAGONIA  — THE  SPARE 
HORSES  AND  THEIR  USE  — THE  RETURN  FROM  BATTLE  — A HUNTING  EXPEDITION  — CHASING  THE 
GUANACO  — A TERRIFIED  HERD — THE  DISADVANTAGE  OF  CURIOSITY — DECOY  GUANACOS  — 
PARTRIDGE  CATCHING  — THE  POWER  OF  FASCINATION. 


Separated  from  Tierra  del  Fuego  by  a 
strait  so  narrow  that  in  certain  spots  human 
beings  might  converse  across  the  water,  is 
the  land  called  Patagonia. 

It  derives  this  now  familiar  title  from  a 
nickname  given  to  the  inhabitants  by  Ma- 
gellan’s sailors.  As  we  shall  presently  see 
when  treating  of  their  costume,  the  Patago- 
nians wear  a sort  of  gaiter  to  protect  their 
ankles  against  thorns.  These  gaiters  are 
made  of  the  furry  skin  of  the  guanaco,  the 
long  hair  spreading  out  on  either  side  of  the 
foot.  The  sailors,  ever  ready  to  ridicule  any 
custom  new  to  them,  remarked  this  conspic- 
uous part  of  the  dress,  and  nicknamed  the 
natives  Patagones,  i.  e.  duck-feet,  a name 
which  has  ever  since  adhered  to  them,  and 
even  been  applied  to  their  country. 

The  narrow  armlet  of  sea,  to  wdiich  refer- 
ence has  been  made,  divides  two  lands  utterly 
opposed  to  each  other,  and  inhabited  by 
people  totally  distinct  in  appearance  and 
habits.  Tierra  del  Puego  has  scarcely  a level 
spot  in  it,  but  is  composed  of  even'set  ravines 
clothed  with  trees,  and  precipitous,  snow- 
clad  mountains.  Patagonia,  on  the  contrary, 
abounds  in  vast  level  plains,  unfertile  and 
without  a tree  on  them. 

The  human  inhabitants  of  these  countries 
are  as  ditferent  as  the  lands  themselves,  the 
Fuegians  being  below  the  average  height, 
and  the  Patagonians  above  it.  Yet,  just  as 
the  Fuegian  is  not  such  an  absolute  dwarf,  as 
has  often  been  stated,  the  Patagonian  is  not 

(1172) 


such  an  absolute  giant,  a regiment  of  English 
Lifeguards  being  as  tall  as  an  equal  number 
of  Patagonians.  It  is  true  that  if  a Patago- 
nian regiment  of  picked  men  were  raised 
they  would  overtop  even  the  Guardsmen, 
but  the  old  tales  about  an  average  of  seven 
or  even  eight  feet  are  unworthy  of  credit. 
Some  of  the  older  voyagers  even  attribute 
to  the  Patagonians  a much  loftier  stature, 
saying  that  some  of  them  w^ere  twelve  feet 
in  height,  and  that  when  one  of  them  stood 
with  his  legs  apart,  an  ordinary  man  could 
walk  between  them  without  stooping. 

The  color  of  the  Patagonians  is  somewhat 
like  that  of  the  Fuegians,  being  a dark 
copper  brown,  the  reddish  hue  coming  out 
well  on  any  part  of  the  skin  that  happens  to 
be  less  dirty  than  others.  The  hair  is 
coarse,  long  and  black,  and  is  allowed  to  hang 
loosely  about  their  faces,  being  merely  kept 
out  of  their  eyes  by  a small  fillet  of  guanaco 
hair.  There  is  scarcely  any  eyebrow,  a de- 
ficiency which  always  gives  an  unpleasant 
expression  to  the  eyes,  and  indeed,  even  in 
the  old  men,  the  face  is  almost  devoid  of 
hair.  The  face  is  roundish,  the  width  being 
increased  by  the  great  projection  of  the 
cheek-bones,  and  the  chin  is  rather  broad 
and  prominent.  The  small,  restless  eyes, 
are  black,  as  is  the  hair,  and  rather  hidden 
under  the  prominent  brows.  The  nose  is 
narrow  between  the  eyes,  but  the  nostrils 
are  broad  and  fleshy.  The  mouth  is  large, 
and  the  lips  rather  thick,  but  altogether  the 


HORSE  ACCOUTREMEKTS. 


1173 


face  is  not  a bad  one.  The  illustration  on 
the  1103d  page,  of  a Patagonian  man  and 
woman  furnishes  a striking  contrast  with 
the  Fuegians,  their  neighbors. 

The  dress  of  the  Patagonians  is  simple, 
but  sufficient,  and  in  this  respect  they  form 
a great  contrast  to  the  absolutely  naked 
Fuegians  of  the  opposite  shores.  The  chief 
part  of  the  costume  consists  of  a large 
mantle  made  of  guanaco  skins.  The  guan- 
aco  is,  as  the  reader  may  possibly  be  aware, 
one  of  the  llama  tribe,  and  is  about  the  size 
of  a deer.  It  is  covered  with  a thick  woolly 
coat,  the  long  hair  of  which  is  valuable,  not 
only  to  the  Patagonians,  but  to  Europeans, 
by  whom  it  is  made  into  various  fabrics. 

It  is  very  plentiful  in  this  country,  fortu- 
nately for  the  Patagonians,  to  whom  the 
guanaco  is  the  very  staff  of  life,  the  creature 
that  supplies  him  with  food,  clothes,  and 
dwelling.  Sometimes  it  is  seen  in  great 
droves  of  several  hundreds  in  number,  but 
it  generally  associates  in  smaller  herds  of 
twenty  or  thirty  individuals.  It  is  a shy 
animal,  as  well  it  may  be,  considering  the 
many  foes  that  are  always  ready  to  fall  upon 
it;  and  as  it  is  swift  as  well  as  shy,  great 
skill  is  required  in  capturing  it,  as  will 
presently  be  seen. 

The  guanaco-skin  mantle  is  very  large, 
and  when  folded  round  the  body  and  clasped 
by  the  arms,  falls  as  low  as  the  feet;  and 
when  a tall  Patagonian  is  seen  in  this 
mantle,  which  adds  apparently  to  his  height, 
he  presents  a very  imposing  appearance. 
Generally,  the  mantle  is  confined  round  the 
waist  by  a belt,  so  that  when  the  wearer 
chooses,  he  can  throw  off  the  upper  part  of 
it,  his  hands  remaining  at  liberty  for  action. 
Under  the  mantle  he  wears  a small  apron. 

FText  come  the  curious  gaiters,  which  have 
been  already  mentioned.  At  first  sight 
they  look  like  boots  reaching  from  Rie 
knee  downward,  but  when  examined  more 
closely,  they  are  seen  to  be  devoid  of  sole, 
having  only  a strap  that  passei^under  the 
middle  of  the  foot,  so  that  the  heel  and  toes 
and  great  part  of  the  sole  are  left  unpro- 
tected. The  reason  of  this  structure  is,  that 
the  Patagonian  is  nearly  always  on  horse- 
back, and  the  toe  is  made  to  project  beyond 
the  gaiter  in  order  to  be  placed  in  the  stir- 
rup, which  is  very  small  and  triangular. 

As  the  Patagonians  are  so  devoted  to 
horsemanship  no  sketch  of  this  people 
would  be  adequate  without  an  account  of  their 
horse  accoutrements.  I have  a complete  set 
in  my  possession.  The  saddle  is  made  of 
four  pieces  of  wood,  firmly  lashed  together 
with  raw-hide  thongs,  and  both  the  front 
and  back  of  the  saddle  are  alike.  From  the 
sides  depend  the  stirrups,  which  are  ap- 
pended to  leathern  thongs,  and  are  made  in 
a very  simple  manner.  A hole  is  made  at 
each  end  of  a stout  leathern  strap,  and  a 
short  piece  of  stick  about  half  an  inch  in  di- 
ameter is  thrust  through  them,  being  re- 


tained in  its  place  by  a groove  near  each 
end.  The  strap  being  attached  l)y  its  middle 
to  the  thongs  which  act  as  stirrui)-leathers, 
the  article  is  complete. 

As  the  space  between  the  grooves  is 
rather  less  than  three  inches,  it  necessarily 
follows  that  the  Patagonian  horseman  can 
only  insert  his  great  toe  in  the  stirruj). 
This,  however,  is  sufficient  hold  for  him,  as 
he  is  an  admirable  though  careless  looking 
rider,  the  greater  part  of  his  life,  from  child- 
hood upward,  having  been  spent  on  horse- 
back. 

The  spur  is  as  primitive  as  the  stirrup, 
and  exactly  resembles  in  principle  the  prick- 
spurs  of  the  ancient  knights.  It  consists  of 
two  pieces  of  stick,  exactly  like  those  em- 
ployed for  the  stirrups,  and  two  short  straps 
of  cowhide.  A hole  is  made  at  each  end  of 
the  strap,  and  the  sticks  are  pushed  through 
them,  being  held  in  their  places,  like  those 
of  the  stirrups,  by  a groove  cut  half  an  inch 
from  their  ends,  so  that  the  two  sticks  are 
held  parallel  to  each  other. 

To  the  upper  ends  of  each  stick  a leathern 
thong  is  applied,  and  these  thongs,  being  tied 
over  the  instep,  hold  the  spur  in  its  place^ 
At  the  other  ends  of  the  sticks  holes  are 
bored,  into  each  of  which  a sharp  iron  spike 
is  inserted.  In  my  own  specimen,  the 
maker  has  been  economical  of  his  iron,  and 
has  only  inserted  spikes  in  one  of  the  sticks, 
so  that  when  the  spurs  are  worn  with  the 
spiked  stick  inward,  they  are  quite  as  effec- 
tive as  if  both  sticks  were  armed.  StUl,  the 
hole  for  the  reception  of  the  spikes  has  been 
bored  in  all  the  sticks,  and  there  is  no  doubt 
that  the  Patagonian  who  made  the  spurs 
would  have  inserted  the  spikes  at  some  time 
or  other. 

The  spur  is  worn  as  follows  : The  armed 
sticks  come  on  either  side  of  the  foot,  the 
strap  which  is  next  to  the  spiked  ends  goes 
round  the  heel,  the  other  strap  passes  under 
the  hollow  of  the  foot,  and  the  hide  thongs  are 
tied  over  the  instep.  Such  a spur  as  this  is  not 
only  an  effective  but  a cruel  instrument, 
really  as  bad  as  the  huge  metal  spurs,  with 
rowels  four  inches  in  diameter,  which  the 
Guachos  wear.  It  is  impossible  to  see  this 
simple  form  of  spur  without  recalling  the 
old  story  of  “ Sandford  and  Merton,”  and 
referring  to  the  adventure  of  Tommy  Mer- 
ton, who,  on  being  forbidden  to  use  spurs, 
stuck  pins  into  the  heels  of  his  boots,  and 
was  run  away  with  in  consequence. 

The  girth  is  a singularly  ingenious  piece 
of  work.  The  strength  of  the  girth  itself  is 
prodigious.  At  first  sight  it  looks  as  if  it  were 
a single  broad  belt  of  leather,  but  a nearer 
inspection  shows  that  it  is  made  of  twenty- 
two  separate  cords,  each  about  the  eighth  of 
an  inch  in  thickness,  laid  side  by  side,  and 
united  at  intervals  by  several  rows  of  simi- 
lar cords  of  strings.  Each  of  these  cords  is 
made  of  two  strands  of  raw  hide,  probably 
that  of  guanaco,  and  looks  as  strong  as  ordi- 


1174 


THE  PATAGONIAHS. 


nary  catgut.  Buckles  are  unknown  to  the 
Batagoiiian,  who  has  invented  in  their  stead 
a mode  of  tightening  the  girth  by  passing 
straps  through  holes,  hauling  upon  them, 
and  fastening  off  the  ends. 

The  bit  and  bridle  are  equally  ingenious. 
It  consists  of  a squared  bar  of  iron  four  and 
a half  inches  long,  the  ends  of  which  are 
passed  through  holes  in  doubled  pieces  of 
hide,  and  hammered  when  cold  into  a sort 
of  rivet-like  shape,  so  as  to  retain  the  leath- 
er in  its  place.  To  the  lower  part  of  the 
leathers  are  attached  a couple  of  stout 
thongs,  which  are  passed  under  the  lower 
jaw  of  the  horse,  and  then  tied,  so  that  they 
keep  the  bit  in  its  place,  and  at  the  same 
time  act  as  a sort  of  curb. 

To  the  upper  part  of  the  leathers  are 
fixed  the  long  plaited  thongs  which  are  used 
as  reins,  and  which  seem  strong  enough  to 
hold  an  elephant,  much  more  a horse.  The 
Patagonian  uses  no  separate  Avhip,  but  has 
a long  double  strap  of  stout  hide,  which  is 
fixed  to  the  junction  of  the  reins,  so  that 
there  is  no  danger  of  losing  it. 

This  is  the  ordinary  bit  of  a Patagonian 
hunter,  but  those  who  can  obtain  it  like  to 
use  the  cruel  Spanish  bit,  wdiich  they  fit  up 
in  their  own  way  with  thongs  of  plaited  hide. 
One  of  these  bits  is  shown  in  illustration  No. 
4 on  the  following  page.  The  principal  dis- 
tinguishing point  about  these  bits  is  the 
large  iron  ring,  which  passes  over  the  horse’s 
jaw,  and  gives  to  the  rider  a leverage  so 
powerful  that  he  could  break  the  jaw  of  any 
horse  without  making  any  very  great  exer- 
tion. By  the  use  of  this  bit,  the  horse  is 
soon  taught  to  stop  almost  suddenly,  to 
wheel  in  a very  limited  area,  and  to  perform 
the  various  evolutions  wdiich  are  needed  in 
carrying  out  the  pursuit  in  wdiich  the  Pat- 
agonian depends  for  much  of  his  liveli- 
hood. 

The  reins  wdiich  are  attached  to  this  bit 
are  of  enormous  strength,  and  are  plaited 
in  a square  form,  so  that  no  amount  of 
pulling  wdiich  any  horse  could  accomplish 
w^ould  endanger  them.  The  wdiip  is  at- 
tached to  these  reins  like  that  of  the  last 
mentioned  apparatus,  but  is  more  severe, 
thicker,  and  heavier,  and  is  made  of  a long 
and  broad  belt  of  hide,  cut  into  four  strips, 
which  are  plaited  together,  flat  and  narrow 
strips  about  four  inches  long  answering  as 
the  lash.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  Patago- 
nian is  by  no  means  merciful  to  his  beast, 
but  that  he  uses  a bit,  spur,  and  whip 
which  are,  though  so  simple  in  appearance, 
more  severe  in  practice  than  those  which 
have  a far  more  formidable  aspect. 

The  horses  which  he  rides  are  descended 
from  those  wdiich  were  introduced  by  the 
Spaniards,  and  which  have  multiplied  so 
rapidly  as  almost  to  deserve  the  name  of  in- 
digenous animals.  They  are  of  no  great 
size,  being  under  fifteen' hands  high,  and  be- 
longing to  that  well-known  mustang  breed 


which  is  more  celebrated  for  strength  and 
endurance  than  for  aspect,  qualities  wdiich 
arc  indispensable  in  an  animal  that  has  to 
carry  so  heavy  a rider  after  creatures  so 
fleet  as  the  guanaco  or  the  rhea. 

The  Patagonians  are  fond  of  racing,  but 
never  make  their  courses  longer  than  a 
quarter  of  a mile.  The  reason  for  these 
short  races  is,  that  their  horses  are  not  re- 
quired to  run  for  any  length  of  time  at  full 
speed,  but  to  make  quick  and  sudden  dashes, 
so  as  to  enable  the  rider  to  reach  his  prey, 
and  hurl  the  singular  missiles  wdth  wdiich 
he  is  armed. 

There  is  yet  an  article  needed  to  complete 
the  equipment  of  a Patagonian.  This  is  the 
celebrated  “ bolas,”  a w^eapon  which  looks 
almost  contemptible,  but  in  practised  hands 
is  exceptionably  formidable.  It  consists  of 
tw^o  or  sometimes  three  balls  at  the  end  of 
hide  thongs.  The  form  most  in  use  is  that 
wdiich  is  represented  in  illustration  No.  3 
on  the  next  page.  The  native  name  for  the 
two-ball  bolas  is  somai,  and  that  for  the 
three-ball  weapon  is  achico. 

The  first  point  in  making  the  bolas  is  to 
procure  the  proper  balls,  and  the  second  to 
prepare  the  proper  rope  to  wdiich  they  are 
fastened.  The  ordinary  balls  are  made  of 
stone,  and  are  nearly  as  large  as  cricket  balls. 
They  are  made  by  the  women,  wdio  jiass  much 
of  their  time  in  supplying  the  men  wdth  these 
necessaries  of  life.  To  cut  and  grind  one 
of  these  stones  is  a good  day’s  W'ork,  even 
for  an  accomplished  workwoman. 

A still  more  valuable  ball  is  made  of  iron, 
which  has  the  advantage  of  being  so  much 
heavier  than  stone  that  the  ball  is  consider 
ably  smaller,  and  therefore  experiences  less 
resistance  from  the  air,  a quality  wdiich  is  of 
the  first  consequence  in  a missile  w^eapon. 
The  most  valuable  are  those  wdiich  are  made 
of  copper,  as  is  the  case  with  the  specimen 
from  which  the  illustration  is  taken.  Each 
of  these  balls  weighs  eighteen  ounce§,  in 
spite  of  its  small  size,  so  that  the  weajion  is 
a very  formidable  one. 

The  thong  to  which  the  balls  are  attached 
is  nine  feet  in  length,  and  is  made  in  the 
following  manner:  two  pairs  of  thongs  of 
raw  hide  are  cut,  and,  while  they  are  still 
fresh  and  wet,  each  pair  is  twdsted  together 
so  as  to  form  a two-stranded  rope.  These 
ropes  are  again  twisted  into  one,  so  that  the 
aggregate  strength  of  the  four  is  enormous. 

Bound  each  of  the  balls  is  then  laid  a cir- 
cular piece  of  guanaco  hide,  wdth  holes 
bored  all  round  the  edge.  The  ends  of  the 
thongs  being  passed  through  the  holes  and 
laced  tightly,  the  raw  hide  is  drawm  over 
the  balls,  and  encloses  them  in  a sort  of 
pocket,  as  is  seen  by  the  enlarged  figure  in 
the  illustration.  This  specimen  is  one  of 
the  three-ball  weapons.  In  this  case  a third 
thong  five  feet  six  inches  in  length  has  been 
twisted,  one  end  fastened  to  a ball,  and  the 
other  interlaced  with  the  strands  of  the  first 


(2.)  LASSOS.  (3.)  PATAGONIAN  BOLAS.  (4.)  SPANISH  BIT  AND  PATAGONIAN 

(See  page  1197.)  (See  page  1174.)  FITTINGS.  (See  page  1174.) 


(1175) 


i ' 


^ ^ . A. 

-1 
I.-  • . 


THE  BOLAS. 


1177 


thong  exactly  at  its  centre.  We  have  now 
the  three  - ball  bolas,  which  is  made  in 
such  a manner  that,  when  the  thongs  are 
grasped  at  their  points  of  junction,  two  of 
the  balls  hang  at  equal  depths  from  the 
hand,  and  the  third  is  just  a foot  below 
them. 

The  bolas  is  to  the  Patagonian  what  the 
kris  is  to  the  Malay,  the  boomerang  to  the 
Australian,  the  lasso  to  the  Gaucho,  the  club 
to  the  Fijian,  and  the  bow  to  the  Anda- 
maner.  From  early  childhood  upward  no 
Patagonian  is  without  this  weapon,  which 
seems  to  him  an  absolute  necessity  of  exist- 
ence. Generally  he  carries  it  twisted  round 
his  waist,  like  an  officer’s  sash  of  the  olden 
days,  the  balls  dangling  at  the  side  like  the 
tassels  of  the  sash. 

It  is,  however,  coiled  on  the  body  with 
such  consummate  skill  that  it  can  be  cast 
loose  with  a turn  of  the  hand,  the  eye  being 
fixed  on  the  object  of  attack,  and  in  a mo- 
ment the  Patagonian  is  fully  armed.  Put- 
ting aside  warfare,  which  in  Patagonia  is 
scarcely  known,  the  tribes,  or  rather  the 
families,  not  being  strong  enough  to  wage 
real  war  upon  each  other,  the  so-called  bat- 
tles are  unworthy  of  any  name  except  that 
of  skirmishes,  which  among  themselves  seem 
to  do  no  great  harm,  however  formidable 
they  may  l)e  to  opponents  who  happen  to 
be  unacquainted  with  the  mode  of  fighting 
practised  by  the  Patagonians. 

For  example,  a dozen  trained  riflemen,  on 
foot,  who  could  thoroughly  depend  on  each 
other,  would  overmatch  ten  times  their 
number  of  mounted  Patagonians,  who,  every 
whit  as  brave  as  themselves,  are  ignorant 
of  discipline,  and  fight  every  man  for  his 
own  hand. 

Let  the  riflemen  once  allow  the  Patagoni- 
<-ans  to  come  within  thirty  yards,  and  they 
would  be  annihilated;  but  as  long  as  the  foe 
could  be  kept  out  of  throwing  distance,  they 
are  comparatively  harmless. 

When  a Patagonian  intends  to  attack 
either  a human  enemy,  or  some  animal  of 
chase,  or  even,  as  often  happens,  some  wild 
beast  or  bird,  he  slips  the  ever-ready  bolas 
from  his  waist,  grasps  the  thongs  at  their 
point  of  union,  drives  his  primitive  spurs 
into  the  flanks  of  his  rough-coated  steed, 
and  dashes  off  at  full  gallop,  whirling  the 
bolas  round  his  head  by  a dexterous  move- 
ment of  his  flexible  wrist. 

As  soon  as  he  comes  within  throwing  dis- 
tance, which  materially  varies  according  to 
the  strength  of  the  thrower  and  the  struc- 
ture of  the  bolas,  he  hurls  his  singular 
weapon  with  unerring  skill.  !J7o  sooner 
does  it  leave  his  hand  than  the  centrifugal 
force  causes  the  balls  to  diverge,  and  they 
fly  round  and  round  in  the  air  with  a motion 
exactly  resembling  that  which  an  English 
street  acrobat  imparts  to  a couple  of  padded 
balls  at  the  ends  of  a string,  when  he  wants 
to  clear  the  ground. 


Urged  by  the  stalwart  arm  of  the  ]^atago- 
niaii,  the  bolas  flies  straight  to  its  mark,  and 
no  sooner  do(iS  it  strike  it,  than  the  impetus 
communicated  to  the  balls  causes  the  thongs 
to  twist  round  the  unfortunate  victim,  {iiid 
bring  him  at  once  to  a halt.  Jndeed,  sliould 
a man  be  struck  by  the  bolas,  he  may  con- 
gratulate himself  if  in  three  minutes  after- 
wards he  finds  himself  alive,  neiiher  having 
been  strangled  by  tlie  cords  twisting  round 
his  neck,  nor  brained  by  the  heavy  balls 
coming  in  contact  with  his  skull. 

The  skill  which  the  Patagonians  attain  is 
really  marvellous.  At  any  distance  short  of 
fifty  yards  a victim  marked  is  a victim  slain. 
So  terrific  is  the  gripe  of  the  bolas  thong, 
that  Europeans  who  have  been  struck  with 
it  have  been  found  to  sufter  from  weals  as 
well  marked  as  if  they  had  been  made  by 
the  stroke  of  a “ cow-hide  ” whip  upon  the 
bare  flesh. 

An  excellent  description  of  the  various 
kinds  of  bolas  is  given  by  Captain  King;  — 

“ Sometimes  two  balls,  each  of  which  has 
a cord  about  a yard  in  length,  are  fastened 
to  the  thong  of  the  larger  set.  This  is  to 
entangle  the  victim  more  effectually.  They 
do  not  try  to  strike  objects  with  these  balls, 
but  endeavor  to  throw  them  so  that  the 
thong  shall  hit  a prominent  part;  and  then, 
of  course,  the  balls  swing  round  in  different 
directions,  and  the  thongs  become  so  ‘laid 
up  ’ (or  twisted),  that  struggling  only  makes 
the  captive  more  secure. 

“ They  can  throw  them  so  dexterously  as 
to  fasten  a man  to  his  horse,  or  catch  a 
horse  without  harming  him.  If  an  animal 
is^  to  be  caught  without  being  thrown  down 
suddenly  — an  inevitable  consequence  of 
these  balls  swinging  round  his  legs  while  at 
full  speed  — a somai  is  thrown  upon  his 
neck.  The  two  l^alls  hang  down,  and  per- 
plex him  so  much  by  dangling  about  his 
fore-legs  that  his  speed  is  much  checked, 
and  another  set  of  balls  or  a lasso  may  be 
used  to  secure  without  throwing  him  down. 
The  lasso  is  not  much  used,  so  adroit  are 
they  with  the  balls. 

“A  formidable  missile  weapon  is  the 
single  ball,  called  b}^  the  Spaniards  ‘ bola 
perdida.’  This  is  similar  to  the  other  in 
size  and  substance,  but  attached  to  a slighter 
rope  about  a yard  long.  Whirling  this  ball, 
about  a pound  in  w'eight,  with  the  utmost 
swiftness  around  their  heads,  they  dash  it  at 
their  adversary  with  almost  the  force  of  a 
shot.  At  close  quarters  it  is  used,  with  a 
shorter  scope  of  cord,  as  an  efficient  head- 
breaker.  Several  of  these  original  and  not 
trifling  offensive  weapons  are  kept  in  readi- 
ness by  each  individual,  and  many  a Span- 
iard, armed  with  steel  and  gunpowder,  has 
acknowledged  their  effect.” 

The  raids  which  are  dignified  by  the  name 
of  warfare  are  more  for  plunder  than  con- 
quest, inasmuch  as  the  Patagonian  cares 
nothing  for  territory,  of  which  he  has 


1178 


THE  PATAGONIANS. 


enough  and  to  spare,  and  almost  nothing 
for  military  fame.  Sometimes  he  wants 
plunder;  sometimes  he  means  to  make  a 
hunting  expedition  into  a district  held  by 
another  tribe;  and  sometimes  he  prepares  a 
short  campaign  against  an  inimical  tribe  in 
revenge  for  a real  or  fancied  insult. 

When  preparing  for  such  an  excursion,  or 
while  expecting  the  attack  of  another  tribe, 
the  Patagonians  keep  themselves  in  con- 
stant preparation  for  war.  They  put  on 
three  of  their  thickest  mantles  in  order  to 
deaden  the  blow  of  the  bolas,  or  withstand 
the  point  of  the  spear  and  arrow.  These 
mantles  are  not  WTapped  round  them  in  the 
ordinary  fashion  of  peace,  but  are  worn  like 
ponchos,  the  head  being  thrust  through  a 
hole  in  the  middle.  The  innermost  mantle 
is  of  guanaco  skin,  with  the  hairy  side  in- 
ward, while  the  others  are  simple  leather, 
without  hair,  the  j)lace  of  which  is  taken  by 
paint.  Their  heads  are  guarded  by  conical 
caps,  made  of  hide,  and  often  adorned  by  a 
tuft  of  feathers  from  the  rhea. 

Those  who  are  wealthy  enough  purchase 
a sort  of  armor  composed  of  a thick  hide 
tunic,  with  a high  collar  and  short  sleeves, 
and  a hat  or  helmet'  made  of  double  bull’s 
hide.  This  garment  is  very  heavy  and 
clums}',  but  it  will  resist  every  weapon  ex- 
cept bullets,  and  will  make  even  the  blow  of 
the  “ bola  perdida  ” fall  harmless.  Those 
who  are  too  poor  to  possess  a horse,  and  are 
obliged  to  fight  on  foot,  carry  shields  made  of 
several  layers  of  hide  sewed  together. 

Sometimes  they  come  unexpectedly  upon 
enemies,  and  a skirmish  is  the  immediate 
result.  In  this  case  they  mostly  fling  aside 
their  cumbrous  mantles,  and  fight  without 
any  clothing  except  the  girdle  and  their 
spurs.  When  they  make  expeditions  against 
inimical  districts,  they  take  spare  horses 
with  them,  one  of  which  is  intended  to  bear 
the  plunder  as  they  return,  and  to  take  its 
share  in  carrying  the  warrior  to  battle.  As 
soon  as  the  Patagonian  finds  that  his  weight 
is  beginning  to  tell  upon  the  horse  which  he 
rides,  he  vaults  upon  the  other  without 
checking  them  in  their  gallop,  and  thus 
makes  sure  of  a fresh  and  unwearied  horse 
upon  going  into  action.  The  second  horse 
is  afterward  used  for  the  conveyance  of 
slaves,  skins,  weapons,  and  other  booty. 

As  they  return,  they  fling  off  the  cum- 
brous armor  of  coats  and  mantles,  and  ride, 
according  to  their  fashion,  naked  to  the 
waist,  the  innermost  mantle  being  retained 
in  its  place  by  a leathern  thong,  which  acts 
as  a belt.  In  some  of  these  expeditions  a 
whole  troop  of  loose  horses  is  driven  in  front 
©f  the  warriors,  and  when  a man  feels  his 
own  horse  becoming  wearied,  he  rides  along- 
side one  of  the  loose  horses,  shifts  the  bit, 
and  leaps  on  the  fresh  animal,  not  troubling 
himself  about  the  saddle.. 

When  the  Patagonian  goes  out  hunting, 
he  carries  no  weapon  except  the  bolas  and  a 


knife,  the  latter  being  considered  rather  as  a 
tool  than  a weapon.  Should  he  see  a herd  of 
guanacos,  he  makes  silently  toward  them, 
imitating  the  cry  of  the  young  one  in  dis- 
tress, and  doing  all  in  his  power  to  attract 
the  animals.  Anything  very  strange  is 
sure  to  attract  them,  just  as  it  attracts  cows, 
which  are  horribly  afraid  of  the  new  object, 
but,  victims  of  a sort  of  fascination,  are  led 
nearer  and  nearer  by  a spirit  of  curiosity,  for 
which  they  pay  with  their  lives.  When  a 
small  herd  — say  six  or  eight  — of  guanacos 
is  seen,  they  can  generally  be  enticed  within 
range  of  the  bolas  by  a hunter  on  foot,  who 
steals  as  near  them  as  he  can  manage  to^  do 
without  alarming  them,  and  then  plays  vari- 
ous antics,  such  as  lying  on  his  back  and 
kicking  his  legs  in  tlie  air,  tying  a strip  of 
hide  or  a bunch  of  feathers  to  a stick,  and 
waving  it  about.  The  inquisitive  creatures 
seem  unable  to  resist  the  promptings  of  their 
curiosity,  and,  though  they  are  really  afraid 
of  the  strange  object,  come  closer  and  closer, 
until  the  hunter  is  able  to  hurl  the  terrible 
bolas  at  them. 

When,  however,  the  herd  is  a large  one, 
the  guanacos  are  much  more  timid,  and, 
until  the  introduction  of  the  horse,  the 
Patagonians  could  seldom  do  much  with 
them.  Now,  however,  the  possession  of  the 
horse,  together  with  their  knowledge  of  the 
guanaco’s  disposition,  enables  them  to  cap- 
ture and  kill  great  numbers  of  the  animals. 

In  this  mode  of  chase  the  Patagonians 
make  use  of  two  characteristics  which  be- 
long to  the  guanaco.  In  the  first  place,  it  is 
a hill-loving  animal,  and  when  pursued,  or 
even  afraid  of  pursuit,  leaves  the  plains  and 
makes  for  some  eminence.  Like  all  gregari- 
ous animals,  the  guanacos  invariably  have 
sentinels  posted  on  the  most  elevated  points, 
and  trust  their  safety  to  their  watchfulness, 
the  squeal  of  alarm  being  instantly  followed 
by  the  flight  of  the  herd.  Knowing  this 
peculiarity,  the  hunters  are  sure  that  if  a 
herd  of  guanacos  be  in  the  plain,  and  a hill 
be  near  them,  the  animals  will  be  almost 
certain  to  take  to  it. 

The  second  characteristic  is,  that  the 
guanacos,  when  thrown  into  confusion,  en- 
tirely lose  their  presence  of  mind,  running 
a few  steps  in  one  way  and  then  a few  steps 
in  another,  being  quite  unable  to  fix  upon 
any  definite  plan  of  escape. 

A large  party  of  hunters,  sometimes 
nearly  a hundred  in  number,  arm  them- 
selves with  their  long,  light,  cane-shafted 
spears,  called  chuzos,  summon  their  dogs, 
and  set  off  toward  the  spot  where  a herd  of 
guanacos  is  known  to  be.  Having  fixed 
upon  some  grassy  hill,  half  of  the  hunters 
push  forward  and  take  up  a position  on  the 
further  side,  while  the  others  drive  the 
guanacos  gently  toward  their  well-known 
grazing  place. 

As  soon  as  the  animals  are  fairly  on  the 
hill,  the  hunters  spread  out  so  as  to  enclose 


I 


0^  iHs: 


♦ 


PATAGONIANS  HUNTING  GAME. 
(See  pa<je  1181.) 


(1180) 


CIIASIKa  THE  GUANACO. 


1181 


them  in  a semicircle,  and  then  dash  forward, 
driving  the  herd  up  the  hill.  The  detached 
band  on  the  other  side,  as  soon  as  they  hear 
the  shouts,  spread  tliemselves  out  in  a simi- 
lar manner,  the  two  bodies  completely  sur- 
rounding the  hill,  so  that  when  the  guanacos 
reach  Mie  summit  they  find  themselves  envi- 
roned by  enemies. 

After  the  usual  custom  in  such  cases,  the 
guanacos  lose  all  presence  of  mind,  some 
running  one  way,  some  another,  mutually 
hindering  each  other’s  escape,  so  that  the 
hunters  are  able  to  pierce  with  their  long 
spears  the  finest  animals,  and  thus  secure  in 
a very  short  space  of  time  so  great  a num- 
ber, that  they  are  amply  supplied  with  skins 
and  meat. 

Although  they  carry  the  spear  on  these 
occasions,  they  are  not  without  the  bolas,  it 
being  used  for  capturing  the  young  guana- 
cos, which  are  kept  in  a domesticated  state 
like  sheep.  Now  and  then  a giianaco,  which 
possesses  more  sense  than  its  comrades, 
hikes  a line  of  its  own,  and  dashes  through 
the  circle  of  its  enemies.  Still  it  has  but 
little  chance  of  escaping,  for  round  the  circle 
of  horsemen  there  is  another  circle  of  men 
on  foot,  accompanied  by  dogs.  As  soon  as  a 
guanaco  breaks  through  the  first  circle,  it  is 
instantly  seized  by  the  dogs,  which  terrify 
it  to  such  an  extent  that  it  is  unable  to 
move,  and  neither  tries  to  escape  nor  resist. 

On  the  preceding  page  is  a spirited 
engraving  which  represents  Patagonian 
scenery,  and  the  natives  in  their  favorite 
pursuit  of  hunting  game.  The  hot  chase, 
the  flying  bolas,  the  bewildered  guanacos 
are  vividly  pictured. 

The  young  guanacos  which  have  been 
mentioned  as  being  domesticated  are  not 
solely  intended  to  furnish  food,  or  even  bred 
merely  for  the  sake  of  their  skins.  They  are 
employed  for  the  sake  of  decoying  the  adult 
animals.  Taking  the  young  guanaco  to  the 
feeding  grounds,  the  hunter  ties  it  to  a bush, 
and  then  conceals  himself  behind  it.  By 
imitating  the  mother’s  cry,  he  induces  the 
captive  to  utter  the  plaintive  bleating  sound 
by  which  a young  one  calls  for  its  mother. 
This  is  a sound  which  the  adult  guanacos 
cannot  resist,  and  as  soon  as  they  come 
within  twenty  yards  or  so  of  the  bush,  the 
bolas  is  launched,  and  the  animal  at  which 
it  is  aimed  falls  to  the  ground,  enveloped  in 
tlie  fatal  coils. 

The  power  of  the  bolas  is  eminently  shown 
in  the  chase  of  the  rhea,  or  American  ostrich. 
This  bird  is  as  swift  and  wary  as  the  true 
African  ostrich,  and,  but  for  the  bolas,  the 
hunters  would  scarcely  be  able  to  secure  it. 
In  the  chase  of  this  bird  the  Patagonians 
employ  the  same  device  which  is  used  in 
capturing  the  guanacos.  They  know  that 
the  rhea  shares  with  the  guanaco  the  ten- 
dency to  become  confused  and  uncertain  in 
its  movements  when  it  is  pressed  simul- 
taneously from  opposite  directions.  They 


therefore  try  to  surround  the  herd  and  con- 
verge upon  it,  or,  at  all  events,  two  or  three 
of  them  attack  it  from  oi)posite  quarters, 
driving  it  first  one  way  and  then  another, 
so  that  the  bird  becomes  so  perplexed  that 
it  cannot  make  up  its  mind  to  j-un  in  one 
direction,  and  escape  its  foes  by  its  superior 
speed,  but  allows  them  to  come  within  range 
of  the  bolas,  when  its  fate  is  scaled. 

The  hunters  also  know  that,  in  common 
with  all  the  ostrich  tribe,  and,  indeed,  with 
many  wild  animal  of  chase,  the  rhea  always 
runs  against  the  wind.  It  is  therefore  easy 
for  them  to  ascertain  the  direction  which  the 
bird  will  take,  and  by  sending  two  or  three 
horsemen  several  miles  windward  the  retreat 
of  the  bird  is  easily  cut  off.  The  Patagonian 
can  even  kill  the  little  cavies  with  the  bolas, 
so  accurate  is  his  aim. 

The  reader  may  easily  imagine  that  such 
a weapon  as  this  would  be  serviceable  in 
warfare.  When  the  Patagonian  uses  it  in 
battle,  he  does  not  always  fling  it,  apparently 
because  he  does  not  like  to  deprive  himseif 
of  his  weapon.  Sometimes  he  dashes  along- 
side of  a foe,  and  throws  one  of  the  balls  at 
him,  just  as  if  he  were  throwing  a stone,  re- 
taining the  other  ball  in  his  hand,  so  as  to 
recover  the  weapon  after  the  blow  has  sped. 
When  the  Patagonian  carries  the  three- 
ball  bol9,s,  which  has  already  been  described, 
he  uses  the  third  ball,  which,  as  may  be  re- 
membered, is  attached  to  the  longest  thong, 
as  an  English  robber  uses  his  “ life-pre- 
server,” or  an  American  his  “ slung-shot.” 

Another  mode  of  procuring  game  is  prac- 
tised by  the  Patagonians,  and  is  identical 
with  that  which  is  used  by  the  North  Africans 
in  taking  the  partridge,  the  South  Africans, 
in  killing  the  bustard,  as  well  as  by  the  in- 
habitants of  other  parts  of  the  earth.  There 
is  a sort  of  partridge  Avhich  is  common  on 
the  plains,  and  is  called  the  Pampas  par- 
tridge. Its  scientific  name  is  Nothuria 
major.  The  weapon,  or  rather  implement, 
required  for  this  sport  is  a very  simple  one. 
It  is  nothing  more  than  a light  reed,  some 
eight  feet  in  length,  at  the  end  of  which  is 
a noose  composed  of  a strip  cut  from  the 
side  of  a long  feather.  This  noose  has 
sufficient  pliability  to  be  drawn  tight  when 
pulled  and  sufficient  elasticity  to  keep  itself 
open. 

Furnished  with  this  implement,  the  Pata- 
gonian looks  out  for  partridge  on  the  ground 
and,  when  he  finds  one,  begins  riding  round 
and  round  it  in  an  ever  decreasing  circle. 
The  bird  is  much  perplexed  by  this  conduct, 
and,  instead  of  flying  away,  it  simply  crouches 
closely  to  the  ground.  By  degrees,  the 
young  hunter  — this  sport  being  only  prac- 
tised by  boys  — comes  so  close  to  the  bird 
that  he  slips  the  noose  over  its  neck,  and, 
before  it  can  spread  its  wings  for  flight,  jerks 
it  into  the  air. 

An  expert  bird  Catcher  will  secure  three  or 
four  birds  in  an  hour  by  this  curious  mode 


1182 


THE  PATAGO^^IAKS. 


of  hunting,  which  may  he  pursued  on  foot  as 
well  as  on  horseback.  The  only  drawback 
to  it  lies  in  the  very  limited  time  during 
which  it  can  be  attempted.  It  has  been 
found  that,  if  the  shadow  of  the  hunter 
should  fall  upon  the  partridge,  the  bird  seems 
to  shake  off  the  strange  feeling  which  par- 
alyzes its  energies,  and  flies  away  before  it 
can  be  captured.  Consequently,  the  sport 
can  only  l)e  pursued  so  long  as  the  sun  is 
toward  the  meridian;  and  as  soon  as  the 
shadows  lengthen  sufficiently  to  throw  them 
on  the  bird,  the  young  hunter  abandons  his 
sport.  All  practical  naturalists  are  aware  of 
the  alarm  caused  by  a shadow  falling  on  some 
animal  which  they  are  watching  or  trying  to 
capture;  and  entomologists  in  particular 
have  learned  that,  to  approach  most  insects, 


it  is  necessary  to  keep  the  insect  between 
themselves  and  the  sun. 

As  to  the  strange  sort  of  fascination  which 
forces  the  bird  to  crouch  instead  of  flying 
away,  it  exists  in  very  many  birds,  of  which 
the  domestic  poultry  or  any  of  the  common 
cage-birds  are  familiar  examples.  Any  one 
who  is  accustomed  to  deal  with  these  birds 
can  take  one,  stand  it  or  lay  it  on  a table,  go 
away,  and  return  after  an  absence  of  hours, 
knowing  that  the  bird  will  not  dare  to  move. 
During  the  time  that  I kept  and  bred  cana- 
ries, I used  to  free  them  from  the  dreaded 
red  mite  by  sprinkling  insect  powder  under 
their  feathers,  laying  them  on  a piece  of  pa- 
per covered  with  insect  powder,  and  leaving 
them  there  for  an  hour  or  two,  until  the 
powder  had  destroyed  all  the  parasites. 


CHAPTEK  CXXIII, 


THE  PATAGONIANS  — Concluded. 

DOMESTIC  LIFE. 


PATAGONIAN  MARRIAGE  — APPEAL  OF  A SUITOR — REJECTION  OF  THE  OFFER,  AND  RESULT  OF  THE  NEGO- 
TIATION— CURIOUS  MODE  OF  SMOKING  — PRESCRIPTION  FORA  SICK  CHILD  — PATAGONIANS  AT  HOME 
— NATIVE  COOKERY  — PATAGONIAN  ARCHITECTURE — TREATMENT  OF  WOMEN,  CHILDREN,  AND 
SLAVES  — MODE  OF  GOVERNMENT  — POWER  OF  THE  CACIQUE  — NOTIONS  OF  RELIGION  — OFFERINGS 
AND  LIBATIONS  — FUNERALS  IN  PATAGONIA  — SECLUSION  OF  WIDOWS  — VISITS  OF  CONDOLENCE. 


We  will  now  glance  at  the  domestic  life  of 
the  Patagonians,  if  the  word  “ domestic  ” 
can  be  rightly  applied  to  people  who  have 
no  settled  home  or  domus. 

How  marriage  is  conducted  among  them 
is  described  by  Captain  Bourne,  who  w'as 
kept  a prisoner  for  a considerable  time,  and 
had  every  opportunity  of  studying  their 
manners  and  customs.  It  appeared  that  in 
the  house  of  the  chief  to  whom  he  belonged 
there  was  a daughter  — a widow,  with  a 
young  child.  One  evening,  the  tramp  of 
many  feet  was  heard  on  the  outside  of  the 
hut,  together  with  the  mutterings  of  voices. 
Presently,  one  voice  was  heard  louder  than 
the  rest,  evidently  addressed  to  some  one 
within  the  hut.  It  was  the  voice  of  a suitor 
come  to  ask  the  hand  of  the  young  widow. 
The  chief  scornfully  refused  the  offer,  saying 
that  he  was  not  worthy  to  be  her  husband, 
having  no  horses  or  other  property.  The 
man  admitted  that  at  the  present  time  he 
did  not  happen  to  have  any  horses,  but  that 
he  was  a remarkably  good  thief,  and  that,  if 
the  lady  would  only  accept  him,  he  would 
steal  horses,  catch  guanacos,  and  give  her 
plenty  of  grease. 

These  overtures  being  rejected  as  con- 
temptuously as  the  last,  the  suitor  addressed 
himself  to  the  lady,  who  was  very  willing  to 
accept  him,  and  entirely  yielded  when  he 
repeatedly  promised  to  bring  home  plenty 
of  grease  for  her.  She  then  besought  her 
father  to  listen  to  the  suitor’s  application, 
but  was  angrily  refused.  Her  mother  then 
tried  to  pacify  the  angry  father,  saying  that 
the  young  man  might  fulfil  his  promises, 
67  (11 


catch  plenty  of  horses,  and  become  a great 
chief. 

This  was  too  much  for  the  old  man.  He 
jumped  up  in  a towering  passion,  seized  the 
cradle  in  which  his  little  grandchild  was  ly- 
ing, ffung  it  out  of  the  hut,  snatched  up 
every  article  which  his  daughter  possessed, 
threw  them  after  the  cradle,  and  then  or- 
dered her  to  follow  her  goods.  This  was 
exactly  what  she  wanted;  so,  accompanied 
by  her  mother,  she  left  the  hut,  and  was 
joined  by  her  intended  husband. 

A curious  mode  of  smoking  is  practised 
among  the  Patagonians,  which  somewhat 
resembles  that  which  is  used  by  the  Dama- 
ras,  as  recorded  on  a preceding  page. 

When  one  of  these  smoking  parties  is  or- 
ganized, the  guests  assemble  together,  some- 
times in  a hut,  and  sometimes  in  the  open 
air.  They  gravely  seat  themselves  in  a cir- 
cle, round  a vessel  of  water,  — sometimes 
an  ox-horn  stuck  in  the  ground,  and  some- 
times a sort  of  basin  made  of  raw  hide.  All 
being  assembled,  one  of  them  takes  a stone 
pipe,  and  fills  it  with  a mixture  of  tobacco 
and  the  shavings  of  some  yellow  wood. 

The  pipe  being  prepared,  all  the  company 
lie  flat  on  their  faces,  with  their  mantles 
drawn  up  to  the  top  of  their  heads.  The 
])ipe  is  then  lighted  and  passed  round,  each 
drawing  into  his  lungs  as  much  smoke  as 
he  can  swallow,  and  retains  it  as  long  as  he 
can  exist  without  breathing.  As  soon  as 
the  smoke  is  expelled,  the  men  begin  a 
series  of  groanings  and  gruntings,  which 
become  louder  and  louder,  until  they  are 
absolutely  deafening.  By  degrees  they  die 


1184 


THE  PATAGOXIAKS. 


away;  and  when  quiet  has  been  restored, 
each  takes  a draught  of  water,  sits  silently 
jfor  a space,  and  then  slowly  rises  and  moves 
away. 

Captain  Bourne  is  of  opinion  that  this 
ceremony  has  in  it  something  of  a religious 
element.  The  groaning  and  grunting  might 
be  due  to  the  tobacco,  or  the  substance 
which  is  mixed  with  it,  but  the  sounds 
seemed  to  him  to  be  louder  and  more  em- 
phatic than  they  would  have  been  if  entirely 
involuntary;  and  the  breathings,  writhings, 
and  other  accompaniments,  the  profound 
gravity,  and  the  abstinence  A*om  speech,  all 
appeared  to  have  some  religious  significa- 
tion. 

The  same  traveller  gives  a very  amusing 
account  of  a visit  paid  by  a Patagonian  phy- 
sician to  the  hut  of  a chief.  The  party  were 
just  preparing  to  shift  their  quarters,  after  the 
Patagonian  fashion,  when  one  of  the  daugh- 
ters came  in,  carrying  a child  who  was  cry- 
ing loudly,  and  who  was  supposed  in  conse- 
quence to  be  very  ill.  The  journey  was 
stopped,  and  a messenger  despatched  for 
the  wise  man,  who  soon  came,  and  brought 
with  him  his  magic  medicines,  rolled  up  in 
two  pieces  of  skin. 

These  were  laid  on  the  ground,  and  the 
doctor  squatted  by  the  side  of  them,  fixing 
a steady  gaze  on  the  child,  who  presently 
ceased  crying.  Encouraged  by  this  success, 
the  wise  man  ordered  a clay  plaster  to  be 
applied.  This  was  done.  Some  yellow  clay 
was  brought,  moistened  until  it  was  like 
paint,  and  with  this  substance  the  child  was 
anointed  from  head  to  foot.  The  clay 
seemed  to  have  but  little  good  effect,  for  the 
child  began  to  cry  as  badly  as  ever. 

The  two  mysterious  packages  were  now 
untied,  and  out  of  one  the  doctor  took  a 
bunch  of  rhea  sinews,  and  from  the  other  a 
rattle.  ‘ The  doctor  then  fingered  all  the 
sinews  successively,  muttering  something 
in  a very  low  tone  of  voice,  and  after  he 
had  muttered  for  some  five  minutes  or  so, 
he  seized  his  rattle  and  shook  it  violently. 
He  next  sat  in  front  of  the  patient,  and 
stared  at  him  as  he  had  done  before.  After 
an  interval  of  silent  staring,  he  turned  to 
the  chief  and  asked  whether  he  did  not 
think  that  the  child  was  better.  A nod  and 
a grunt  expressed  assent,  and  the  mother  on 
being  asked  the  same  question  gave  a simi- 
lar response. 

The  same  process  was  then  repeated  — 
the  silent  stare,  the  painting  with  clay,  the 
fingering  of  the  sinews,  the  muttering  of 
inaudible  words,  the  shaking  of  the  rattle, 
and  the  concluding  stare.  The  treatment 
of  the  patient  was  then  considered  to  be 
complete.  The  chief  gave  the  doctor  two 
pipefuls  of  tobacco  by  M^ay  of  fee.  This 
was  received  gratefully  by  the  man  of  skill, 
who  gave  his  rattle  a final  shake  by  way  of 
expressing  his  appreciation  of  the  chief’s 
liberality,  and  went  his  way.  As  soon  as  he 


had  gone,  the  child  resumed  its  crying,  but 
the  parents  were  satisfied  that^t  was  better, 
and,  as  Captain  Bourne  testifies,  it  soon  be- 
came quite  composed,  and  throve  well  after- 
ward. 

The  general  mode  of  life  among  the  Pata- 
gonians is  not  particularly  alluring  to  per- 
sons of  civilized  habits,  if  we  may  judge 
from  the  graphic  picture  drawn  by  Captain 
Bourne:  — 

“A  few  dry  sticks  and  a bunch  of  dry 
grass  were  brought;  mine  host  drew  from  a 
convenient  repository  a brass  tinder-box 
with  a stoile  and  a piece  of  steel,  and  soon 
produced  a blaze  that  brilliantly  illuminated 
the  scene.  By  its  light  I was  enabled  to 
survey  the  first  specimen  of  Patagonian 
architecture  that  had  blessed  my  vision.  It 
was  constructed  in  a ‘ pointed  ’ style,  though 
not  very  aspiring,  consisting  of  a row  of 
stakes  about  eight  feet  high,  each  terminat- 
ing in  a crutch  or  fork,  with  a pole  laid 
across  them ; two  parallel  rows  of  stakes  on 
either  side  about  two  feet  high,  with  similar 
terminations  and  a similar  horizontal  fix- 
ture ; and  a covering  composed  of  skins  of 
the  guanaco  sewed  together  with  the  sinev's 
of  the  ostrich,  the  only  thread  used  by  the 
people.  This  covering  is  thrown  over  the 
framework  and  fastened  by  stakes  driven 
through  it  into  the  ground.  For  purposes 
of  ventilation,  some  interstices  are  left;  but 
these  again  are  half  closed  by  skins  attached 
to  the  outside,  so  that  the  air  from  without 
and  the  smoke  from  within  (in  default^ of 
a chimney)  must  insinuate  themselves 
through  these  apertures  in  great  quantities. 

“ In  truth,  my  first  survey  was  rather  hur- 
ried; the  first  cheerful  gleam  had  scarcely 
set  my  eyes  on  the  look-out,  when  I was 
fain  to  sliut  them  against  an  intolerable 
smoke.  In  no  long  time  I felt  as  bacon,  if 
conscious,  might  be  supposed  to  feel  in  the 
process  of  curing.  No  lapse  of  time  was 
sufficient  to  reconcile  the  eyes,  nostrils,  and 
lungs  to  the  nuisance.  Often  have  I been 
more  than  half  strangled  by  it,  and  com- 
pelled to  lie  with  mj-  face  to  the  ground  as 
the  only  endurable  position.  ‘ Talk  that  is 
worse  than  a smoky  house  ’ must  be  some- 
thing out  of  date,  or  Shakespeare’s  imagi- 
nation never  comprehended  anything  so 
detestable  as  a Patagonian  hut.  The 
chief  and  his  numerous  household,  how- 
ever, seemed  to  enjoy  immense  satisfaction, 
and  jabbered  and  grunted  and  played  their 
antics  and  exchanged  grimaces  as  compla- 
cently as  if  they  breathed  a highly  exhila- 
rating atmosphere. 

“ My  meditations  and  observations  were 
shortly  interrupted  by  preparations  for  a 
meal.  The  chief’s  better-half — or  rather 
fifth-part,  for  he  had  four  wives  — superin- 
tended the  culinary  operations,  which  were 
as  rude  and  simple  as  the  hut  where  they 
were  carried  on.  And  now  my  fancy  began 
to  conjure  up  visions  of  the  beef,  fowls,  and 


KATIVE  COOKEKY. 


1185 


eggs,  the  promise  of  which  had  lured  my 
men  from  the  boat,  had  proved  stronger 
than  suggestions  of  prudence,  and  had  made 
me  a prisoner.  But  these  dainties,  if  they 
existed  anywhere  within  the  chief’s  jurisdic- 
tion, were  just  at  present  reserved. 

“ The  old  hag  threw  down  from  the  top  of 
one  of  the  stakes  that  supported  the  tent 
the  quarter  of  some  animal,  whether  dog  or 
guanaco  was  past  imagining.  She  slashed 
right  and  left  with  an  old  copper  knife  with 
might  and  main,  till  it  was  divided  into  sev- 
eral pieces.  Then  taking  a number  of 
crotclied  sticks  about  two  feet  long,  and 
sharpened  at  the  points,  she  inserted  the 
forked  ends  into  pieces  of  the  meat,  and 
drove  the  opposite  points  into  the  ground 
near  the  fire,  which,  though  sufficient  to 
smoke  and  comfortably  warm  the  mess,  was 
too  feeble  to  roast  it.  At  all  events,  time 
was  too  precious,  or  their  unsophisticated 
appetites  were  too  craving,  to  wait  for  such 
an  operation,  and  the  raw  morsels  were 
quickly  snatched  from  the  smoke,  torn  into 
bits  by  their  dirty  hands,  and  thrown  upon 
the  ground  before  us. 

“The  Indians  seized  them  with  avidity, 
and  tossed  a bit  to  me ; but  what  could  I do 
with  it?  I should  have  no  appetite  for  the 
dinner  of  an  alderman  at  such  a time  and 
place,  but  as  for  tasting  meat  that  came  in 
such  a questionable  shape,  there  was  no 
bringing  my  teeth  or  resolution  to  it.  While 
eyeing  it  with  ill-suppressed  disgust,  I ob- 
served the  savages,  like  a horde  of  half- 
starved  dogs,  devouring  their  portions  with 
the  greatest  relish,  seizing  the  fragment 
with  their  fine  white  teeth,  giving  every 
sign  of  enjoyment,  except  what  one  is  ac- 
customed to  see  in  human  beings. 

“ The  old  chief  remarked  the  slight  I was 
putting  upon  his  hospitality.  ‘Why  don’t 
you  eat,  man?  This  meat  very  good  to  eat 
— very  good  to  eat.  Eat,  man,  eat.’ 

“Seeing  him  so  much  excited,  and  not 
knowing  what  deeds  might  follow  his  words 
if  I refused,  I thought  it  expedient  to  try  to 
‘eat  what  was  set  before  me,  asking  no  ques- 
tions,’— thinking,  moreover,  that  if  there 
were  any  evil  spirit  in  it  that  the  fire  had 
failed  to  expel,  it  could  not  possibly  have 
resisted  the  smoke.  So,  being  sorely  di- 
vided between  aversion  to  the  strange  flesh 
and  fear  of  showing  it,  I forced  a morsel 
into  my  mouth.  Its  taste  was  by  no  means 
as  offensive  as  its  appearance,  and  I swal- 
lowed it  with  less  disgust  than  I had  feared. 
This  was  my  first  meal  with  the  savages, 
and  a sample  of  many  others,  though  better 
viands  afterward  varied  their  monotony 
now  and  then.” 

It  is  most  probable  that  the  meat  which 
was  so  rapidly  cooked  and  eaten  was  that  of 
the  guanaco.  The  Patagonians  are  in  no 
way  fastidious  as  to  their  diet,  and  eat  al- 
most every  animal  which  they  kill,  whether 
it  be  guanaco,  rhea,  or  cavy..  They  have  a 


repugnance  to  the  flesh  of  dogs,  tliough 
they  cannot,  like  the  Euegians,  be  ac(;uscd 
of  eating  the  flesh  of  human  beings  rather 
than  that  of  dogs. 

Their  chief  dainty  is  the  flesh  of  a young 
mare,  and  it  is  rather  curious  that  these 
strange  people  will  not,  if  they  can  help 
themselves,  cat  that  of  a horse,  unless  it  be 
disabled  by  an  accident.  They  are  fond  of 
the  fat  of  mares  and  rheas,  separating  it 
from  the  flesh  by  boiling,  and  pouring  it 
into  bladders,  much  as  lard  is  treated  in  this 
country.  Y et  the  fat  obtained  from  the  gua- 
naco is  not  stored  like  that  of  the  mare 
and  rhea,  but  is  eaten  raw.  As  is  the  case 
with  the  Euegians,  the  Patagonians  obtain 
a considerable  amount  of  food  from  the  sea- 
shore, great  quantities  of  limpets,  mussels, 
and  similar  creatures  being  gathered  by  the 
women  and  children. 

Besides  animal  food,  vegetables  are  con- 
sumed, though  rather  sparingly,  by  the 
Patagonians.  Two  roots  form  part  of  their 
ordinary  diet.  One  is  called  “tus,”  and 
looks  something  like  a yam  or  potato.  It  is 
bulbous,  and  when  cleaned  and  properly 
cooked  bears  a strong  resemblance  to  a 
baked  potato.  The  second  root  is  called 
“ chalas,”  and  is  a long,  slender  root,  scarcely 
so  thick  as  an  ordinary  pencil. 

It  is  rather  remarkable  that  the  Pata- 
gonians do  not  seem  to  have  invented  any 
intoxicating  drink.  They  soon  learn  to  ap- 
preciate rum  and  other  spirits,  and  will 
intoxicate  themselves  whenever  they  can 
procure  the  means,  but  they  obtain  all  fer- 
mented and  distilled  liquors  from  the  white 
traders,  and  not  from  their  own  manufac- 
ture. They  have  a sort  of  cooling  drink 
made  of  the  juice  of  barberries  mixed  with 
water,  but  it  is  drunk  in  its  natural  state, 
and  is  not  fermented. 

The  dwellings  of  the  Patagonians  are 
worthy  of  a brief  description,  inasmuch  as 
they  show  the  distinction  between  the  Pata- 
gonian and  Fuegian  ideas  of  architecture. 
The  reader  will  remember  that  the  princi- 
pal portion  of  the  Fuegian  hut  consists  of 
sticks  and  branches,  whereas  the  Patagonian 
only  uses  the  sticks  and  poles  by  way  of  a 
framework  whereupon  he  can  spread  his 
tent  of  skins. 

These  huts,  called  by  the  Spanish  “ toldos,” 
and  by  the  Patagonians  “ cows,”  are  of  vari- 
able dimensions.  Generally  they  are  little 
more  than  sloping  sheds,  six  or  seven  feet  high 
in  front,  and  only  two  feet  high  at  the  back. 
The  length  of  each  toldo  is  about  twelve 
feet,  and  its  width  about  nine  feet.  As 
east  winds  are  hardly  ever  known  in  Pata- 
gonia, the  opening  of  the  hut  is  always  to 
the  east,  the  skin  covering  of  this  simple 
tent  being  impervious  to  wind  and  rain. 
A Patagonian  village,  showing  the  form  of 
these  huts,  is  represented  on  the  llS7th 
page. 

This  is  the  ordinary  kind  of  dwelling,  but 


1186 


THE  PATAGOXIAXS. 


in  some  places  a much  larger  description  of 
hut  is  erected  for  the  chief  or  the  medicine 
man.  These  houses  are  gabled,  being  eight 
feet  or  so  in  height  in  the  middle,  and  slop- 
ing on  either  side  to  the  wall,  which  is  five 
feet  or  so  in  height.  Huts  of  this  kind  are 
nearly  square,  their  depth  rather  exceeding 
their  length. 

The  sleeping  accommodation  of  these 
habitations  is  very  simple,  and  consists  of 
skins,  which  are  spread  on  the  floor.  Other 
skins  rolled  up  are  laid  along  the  side  of 
the  hut,  and  serve  as  pillows,  the  chil- 
dren lying  in  a corner  by  themselves, 
and  the  dogs  sleeping  at  the  feet  of  their 
owners.  Those  children  who  are  unable 
to  walk  are  laid  in  simple  cradles  made  of 
square  pieces  of  guanaco  skin,  hung  ham- 
mockwise  by  four  ends  to  the  rafters  of  the 
hut. 

During  the  daytime  the  infants  are  kept, 
or  rather  packed,  in  cradles  made  of  flat 
pieces  of  board,  over  which  some  pliable 
sticks  are  bent  in  a semicircular  form.  The 
child  is  placed  between  two  pieces  of  gua- 
naco skin,  fastened  in  the  cradle,  and  can 
then  be  carried  about  without  trouble.  Even 
when  the  family  is  shifting  quarters,  the 
cradle  can  be  hung  on  the  saddle-bow  of  the 
mother’s  horse,  the  little  occupant  being 
perfectly  contented  with  its  situation. 

It  might  seem  from  this  statement  thnt 
children  are  treated  with  neglect.  Such, 
however,  is  not  the  case,  the  Patagonians 
being  remarkable  for  their  parental  affec- 
tion, and  being  much  more  inclined  to  spoil 
their  children  by  over-indulgence  than  to 
behave  unkindly  toward  them.  Indeed, 
when  a Patagonian  chief  wishes  to  change 
his  quarters,  and  the  people  do  not  wish  to 
part  with  him,  they  take  one  of  his  children, 
indulge  it  in  every  way,  and  declare  that  he 
must  leave  it  behind  him.  The  affectionate 
parent  cannot  bring  himself  either  to  leave 
his  child,  or  to  deprive  it  of  the  society  of 
those  who  are  kind  to  it,  and  in  consequence 
he  remains  with  his  people. 

The  condition  of  the  women  is  a very 
tolerable  one.  They  certainly  have  to  work 
hard  all  their  lives  unless  their  husband  be 
lich  enough  to  purchase  slaves,  or  be  fortu- 
nate enough  to  procure  them  by  a raid  on 
some  other  tribe.  Many  such  slaves  are 
obtained  from  the  Fuegians,  who  do  not 
scruple  even  to  sell  their  own  relatives  when 
they  can  procure  a good  price  for  them. 
Even  the  wives  of  the  chief  men  are  not 
exempt  from  labor  unless  their  husbands 
happen  to  possess  slaves. 

Generally  the  wives  are  faithful  to  their 
husbands,  but  there  are  cases  where  the 
woman  has  thought  herself  ill-treated,  and 
has  betaken  herself  to  another  protector. 
Should  he  be  an  inferior,  the  aggrieved  hus- 
band makes  him  pay  for  his  offence;  but  if 
a superior,  he  is  obliged  to  put  up  with  his 
loss.  Generally,  however,  the  husband  and 


wife  live  happily  together,  and  the  husband 
thinks  it  a point  of  honor  to  take  his  wife’s 
part  if  she  should  fall  into  a dispute,  no 
matter  whether  she  be  right  or  wrong.  He 
will  scold  her  severely  in  private,  and  even 
inflict  corporal  punishment  on  her,  for  in- 
volving him  in  such  a dispute,  but  he  will 
make  a point  of  upholding  her  in  public. 

The  mode  of  punishment  of  the  Pata- 
gonians is  rather  variable,  but  is  generally 
a modification  of  the  patriarchal  system. 
The  heads  of  families  or  tribes  possess  he- 
reditary rank,  and  take  the  lead  in  all  im- 
portant events  of  peace  or  war.  Their 
power  is,  however,  not  very  great,  and  they 
are  not  able  to  raise  taxes,  nor  enforce 
compulsory  labor  without  payment.  These 
chiefs,  or  caciques,  as  thej^  are  termed,  can, 
if  they  choose,  refuse  the  rank,  and  many  do 
so,  preferring  to  become  subjects  of  some 
other  cacique  to  the  trouble  and  responsibil- 
ity which  accompany  the  post. 

According  to  Falkner,  “the  cacique  has 
the  power  of  protecting  as  many  as  apply  to 
him ; of  composing  or  silencing  any  differ- 
ence; or  delivering  over  the  offending  party 
to  be  punished  with  death,  without  being 
accountable  for  it.  In  these  respects  his  will 
is  the  law.  He  is  generally  too  apt  to  take 
bribes,  delivering  up  his  vassals,  and  even 
his  relations,  when  well  paid  for  it. 

“ According  to  his  orders  the  Indians  en- 
camp, march,  or  travel  from  one  iflace  to 
another  to  hunt  or  to  make  war.  He  fre- 
quently summons  them  to  his  tent,  and  ha- 
rangues them  upon  their  behavior,  the  exi- 
gencies of  the  time,  the  injuries  they  have 
received,  the  measures  to  be  taken,  &c.  In 
these  harangues  he  always  extols  his  own 
prowess  and  personal  merit.  When  elo- 
quent he  is  greatly  esteemed;  and  when  a 
cacique  is  not  endowed  with  that  accomplish- 
ment, he  generally  has  an  orator  who  sup- 
plies his  place.” 

The  religion  of  the  Patagonian  is  a poly- 
theism, the  natives  believing  that  there  are 
great  numbers  of  deities,  -some  good  and 
some  evil.  Each  family  is  under  the  guar- 
dianship of  one  of  the  good  deities,  and  all  the 
members  of  that  family  join  him  when  they 
die.  Beside  these  gods  there  are  subordi- 
nate demons,  good  to  their  OAvn  friends,  but 
bad  toward  all  others,  so  that  on  the  whole 
the  bad  predominates  in  them.  They  are 
called  by  the  name  of  Yalichu. 

Yet  among  some  of  the  Patagonian  tribes 
there  is  even  an  approach  to  personal  relig- 
ion. It  has  been  thought  that  the  Pata- 
gonians are  totally  destitute  of  such  religion. 
This,  however,  is  certainly  not  the  case,  as 
even  our  limited  knowledge  of  these  people, 
their  language,  and  their  habits  shows  that, 
even  though  they  may  not  possess  any  defi- 
^,nite  system  of  religion,  they  are  still  im- 
pressed with  the  idea  of  some  Being  infi- 
nitely greater  than  themselves,  who  knows 
everything  that  they  do.  Thus  they  believe 


(1.)  PATAGONIAN  VILLAGE.  (See  page  1185.) 


(2.)  PATAGONIAN  BURIAL  GROUND.  (See  page  1189.) 


ai87'» 


rUKERALS  m PATAGOKIA. 


1189 


in  an  omniscient  Being;  and  such  a belief  as 
this,  limited  and  imperfect  though  it  may 
be,  is  yet  a step  toward  true  religion. 

To  this  unknown  Being  they  return 
' thanks  when  they  have  obtained  a supply  of 
food  after  long  famine,  so  that  we  find  them 
acknowledging  that  the  great  Being,  who 
knows  all  their  deeds,  watches  over  them, 
and  is  the  Giver  of  all  good  things.  When, 
for  example,  they  have  procured  a seal  after 
having  been  half-starved  for  months,  they 
assemble  round  a fire,  and  the  oldest  man 
present  cuts  for  each  person  a piece  of  the 
seal,  uttering  over  each  portion  a sort  of 
prayer,  and  looking  upward  in  devotion  to 
the  unseen  God,  who  had  sent  them  meat  in 
their  need.  Undisciplined  as  are  the  Pata- 
gonians, totally  unaccustomed  to  self-denial, 
and  mad  with  hunger,  not  one  of  them  will 
touch  the  food  until  this  invocation  has  been 
repeated. 

The  mode  of  burial  among  the  Patago- 
nians varies  in  detail  according  to  the  particu- 
lar tribe,  but  there  is  a general  resemblance 
in  the  ceremonies  throughout  the  country. 
When  a man  dies,  his  body  is  wrapped  in 
his  best  mantle,  placed  on  his  favorite  horse, 
and  conveyed  to  the  place  of  burial,  where  a 
square  pit  has  already  been  dug,  some  six 
feet  in  depth  and  two  or  three  feet  in  width. 
In  this  pit  the  body  of  the  deceased  is  placed 
in  a sitting  position,  his  bolas,  spears,  and 
other  property  laid  beside  him,  and  the  pit 
is  then  covered  with  branches,  on  which  a 
quantity  of  earth  is  thrown.  The  horse  is 
next  sacrificed.  It  is  held  at  the  grave  by 
one  man,  while  another  kills  it  by  a blow  on 
the  head  from  the  bolas,  and  the  skin  is  then 
removed,  stuffed,  and  supported  at  the  grave 
on  four  posts.  At  the  grave  of  a cacique 
four  horses  are  sacrificed.  The  clothing 
which  is  not  buried  with  the  deceased  is 
burned,  and  a feast  on  the  body  of  the  horse 
closes  the  proceedings.  On  page  1187  the 
reader  may  find  an  engraving  of  a Patago- 
nian burial  ground. 


The  widows  arc  obliged  to  remain  in  a 
state  of  the  strictest  privacy  for  an  entire 
year,  keeping  themselves  within  their  huts, 
never  mixing  in  society,  and  not  even  show- 
ing themselves  unless  absolutely  obliged  to 
do  so.  They  must  blacken  themselves  with 
soot,  and  not  eat  the  flesh  of  the  guanaco,  the 
mare,  or  the  rhea.  Should  a woman  break 
the  rule  of  seclusion,  and  be  detected  in  an 
intrigue,  she  would  at  once  lose  her  life  at 
the  hands  of  her  dead  husband’s  relations. 

Among  some  of  the  tribes  the  tomb  is 
periodically  opened,  and  the  skeleton  of  the 
deceased,  which  has  been  prepared  with  the 
greatest  care,  is  washed  and  clothed  in  new 
robes.  This  office  belongs  to  an  old  matron, 
who  is  specially  selected  for  the  task,  which 
becomes  in  process  of  time  a long  and  tedi- 
ous one,  as  the  warriors  are  placed  side  by 
side  in  the  grave,  each  year  gradually  adding 
to  the  number  of  those  who  have  to  be 
washed  and  clothed  annually. 

Among  some  of  the  tribes  the  skeletons 
are  prepared  by  laying  the  bodies  on  plat- 
forms woven  from  canes  and  twigs,  and  dur- 
ing the  time  that  is  occupied  in  cleaning 
and  bleaching  the  skeleton  the  platform  is 
guarded  by  the  friends  of  the  dead  man, 
draped  in  long  mantles,  and  bearing  spears 
or  staves  with  which  they  strike  the  ground, 
while  they  sing  mournful  strains  in  order  to 
drive  away  the  Yalichus  or  spirits,  who  may 
possibly  be  well  disposed  toward  the  dead 
man,  but  are  more  likely  to  be  unfriendly. 

Should  the  deceased  have  been  a wealthy 
man,  many  visits  of  condolence  are  paid  to 
the  relatives,  the  mourners  weeping  loudl}^ 
and  pricking  their  arms  and  legs  with  thorns 
in  order  to  prove  their  affection  by  the  effu- 
sion of  their  blood.  For  these  tokens  of  re- 
spect they  are  rewarded  with  beads,  brass 
ornaments,  and  other  presents;  and  it  need 
scarcely  be  said  that  the  sorrow  felt  for  the 
deceased  and  the  sympathy  excited  for  his 
friends  depend  very  much  on  the  amount  of 
property  at  the  disposal  of  the  relatives. 


CHAPTEE  CXXIY. 


THE  AKAUCANIANS. 


DKESS  — ETIQUETTE  — GOVERNMENT. 


DIVISION  OF  THE  NATION  INTO  TRIBES  — THE  MAPUCH:^S  — PECUEIAR  STRUCTURE  OF  THE  HEAD  — THE 
CHERIPA,  PONCHO,  AND  BOOTS  — MODE  OF  SHAVING  — DRESSING  THE  HAIR  — THE  “ PULLING  HAIR  ” 
FIGHT  — DRESS  OF  THE  WOMEN  — THE  ENORMOUS  BREASTPIN — SINGULAR  USE  OF  THIMBLES  — 
ELABORATE  HEA.DDRESS — PAINT  — EXHIBITION  OF  FEMALE  VANITY — DRESS  OF  THE  CHILDREN  — 
ARCHITECTURE  OF  THE  ARAUCANIANS  — THE  CHIEF’S  HOUSE  AND  ITS  FURNITITRE  — LONG  HOUSE  OF 
THE  MAPUCHES  — NUMBER  OF  FIRES  — CODE  OF  ETIQUETTE  — THE  SPEECH  OF  CEREMONY  — VALUE 
OF  ORATORY  — DEMAND  OF  TRIBUTE  — MODE  OF  GOVERNMENT  — THE  GRAND  TOQUI  — THE  COUNCILS 
OF  PEACE  AND  WAR. 


Passing  northward  from  Patagonia,  and 
taking  a westerly  direction,  we  come  to  the 
Araucanian  nation.  This  title  was  given 
to  them  by  the  Spaniards,  just  as  was  the 
name  of  Patagonians  to  their  southern 
neighbors,  and,  although  it  is  an  incorrect 
one,  it  has  been  accepted  for  so  many  years 
that  it  cannot  be  conveniently  exchanged 
for  the  more  correct  designation. 

The  aborigines  of  Chili  and  a part  of  the 
territory  now  occupied  by  the  Argentine 
Eepublic  were  formerly  one  great  people, 
extending  over  a very  considerable  portion 
of  the  land,  and  necessarily  modified  in 
manners  and  customs  by  the  influence  of  cli- 
mate and  geographical  position.  Their  gene- 
ral title  was  Alapu-che,  or  People  of  the  Land, 
but  they  were  separated  into  three  great 
divisions,  namely,  Pehuen-che,  or  People  of 
the  East;  Mara-che,  or  People  of  the  West; 
and  Huili-che,  or  Far-otf  People,  being  those 
nearest  to  the  Patagonians.  Passing  over 
the  wars  with  the  Spaniards,  as  foreign  to 
the  object  of  this  work,  we  will  describe  the 
Mapuches,  or  People  of  the  Country,  as  they 
call  themselves. 

These  people  are  rather  below  the  middle 
height,  strong,  thick-set,  broad-chested,  and 
much  inferior  in  point  of  form  to  the  Korth 
American  tribes.  The  head  is  narrow,  and 
low  in  front,  broad  and  high  behind,  and  the 
back  of  the  head  falls  in  almost  a direct  line 
with  the  nape  of  the  neck,  a peculiarity  by 


which  an  Araucanian  may  almost  invariably 
be  distinguished.  The  foot  is  as  remarkable 
as  the  head.  It  is  very  short  and  broad,  and 
rises  straight  from  the  toes  to  the  ankle 
with  scarcely  any  curve,  so  as  to  produce 
a very  high  but  very  clumsy  looking  in- 
step. 

The  ordinary  dress  of  the  Mapuche  men 
is  mostly  composed  of  two  garments,  namely, 
the  “ cheripa  ” (pronounced  chereepah)  and 
the  poncho.  The  cheripa  is  a sort  of  com- 
promise between  a kilt  and  trousers.  It  is 
a piece  of  stuff,  mostly  cotton,  which  is  fas- 
tened to  the  back  of  a girdle,  passed  be- 
tween the  legs,  drawn  up  in  front  there,  and 
tucked  then  into  the  girdle.  The  poncho 
is  nothing  but  a large  circular  piece  of  stuff, 
with  a hole  in  the  centre,  through  which 
the  head  passes.  It  is  exactly  similar  in 
principle  to  the  cloak  of  Polynesia,  and 
is  at  once  a primitive,  efficient,  and  grace- 
ful robe,  assuming  with  every  change  of 
attitude  folds  which  delight  the  eye  of  an 
artist. 

Beside  the  poncho  and  cheripa,  the  Ma- 
puche generally  wears  a pair  of  boots,  similar 
to  those  of  the  Patagonians,  and  made  of 
similar  materials,  the  skin  from  the  hind 
legs  of  a horse  being  drawn  over  the  foot 
while  still  fresh,  so  that  it  moulds  itself  to 
the  leg  of  the  wearer.  As  with  the  Patago- 
nians, it  is  open  in  front,  so  as  to  allow  the 
two  first  toes  to  pass  through  and  grasp  the 
small  triangular  stirrup.  The  elaborate 


THE  “'PULLIXG  II AIK”  EIGHT. 


1191 


Iiorse-accoutrements  in  which  the  Mapii- 
ches  delight  will  be  described  when  we 
come  to  the  manners  and  customs  of  the 
people.  Men  of  rank  wear  woollen  brace- 
lets and  anklets  as  marks  of  their  superior 
position. 

Like  most  of  the  Araucanian  tribes,  the 
Mapuches  have  but  little  beard,  and  what 
they  have  they  eradicate  after  the  usual 
fashion  of  savages,  plucking  out  the  indi- 
vidual hairs  instead  of  shaving.  Mr.  R.  E. 
Smith  had  the  opportunity  of  seeing  the 
operation  performed  : — “At  one  house 
where  we  stopped  I saw  an  Indian,  who  at 
first  sight  seemed  to  be  a white  man,  from 
the  fact  that  his  beard  was  grown  as  though 
unshaven  for  a week.  lie  looked  red  and 
blotched,  and  was  continually  raising  his 
hand  to  some  part  of  his  face,  wearing  all 
the  while  an  expression  of  patient  endur- 
ance. A close  scrutiny  showed  that  he  was 
engaged  in  shaving. 

“ These  Indians  pull  out  or  nip  off  the 
beard  with  small  steel  tweezers.  This  in- 
strument was  originally,  as  the  Mapuche 
name  signifies,  a clam  shell,  but,  by  inter- 
course with  the  whites,  they  have  been  able 
to  procure  a more  elegant  article.  Every 
dandy  carries  his  tweezers  hanging  from  his 
neck,  and  at  leisure  moments  amuses  him- 
self by  smoothing  his  face  to  the  taste  of  his 
painted  mistress.  The  arguments  they  use 
in  defence  of  their  treatment  of  the  beard 
are  precisely  those  used  by  shavelings  the 
world  over.” 

They  do  not  content  themselves  with 
merely  removing  the  hair  from  the  chin, 
cheeks,  and  upper  lip,  but  pull  out  the  eye- 
lashes and  eyebrows,  substituting  instead  of 
the  latter  a"  slender  curved  line  of  black 
paint.  They  say  that  the  presence  of  the 
eyelashes  hinders  them  in  the  pursuit  of 
bee  hunting,  a sport  of  which  they  are  very 
fond,  and  on  which  they  pride  themselves 
greatly.  Some  of  the  younger  warriors  have 
allowed  a very  slight  fringe  of  hair  to  re- 
main on  the  upper  lip,  but  the  older  chiefs 
think  that  it  is  an  innovation  on  the  ancient 
customs,  and  discountenance  it  as  far  as  they 
can. 

The  hair  of  the  head  is  cut  short  at  the 
top,  but  is  allowed  to  grow  long  at  the  sides, 
in  order  that  it  may  be  easily  grasped,  just 
as  the  Horth  American  tribes  leave  one  long 
lock  on  the  crown  of  the  head  so  as  to  assist 
the  enemy  who  slays  them  in  getting  off  the 
scalp. 

When  two  lads  quarrel,  they  settle  the 
dispute  with  a fight,  which  is  conducted,  not 
by  blows  with  the  fist  or  with  a weapon,  but 
by  pulling  the  hair.  “ Let  us  pull  hair,  if 
you  are  not  afraid,”  cries  one  of  the  dispu- 
tants to  the  other.  The  challenge  is  never 
refused.  Off  goes  the  poncho,  if  they  happen 
to  be  wearing  it,  the  cheripa  is  tucked  tightly 
into  the  belt,  the  combatants  allow  each 
other  to  take  a fair  grasp  of  the  long  locks, 


and  the  struggle  begins.  Each  tries  to  twist 
the  head  of  his  oi)poiient  so  as  to  bring  him 
to  the  ground,  and  when  he  has  once  fallen, 
they  loosen  tlieir  grasj),  rub  the  backs  of 
their  heads,  take  a fresh  gras>),  and  repeat 
the  struggle  until  one  of  them  yields.  The 
combat  over,  all  animosity  vanishes,  and 
they  are  good  friends  again. 

The  dress  of  the  woinen  is,  like  thtlt  of  the 
men,  composed  of  two  garments,  though 
they  are  difierently  put  on.  One  is  an  en- 
larged chcri])a,  and  made  of  the  same  mate- 
rial. It  is  first  wrapped  round  the  body 
close  under  the  arms,  and  then  pinned  to- 
gether over  each  shoulder,  so  that  the  arms 
are  left  bare.  It  is  confined  at  the  waist  by 
a very  broad  belt,  and  falls  nearly  to  the 
ankle.  This  alone  is  a very  sufficient  dress, 
but  over  it  is  thrown  a second  piece  of  stuff 
which  acts  as  a shawl  or  mantle,  being  fas- 
tened in  front  with  a pin  having  a most 
enormously  flat  head,  about  the  size  of  a 
cheese  plate.  Sometimes  the  head  is  globu- 
lar, but  the  flat  form  is  the  favorite,  and  it 
is  adorned  with  engraved  figures.  The  cloth 
is  mostly  of  native  manufacture,  and  is 
either  black  or  a very  dark  indigo  blue. 

Like  that  of  the  men,  the  hair  of  the 
women  is  divided  into  two  long  tails,  one  of 
which  hangs  over  each  shoulder.  The  tails 
are  wound  round  with  spiral  strings  of  blue 
beads,  and  their  ends  are  connected  by  a 
string  of  twelve  or  fourteen  brass  thimbles, 
which  hang  side  by  side,  like  a peal  of  bells. 
Besides  these  ornaments,  the  women  wear  a 
sort  of  cap,  made  entirely  of  beads,  and  fall- 
ing over  the  back  of  the  head  as  far  as  the 
shoulders.  Its  lower  edge  is  decorated  with 
a row  of  brass  thimbles,  like  that  which  con- 
nects the  two  queues  of  the  hair.  This 
elaborate  headdress  is  only  worn  on  great 
occasions,  while  ordinarily  the  queues  are 
wound  round  the  head,  the  two  ends  pro- 
jecting in  front  like  horns,  a fillet,  usually 
studded  with  beads,  being  employed  to  keep 
the  hair  in  its  place.  These  peculiarities  of 
dress  are  shown  in  the  illustration  of  a Ma- 
puchd  family  on  page  1201. 

Ornaments  are  worn  according  to  the 
wealth  of  the  owners.  Strings  of  beads, 
silver  dollars,  and  brass  thimbles  are  hung 
in  profusion  round  the  neck,  which  is  fu^ 
ther  decorated  with  a collar  made  of  leather 
and  inlaid  with  silver.  Wide  bracelets  and 
anklets  are  also  worn,  similar  to  those  of  the 
men,  but  made  of  variously  colored  beads 
instead  of  wool. 

Paint  is  worn  by  both  sexes,  but  chiefly 
by  the  women,  and  is  anything  but  orna- 
mental. It  is  invariably  of  two  colors,  red 
and  black,  which  are  mixed  with  grease,  so 
that  they  can  be  applied  and  removed  at 
pleasure.  The  usual  plan  is  to  have  a broad 
red  belt  from  ear  to  ear,  taking  in  the 
cheeks,  eyelids,  and  nose,  the  lower  edge  of 
the  belt  being  sometimes  edged  and  scal- 
loped with  black.  The  eyelids  and  lashes 


1192 


THE  ARAUCAKIAKS. 


are  also  edged  with  black,  and  a thin  line 
of  the  same  hue  takes  the  place  of  the 
eyebrows,  which  are  all  removed  except  a 
very  fine  row  of  hairs  in  the  centre.  Some 
of  the  women  further  decorate  their  faces 
by  spots  of  black  paint.  The  women  are 
exceedingly  proud  of  these  ornaments;  and 
an  amusing  instance  of  their  vanity  is  re- 
lated by  Mr.  Smith: — “Our  conversation 
turned  upon  female  dress  ; and,  without  in- 
tending any  disparagement  to  our  fair  en- 
tertainers, we  compared  them  to  the  women 
whom  we  had  seen  at  the  house  of  Chancay. 
The  women,  who  were  at  work  near  by,  did 
not  understand  half-a-dozen  words  of  Span- 
ish ; but,  with  that  intuitive  perception 
which  belongs  to  the  sex,  they  were  not 
long  in  discovering  that  our  conversation 
related  to  themselves  and  their  dresses. 

“ Immediately  they  held  a council  of  w’ar  ; 
and,  entering  the  house,  they  presently  re- 
turned, each  with  a bag  of  trinkets.  There 
w^ere  coverings  for  the  head  and  breast, 
composed  of  strings  of  beads  of  all  colors 
and  designs,  with  brass  thimbles  and  silver 
coins.  There  were  rings  and  pendants  for 
ears  and  nose  ; bracelets  and  anklets,  col- 
lars and  breastpins  of  colossal  proportions. 
These  were  held  up  for  our  admiration  ; 
and  that  we  might  more  fully  realize  their 
wealth,  the  ladies  proceeded  to  deck  them- 
selves with  all  their  finery.  They  were 
at  the  same  time  jabbering  at  the  top  of 
their  lungs,  praising  their  own  superiority 
to  all  other  women,  and  appealing  to  us  for 
a confirmation  of  their  own  good  opinions. 

“Finally,  the  belle  of  the  lot,  having  orna- 
mented her  head,  breast,  and  arms  to  their 
fullest  capacity,  stepped  in  advance  of  the 
others,  and,  raising  her  dress  as  high  as  the 
knee,  displayed  to  our  astonished  gaze  a 
remarkably  well-rounded  piece  of  flesh  and 
blood.  Patting  the  calf  with  honest  pride, 
and  turning  it  about  for  our  inspection,  she 
hung  it  round  with  beads,  adjusted  the  many- 
colored  anklets,  and,  snapping  her  fingers 
contemptuously,  poured  out  a perfect  tor- 
rent of  Mapuche. 

“ Unfortunately,  there  was  no  one  near 
to  interpret  this  language  ; but  from  her 
action,  and  the  frequent  repetition  of  the 
name  ‘ Chancay,’  we  gathered  her  meaning 
to  be  pretty  much  that,  in  whatever  else  the 
wives  of  Chancay  might  excel,  she  would 
defy  them  or  any  one  else  to  produce  a finer 
leg  than  the  one  in  question.” 

The  dress  of  the  children  is  simple  enough. 
As  long  as  they  are  infants,  and  not  able  to 
•walk,  they  are  tightly  rolled  up  in  bandages, 
so  as  to  be  unable  to  move.  In  this  helpless 
-condition  they  are  put  into  bamboo  cradles, 
:and  hung  up  on  pegs  driven  into  the  walls 
^of  the  house,  or  laid  in  baskets  suspended 
from  the  roof,  so  that  they  can  be  swung 
about  by  a cord  tied  to  the  cradle.  The  in- 
fants are  perfect  models  of  behavior,  never 
crying,  and  allowing  themselves  to  be  Jiung 


on  pegs  without  betraying  any  signs  of  life, 
except  the  movement  of  the  eyes.  As  soon 
as  they  can  walk,  they  are  allowed  to  run 
about  without  the  incumbrance  of  any 
clothing,  which  is  not  worn  until  they  be- 
come boys  and  girls  of  seven  or  eight  years 
old. 

The  architecture  of  the  Araucanians  is 
very  simple,  but  differs  slightly  according  to 
the  district,  and  the  position  of  the  owner  of 
the  house.  The  ordinary  house  of  a common 
man  is  a mere  hut,  built  of  wicker-work,  about 
twelve  feet  by  ten,  carelessly  made,  and  ill 
calculated  to  withstand  the  elements.  On  a 
wet  day  the  rain  pours  into  the  hut  on  all 
sides,  a circumstance  which  has  its  advan- 
tages to  counterbalance  its  discomforts.  On 
rainy  days  all  cooking  has  to  be  done  within 
the  house,  which  would  be  absolutely  un- 
bearable if  the  apertures  which  let  the  rain  in 
did  not  let  the  smoke  out.  At  night,  more- 
over, these  huts  are  overcrowded  with 
sleepers. 

In  one  of  these  huts  there  were  three 
rude  bedsteads,  for  the  accommodation  of 
two  married  couples  and  a pair  of  grown-up 
girls,  while  on  the  ground  lay  sixteen  or 
seventeen  young  men  and  children,  packed 
together  like  herrings  in  a barrel.  More- 
over, a whole  troop  of  dogs  came  sneaking  into 
the  house  as  soon  as  the  inmates  closed  their 
eyes  ; so  that  within  this  limited  space  some 
thirty  living  beings  were  contained  during 
the  night,  "it  is  evident  that,  if  the  hut  had 
been  weather-proof,  the  whole  party  would 
have  been  suffocated  before  the  morning. 

A better  kind  of  habitation,  visited  by  Mr. 
Smith,  deserved  the  name  of  house.  It  was 
rectangular  instead  of  rounded,  and  meas- 
ured thirty  feet  in  length  by  fifteen  in 
breadth.  In  the  middle  of  the  roof  was  a 
hole,  by  way  of  chimney,  the  fire  being 
made  directly  beneath  it.  There  was  no 
window,  the  hole  and  the  door  being  the 
only  apertures  for  the  admission  of  light 
and  air. 

There  was  only  one  room,  though  a sort 
of  loft  was  made  in  the  roof.  This  was  used 
as  a storehouse,  wFere  sacks  of  beans  and 
similar  luxuries  were  kept.  As  might  be 
supposed,  the  whole  upper  part  of  the  house 
was  thickly  encrusted  with  soot.  One  of 
the  corners  was  partitioned  off  with  a sort 
of  wicker-work  wall,  and  served  as  a gran- 
ary, in  which  the  wheat  was  stored. 

From  the  sooty,  cobwebbed  rafters  hung 
bunches  of  maize,  pumpkins,  joints  of  meat, 
nets  full  of  potatoes,  strings  of  capsicum  pods, 
and  similar  articles;  while  earthenware  pots, 
dishes,  and  spears  were  scattered  in  profu- 
sion over  the  floor.  In  the  middle  of  all 
these  articles  hung  two  long  lances,  with 
their  points  toward  the  door;  but,  although 
their  heads  were  protected  by  being  stuck 
into  lumps  of  fat,  they  were  rusty,  and  had 
evidently  been  long  out  of  use. 

Two  of  the  corners  were  occupied  with  the 


SOCIAL  ETIQUETTE. 


1193 


ordinary  bedstead  of  the  country,  i.  e.  a 
framework  of  cane,  with  a bull’s  hide 
stretched  tightly  over  it;  and  near  the  beds 
hung  the  stock  of  finery  belonging  to  the 
owner,  namely,  spurs,  stirrups,  and  bits,  all 
of  solid  silver,  belonging  to  the  men,  and 
breastpins,  necklaces,  earrings,  strings  of 
thimbles,  and  other  adornments  of  the 
women.  The  usual  basket  cradle,  containing 
a swathed  baby,  was  suspended  from  one  of 
the  rafters. 

The  house  of  a cacique,  or  chief,  is  very 
much  larger  than  either  of  those  which  have 
been  described,  and  somewhat  resembles  the 
“ long  house  ” of  Borneo.  One  of  these 
houses,  belonging  to  a cacique  named  Ayllal, 
looked  at  a distance  something  between  a 
very  long  boat  and  a haystack. ' Its  height 
was  about  fifteen  feet,  its  width  thirty,  and 
its  length  about  one  hundred  and  forty. 

The  middle  of  the  house  was  common  to 
all  the  inhabitants,  but  the  sides  were  par- 
titioned off  so  as  to  form  a series  of  chambers, 
each  of  which  belonged  to  a married  son  of 
the  proprietor,  or  to  one  of  his  own  wives. 
In  cases  where  the  family  is  not  a very  large 
one,  each  wife  has  her  own  fireplace;  but 
when  the  number  of  families  under  one  roof 
is  considerable,  one  fire  is  common  to  two  or 
three  of  them.  In  Ayllal’s  house  there  were 
six  fireplaces,  and  over  each  was  a hole  in 
the  roof.  The  fireplaces  are  nothing  more 
than  a few  stones,  so  arranged  that  the  pots 
can  be  kept  clear  of  the  burning  wood;  and, 
as  the  ashes  are  allowed  to  accumulate 
where  they  fall,  or  to  be  blown  about  by 
every  current  of  air,  it  is  evident  that  the  in- 
terior of  such  a house  is  not  a model  of  clean- 
liness. 

In  consequence  of  the  custom  of  appro- 
priating a separate  fire  to  each  wife,  the  one 
is  conventionally  accepted  as  a metaphor  for 
the  other.  It  is  not  considered  polite  to  ask 
a man  how  many  wives  he  has,  but  etiquette 
permits  any  one  to  ask  another  how  many 
fires  he  burns.  In  front  of  the  door  hangs  a 
cross-bar,  beyond  which  no  one  ventures  to 
pass  without  a special  invitation,  unless  he 
be  an  inmate  of  the  house,  or  an  intimate 
friend  of  the  family. 

The  Mapuches  exhibit  in  perfection  that 
curious  mixture  of  the  savage  and  the 
gentleman  that  is  so  often  found  among  un- 
civilized people.  They  have  a most  elaborate 
code  of  etiquette,  which  to  a stranger  is  often 
irksome,  on  account  of  the  time  which  is  con- 
sumed in  going  through  the  requisite  for- 
malities. When  two  persons  meet,  it  is  nec- 
essary that  they  should  go  through  a set 
course  of  complimentary  remarks,  the  omis- 
sion of  which,  except  between  relatives  or 
very  intimate  friends,  would  be  held  as  an 
unpardonable  offence.  Let  us  take  Mr.  E. 
K.  Smith’s  account  of  the  ceremonial:  — 

“ If  the  guest  be  a stranger,  the  host  begins 
by  addressing  him  with  ‘ I do  not  know  you, 
brother,’  or  ‘ I have  never  seen  you  before.’ 


Thereupon  the  stranger  mentions  his  own 
name  and  residence,  and  goes  on  to  ask  the 
host  about  himself,  his  health,  and  that  of  his 
father,  mother,  wives,  and  children;  about 
his  lands,  crops,  cattle,  and  fiocks:  the  chiefs 
of  the  district,  the  neighbors,  Lheir  wives^ 
children,  crops,  &c.,  are  next  inquired  about; 
and  whether  there  have  been  any  disturb- 
ances, diseases,  deaths,  or  accidents. 

“ If  the  responses  given  are  favorable,  the 
questioner  goes  on  to  express  his  happiness, 
and  moralizes  to  the  effect  that  health, 
wealth,  and  friendship  are  great  blessings, 
for  which  God  should  be  thanked.  If,  on  the 
contrary,  the  answers  should  convey  bad 
news,  he  condoles  with  the  afflicted,  and 
philosophizes  that  misfortunes  should  be 
loorne  with  equanimity,  since  men  cannot 
always  avoid  evil.  The  guest  having  fin- 
ished, the  host  commences  in  turn  to  ask  all 
the  same  questions,  making  such  comments 
as  the  answers  received  may  demand. 

“ This  formality  occupies  ten  or  fifteen 
minutes.  The  questions  and  answers  are 
recited  (by  rote)  in  a low  monotonous  voice, 
with  a sing-song  tone,  not  unlike  the  say- 
ing of  the  rosary  or  the  chanting  of  friars. 
At  the  end  of  each  sentence,  if  the  last  word 
end  with  a vowel,  the  voice  is  raised  to  a 
shout;  but  should  the  final  letter  be  a con- 
sonant, it  is  rounded  off  with  a nasal  grunt. 
The  listener  expresses  his  satisfaction  oc- 
casionally by  a sound  between  a grunt  and  a 
groan,  or  indicates  surprise  by  a long-drawn 
‘■‘■Hue!  With  these  exceptions,  he  never  in- 
terrupts until  the  speaker  has  given  notice, 
by  a peculiar  cadence  of  the  voice,  that  he 
has  said  his  say.  During  this  palaver,  the 
speakers  often  do  not  look  at  each  other,  and 
frequently  even  sit  with  their  backs  turned 
to  one  another.” 

As  soon  as  etiquette  has  been  satisfied  by 
these  formalities,  the  speakers  assume  their 
ordinary  tone  of  voice,  and  converse  freely 
on  subjects  respecting  which  they  really 
take  an  interest. 

Oratory  is  highly  valued  by  the  Mapu- 
ches, and  should  a young  man  have  some 
power  of  speech,  and  train  it  into  eloquence, 
he  is  on  the  high  road  to  distinction,  and  will 
probably  end  by  becoming  a chief,  though 
originally  of  inferior  rank.  Such  young  men 
are  always  eagerly  sought  by  the  chiefs  as 
their  messengers,  inasmuch  as  etiquette  re- 
quires that  such  messengers  should  not  only 
possess  a retentive  memory,  so  as  to  insure 
the  transmission  of  the  message  correctly, 
but  should  also  be  fluent  of  speech  and  choice 
of  diction,  the  latter  being  a point  in  which 
the  Mapuches  are  exceedingly  fastidious. 

A young  man  who  shows  himself  to  be  a 
proficient  in  these  three  requisites  is  sure  to 
be  taken  into  the  service  of  an  important 
chief,  and  indeed  he  knows  his  own  value  too 
well  to  damage  his  prospects  by  serving  any 
except  a man  of  very  high  rank.  Acting  as 
messenger,  he  practically  becomes  a sort  of 


1194 


THE  AKAUCAKIANS. 


ambassador,  on  whom  the  reputation  of  his 
principal  is  rellected,  and  by  associating  with 
the  chief  men,  and  speaking  at  their  assem- 
blies, he  soon  gains  for  himself  that  impor- 
tance which  was  formerly  only  accorded  to 
his  official  capacity.  Men  of  this  stamp  have 
frequently  become  the  masters  of  those 
whom  they  formerly  served,  their  abilities 
having  raised  them  to  their  appropriate 
station. 

To  a stranger  the  eloquence  of  these  men 
is  utterly  unintelligible.  They  deliver  their 
message  in  a sort  of  monotone,  varied  with 
inflections,  but  without  the  least  spirit  or 
action.  In  fact,  they  very  much  resemble 
schoolboys  reciting  a piece  of  poetry  which 
they  have  learned  by  rote  without  taking  the 
trouble  to  understand  it.  Y et  the  Mapuches 
are  held  entranced  during  the  delivery  of 
such  a discourse  by  an  accomplished  orator, 
the  purity  of  whose  diction  excites  the  re- 
spectful admiration  of  his  hearers. 

Etiquette  is  so  highly  valued  among  the 
Araucanians  that  on  one  occasion  an  English 
gentleman  nearly  lost  his  life  by  neglecting 
a ceremonial.  It  seems  that  every  chief,  no 
matter  how  petty  may  be  his  domain,  expects 
that  every  stranger  who  passes  through  his 
territory  shall  pay  him  a tribute.  The 
amount  of  the  tribute  is  of  little  consequence, 
so  that  something  is  given  as  an  acknowl- 
edgment of  rank. 

Being  new  to  the  country,  the  gentleman 
in  question  was  passing  through  the  ter- 
ritory of  a chief,  when  he  was  stopped  and 
asked  for  tribute,  a demand  which  he  re- 
fused to  pay,  on  the  ground  that  he  was  only 
a traveller  and  not  a trader.  Thereupon  a 
young  man  leaped  into  a cabin,  brought  out 
a trumpet  made  of  a horn,  and  blew  a blast 
upon  it.  The  signal  was  answered  in  all 
directions,  and  from  every  side  there  poured 
in  a number  of  mounted  and  armed  warriors. 
The  traveller  was  not  daunted,  in  spite  of 
the  martial  array,  cocked  his  pistols,  and 
awaited  the  attack,  when  his  guide  ran  up  to 
him,  and  begged  him  to  give  them  some- 
thing, if  it  were  only  a 'pocket-handkerchief . 

The  traveller  saw  at  once,  from  the  small- 
ness of  the  suggested  present,  that  it  was  a 
mere  question  of  etiquette,  and  munifi- 
cently presented  the  chief  with  a jack-knife. 
Enmity  at  once  gave  way  to  enthusiastic 
friendship.  The  old  chief  was  quite  over- 
come by  the  splendor  of  the  gift,  swore 
eternal  friendship  with  the  traveller,  and 
sent  a guard  of  honor  to  accompany  him  for 
several  miles  on  his  way. 

We  naturally  come  to  the  mode  of  gov- 
ernment employed  by  the  Araucanians. 

The  four  great  divisions  are  subdivided 
into  provinces,  and  these  into  smaller  dis- 
tricts, each  of  which  is  presided  over  by  a 
chief,  who  exercises  a kind  of  patriarchal 
authority  over  his  clansmen.  He  is  the 
judge  and  arbiter  of  the  clan,  and  there  is 


no  appeal  from  his  decision.  Yet  he  levies 
no  taxes,  and  cannot  force  even  the  lowest 
of  his  people  to  work  for  him.  He  can 
require  the  services  of  the  men  for  war  or 
for  business  of  state,  but  there  his  authority 
ends.  No  land  can  be  sold  except  by  the 
chief,  to  whom  it  is  by  a sort  of  legal  fiction 
supposed  to  belong,  and  even  he  cannot  sell 
it  to  any  except  a native  Araucanian,  under 
penalty  of  death. 

All  these  chiefs,  or  caciques,  as  they  are 
often  called,  are  considered  to  be  equals  in 
point  of  rank,  and  independent  of  each 
other,  though  one  is  chosen  on  account  of 
his  personal  abilities  to  be  the  head  chief  of 
the  district,  but  merely  as  primus  inter  pares. 
The  office  of  chief  is  generally  but  not  al- 
ways hereditary.  It  mostly  descends  to  the 
eldest  son,  but  the  actual  holder  of  the  office 
may  bequeath  it  even  to  one  who  belongs  to 
another  family.  Should  a chief  die  without 
sons,  brother,  or  a recognized  successor,  the 
people  have  the  power  of  electing  a chief 
for  themselves,  and  it’  is  on  such  occasions 
as  these  that  the  eloquent  messengers  lately 
described  find  their  opportunity  of  being 
raised  to  the  rank  of  cacique. 

Ul3  to  this  point  the  details  of  the  govern- 
ment are  simple  enough.  We  now  have  to 
consider  a most  singular  arrangement,  unlike 
that  of  any  other  known  nation.  From  the 
head  chiefs  of  the  various  districts  one  is 
chosen  as  the  Toqui,  or  head  of  the  province, 
and  these  Toquis  form  the  supreme  council 
by  whom  the  affairs  of  the  nation  are  man- 
aged. From  among  them  one  is  selected  as 
president  of  the  council,  and  is  called  by  a 
title  which  signifies  the  Grand  Toqui.  He 
is  the  highest  personage  in  the  state.  He 
can  summon  councils  whenever  he  sees  oc- 
casion, he  watches  over  the  welfare  of  the 
state,  lays  before  his  colleagues  any  informa- 
tion that  he  considers  important,  and  on 
special  occasions  he  can  act  on  his  own  au- 
thority. 

When  Mr.  E.  K.  Smith  travelled  in  Arau- 
cania,  the  Grand  Toqui  was  an  old  chief 
named  Manin,  who  seems  to  have  been 
worthy  of  the  position  which  he  held.  Manin 
Hueno  (“  the  Grass  of  Heaven  ”),  as  he  was 
called  by  his  compatriots,  or  Manin  Bue- 
no (“Manin  the  Good”),  as  the  Chilenos 
termed  him,  was  a very  old  man,  his  age  be- 
ing estimated  as  falling  little  short  of  a cen- 
tury, though  his  general  bearing  was  such 
that  he  might  have  been  taken  for  little 
more  than  sixty.  His  long  black  hair  was 
but  slightly  sprinkled  with  silver,  his  eye 
retained  its  brightness,  and  his  mien  its  up- 
rightness ; and  though  his  many  years  had 
diminished  his  strength,  they  had  not  affected 
his  intellect. 

He  was  held  in  the  very  highest  respect, 
as  indeed  was  due  to  his  acknowledged  wis- 
dom, by  means  of  which  war  had  many  a 
time  been  averted.  Yet  he  was  not  a rich 
man,  and  in  point  of  wealth  the  greater 


THE  COUNCILS  OF  PEACE  AKD  WAR. 


1105 


number  of  the  lesser  chiefs  were  far  richer 
than  Manin  Hiieno.  His  only  marks  of 
wealth  were  the  solid  silver  horse  accoutre- 
ments — but  even  these  were  not  worth  fifty 
pounds  of  our  money  ; while  his  apparel 
was  of  the  simplest  kind,  a red  and  yellow 
handkerchief  tied  round  his  head  being  the 
most  costly  article  of  his  apparel. 

When  a council  of  Toquis  is  assembled, 
the  members  generally  endeavor  to  outshine 
each  other  in  the  magnificence  of  their  ap- 
pointments ; and  after  the  day’s  labor  is 
over,  they  join  in  a general  debauch,  which 
sometimes  lasts  for  the  whole  of  the  next 
day,  and  prevents  the  councillors  from  re- 
suming their  business  until  they  have  become 
sufficiently  sober. 

How  comes  the  curious  part  of  Arauca- 


nian  government.  The  Supreme  Council 
treats  only  of  the  internal  management  of 
the  nation,  and  is  technically  called  the 
Council  of  Peace.  As  soon  as  war  is  de- 
clared, the  Council  of  Peace  falls  into  abey- 
ance, and  its  place  is  taken  by  the  Council 
of  War.  This  is  headed  by  the  Toqui  of 
War,  who,  as  long  as  the  war  lasts,  has  un- 
limited power,  excejDt  over  life.  He  appoints 
the  officers,  settles  the  number  of  warriors 
required,  orders  a conscription  to  be  set  in 
operation  in  each  district,  and  lays  upon 
each  cacique  the  duty  of  levying  a certain 
number  of  men,  and  raising  a certain 
amount  of  supplies.  As  soon  as  peace  is 
concluded,  he  and  all  his  council  retire  from 
office,  and  the  Council  of  Peace  reassumes 
its  sway. 


CHAPTER  CXXV. 


THE  AKAUCAKIAXS  — Continued. 

DOMESTIC  LIFE. 


LOVE  OF  THE  HORSE  — THE  STIRRUP,  BIT,  AND  SPUR  OF  THE  ARAUCANIANS  — MODE  OF  FASTENING 
THE  SPUR  ON  THE  HEEL  — TRAINING  OF  THE  HORSES  — VALUE  OF  THE  HORSE  ACCOUTREMENTS 
— HATRED  OF  SHAMS  — LOVE  FOR  SILVER  AND  CARELESSNESS  OF  GOLD  — HOW  THE  ARAUCANIANS 
RIDE — THE  BOLAS  OR  LAQUI,  AND  THE  LASSO  — MODE  OF  MAKING  AND  THROWING  THE  LASSO 
— CAPTURE  OF  A SAVAGE  BULL  — COURAGE  OF  THE  ARAUCANIANS  — THEIR  SUCCESSFUL  STRUGGLE 
FOR  LIBERTY — CAREER  OF  A YOUNG  HERO — MARRIAGE  AMONG  THE  ARAUCANIANS  — ABDUCTION 
OF  THE  BRIDE  — RECONCILIATION  WITH  THE  PARENTS  — ARAUCANIAN  COOKERY  — PREPARING 
NACHI,  CHICA,  AND  SIUDAI  — THRESHING  CORN. 


W E now  come  to  the  ordinary  life  of  the 
Araucanians. 

Like  the  American  tribes  in  general,  they 
have  become  wonderful  adepts  in  the  use 
of  the  horse,  the  climate,  the  natives,  and 
the  horse  seeming  to  agree  with  each  other 
in  a way  which  is  really  remarkable,  consid- 
ering that  the  animaf  is  of  comparatively 
late  introduction  into  America.  Unlike  the 
Patagonians,  they  pride  themselves  on  the 
massive  solidity  of  the  accoutrements  with 
which  they  bedizen  their  horses  ; and,  al- 
though they  care  little  about  the  individual 
animals,  and  are  rather  hard  masters  to 
them,  they  bedeck  the  horses  in  the  most 
lavish  manner. 

Their  saddles  are  made  very  much  after 
the  fashion  employed  by  the  Patagonians, 
being  little  more  than  rude  wooden  frames. 
A few  skins  are  laid  on  the  back  of  the 
horse,  the  saddle  is  placed  on  them,  a saddle 
cloth  of  thick  leather  is  thrown  over  it,  and 
the  whole  apparatus  is  complete.  The  bri- 
dle is  made,  like  that  of  the  Patagonians,  of 
twisted  hide,  or  sometimes  of  a number  of 
strips  of  horse-skin  plaited  together,  a few 
threads  of  silver  being  mingled  with  them. 
The  bit  is  generally  the  ordinary  Spanish 
bit,  with  its  cruelly  powerful  arrangement 
of  curb  and  ring. 

The  stirrups  are  generally  nothing  more 
than  a piece  of  cane  twisted  into  a triangu- 
lar form,  and  hung  to  the  saddle  by  leath- 
ern cords  ; but  the  wealthy  Araucanians 


pride  themselves  in  having  these  articles  of 
solid  silver.  The  shape  of  these  stirrups 
varies  in  some  degree,  the  usual  form  resem- 
bling that  of  the  English  stirrup,  but  vpy 
much  larger  and  heavier,  the  sides  being 
from  one  to  two  inches  wdde,  and  pierced  in 
ornamental  patterns,  while  the  cross-bar  on 
which  the  foot  rests  is  fully  two  inches  in 
width. 

The  form  of  stirrup  to  which  they  are 
most  partial  resembles  the  other,  as  far  as 
the  side  pieces  are  concerned  ; but  the  foot- 
bar  is  developed  into  a large  plate  of  silver, 
which  comes  over  the  front  of  the  stirrup, 
and  protects  the  toes  and  instep  from  the 
thorns  which  are  plentiful  in  the  country. 
The  back  of  this  plate  projects  behind  in  a 
sharp  point,  which  is  used  as  a spur. 

About  the  spurs  themselves  the  Arauca- 
nian  is  very  fastidious.  They  are  of  enor- 
mous size,  and  armed  with  rowels  measur- 
ing from  two  to  three  inches  in  diameter, 
and  sometimes  even  exceeding  that  meas- 
urement. It  may  be  imagined  that  spurs 
of  this  size,  which  are  exceedingly  weighty, 
must  be  buckled  on  the  feet  very  tightly,  so 
as  to  keep  them  in  their  places. 

This,  however,  is  not  the  case.  On  the 
contrary,  the  strap  by  which  they  are  fast- 
ened is  quite  loose,  so  that  when  the  wearer 
walks  the  rowels  trail  on  the  ground,  and 
when  he  is  mounted  they  hang  nearly  per- 
pendicularly from  his  heels.  ^ The  Arauca- 
nian  cares  little  for  the  impediment  in  walk- 


THE  LAQUI. 


1197 


ing,  as  he  never  walks  twenty  yards  if  he  can 
help  himself;  while  the  position  of  the  spurs 
when  he  is  mounted  is  a real  necessity.  An 
illustration  of  stirrups  and  spurs  is  given  on 
the  1175th  page. 

The  horses  are  never  more  than  half 
trained.  They  are  taught  to  wheel  within  a 
very  small  circle,  to  stop  suddenly  and 
throw  themselves  on  their  haunches,  and  to 
dash  off  at  full  gallop ; but  that  is  the  extent 
of  their  accomplishments.  Many  of  them 
are  young,  spirited,  and  nervous  steeds,  and 
if,  in  the  course  of  the  struggles  for  victory 
which  they  occasionally  attempt,  the  spurs 
were  to  come  against  their  sides,  they  would 
be  greatly  alarmed,  and  their  struggles 
would  only  be  increased.  But  as  the  spurs 
hang  down  almost  below  the  rider’s  feet, 
they  swing  clear  of  the  horse’s  flanks,  while 
at  any  time,  if  they  are  needed  for  use,  the 
wearer  has  only  to  bend  his  feet,  which 
brings  them  into  position. 

The  Araucanians  have  a very  wholesome 
contempt  for  shams,  and  will  have  nothing 
that  has  any  pretence  about  it.  The  poorest 
peasant,  who  can  only  afford  an  iron  spur,  or 
possibly  not  even  a spur  of  any  kind,  would 
scorn  to  wear  either  spur  or  stirrups  of  plated 
metal,  or  of  any  imitation  of  silver,  however 
good. 

They  are  so  fastidious  in  this  matter  that 
they  will  not  use  articles  that  have  been 
made  abroad ; and  even  if  a spur  is  made  of 
solid  silver  in  imitation  of  their  own  pat- 
terns, they  will  be  nearly  certain  to  reject  it, 
the  workmanship  being  sure  to  betray  itself 
to  their  experienced  eyes.  A high  polish 
always  excites  their  suspicions,  inasmuch  as 
the  native  artificers  are  incapable  of  impart- 
ing it.  All  these  articles  are  made  from  the 
silver  currency  of  the  country,  and  the 
wealthy  Araucanian  always  carries  with 
him  a pair  of  balances,  and  a number  of  dol- 
lars which  serve  as  standard  weights. 

It  may  be  imagined  that  the  purchase  of 
a pair  of  spurs  or  stirrups  is  a matter  of  im- 
portance with  these  people.  The  buyer  sits 
in  silence  on  the  ground,  takes  the  spurs, 
and  examines  every  part  with  the  minutest 
attention,  scrutinizing  every  joint,  smelling 
the  metal,  tasting  it,  and  ringing  it,  in  order 
to  judge  whether  it  has  been  debased  by  the 
mixture  of  any  inferior  material.  Not  only 
spurs  and  stirrups,  but  pendants  for  the 
bridle,  and  ornaments  for  the  headstalls  and 
saddles,  are  made  of  silver;  so  that  the  ac- 
coutrements of  a wealthy  Araucanian  will 
sometimes  be  worth  a hundred  and  fifty 
pounds,  merely  as  silver,  without  regard  to 
the  value  of  the  workmanship. 

The  men  who  make  these  highly  prized 
ornaments  use  the  very  rudest  of  tools,  and 
their  workshops  are  but  rough  hovels,  quite 
out  of  keeping  with  the  barbaric  magnifi- 
cence of  their  wares.  Sometimes  the  artifi- 
cer makes  the  ornaments  for  sale;  but  in 
the  case  of  large  articles,  such  as  spurs  or 


stirrups,  which  weigh  several  pounds,  and 
consume  a great  number  of  dollars,  he  pre- 
fers to  wait  for  the  order,  and  make  the  re- 
quired article  out  of  the  bag  of  dollars  with 
which  it  is  accompanied. 

It  is  remarkable  that  the  Araucanians, 
fond  as  they  are  of  silver,  will  have  nothing 
to  do  with  gold.  Besides  these  horse  ac- 
coutrements, they  wear  earrings,  breast- 
pins, and  other  ornaments  of  silver,  but 
none  of  gold.  Some  travellers  think  that 
their  reason  for  the  rejection  of  gold  is  their 
wish  to  conceal  its  presence  in  the  country 
from  the  knowledge  of  the  foreigner,  re- 
membering that  it  was  the  cause  of  the  dis- 
astrous war  with  the  Spanish  invader.  The 
real  cause  is,  probably,  that  it  cannot  be  pro- 
cured in  suflicient  quantities  without  more 
labor  than  they  choose  to  bestow,  and  that 
they  have  not  learned  to  work  gold  as  they 
do  silver. 

The  Araucanians  are  admirable  riders, 
though  their  seat  would  not  please  an  Euro- 
pean riding  master.  They  depend  entirely 
on  balance  for  retaining  their  seat,  and  seem 
rather  to  hang  on  the  horse’s  back  than  to 
hold  by  any  grip  of  the  knee.  Indeed,  a 
stranger  to  the  country  always  thinks  that 
an  Araucanian  rider  is  on  the  point  of  being 
thrown,  so  loose  is  his  seat,  whereas  the  very 
idea  that  he  can  by  any  possibility  be  thrown 
never  enters  his  mind.  He  and  his  horse 
seem  one  being,  actuated  by  one  mind.  A 
traveller  once  saw  a horse  take  fright,  and 
leap  sideways  from  the  object  of  terror.  He 
thought  that  the  rider  must  be  flung  by  the 
suddenness  of  the  movement;  but,  to  all  ap- 
pearance, the  man  took  fright  and  shied  at 
the  same  moment  with  his  horse. 

The  Araucanians  use  the  bolas  in  com- 
mon with  their  southern  neighbors,  the  Pat- 
agonians, and  are  never  seen  without  the 
“ laqui,”  as  they  term  the  weapon,  hanging 
at  their  waists.  Some  of  them  have  a way 
of  leaving  one  of  the  balls  without  its  cov- 
ering of  leather,  saying  that  the  covered 
bolas  is  used  when  they  fight  with  friends, 
but  the  bare  bolas  when  they  fight  with  an 
enemy. 

They  also  use  the  lasso,  that  terrible 
weapon  which  extends  over  so  vast  a terri- 
tory, and  which  supersedes  the  bolas  as  it 
proceeds  northward. 

This  terrible  weapon  is  simple  enough  in 
principle,  being  nothing  more  than  a leath- 
ern rope,  forty  feet  in  length,  with  a noose 
at  the  end.  As,  however,  the  construction 
is  rather  ingenious,  I have  given  an  illustra- 
tion on  the  1175th  page,  taken  from  spec- 
imens in  my  possession.  Pig.  1 shows  the 
lasso  coiled  through  the  strap  by  which  it  is 
attached  to  the  saddle  of  the  rider.  It  is 
made  of  a number  of  thongs  of  raw  hide, 
plaited  into  a round  rope,  about  three-eighths 
of  an  inch  in  diameter;  so  that,  although  it 
appears  very  slender,  it  really  possesses 
enormous  strength,  and  an  elephant  could 


1198 


THE  ARAUCANIANS. 


scarcely  break  it.  This  part  of  the  rope  is 
shown  at  fig.  5. 

For  the  last  ten  feet  of  its  length  the  rope 
is  much  thicker,  is  composed  of  more  strips 
of  hide,  and  is  plaited  into  a square  form. 
At  the  extreme  end  the  various  strands  are 
plaited  round  an  iron  ring,  as  seen  at  fig.  4. 
Through  this  ring  the  lasso  passes,  so  as  to 
form  a running  noose.  The  change  from 
the  round  to  the  square  plait  is  seen  at  fig. 
3,  and  fig.  2 shows  the  peculiar  knot  which 
keeps  the  lasso  from  slipping  from  the 
saddle. 

Fig.  6 shows  the  end  of  another  sort  of 
lasso,  made  of  the  silk-grass  fibre,  i.  e.  the 
long  fibres  from  the  leaves  of  a species  of 
agave.  These  fibres  are  wonderfully  strong, 
and  the  lasso  is  remarkable,  not  only  for 
its  strength,  but  its  elasticity.  Instead  of  an 
iron  ring  being  placed  at  the  end,  the  rope 
is  brought  round  so  as  to  form  a loop,  the 
interior  of  which  is  lined  with  stout  leather, 
and  the  exterior  adorned  with  colored 
wools. 

When  the  lasso  is  to  be  used,  the  thrower 
takes  the  ring  in  his  left  hand,  and  the  lasso 
in  the  right,  and  separates  his  arms  so  as  to 
make  a running  noose  nearly  six  feet  in 
length.  Grasping  the  ring  and  the  cord 
with  his  left  hand,  he  slips  his  right  hand 
along  the  rope  so  as  to  double  it,  and  there 
holds  it.  When  he  throws  it,  he  whirls  it 
round  his  head  until  the  noose  becomes 
quite  circular,  and  then  hurls  it  at  the  ob- 
iect,  throwing  after  it  the  remainder  of  the 
rope,  which  has  hung  in  coils  on  his  left 
arm.  As  it  passes  through  the  air,  the 
noose  becomes  gradually  smaller,  so  that 
the  thrower  can  always  graduate  the  di- 
ameter of  the  noose  to  the  object  which  it 
is  intended  to  secure. 

The  skill  with  which  they  fling  this  noose 
is  wonderful,  as  may  be  seen  from  Mr. 
Smith’s  account  of  a struggle  with  an  in- 
furiated bull*  — 

“ The  capture  of  a particular  animal  from 
a herd,  within  a range  of  pasture  utterly 
unbounded  except  by  mountains  and  rivers, 
is  often  difficult,  and  gives  rise  to  many  ex- 
citing cases  and  ludicrous  scenes.  Even 
when  taken,  the  captives  are  not  easy  of 
management,  their  attachment  for  old  asso- 
ciates manifesting  itself  in  frequent  attempts 
to  return. 

“ One  particular  bull  gave  great  trouble. 
He  was  a noble  fellow,  of  spotless  white. 
— such  an  one  as  bore  the  beautiful  Europa 
through  the  waters  of  the  Phoenician  deep, 
or  such  an  one  as  might  be  worshipped  on 
the  shores  of  the  Ganges. 

“ After  a long  time  he  was  lassoed,  and 
the  horseman,  who  had  literally  taken  the 
bull  by  the  horns,  started  off  complacently 
to  lead  him  to  the  place  of  gathering.  But 
his  bullship  did  not  take  the  going  as  a mat- 
ter of  course;  for,  with  a mad  bellow,  he 
charged  upon  his  captor,  who,  seeing  a very 


formidable  pair  of  horns  dashing  toward 
him,  started  at  full  gallop,  still  holding  fast 
the  lasso,  which  he  in  vain  tried  to  keep 
taut.  The  horse  was  jaded,  and  old  Whitey 
was  fast  gaining.  Another  Indian  bounded 
forward,  and,  dexterously  throwing  his 
lasso,  caught  the  unoccupied  horn,  bring- 
ing up  the  prisoner  with  a round  turn. 

“ The  bull  was  not  yet  conquered.  After 
plunging,  pawing,  bellowing,  and  tossing 
for  a while,  he  changed  his  tactics.  Making 
a rush  and  a feint  at  one  of  his  annoyers, 
he  wheeled  about  suddenly,  and  nearly  suc- 
ceeded in  catching  the  other  on  his  horns. 
Things  were  becoming  more  complicated 
than  ever,  when,  as  the  infuriated  animal 
stood  head  down,  with  his  tail  stuck  out 
at  an  angle  of  fifty-five  degrees,  a third 
horseman  came  to  the  attack,  and,  whirling 
his  lasso  with  a jerk,  caught  the  caudal  ex- 
tremity in  a running  knot. 

“Thus  the  tw^o  men  at  the  sides  w'ere  safe, 
provided  that  the  man  behind  kept  his  lasso 
strained.  But  a question  in  the  rule  of 
three  now  arose.  If  three  men  catch  a bull, 
one  by  each  horn,  and  one  by  the  tail,  and 
all  pull  in  different  directions,  winch  way 
can  the  bull  go? 

“No  one  seemed  able  to  work  out  the 
answer;  but  Katrilas  was  a man  ready 
for  all  emergencies,  and,  dismounting,  he 
started  to  the  assistance  of  his  companions, 
armed  with  a long  lance  and  an  old  poncho. 
Kunning  before  the  bull,  he  threw  the  pon- 
cho on  the  ground,  a few  paces  in  front,  the 
man  behind  slackened  a little,  and  the  bel- 
lowing captive  made  a desperate  plunge  at 
the  red  cloth.  A jerk  on  the  tail  stopped 
further  progress,  till  Katrilas,  picking  up 
the  poncho  on  the  tip  of  the  lance,  tossed 
it  several  yards  in  advance.  There  w*as 
another  slackening,  another  plunge,  another 
jerk,  and  so  on,  until  the  ‘ critter  ’ w^as 
brought  to  the  desired  spot. 

“ The  next  trouble  w*as  to  loose  the  cap- 
tive. Sundry  scientific  pulls  brought  him 
to  the  ground,  and  Katrilas,  springing  for- 
ward, stripped  the  lassos  from,  his  horns. 
But  another  remained  on  the  tail.  That  no 
one  would  venture  to  untie,  for  the  bull  had 
risen,  and  stood  glaring  frantically  around. 
An  Indian,  unsheathing  his  long  knife,  ran 
full  tilt  at  the  extended  tail,  and  wdth  one 
blow  severed  the  greater  part  of  that  use- 
ful member  from  the  body. 

“ The  last  was  literally  the  ‘ unkindest 
cut  of  all.’  The  poor  brute  was  fairly  con- 
quered. He  stood  wdth  head  hanging,  eyes 
glaring,  the  tongue  lolling  from  his  frothipg 
mouth,  his  once  spotless  coat  defiled  wdth 
foam  and  dirt,  while  the  drip,  drip,  drip,  of 
th^  warm  blood  upon  his  heels  rendered  the 
al^iectness  of  his  misery  complete.” 

That  the  Araucanians  are  a courageous 
race  is  evident  from  their  struggles  with 
the  Spaniards.  Though  vanquished  again 
and  again  by  the  superior  arms  and  disci- 


MAKEIAGE  CEREMONIES. 


1199 


pliiie  of  the  Spaniards,  they  were  never  con- 
quered, and  when  repulsed,  only  retired  to 
gather  fresh  forces.  Toqui  after  Toqui  fell 
in  the  struggle,  the  most  remarkable  of 
these  warriors  being  a mere  youth  named 
Lautaro,  who  was  "unanimously  elected  to 
the  post  in  consequence  of  his  conduct  when 
the  Araucanians  attacked  the  Spaniards  at 
Tucapel.  He  was  a captive  and  a servant 
in  the  family  of  Valdivia,  when  the  place 
was  attacked.  The  Spanish  musketry  told 
so  terribly  upon  the  Araucanians,  that  they 
were  on  the  point  of  retreating,  when  Lau- 
taro dashed  forward,  rallied  his  countrymen, 
and  led  them  to  the  attack  with  such  spirit 
that  the  whole  Spanish  force  was  destro3^ed 
with  the  exception  of  two,  who  escaped  to 
Concepcion  with  the  news  of  the  defeat. 
Valdivia  himself  was  captured,  and  it  is  said 
that  Lautaro  desired  to  save  the  life  of  his. 
former  master,  when  an  old  chief  seized  an 
axe  and  dashed  out  the  brains  of  the  captive 
general. 

Foreseeing  that  General  F.  de  Villa  Gran, 
who  was  at  Concepcion,  would  march  at 
once  to  avenge  the  destruction  of  Tucapel, 
Lautaro  assembled  the  troops,  pushed  for- 
ward, and  concealed  half  of  them  in  the 
sides  of  a defile  through  which  the  road  led, 
while  the  other  half  were  also  concealed  at 
the  summit  of  the  mountain.  The  battle  be- 
gan in  the  defile,  and,  after  causing  great  de- 
struction amon^  the  enemy,  the  Arauca- 
nians had  to  retire. 

Fancying  that  the  enemy  were  beaten, 
the  Spaniards  pressed  on,  and  arriving 
wearied  at  the  summit,  found  a second  and 
fresh  army  opposed  to  them.  They  fought 
with  the  utmost  courage,  and  their  artillery 
nearly  turned  the  day  in  their  favor,  when 
Lautaro  told  off  one  of  his  bravest  officers 
with  orders  to  capture  the  cannon,  while  he 
attacked  Villa  Gran  on  the  flank.  So  fu- 
riously was  the  charge  made,  that  the  guns 
were  taken,  and  the  Spaniards  had  to  re- 
treat, Villa  Gran  barely  escaping  with  his 
life. 

When  they  entered  the  pass  through 
which  they  had  come,  they  found  the  outlet 
blocked  with  fallen  trees,  and  the  sides  filled 
with  warriors,  whom  the  far-seeing  Lautaro 
had  despatched  for  that  purpose  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  conflict.  The  slaughter  was 
terrific,  and  only  a few  of  the  Spaniards 
escaped,  led  by  Villa  Gran,  who  at  last 
forced  his  way  through  the  barriers. 

Lautaro  showed  his  splendid  generalship, 
by  pushing  on  at  once  to  the  headquarters 
at  Concepcion,  which  he  took,  pillaged,  and 
burned.  Orders  were  received  from  Lima 
to  rebuild  Concepcion,  and  no  sooner  was  it 
done  than  Lautaro  captured  and  burned  it 
again.  He  then  conceived  the  bold  project 
of  attacking  Santiago  itself,  and  in  a won- 
derfully short  time  appeared  before  the 
place. 

Here  he  committed  his  only  error  in  gen- 


eralship. He  had  to  pass  through  the  terri- 
tory of  the  rurumancians,  who  had  become 
allies  of  the  Spaniards,  thinking  them  in- 
vincible. Lautaro  should  have  remembered 
that  the  late  defeats  must  have  altered  the 
opinions  of  the  Purumancians,  who  could 
have  been  easily  induced  to  act  against  their 
former  allies.  But  his  indignation  at  their 
treachery  was  so  great,  that  he  stopped  to 
ravage  their  territory  and  destroy  their 
crops. 

Villa  Gran,  who  was  then  the  governor  of 
Santiago,  knew  his  enemy  well,  and  em- 
ployed the  time  in  fortifying  the  city,  which 
would  have  fallen  at  once  had  Lautaro 
pushed  on  without  stopping  to  punish  his 
traitorous  countrymen.  Three  times  Villa 
Gran  sent  a force  against  the  Araucanians, 
the  last  being  commanded  by  his  own  son, 
. but  all  were  routed  and  driven  back. 

At  last  Villa  Gran,  stung  by  these  re- 
peated defeats,  determined  himself  to  con- 
duct an  expedition  against  his  foes,  and  with 
a mixed  force  of  Spaniards  and  Puruman- 
cians came  stealthily  upon  the  Araucanian 
camp.  Born  general  though  he  was,  Lautaro 
did  not  know  the  use  of  outposts,  and  the 
consequence  was,  that  Villa  Gran  surprised 
his  camp,  and  as  he  rushed  to  the  front  to 
rally  his  followers,  he  was  pierced  by  a dart 
flung  by  one  of  the  Purumancians,  and  fell 
dead  on  the  spot. 

Thus  fell  Lautaro,  a youth  worthy  to  be 
named  with  the  greatest  heroes  of  antiquity. 
Chosen  commander  at  the  age  of  seventeen, 
he  opposed  for  two  years  the  best  soldiers 
of  Europe,  armed  with  infinitely  superior 
weapons,  and  accustomed  to  military  disci- 
pline. Though  a mere  boy,  he  dispia3^ed  a 
military  skill  and  a fertility  of  resource 
worthy  of  the  most  accomplished  generals, 
and  by  sheer  force  of  intellect  and  courage 
won  every  battle  except  that  in  which  he 

A nation  which  could  produce  men  such 
as  Lautaro,  or  the  troops  who  fought  and 
conquered  under  his  command,  is  evidently 
capable  of  great  things,  and,  at  all  events, 
worthy  of  the  liberty  which  it  won  from  the 
Spaniards,  and  which  has  never  again  been 
threatened. 

Makriage  among  the  Araucanians  is  an 
odd  mixture  of  ceremonies.  Theoretically, 
the  bridegroom  is  supposed  to  steal  his  wife 
against  her  own  will  and  in  opposition  to  the 
wishes  of  her  parents;  practically,  he  buys 
her  from  her  parents,  who  have  long  looked 
upon  their  daughter  as  a valuable  article,  to 
be  sold  to  the  first  purchaser  who  wdll  give 
a sufficient  price. 

Sometimes  the  match  is  one  of  affection, 
the  two  young  people  understanding  each 
other  perfectly  well.  Music  is  the  usual 
mode  by  which  an  Araucanian  expresses  his 
feelings,  and  the  usual  instrument  is  the 
jews-harp.  The  Mapuche  lover  is  never 


1200 


THE  ARAUCANIA^^’S. 


seen  'vvitliout  his  jews-harp  hanging  from 
his  neck,  tied  upon  a little  block  of  wood  to 
prevent  it  from  being  injured,  and  decorated 
with  strings  of  many-colored  beads.  Fur- 
nished with  this  indispensable  instrument, 
the  lover  seats  himself  at  a little  distance 
from  the  object  of  his  choice,  and  produces 
a series  of  most  dolorous  sounds,  his  glances 
and  gestures  denoting  the  individual  for 
whom  they  are  meant. 

After  a little  while,  the  lover  thinks  that 
he  had  better  proceed  to  the  marriage. 
Should  he  be  a wealthy  man,  he  has  no 
trouble  in  the  matter;  but  if  not,  he  goes 
among  his  friends  and  asks  contributions 
from  them.  One  gives  an  ox,  another  a 
horse,  another  a pair  of  silver  spurs,  and  so 
on.  It  is  a point  of  honor  to  make  these 
contributions,  and  equally  so  to  return  them 
at  some  time  or  other,  even  if  the  intending 
bridegroom  has  to  wait  until  in  his  turn  he 
can  sell  his  eldest  girl. 

The  next  process  is,  that  the  friends  of  the 
young  man  assemble,  all  mounted  on  their 
best  horses,  and  proceed  in  a body  to  the 
house  of  the  girl’s  father.  Five  or  six  of  the 
best  speakers  dismount  and  ask  permission 
for  the  marriage,  extolling  to  the  utmost  the 
merits  of  the  bridegroom,  and  expatiating 
on  the  happiness  of  his  daughter  in  being 
married  to  such  a man.  The  father,  treating 
the  matter  as  gravely  as  if  he  had  not  done 
exactly  the  same  thing  himself,  makes  a 
speech  in  his  turn. 

All  this  ceremony  is  intended  to  give  time 
to  the  young  man  to  hunt  for  his  intended 
bride,  and,  until  he  has  found  her,  they  will 
go  on  with  their  speeches.  As  soon  as  the 
young  man  discovers  the  girl,  he  seizes  her 
and  drags  her  to  the  door,  w^hile  on  her  part 
she  screams  and  shrieks  for  protection.  At 
the  sound  of  her  voice  all  the  women  turn 
out,  armed  with  sticks,  stones,  and  any  other 
weapons  which  come  to  hand,  and  rush  to 
her  help.  The  friends  of  the  bridegroom  in 
their  turn  run  to  help  their  friend,  and  for 
some  time  there  is  a furious  combat,  none 
of  the  men  escaping  without  some  sharp 
bruises,  and  the  girl  screaming  at  the  top  of 
her  voice. 

At  last  the  bridegroom  dashes  at  the  girl, 
seizes  her  as  he  can,  by  the  hand,  the  hair, 
or  the  heels,  as  the  case  may  be,  drags  her 
to  his  horse,  leaps  on  its  back,  pulls  her  up 
after  him,  and  dashes  off  at  full  speed,  fol- 
lowed by  his  friends.  The  relatives  of  the 
girl  go  off  in  pursuit,  but  are  constantly 
checked  by  the  friends  of  the  bridegroom, 
who  keep  them  back  until  he  has  clashed 
into  the  forest  with  his  bride.  They  halt  at 
the  skirts  of  the  forest,  wait  until  the  sounds 
of  the  girl’s  screams  and  the  galloping  of  the 
horse  have  died  away,  and  then  disperse. 
This  Araucanian  ceremony  of  marriage  is 
represented  on  the  following  page. 

The  young  couple  are  now  left  alone  until 
they  emerge  from  the  wood  on  the  second 


day  after  the  abduction,  when  they  arc  sup- 
posed to  be  man  and  wife.  That  all  the 
fighting  and  screaming  are  a mere  farce  is 
evident  from  the  fact  that,  if  a man  should 
offer  himself  who  is  not  acceptable  to  the 
parents  of  the  girl,  and  should  proceed  to 
carry  her  off,  one  of  her  relatives  blows  the 
horn  of  alarm,  as  has  already  been  men- 
tioned, and  all  the  male  relations  turn  out 
and  drive  off  the  intruder.  Sometimes,  how- 
ever, he  succeeds  in  gaining  the  bush  before 
he  is  caught,  and  in  that  case  the  marriage 
holds  good. 

Some  few  days  after  the  marriage,  the 
friends  call  on  the  newly-married  couple, 
and  bring  the  contributions  which  they  had 
promised.  The  whole  party  then  proceed  to 
the  house  of  the  girl’s  father,  and  offer  him 
these  goods,  which  are  taken  as  if  they  were 
merely  offerings,  and  not  the  price  for  which 
the  girl  was  sold.  Being  satisfied  with  the 
presents,  he  expresses  himself  pleased  with 
the  marriage,  and  congratulates  the  young 
couple  and  their  friends. 

But  the  mother  is  not  so  easily  to  be  satis- 
fied. With  her  it  is  a point  of  honor  that  she 
is  not  satisfied,  but,  on  the  contrary,  is  highly 
outraged  at  the  abduction  of  her  child.  So 
she  will  neither  speak  to  nor  look  at  the 
bridegroom,  but  sits  down  with  her  back 
turned  to  him. 

Now  comes  a difficult  point.  She  is 
bound,  in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  hos- 
pitality, to  entertain  the  guests,  and  as  the 
offending  son-in-law  is  the  most  important 
person,  he  must  be  consulted  first.  So  she 
addresses  the  bride,  My  daughter,  ask  your 
husband  if  he  is  hungry.”  The  conversa- 
tion thus  begun  is  carried  on  in  a similar 
manner,  and  ends  with  an  entertainment  on 
which  the  mother  of  the  bride  exhausts  all 
her  culinary  knowledge.  Sometimes  the 
husband  never  addresses  his  mother-in-law 
for  years,  except  with  her  back  turned  to 
him,  or  with  a fence  intervening  between 
them.  The  reader  may  remember  that  a 
similar  custom  is  followed  by  the  Kaffir 
tribes  of  Southern  Africa.  See  page  88. 

The  cookery  of  the  Araucanians  is  at  first 
anything  but  agreeable  to  European  taste. 

Mutton  is  largely  consumed  in  the  coun- 
try, and  is  killed,  dressed,  and  cooked  in  a 
speedy  and  simple  manner.  The  sheep 
being  hung  by  its  hind  legs  to  a tree,  its 
throat  is  cut,  and  the  blood  is  received  into 
a bowl  and  mixed  with  salt,  in  which  state 
it  is  thought  to  be  a very  great  delicacy. 
The  sheep  is  then  opened,  and  the  whole  of 
the  interior  removed  to  be  cleaned  and 
cooked,  this  being  held  as  the  best  part  of 
the  animal.  The  skin  is  then  removed,  the 
body  is  split  along  the  spine  from  head  to 
tail,  and  each  half  is  transfixed  with  a stick, 
and  set  over  the  fire. 

The  greatest  delicacy,  however,  that  can 
be  placed  before  a guest  is  called  “nachi.” 


(2.)  MAPUCHE  FAMILY.  (See  page  1191.) 

(1201) 


(1.)  ARAUCANIAN  MARRIAGE.  (See  page  1200.) 


-44-4^ 


CIIICA  AKD  MUDAI. 


1203 


The  mode  of  preparing  this  dish  is  a good  ex- 
ample of  the  total  disregard  of  iniiictiiig  pain 
which  is  common  to  all  uncivilized  people. 

A sheep  is  hung  up  by  the  fore-legs,  a 
quantity  of  cayenne  pepper  and  salt  is  mixed 
in  a bowl,  and  the  throat  of  the  sheep  is  cut 
so  as  to  open  the  windpipe,  down  which  the 
operator  stuffs  the  salt  and  pep]:>er  as  fast  as 
he  can.  He  then  draws  out  the  jugular 
vein,  cuts  it,  and  turns  the  end  into  the  sev- 
ered windpipe,  down  which  the  blood  flows, 
so  as  to  mix  with  the  pepper  and  salt,  and 
carry  them  into  the  lungs.  The  unfortunate 
sheep  swells  up  and  dies  in  horrible  agony, 
which  is  totally  disregarded  by  the  specta- 
tors, not  from  intentional  cruelty,  but  utter 
want  of  thought.  The  sheep  is  then  opened, 
and  the  lungs  are  found  distended  with  a 
mixture  of  salt,  pepper,  and  blood.  This  is 
the  nachi,  which  is  served  up  by  being  cut  in 
slices  and  handed  to  the  guests  while  still 
warm. 

There  are  two  national  drinks,  namely, 
chica  and  mudai.  The  former  is  a sort  of 
cider,  and  prepared  as  follows.  A sheepskin 
is  laid  on  the  ground,  with  the  woolly  side 
downward,  and  a ponchoful  of  green  apples 
is  emptied  on  it.  Two  or  three  men  sit 
round  it  armed  with  switches,  with  which 
they  beat  the  apples,  and  in  a short  time 
convert  them  into  a pulp.  Water  is  next 
poured  upon  them,  and  the  chica  is  ready  for 
use.  The  men  take  up  large  handfuls  of  the 
pulp,  and  squeeze  them  into  jars,  this  being 
all  the  preparation  which  the  chica  receives. 

This  drink  is  at  first  hated  by  foreigners, 
and  afterward  liked  by  them.  See,  for  ex- 
ample, two  extracts  from  the  journal  of  the 
same  traveller.  “After  riding  for  a long 
time  in  the  hot  sun  without  meeting  any 
running  stream,  we  spied  a farmhouse  in 
the  distance,  and,  going  to  it  asked  for  a 
glass  of  water. 

‘ There  is  not  a drop  of  water  within  a 
mile  of  the  house,’  said  an  old  woman  who 
came  to  the  door,  ‘ but  we  can  give  you 
some  chica  de  manzanos  (cider)  that  is  very 
nice,’  producing  at  the  word  a huge  glass  of 
a green,  muddy  liquid.  To  call  it  vinegar 
would  be  too  high  a compliment,  and  to  add 
that  it  was  flavored  with  gall  would  convey 
no  adequate  idea  of  this  abominable  stuff, 
which  had  been  made  from  the  very 
greenest  of  green  apples.  One  mouthful 
sufficed  for  me,  and  my  first  impressions  of 
chica  de  manzanos  were  not  favorable ; but 
our  guide  tossed  it  off  with  infinite  relish.” 

This  description  was  written  immediately 
after  entering  the  country  for  the  first  time. 
Here  is  another  description  of  the  same 
liquid.  After  describing  the  mode  of  its 
manufacture,  he  proceeds  to  say:  “Such 
cider  is  somewhat  coffee  colored,  and  rather 
sour,  but  I soon  became  fond  of  it,  especially 
with  the  addition  of  a little  toasted  meal, 
which  makes  it  much  more  palatable.” 

Mudai  is  a drink  which  resembles  almost 


exactly  the  kava  of  Polynesia,  and  is  pre- 
pared in  tlie  same  manner,  meal  being  sub- 
stituted for  the  kava  root.  A bushel  or  so 
of  wheat  is  slowly  boiled  for  several  hours, 
after  which  the  decoction  is  strained  off  and 
set  to  cool.  In  order  to  hasten  fermenta- 
tion, a quantity  of  meal  is  masticated  and 
added  to  the  liquid.  The  effect  is  very  rapid, 
and  when  fermentation  has  fairly  begun,  the 
mudai  is  fit  for  use,  and  is  strained  off  into 
jars.  It  has  a muddy  look,  but  possesses  a 
pleasant  and  slightly  acid  flavor,  which  is 
very  agreeable  in  a hot  country  if  the  mode 
of  preparation  be  not  known. 

Wheat  is  prepared  in  a rather  peculiar, 
not  to  say  poetical  and  romantic,  manner. 
The  sickle  is  not  employed,  but  the  ears  are 
plucked  by  hand.  The  wheat  gatherers  sep- 
arate themselves  into  pairs,  a young  man 
and  a girl  taking  a basket  between  them, 
and  walking  slowly  through  the  cornfield. 
As  they  pass  along,  they  gather  the  ears, 
rubbing  them  on  the  back  of  their  compan- 
ion’s hand,  so  that  the  ripe  grains  fall  into 
the  basket.  They  accompany  the  light  toil 
with  songs,  which  mostly  treat  of  love,  and 
as  the  tendency  of  each  pair  is  naturally  to 
diverge  from  the  others,  it  happens  that  in 
this  way  is  originated  many  a love-match, 
which  afterward  finds  its  issue  in  the  mar- 
riage ceremonies  above  described. 

This  plan  is,  however,  only  employed 
when  corn  has  to  be  gathered  and  threshed 
on  a small  scale.  When  a large  quantity  is 
prepared  the  horse  is  brought  into  requisi- 
tion, the  ears  being  thrown  into  a circular 
shallow  pit,  round  and  round  which  six  or 
seven  horsemen  urge  their  steeds,  shouting 
and  yelling  as  if  mad.  When  they  think 
that  the  grain  is  sufficiently  released  from 
the  ears,  they  leap  out  of  the  ring,  and  a 
number  of  women  and  children  enter,  who 
sweep  up  the  corn  and  chaff  to  the  edge  of 
the  ring  with  bunches  of  twigs  which  serve 
as  brooms. 

This  operation,  however,  is  a very  imper- 
fect one,  and  before  the  corn  can  be  taken 
to  the  mill  a further  husking  has  to  be  per- 
formed. This  is  done  by  placing  the  wheat 
in  shallow  wooden  dishes,  getting  into  them 
barefooted,  and  keeping  up  a sort  of  shuf- 
fling dance,  throwing  up  the  grain  with  each 
foot  alternately,  and  rubbing  it  with  the 
other. 

The  winnowing  is  simply  accomplished  by 
flinging  the  wheat  into  the  air,  so  that  the 
chaff  is  blown  away  by  the  wind.  As  to  the 
grinding,  it  is  exactly  similar  to  that  mode 
which  is  practised  by  the  Kaffirs,  the  wom- 
en placing  the  corn  on  the  top  of  a flat, 
sloping  stone,  and  rubbing  it  with  another 
stone  shaped  like  a rolling-pin.  The  mill 
being  placed  on  a sheepskin,  the  meal  falls 
upon  the  skin  as  it  is  ground.  This  is  very 
hard  work  indeed,  and  even  the  skilled 
Araucanians  are  bathed  in  perspiration  be- 
fore they  have  ground  enough  corn  for  a meaL 


CHAPTEK  CXXyi. 


THE  ARAVCAmAm— Concluded, 

GAMES  SOCIAL  CUSTOMS. 


THE  GAME  OF  PELICAN,  AND  ITS  CLOSE  RESEMBLANCE  TO  HOCKEY  — AVAS,  OR  THE  EIGHT  BEANS 
GAME  — MANUFACTURES  — MAKING  BROTHERHOOD,  AND  EXCHANGING  NAMES — AN  IRRUPTION  OF 
NEW  RELATIVES  — STATE  OF  THE  HEALING  ART  — THE  MACHIS  OR  DOCTORS  — THEIR  MODE  OF 
WORKING  CURES  — A WEIRD-LIKE  SCENE — THE  FEMALE  DOCTOR  AT  HER  INCANTATION  — FEAR 
OF  ALLOWING  THE  NAME  TO  BE  KNOWN — BELIEF  IN  OMENS — THE  LUCKY  BIRDS  — HUMAN 
SACRIFICE  — FUNERAL  OF  A CHIEF. 


The  games  of  the  Araiicanians  are  toler- 
ably numerous,  and  one  or  two  of  them 
resemble  some  of  our  own  games.  There 
is  one,  for  example,  called  Pelican,  which  is 
almost  identical  with  the  well-known  game 
of  hockey.  An  animated  description  of  this 
game  is  given  by  Mr.  E.  R.  Smith:  — 

“ Early  in  the  morning  we  saw  a number 
of  boys  engaged  upon  the  fine  lawn  in  front 
of  the  house  in  planting  out  twigs  at  short 
intervals,  thus  forming  an  alley  about  forty 
feet  wide,  and  some  three  hundred  long. 
They  were  preparing  for  a game  of  Pelican. 
Others  were  blowing  a long  horn  (formed 
by  the  insertion  of  a cow’s  horn  in  a hollow 
cane),  to  the  tones  of  which  came  back  an- 
swering notes,  as  though  a rival  band  were 
approaching  over  the  hills.  The  night  be- 
fore, we  had  heard  the  same  challenge  to 
the  neighboring  youths,  and  the  same  echo- 
ing reply,  but  more  faint  and  distant.  At 
last  the  enemy  were  seen  emerging  from 
the  woods;  a shout  of  welcome  arose;  there 
were  many  salutations,  a ‘ big  talk,’  and  all 
put  themselves  in  readiness  for  the  great 
trial  of  skill. 

“ The  game  of  Pelican  ...  is  played  with 
a small  wooden  ball,  propelled  along  the 
ground  by  sticks  curved  at  the  lower  end. 
The  two  sides  have  their  bases  at  opposite 
extremities  of  the  alley.  The  ball  is  placed 
in  a hole  half-way  between  the  bases,  and 
over  it  two  boys  are  stationed,  while  the  other 
players  are  scattered  along  the  alley,  each 
armed  with  a stick.  When  all  is  ready,  the 
two  boys  strike  their  sticks  together  in  the 
air,  and  commence  a struggle  for  the  ball. 


each  striving  to  knock  it  toward  the  oppo- 
site party. 

“The  object  of  every  one  is  to  drive  the 
ball  through  his  opponent’s  base,  or,  in  de- 
fence of  his  own,  to  knock  it  sideways 
beyond  the  bordering  line  of  twigs,  in 
which  case  the  trial  is  put  down  as  drawn, 
and  recommences.  Each  game  is  duly 
notched  on  a stick,  and  the  party  first  tally- 
ing a certain  number  gains  the  victory. 

“ There  was  much  shouting  and  shuffling, 
many  a cracked  shin  and  an  occasional 
tumble,  but  the  greatest  goodwill  reigned 
throughout.  Some  thirty  players  were  en- 
gaged in  the  game,  mostly  naked,  with  the 
exception  of  a poncho  about  the  loins.  I 
was  much  disappointed  with  their  physical 
development,  which  was  not  as  I expected 
to  see.  They  struck  me  as  inferior  to  the 
laboring  classes  in  Chili,  both  in  muscle  and 
symmetry,  though  possessing  the  same  gen- 
eral features.  Neither  was  their  playing 
remarkable  either  for  skill  or  activity;  and 
if  they  were  a fair  sample,  it  would  be  an 
easy  matter  to  select  from  many  of  our 
schools  or  colleges  a party  of  young  men 
more  than  a match  for  the  same  number 
of  picked  Araucanians,  even  at  their  own 
national  game  of  Pelican. 

When  the  sun  is  too  high  to  allow  this 
game  to  proceed,  the  players  generally 
abandon  it  in  favor  of  another  game  called 
Avas.  This  is  purely  a game  of  chance.  It 
is  played  with  eight  beans,  each  having  a 
mark  on  one  side,  and  ten  sticks,  which  are 
used  in  reckoning  the  game.  Spreading  a 
poncho  on  the  ground,  the  players  sit  at 


THE  CEREMONY  OF  LACU. 


1205 


opposite  sides,  and  each  in  turn  takes  the 
beans,  shakes  them  in  his  hands,  and  flings 
them  on  the  poncho.  For  each  bean  that 
falls  with  the  marked  side  upward  one  point 
is  scored,  a hundred  completing  the  game. 

The  interest  displayed  in  this  game  is  ex- 
traordinary. The  players  shout  to  the  beans, 
talk  to  them,  kiss  them,  press  them  to  their 
breasts,  and  rub  them  on  the  ground,  im- 
ploring them  to  send  good  luck  to  them- 
selves, and  evil  fortune  to  their  antagonists, 
and  treating  them  exactly-as  if  they  were 
living  creatures.  • At  this  game  they  stake 
all  the  property  that  they  can  muster,  and 
ponchos,  bolas,  lassos,  knives,  ornaments, 
and  dollars  when  they  can  be  got,  change 
hands  with  great  rapidity  amid  the  excited 
yells  of  the  players  and  spectators.  At  this 
game  the  Araucanians  frequently  lose  every 
article  of  property  which  they  possess,  and 
it  is  not  at  all  uncommon  to  see  a well- 
dressed  and  well-armed  player  go  discon- 
solately home  without  his  weapons,  his  or- 
naments, and  his  clothes,  except  a ragged 
cheripa. 

The  fate  of  prisoners  of  war  often  depends 
on  the  turn  of  a bean,  and  sometimes,  ^vhen 
the  national  council  have  been  unable  to 
decide  on  a subject,  they  have  settled  the 
point  by  the  result  of  a game  at  avas.  Even 
the  peiican  game  has  sometimes  been  en- 
trusted with  the  decision  of  a knotty  point 
of  policy. 

The  manufactures  of  the  Araucanians  are 
but  few.  The . art  of  the  silversmith  has 
already  been  described,  as  has  also  that  of 
the  bolas  maker,  while  the  manufacture  of 
the  lasso  will  be  described  in  another  place. 
The  native  cloths  are  made  of  cotton  or  wool, 
and  are  woven  in  very  rude  looms.  The 
principal  dye  employed  by  the  Araucanians 
is  indigo,  and  the  bright  scarlet  patterns 
which  are  introduced  into  the  best  cloths  are 
obtained  by  interweaving  threads  unravelled 
from  European  manufactures. 

Among  their  social  customs,  the  mode  of 
making  brotherhood  ought  to  be  mentioned, 
inasmuch  as  it  resembles  in  some  respects 
that  which  has  already  been  described  as 
practised  in  the  Malay  Archipelago  and  in 
Africa,  and  in  others.  The  ceremony  is 
called  Lacu,  and  is  performed  after  the  fol- 
lowing manner. 

One  individual  is  selected  from  the  family 
into  which  the  honored  guest  is  to  be  re- 
ceived, and  to  him  a present  is  made.  He 
then  fetches  a lamb,  kills  it,  cuts  it  into 
two  pieces,  and  boils  one-half  of  the  animal. 
The  meat  is  then  placed  in  a huge  wooden 
bowl,  and  brought  to  the  new  brother  in 
Lacu,  who  is  supposed  to  eat  the  whole  of  it, 
and  if  he  should  leave  a single  mouthful 
would  grievously  insult  the  family  into  which 
he  was  to  be  received. 

F ortunately,  he  is  allowed  by  the  laws  of 
etiquette  to  take  advantage  of  the  adage,  qui 
facit  ]oer  alium  facit  perse;  and  though  he 


cannot  by  any  possibility  consume  half  a 
lamb,  he  is  allowed  to  eat  as  much  as  he  can 
manage  and  to  distribute  the  remainder 
among  the  family,  who  ai'e  only  too  happy 
to  take  their  share  in  fuliilling  the  required 
conditions.  From  that  time  the  two  Lacus 
exchange  names. 

Mr.  E.  R.  Smith  went  through  the  cere- 
mony of  Lacu,  and  became  a member  of  the 
Mapuche  tribe,  under  the  name  of  Nam- 
culan,  an  abbreviation  of  Namcu-I^anquen, 
i.  e.  Eaglet  of  the  Sea.  Sometime  afterward 
he  found  that  his  relations  were  strangely 
numerous. 

“After  the  usual  meal,  the  usual  dis- 
tribution of  presents  was  made,  and  as  the 
family  was  small  we  were  just  congratulating 
ourselves  on  escaping  cheaply,  when  in 
sauntered  a neighbor,  who  was  presented  as 
my  brother.  lie  had  hardly  settled  down  to 
the  enjoyment  of  his  share  of  the  booty,  when 
in  dropjDed  a blear-eyed  old  woman,  who 
proved  to  be  my  aunt.  Next  followed  a 
stately  dowager,  fair,  fat,  and  forty,  radiant 
with  paint  and  silver  ornaments,  looking  as 
innocent  as  though  she  had  dropped  in  by 
the  merest  accident  in  the  world.  She  was 
my  sister,  and  so  it  went  on  until  we  began 
to  think  that  our  host’s  relations  were  in- 
numerable.” 

The  Araucanians  know  a little  about  med- 
icine, and  much  more  about  surgery, ’though 
the  mixture  of  superstition  with  practice 
lessens  the  former,  and  the  absence  of  a 
written  language  hinders  the  latter.  Their 
medicines  are  almost  entirely  vegetable,  the 
chief  of  which  is  the  well-known  sarsaparilla 
root.  Bleeding  is  performed  by  means  of 
sharp  flakes  of  obsidian,  which  are  sharper 
than  any  knife  of  native  manufacture,  and 
blisters  are  in  great  favor. 

The  Mapuche  mode  of  blistering  is  the 
very  simple  one  of  the  actual  cautery,  and  is 
performed  by  means  of  amoxa  made  of  dried 
pith.  This  material  is  rolled  up  in  little 
balls  and  applied  to  the  skin,  wdiere  it  is  al- 
lowed to  remain  until  entirely  consumed, 
being  pressed  down  so  as  to  ensure  its  full 
effect.  This  is  horribly  painful,  but  in  spite 
of  that  drawback  — perhaps  in  consequence 
of  it  — is  very  much  in  favor  with  the  people. 

Beside  these  material  medicines  they  have 
others  of  a different  character,  which  are  em- 
ployed when  the  disease  is  beyond  the  reach 
of  their  simple  medicines.  The  wise  men 
who  practise  this  advanced  system  of  healing 
are  but  few  in  number,  and  are  called  by  the 
title  of  Machi,  their  mode  of  practice  re- 
ceiving the  name  of  machilim. 

Going  on  the  principle  that  a disease  which 
cannot  be  expelled  by  medicine  must  be 
caused  by  an  evil  spirit,  the  Machi  proceeds 
to  drive  it  out  after  his  own  fashion.  The 
hut  is  cleared  of  inhabitants,  and  the  patient 
laid  on  his  back  in  the  middle  of  the  floor. 
The  Machi,  having  in  the  meanwhile  re- 


1206 


THE  AKAUCAKIANS. 


moved  nearly  the  whole  of  his  clothes,  and 
made  himself  as  horrible  as  he  can  by  paint, 
enters  the  dwelling,  taking  with  him  his 
magic  drum,  i.  e.  a wooden  bowl  with  a cover 
of  sheepskin  strained  tightly  over  it.  After 
examining  the  patient,  the  Machi  begins 
a long-drawn  monotonous  incantation,  ac- 
companied by  continual  beating  of  the  drum, 
until  he  has  worked  himself  up  to  a pitch  of 
frenzy,  and  falls  backward  on  the  ground, 
with  breast  jerking  convulsively,  eyes  roll- 
ing, and  mouth  foaming. 

As  soon  as  he  falls,  a number  of  young 
men,  who  have  been  waiting  close  to  the 
hut,  leap  on  their  horses,  and  dash  at  full 
speed  round  the  house,  yelling  defiantly, 
waving  lighted  torches  over  their  heads,  and 
brandishing  their  long  lances  by  way  of 
frightening  the  evil  spirit,  and  warning  him 
not  to  come  near  the  place  again.  Like  the 
Machi,  they  are  all  nearly  naked,  and  painted 
in  the  most  hideous  fashion,  so  as  to  strike 
terror,  not  only  into  the  spirit  that  has  pos- 
session of  the  man,  but  into  those  who  are 
hovering  round  the  house,  and  trying  to  gain 
admission.  In  the  first  engraving  on  the 
next  page  the  artist  has  furnished  a strange, 
weird  scene,  illustrating  the  Mapuche  mode 
of  healing  the  sick. 

After  a while  tliC' Machi  recovers  from  his 
trance,  and  then  announces  the  seat  and 
immediate  cause  of  the  malady.  For  the 
latter  he  carefully  searches  the  patient,  and 
after  a time  produces  it  in  the  shape  of  a 
spider,  a toad,  a stone,  an  arrow  head,  or 
similar  object.  Were  he  to  do  more  than 
this,  no  harm  would  accrue,  and  if  the  patient 
should  recover  no  harm  is  done. 

But,  should  he  die,  the  Machi  is  forced  by 
public  opinion  to  declare  that  the  evil  spirit 
has  been  sent  to  the  dead  man  by  means  of 
witchcraft. 

The  body  is  opened,  the  gall  removed,  and 
placed  in  the  wooden  bowl  of  the  magic 
drum,  where  it  undergoes  a series  of  incan- 
tations. After  the}"  are  over,  it  is  put  into 
a closely  covered  pot  and  placed  on  the  fire 
until  it  is  dried  up.  The  sign  of  witchcraft 
is  a stone  found  at  the  bottom  of  the  i3ot,  and 
it  is  needless  to  say  that  such  a stone  is 
never  wanting.  By  means  of  this  proof  of 
witchcraft,  the  Machi  again  throws  himself 
into  a trance,  in  the  course  of  which  he 
designates  the  culprit  who  has  caused  the 
illness  of  the  deceased. 

lio  one  ever  disbelieves  a Machi, "and  the 
relatives  of  the  dead  man  seek  out  the  ac- 
cused and  murder  him.  It  naturally  follows 
that  the  Machis  are  too  prone  to  abuse  this 
terrible  power  of  their  position  by  accusing 
persons  against  whom  they  have  enmity,  or 
whom  they  have  been  bribed  to  condemn. 
No  counter  proof  is  admitted  in  the  face  of 
a Machi’s  accusation;  and  if  the  alleged 
culprit  should  be  in  another  district,  the  ca- 
cique is  requested  to  deliver  him  up  to  justice. 
The  unfortunate  wretch  is  sure  to  suffer  tor- 


ture for  the  sake  of  extracting  a confession 
of  his  guilt,  and,  whether  he  confess  or  not 
he  is  sure  to  be  killed;  so  that  a wise  man 
admits  his  guilt  at  once,  and  thereby  escapes 
the  tortures  which  he  would  otherwise  have 
suffered. 

Sometimes,  though  rarely,  the  Machi  is 
a woman.  In  this  case  she  assumes  the 
male  dress,  mimics  as  far  as  she  can  the 
masculine  tone  of  voice  and  mode  of  walk- 
ing, and  is  always  a very  disagreeable  indi- 
vidual, being  mostly  crabbed,  ill-tempered, 
petulant,  and  irritable. 

As  the  Machi  always  operates  at  night, 
the  scene  is  most  wild  and  picturesque,  as 
may  be  seen  from  the  account  of  Mr.  E.  E. 
Sniith,  who  witnessed  (at  a distance)  the 
oi^erations  of  a female  Machi. 

“ One  of  the  neighbors  was  dangerously 
ill,  and  during  the  night  there  was  a grand 
machihm  performed  by  the  grand  exorcist, 
the  medicine  woman  of  Boroa  herself.  I 
'wished  to  be  present,  but  Sancho  would  not 
listen  to  the  i3roposal,  insisting  that  we 
might  expose  ourselves  to  violence  by  ap- 
pearing to  interfere  with  this  witch,  whose 
hatred  of  the  whites  and  influence  over  the 
natives  were  alike  unbounded. 

“The  night  was  black  and  threatening, 
well  suited  to  her  machinations.  "W e could 
plainly  hear  the  monotonous  tap  of  the  In- 
dian drum,  and  the  discordant  song  occa- 
sionally rising  with  the  frenzy  of  tlhe  mo- 
ment into  a shrill  scream,  then  sinking  to  a 
low,  guttural  cadence,  while  all  else  was 
hushed  for  very  dread  of  the  unhallowed 
rites.  Suddenly  the  singing  stopped,  and 
there  was  a long  silence,  broken  by  the 
eruption  of  a troop  of  naked  savages  rush- 
ing round  the  house  on  horse  and  afoot, 
brandishing  fiercely  lance,  and  sword,  and 
burning  fagot  and  blazing  torch,  and  mak- 
ing night  hideous  with  their  demoniac  cries. 
The  frightened  dogs  howled  in  dismal  con- 
cert, and  again  all  was  still.  The  evil  spirit 
had  been  cast  out  and  driven  away.  It  only 
remained  for  the  sick  man  to  recover  or 
die.” 

The  witch  who  presided  over  this  extra- 
ordinary scene  was  a mestizo^  i.  e.  a half- 
d:)reed  between  the  negro  and  the  native. 
She  was  a singularly  unprepossessing  per- 
sonage, hideously  ugly,  and  turning  her  ug- 
liness of  features  to  account  by  her  shrewd- 
ness of  intellect.  Ugliness  is  not,  however, 
a necessary  accompaniment  of  this  particu- 
lar caste.  There  is  now  before  me  a photo- 
graph of  a young  mestizo  woman,  wLose 
features,  although  they  partake  somewhat 
of  the  negro  character,  are  good  and  intelli- 
gent, her  color  is  comparatively  pale,  and 
her  hair  retains  the  length  and  thickness  of 
the  Araucanian,  together  with  a crispness 
which  has  been  inherited  from  the  negro 
race. 

Like  many  other  uncivilized  nations,  the 
Araucanian s have  a great  objection  to  allow 


(2.)  :\IAPUCHE  FUNERAL.  (See  page  1210.) 
(1207) 


a > ^ 


:/. 


/i- 


•r=: 


'/-■I  ;•■ 


.rA  £f 


BELIEF  m OMEKS. 


1209 


a stranger  to  learn  their  names,  thinking 
■ that  by  means  of  such  knowledge  the  wiz- 
ards may  be  able  to  ])ractise  upon  them. 
When  they  are  brought  into  contact  with 
the  white  man,  and  are  asked  their  names, 
the  Araucanians  tlatly  deny  that  they  have 
any.  They  will  take  service  under  him,  and 
allow  him  to  call  them  by  any ‘name  that  he 
likes,  but  their  own  name  they  will  never 
tell,  nor  do  they  like  even  to  invent  one  on 
the  spur  of  the  moment.  The  reader  will 
doubtless  recall  many  similar  instances  that 
have  been  recorded  in  the  course  of  this 
work.  They  have  a similar  objection  to 
their  portraits  being  taken,  thinking  that 
the  possessor  will  be  able  to  exercise  magi- 
cal influence  upon  them  by  means  of  the 
simulated  features. 

This  terror  has  been  increased  by  the  use 
of  books  by  the  white  travellers.  ISTothing 
is  more  inexplicable  to  an  Araucanian  than 
to  see  a wdiite  man,  evidently  ignorant  of 
the  language,  refer  to  a book  and  then  say 
the  word  which  he  wants.  How  such  a 
mystery  can  be  achieved  is  beyond  his  com- 
prehension, and  he  regards  the  book  and  its 
owner  as  equally  supernatural  beings. 

In  one  case,  an  Indian  of  more  than  usu- 
ally inquisitive  mind  pointed  to  various  ob- 
jects, in  order  to  see  whether  his  white  vis- 
itor could  find  out  their  names  by  looking 
at  a book.  Being  convinced  that  the  feat 
really  wvas  performed,  he  peered  into  the 
book,  vainly  trying  to  detect  some  resem- 
blance between  the  word  and  the  object 
which  it  signified.  As  he  did  not  gain  much 
information  from  his  eyes,  his  white  friend 
pointed  out  the  word,  on  which  he  laid  his 
hand  as  if  to  feel  it.  Just  at  that  moment, 
a slight  breeze  ruffled  the  leaves  of  the 
book.  The  man  drew  back  as  if  a snake 
had  bitten  him.  The  mysterious  voice  of 
the  white  man’s  oracle  had  spoken  to  him, 
and,  what  was  worse,  upon  his  left  hand, 
lie  said  nothing,  but  silently  withdrew,  and, 
wrapping  his  poncho  round  his  head,  sat 
for  several  hours  without  speaking  a word. 

In  consequence  of  this  superstition,  a 
traveller  dares  not  use  his  note  book  openly. 
He  is  obliged  to  write  his  remarks  surrepti- 
tiously, and,  so  great  is  the  fear  inspired  by 
the  very  fact  of  writing,  that  even  if  the 
traveller  be  out  of  sight  for  any  lengthened 
time,  the  people  are  nervous  and  suspicious. 

The  Araucanians  have  a firm  belief  in 
omens,  and  will  address  prayers  after  their 
own  fashion  to  any  of  the  creatures  that  are 
supposed  to  have  supernatural  power.  On 
one  occasion,  when  Mr.  E.  E.  Smith  was 
travelling  with  his  native  friends,  one  of  the 
mules  feil  and  broke  its  back.  This  was  a 
sinister  omen,  and  the  Araucanians  were  cor- 
respondingly depressed  at  it.  Fortunately, 
an  omen  so  good  followed  it  that  their 
fears  were  dispelled  and  confidence  restored. 

The  reader  may  remember  that  Mr.  Smith 
had  just  exchanged  names  with  a Mapuche 


lad,  and  was  called  ISTamcu-lanquen,  {.  e.  Eag- 
let of  the  Sea.  Just  after  the  unlucky  mule 
had  injured  itself,  a sea  eagle  rose  suddenly 
from  its  perch,  circled  around  the  party,  and 
sailed  olf  southward,  ddiis  was  indc.cd  a fortu- 
nate omen.  In  the  first  ])lace,  the  l)ird  was  the 
emblem  of  the  white  man  who  liad  recently 
become  a Mapuche,  and  in  the  next,  the  eagle 
was  on  the  right  hand  of  the  travellers. 

The  native  guide  Trauque  put  spurs  to 
his  horse,  dashed  forward  at  full  gallop, 
shouting  and  yelling  with  excitement  at  the 
])iece  of  good  fortune  that  had  befallen  them. 
Presently  he  halted,  and  addressed  a prayer 
to  the  eagle:  “O  ISTamcu!  Great  being! 
Look  not  upon  us  with  thy  left  but  with  thy 
right. eye,  for  thou  knowest  that  we  arc 
poor!  Watch  over  our  children  and  broth- 
ers; and  grant  us  happiness,  and  allow  us  to 
return  in  safety  from  our  journey.” 

Every  circumstance  combined  to  make 
the  omen  propitious.  The  JSTaincu  is  the 
being  most  venerated  by  the  Araucanians, 
who  think  that  it  is  a sort  of  heavenly  mes- 
senger in  direct  communication  with  the 
Superior  Being.  The  reader  will  doubtless 
be  struck  with  the  coincidence  between  the 
bird  divinations  of  the  Araucanians  and 
those  of  the  Dyaks  of  Borneo,  as  well  as  by 
their  identity  with  the  auguries  of  ancient 
Greece  and  Eome. 

With  the  exception  of  the  wise  men  above 
mentioned,  the  Araucanians  have  no  pri/sts, 
and  as  a necessary  consequence  they  have 
no  temples  and  no  religious  ceremonies. 
There  is  a general  though  vague  belief  in  a 
good  and  evil  principle,  which  may  be  mani- 
fested by  a host  of  inferior  deities  or  demons. 
They  have  not  even  an  idol,  nor  is  there  any 
definite  system  of  worship,  the  only  prayers 
which  a native  makes  being  invocations  such 
as  that  which  has  just  been  described  as 
made  to  the  eagle. 

Sacrifices  are  made  at  their  great  national 
councils.  An  animal  is  killed,  its  blood  is 
poured  on  the  ground  as  a libation,  and  the 
heart,  laid  on  a green  branch,  is  borne  round, 
the  assembly,  accompanied  with  dances  and 
songs.  The  flesh  is  then  cooked  and  eaten, 
and  the  bones  collected  and  thrown  into 
the  nearest  river,  so  that  they  shall  not 
be  polluted  by  being  eaten  by  the  dogs. 

Sometimes  in  war  time,  a prisoner  is  sac- 
rificed. He  is  placed  on  a horse  whose  tail 
and  ears  have  been  cropped  by  way  of  derid- 
ing the  rider,  and  is  thus  taken  to  the  place 
of  execution.  Here  he  dismounts,  and  is 
forced  to  dig  a hole,  into  which  he  throws  a 
number  of  sticks,  calling  each  after  the  name 
of  some  celebrated  warrior  of  his  tribe.  He 
is  then  made  to  fill  up  the  hole,  thus  symbol- 
ically burying  the  fame  of  his  countrymen, 
and  as  soon  as  he  has  done  so,  his  brains  are 
dashed  out  with  a club,  care  being  taken  to 
inflict  as  little  damage  as  possible  on  the 
skull. 

As  soon  as  he  falls,  the  heart  is  torn  from 


1210 


THE  AEAUCANIANS. 


the  breast  and  handed  to  the  Toqui,  who 
sucks  a few  drops  of  the  blood,  and  passes  it 
to  his  officers,  who  follow  his  example.  The 
large  bones  of  the  arms  and  legs  are  made 
into  flutes,  the  head  is  placed  on  a spear  and 
carried  round  in  triumph,  and  the  skull  is 
made  into  a drinking-cup  to  be  used  at  the 
principal  feasts.  Such  a sacrifice,  however, 
is  not  to  be  considered  as  an  act  of  worship, 
but  merely  as  a mode  of  propitiating  the 
manes  of  deceased  warriors. 

The  similitude  between  the  bird  omens  of 
the  ancient  Greeks  and  Romans  and  those  of 
modern  Araucanians  has  already  been  men- 
tioned. There  is  another  semi-religious  prac- 
tice which  also  recalls  the  customs  of  classic 
times,  namel}g  the  making  of  libations  and 
cflerings  of  food  at  every  meal.  When  the 
Araucanian  takes  his  broth  or  wine,  he  pours 
a fevf  drops  upon  the  ground  as  a thank  ofler- 
ing  to  the  higher  powers,  and  with  the  same 
motive  he  ^scatters  around  a few  morsels  of 
food. 

The  mode  of  burial  differs  slightly  accord- 
ing to  the  locality  and  the  tribe. 

When  a Mapuche  chief  dies,  the  body  is 
exposed  on  an  open  bier  for  several  days, 
during  which  time  the  friends  and  neighbors 
pay  their  respects  and  ofler  their  condolence 
to  the  family.  On  the  day  of  the  funeral  a 
procession  is  formed,  led  by  a company  of 
young  men  on  horseback,  who  dash  forward 
at  full  speed  to  the  place  of  interment. 
After  them  the  body,  borne  by  the  principal 
relatives,  and  behind  them  come  the  wmmen, 
who  wail  aloud  and  fill  the  air  with  their 
cries  of  sorrow.  Last  of  all  comes  a woman 
who  scatters  ashes  on  the  ground,  so  that 
the  deceased  may  not  return  by  the  path 
along  which  he  was  borne.  The  illustration 
^N'o.  2,  on  page  1207,  represents  this  part  of 
a Mapuche  funeral. 

The  body  is  then  bound  with  the  knees  to 
the  breast,  and  lowered  into  the  grave,  with 
the  face  toward  the  west,  the  direction  of 
the  Mapuche  spirit-land.  The  saddle,  bit, 
spurs,  and  stirrups  of  the  deceased  are  laid 
by  his  side,  together  with  some  provisions 
for  the  journey,  a few  beads,  and  a piece  of 
money,  and  the  grave  is  then  filled  up.  As, 
however,  the  horse  accoutrements  of  a chief 
are  of  silver,  and  exceedingly  valuable,  they 
arc  represented  by  wooden  copies,  which 
are  supposed  to  serve  the  purposes  of  the 
deceased  as  well  as  the  more  costly  articles, 
•which  become  the  property  of  his  suc- 
cessors. 

At  the  head  of  the  grave  is  planted  the 
dead  man’s  lance,  the  steel  head  of  which  is 
replaced  by  a wooden  imitation.  It  is  also 
necessary  that  a horse  should  be  provided 
for  the  dead  chief,  and  this  is  done  by  sacri- 
ficing his  favorite  steed,  and  hanging  its  skin 
over  the  grave  by  means  of  a pole  placed 
across  two  forked  props.  Mr.  E.  R.  Smith 
shrewdly  remarks  that  in  all  probability  the 


deceased  would  be  put  off  with  a wooden 
horse  to  ride,  were  it  not  that  the  Mapuches 
are  exceedingly  fond  of  horseflesh,  and  take 
the  opportunity  of  holding  a great  banquet 
on  the  flesh  of  the  slaughtered  animal,  the 
skin  and  spirit  going  to  the  share  of  the  dead 
man. 

Such  ceremonies  as  these  are  only  for  a 
chief,  a common  man  not  being  supposed  to 
need  a horse,  and  consequently  being  buried 
with  slight  and  simple  ceremonies.  For  the 
funerals  of  women  the  rites  are  of  a similar 
character,  the  chief  distinction  being  that, 
instead  of  the  saddle  and  weapons,  some 
cooking  vessels,  a distaff,  and  similar  objects 
are  laid  in  the  grave. 

Some  travellers  have  asserted  that  when 
a powerful  chief  dies,  his  favorite  wife  is 
also  killed  and  placed  in  the  tomb  with  him. 
This  statement  is,  however,  very  doubtful, 
and  was  flatly  contradicted  by  every  one 
of  whom  Mr.  Smith  inquired.  The  Mapu- 
ches seem  to  have  a vague,  notion  that  the 
dead  are  able  to  return  to  earth  and  watch 
over  the  living;  and  when  the  dark  thunder- 
clouds lower  over  the  distant  Cordilleras, 
they  imagine  that  the  deceased  warriors  of 
their  tribe  are  chasing  away  the  invisible 
foes  of  their  country,  and  utter  loud  shouts 
of  encouragement  to  the  supernatural  war- 
riors. 

In  some  parts  of  the  Mapuche  territory 
the  graves  are  surrounded  with  a rude  fence 
of  upright  boards,  from  the  midst  of  which 
rises  the  long  quivering  lance  with  its  sligh  j 
pennon  fluttering  in  the  wind.  (See  back- 
ground  of  illustration). 

The  Iluilyiches,  however,  have  a much 
more  elaborate  mode  of  decorating  the 
graves  of  their  chiefs,  resembling  in  some 
degree  that  which  is  employed  by  the 
iMew  Zealanders.  Figure,s  supposed  to  rep- 
resent the  deceased  chief  and  his  wives  are 
set  round  the  grave,  just  as  the  New  Zea- 
landers plant  their  “ tikis  ’’round  the  graves 
of  their  friends.  (See  page  861.) 

One  such  memorial,  seen  by  Mr.  Smith, 
had  a very  singular,  not  to  say  ludicrous, 
appearance.  Each  figure  "was  cut  out  of  a 
huge  log  of  wood,  some  ten  or  twelve  feet 
in  height.  In  the  middle  stood  the  chief 
himseif,  wearing  no  clothing,  but  having  a 
hat  on  his  head  and  a sword  in  his  hand. 
Round  him  were  stationed  his  wives,  equally 
without  clothing,  the  great  object  of  the 
artist  being  to  leave  no  doubt  which  is  the 
chief  and  which  are  his  wives,  without 
troubling  himself  as  to  details  of  drapery. 
Rude  as  these  figures  are,  only  very  few  na- 
tives can  carve  them,  and  these  sculptors 
make  a large  income  by  the  exercise  of 
their  skill.  Each  figure  is  purchased  with  a 
fat  ox,  or  even  at  a higher  price,  according 
to  its  size  and  the  amount  of  labor  bestowed 
upon  it,  and  no  grandee  can  be  considered 
as  buried  respectably  unless  the  grave  be 
decorated  with  a figure  of  the  deceased. 


CHAPTEE  CXXVn. 


THE  GKAH  CHACO. 

APPEAEANCE  — WEAPONS  — CHAKACTEE. 


THE  GHAN  CHACO  AND  ITS  INHABITANTS  — THEIS  DOVE  OF  FREEDOM  — CONTRAST  OF  THE  TWO  RACES 
IN  SOUTH  AMERICA  — THE  VARIOUS  TRIBES  IN  THE  COUNTRY —APPEARANCE  OF  THE  INHABI- 
'»'ANTS  — ERADICATION  OF  THE  EYEBROWS  AND  EYELASHES  — HAIR  DRESSING — COSTUME  OF  THE 
SEXES  — EQUESTRIAN  HABITS  — THE  NAKED  MAN  ON  THE  NAKED  HORSE — WEAPONS — THE 
MACANA  CLUB,  AND  MODE  OF  USING  IT  — THE  LONG  SPEAR  — CURIOUS  ARMOR  — THE  FOOT-BOW 
— ATTACKING  A VILLAGE  — HUTS  OF  THE  GRAN  CHACO  INDIANS  — CROSSING  A RIVER — CHAR- 
ACTER OF  THE  PEOPLE. 


To  the  east  of  the  Araucanian  territory, 
and  extending  to  the  Paraguay  and  Panama 
rivers,  lies  a tract  of  mountain  country,  of 
indeterminate  northern  and  southern  bound- 
aries, called  the  Gran  Chaco.  This  great 
district  is  inhabited  by  a series  of  tribes  who 
deserve  a short  notice. 

^^ot  the  least  remarkable  point  in  their 
history  is  the  manner  in  which  they  have 
preserved  the  freedom  of  their  own  land, 
despite  the  attacks  of  various  white  nations. 
Both  the  Spaniards  and  the  Portuguese 
have,  at  different  times,  seized  on  a few  po- 
sitions in  the  Gran  Chaco,  but  have  not  been 
able  to  retain  them  except  on  the  indefinite 
western  frontier  line.  On  the  east,  where 
the  great  Paraguay  Kiver  forms  the  natural 
boundary,  the  native  is  left  unmolested  in 
his  freedom. 

In  the  eloquent  words  of  Captain  Mayne 
Reid  : “ On  its  eastern  side,  coinciding  al- 

most with  a meridian  of  longitude,  the  In- 
dian of  the  Gran  Chaco  does  not  roam  ; the 
well-settled  provinces  of  Corrientes,  and 
the  dictatorial  government  of  Paraguay, 
presenting  a firmer  front  of  resistance. 
But  neither  does  the  colonist  of  these  coun- 
tries think  of  crossing  to  the  western  bank 
of  the  boundary  river  to  form  an  establish- 
ment there. 

“ He  dares  not  even  set  his  foot  upon  the 
Chaco.  For  a thousand  miles,  up  and  down, 
the  two  races,  European  and  American, 
hold  the  opposite  banks  of  this  great  stream. 
They  gaze  across  at  each  other  — the  one 


from  the  portico  of  his  well-built  mansion, 
or  perhaps  from  the  street  of  his  town  — 
the  other  standing  by  his  humble  ‘ toldo,’  or 
mat-covered  tent,  more  probably  on  the 
back  of  his  half-wild  horse,  reined  up  for  a 
moment  on  some  projecting  promontory 
that  commands  a view  of  the  river.  And 
thus  have  these  two  races  gazed  at' each 
other  for  three  centuries,  with  little  other 
intercourse  passing  between  them  than  that 
of  a deadly  hostility.” 

As  the  territory  of  the  Gran  Chaco  is  very 
extensive,  being  about  three  times  as  large 
as  that  of  Great  Britain,  and  extends  north 
and  south  through  eleven  degrees  of  lati- 
tude, it  naturally  follows  that  the  tribes 
which  inhabit  it  differ  from  each  other  in 
many  details,  those  of  the  warm  north  and 
cold  south  being  in  many  points*  strongly 
contrasted  with  each  other.  Still,  there  are 
many  points  of  similarity,  and  these  we 
will  select  in  the  following  brief  account  of 
the  Gran  Chaco  tribe,  omitting,  from  want 
of  space,  those  wherein  they  differ  from 
each  other. 

In  the  first  place,  the  aborigines  of  the 
Gran  Chaco  are  of  a much  paler  complexion 
than  those  of  the  more  northern  tribes, 
known  from  their  color  by  the  name  of  Red 
Men,  and  more  nearly  resemble  the  rich 
olive  of  the  inhabitants  of  Southern  Europe. 
The  nose  is  rather  aquiline,  the  mouth  well 
formed,  the  cheek-bones  high,  and  the  eyes 
and  hair  jetty  black.  The  latter  is  singu- 
larly abundant,  and  though  coarse  and  with- 


1212 


THE  GKAK  CHACO. 


out  curl  is  smooth  and  glossy  when  properly 
dressed. 

The  men  have  but  little  beard,  and  the 
scanty  hairs  which  grow  upon  the  chin  and 
face  they  completely  eradicate,  using  for 
that  purpose  a pair  of  shells  until  they  are 
rich  enough  to  purchase  iron  tweezers.  Even 
the  eyebrows  and  lashes  are  pulled  out,  the 
natives  saying  that  they  only  hinder  the 
sight,  and  comparing  those  who  wear  them 
to  the  ostrich  — i.  e.  the  rhea,  or  American 
ostrich,  which  is  plentiful  in  their  country. 

To  an  European,  the  loss  of  these  append- 
ages to  the  eyes  has  a very  unsightly  effect; 
but  the  native  takes  a very  different  view  of 
the  case,  and  looks  upon  a countenance 
wherein  the  eyebrows  and  lashes  are  per- 
mitted to  grow  much  as  a gentleman  of 
George  the  Second’s  time  would  have  re- 
garded a head  which  was  decorated  by  its 
own  hair,  and  a face  from  which  the  beard 
and  moustache  had  not  been  removed. 

The  masculine  mode  of  dressing  the  hair 
has  some  resemblance  to  that  which  is  prac- 
tised by  the  warlike  tribes  of  ISTorthern 
America.  The  hair  is  shaved  from  the  fore- 
head, as  well  as  from  a band  extending  be- 
hind the  head  from  one  ear  to  the  other. 
The  remainder  is  allowed  to  grow  to  its  full 
length,  and  carefully  cherished  and  tended. 

The  Gran  Chaco  Indians  only  use  paint 
upon  great  occasions,  when  they  decorate 
themselves  as  fantastically  as  any  savage 
tribe  can  do;  but,  as  a rule,  their  faces  and 
bodies  are  allowed  to  retain  their  normal 
olive  hue.  Neither  do  the  men  use  the  tat- 
too, this  being  restricted  to  the  women,  who 
mark  themselves  with  a variety  of  patterns 
upon  their  arms,  cheeks,  and  breasts,  each 
having  a line  of  blue  dots  extending  from 
the  corner  of  each  eye  to  the  ears,  and  a pat- 
tern of  some  kind  upon  her  forehead. 

The  dress  of  these  people  is  very  simple. 
In  warm  and  fine  weather,  it  consists 
merely  of  a piece  of  cotton  or  woollen  fab- 
ric, woven  in  the  brightest  hues  of  red, 
white,  and  blue.  It  is  little  more  than  a 
mere  strip  of  cloth,  and  in  this  respect  the 
dress  of  the  women  scarcely  differs  from 
that  of  the  men.  In  cold  and  stormy 
weather,’ both  sexes  wear  a warm  cloak 
made  of  the  skin  of  the  jaguar,  or,  if  so  val- 
uable a material  cannot  be  obtained,  of  that 
of  the  nutria,  or  South  American  otter. 
Earrings  are  worn  by  both  sexes;  but  the 
hideous  ornaments  which  so  many  savage 
tribes  wear  in  their  lips  and  noses  are  utterly 
unknown  to  them. 

The  Gran  Chaco  Indian  is  essentially  a 
Iiorseman,  and  no  inhabitants  of  America 
■'have  made  more  use  of  the  horse  than  he 
has.  He  differs,  however,  from  those  which 
have  been  already  mentioned  in  one  impor- 
tant particular.  He  utterly  despises  the 
costly  spurs,  stirrups,  and  headstalls  which 
have  been  described  in  the  account  of  the 
Araucanians,  and,  almost  naked  himself,  he 


rides  upon  an  entirely  naked  horse.  He 
uses  no  saddle,  no  stirrups,  and  no  bit,  guid- 
ing his  steed  by  voice  and  touch,  and  not  by 
the  power  of  the  iron  curb.  The  only  rep- 
resentative of  a bridle  is  a slight  rope  of 
plaited  hide  passed  round  the  lower  jaw  of 
the  horse. 

The  weapons  of  the  Gran  Chaeo  Indian 
are  very  few.  He  carries  the  bolas  and 
lasso,  but  cares  little  for  them  in  war,  pre- 
ferring, as  his  most  efficient  weapon,  his 
spear.  This  instrument  is  sometimes  fifteen 
feet  in  length,  and  in  the  hands  of  a skilful 
rider,  mounted  upon  a perfectly  trained  steed, 
is  a most  formidable  instrument  of  war.  The 
warrior  uses  his  spear,  not  only  for  battle, 
but  as  a means  for  mounting  his  horse.  He 
stands  on  the  right  hand  of  the  animal, 
places  the  butt  of  the  spear  upon  the  ground, 
and,  using  the  shaft  as  a leaping  pole,  swings 
himself  upon  the  back  of  the  horse  with 
scarcely  an  effort. 

A rather  peculiar  club  is  also  used  by 
these  people.  This  weapon  is  called  “ mac- 
ana,”  and  exists  throughout  a very  large 
portion  of  Southern  America.  It  seldom 
exceeds  two  feet  in  length,  and  in  form 
somewhat  resembles  a square  dice  box,  being 
smaller  in  the  middle,  and  increasing  in  di- 
ameter to  each  end.  It  is  used  both  as  a 
missile,  and  as  a hand  weapon,  and  when 
used  is  held  by  the  middle.  The  young 
warriors  pride  "themselves  on  the  force  and 
accuracy  with  which  they  hurl  this  instru- 
ment, and  during  their  leisure  time  vie  with 
each  other  in  throwing  it  at  a mark.  The 
specimen  wdiich  is  shown  in  the  illustration 
was  presented  to  me  by  H.  Bernau,  Esq.,  to- 
gether with  several  other  weapons  and  im- 
plements of  South  America. 


THE  MAGANA. 


NOMAD  HABITS. 


1213 


Sometimes  the  macana  is  armed  with  a 
cylindrical  })iece  of  hard  stone,  which  pro- 
jects from  one  end  like  the  blade  of  an  axe. 
It  is  fastened  into  the  wood  by  a very  in- 
genious process.  Having  fixed  upon  a young 
branch  which  he  thinks  will  make  a good 
club,  the  Indian  bores  a hole  in  it,  and  ham- 
mers into  the  hole  the  stone  cylinder  which 
has  been  previously  prepared.  He  then  al- 
lows it  to  remain  for  two  or  three  years,  by 
which  time  the  wood  has  grown  over  the 
stone,  and  become  so  firmly  imbedded  that  it 
will  break  to  pieces  rather  than  be  loosened 
by  any  amount  of  violence. 

Another  of  these  weapons  in  my  collec- 
tion is  remarkable  for  the  slight  but  elabo- 
rate carvings  with  which  it  is  covered,  leav- 
ing only  a small  space  in  the  centre  devoid 
of  ornament.  The  patt-^rns  are  scratched 
rather  than  cut,  so  that  they  cannot  prop- 
erly be  seen  unless  the  weapon  is  turned 
from  side  to  side,  so  as  ^o  ensure  the  light 
falling  properly  upon  it;  but  the  extreme 
hardness  of  the  wood  makes  them  retain 
their  integrity  in  spite  of  rough  usage.  The 
tree  from  which  these  clubs  are  made  is  one 
of  those  which  are  popularly  called  iron- 
wood,  on  account  of  the  hardness  and 
weight  of  the  timber.  It  belongs  to  the 
guaiacums.  The  Spaniards  call  the  tree  by 
a name  which  signifies  “ axe-breaker.” 

The  strangest  part  of  war  as  waged  by 
these  natives  is,  that  when  they  fight  with 
each  other  they  adopt  an  elaborate  system 
of  defensive  armor,  while  they  discard 
everything  of  the  kind  when  they  match 
themselves  against  the  fire-arms  of  the 
whites,  knowing  that  the  shield  and  costume 
which  will  guard  them  against  the  club  and 
the  spear  are  useless  against  a bullet. 

The  armor  is  of  a most  cumbersome  de- 
scription, and  looks  nearly  as  awkward  as 
that  which  is  worn  by  the  soldiers  of  Beg- 
harmi.  (See  page  638.) 

First  of  all,  the  warrior  puts  on  a coat 
made  from  the  skin  of  the  jaguar,  dressed  so 
as  to  remain  soft  even  after  being  wetted. 
Over  this  dress  he  wears  a complete  suit  of 
armor,  made  from  the  thick  and  hard  hide 
of  the  tapir.  Not  only  the  body  armor,  but 
the  helmet  and  shield  are  made  of  this  ma- 
terial, which  is  capable  of  resisting  the 
stroke  of  the  lance  or  the  point  of  the  arrow. 
It  interferes,  however,  with  the  right  man- 
agement of  the  horse,  and  it  is  very  doubt- 
ful whether  its  defensive  powers  compen- 
sate for  its  exceeding  clumsiness.  Still,  it 
may  have  a moral  effect  upon  the  enemy; 
and  there  is  no  denying  that  it  gives  the 
warrior  a more  formidable  appearance  than 
he  would  possess  if  he  rode  without  armor. 
To  add  to  the  ferocity  of  his  aspect,  he  em- 
ploys paint  on  these  occasions,  and  with  scar- 
let and  black  pigment  makes  himself  abso- 
lutely hideous. 

When  he  goes  to  attack  a village  inhabited 
by  white  men,  he  does  so  in  a very  ingen- 


ious manner.  Usually  he  fights  exclusively 
on  horseback,  being  so  admirable  a rider 
that  he  can  even  stand  on  the  withers  of  his 
horse  when  at  full  S})ccd,and  feeling  himself 
out  of  his  element  when  dismounted.  But 
when  he  has  to  attack  so  formidable  an  en- 
emy as  the  white  man,  he  begins  after  a dif- 
ferent fashion.  He  takes  with  him  an  enor- 
mous bow,  far  too  strong  to  be  drawn  in 
the  usual  manner,  and  a number  of  long 
arrows.  Dismounting  at  some  distance  from 
the  village,  he  creeps  to  some  spot  within 
range  of  his  arrows,  and  then  prepares  for 
action. 

He  begins  by  wrapping  a quantity  of  cot- 
ton wool  round  the  arrows  just  behind  the 
head,  and  when  he  has  treated  them  all  in 
this  way,  he  strikes  a light  and  sets  fire  to 
the  cotton  wool  on  one  of  the  arrows. 
Lying  on  his  back,  he  holds  the  bow  with 
the  toes  of  both  feet,  and,  laying  the  blazing 
arrow  in  its  place,  he  is  able  to  use  both  his 
hands  to  draw  the  powerful  weapon.  He 
shoots  with  a wonderfully  good  aim  and  great 
rapidity,  so  that  when  a number  of  Indians 
surround  a village,  and  pour  their  fiery  mis- 
siles into  it  from  all  directions,  the  houses 
are  sure  to  take  fire. 

In  the  midst  of  the  confusion  caused  by 
the  flames  that  arise  on  all  sides,  the  war- 
riors leap  on  their  horses,  dash  at  the  vil- 
lage, kill  all  whom  they  can  reach,  carry  off 
as  much  plunder  as  possible,  and  then  gal- 
lop back  to  their  own  districts,  where  no 
one  dares  to  follow. 

Retaliation  is  never  feared,  as  the  Gran 
Chaco  Indians  have  no  fixed  habitation,  and 
nothing  that  can  be  called  even  a village.  The 
hut  or  rather  tent  of  these  people  is  a very 
simple  affair.  Two  upright  posts  are  driven 
firmly  into  the  earth,  and  another  is  laid 
horizontally  across  them.  Over  the  hori- 
zontal pole  is  hung  a large  mat,  the  ends  of 
which  are  pegged  to  the  ground,  and  the 
tent  is  then  complete.  The  mat  is  made  of 
the  epidermis  of  young  palm  leaves.  In 
order  to  prevent  water  from  flooding  the 
tent  in  rainy  weather,  a trench  is  dug 
around  it.  The  only  furniture  is  the  ham- 
mock in  which  the  inhabitant  sleeps,  and  in 
fine  weather,  this  is  much  more  often  slung 
between  two  palm  trees  than  between  the 
upright  posts  of  the  tent.  In  fact,  the  only 
use  of  the  tent  is  as  a shelter  in  rainy 
weather,  the  whole  of  the  life  being  passed 
in  the  open  air. 

As  may  be  imagined  from  this  mode  of 
life,  the  Gran  Chaco  Indian  is  essentially  a 
rover,  passing  from  one  part  of  the  country 
to  another  wlien  game  begins  to  be  scarce 
in  that  district  which  he  temporarily  in- 
habits. Illustration  No.  1,  on  the  1218th 
page  shows  the  manner  in  which  a com- 
munity of  these  natives  cross  rivers.  Swim- 
ming with  perfect  ease  themselves,  they 
merely  with  one  hand  guide  their  horses  in 
the  water  without  caring  to  get  on  their 


THE  GKAJjq-  CHACO. 


backs,  while  with  the  other  hand  they  pad- 
dle themselves  across  the  stream,  or  hold 
the  spear  with  its  light  burden  of  orna- 
ments. 

The  children  and  household  goods  are 
conveyed  easily  enough.  Square  boats  or 
tubs  made  of  bull’s  hide  are  launched,  and  in 
them  are  placed  the  children,  the  puppies, 
of  which  there  are  always  plenty,  and  the 
heavier  goods,  such  as  the  kettles  and  cook- 
ing vessels.  A rope  is  tied  to  the  “ pelota,” 
as  this  primitive  boat  is  called,  and  the  cargo 
is  towed  across  the  stream  either  by  being 
attached  to  the  tail  of  a horse,  or  held  in 
the  mouth  of  a good  swimmer.  The  lighter 
articles,  such  as  dress  and  ornaments,  are 
fastened  to  the  head  of  the  spear,  which  is 
held  upright,  so  as  to  keep  them  out  of  the 
water. 

The  dogs  which  1:  -'ve  just  been  mentioned 
are  extremely  usefu  to  the  Gran  Chaco  In- 
dians, who  employ  them  in  the  chase.  They 
give  but  little  trouble  to  their  masters,  liv- 
ing for  the  most  part  in  holes  which  they 
scratch  in  the  ground,  and  feeding  content- 
edly on  the  olfal  and  scraps  of  food,  which 
in  an  uncivilized  community  are  more  than 
scantj^  "Without  the  dogs  the  hunter  could 
scarcely  bring  to  bay  the  jaguar,  the  pec- 
cary, and  similar  animals,  which  are  so 
annoyed  by  the  perpetual  and  noisy  attacks 
of  the  little  curs  that  they  stop  in  their 
flight  in  order  to  revenge  themselves,  and 
so  give  the  hunter  time  to  come  up  with 
them. 

Although  so  essentially  a warrior,  and 
living  much  upon  the  proceeds  of  his  plun- 
der, the  Gran  Chaco  Indian  is  in  one  respect 
far  superior  to  the  North  American  tribes. 
He  does  not  torture  the  prisoners  wdiom  he 
takes  in  war,  and  the  women  and  children 
he  treats  kindly,  and  adopts  into  his  own 
tribe. 


I 

ARROWS  AKD  ARROW-CAP. 

(See  page  1229.) 


CHAPTER  CXXVm. 


THE  MUNDHRUC^S. 

MANUFACTURES  — SOCIAL  CUSTOMS. 


POSITION  AKD  NUMBER  OF  THE  MUNDURUCfj  TRIBE  — THEIR  GENERAL  APPEARANCE — MODE  OF  TAT- 
TOOING — SKILL  IN  FEATHER  WORKING  — FEATHER  SCEPTRES  AND  APRONS  — HEAD  PRESERVING 
— THE  TRIUMPHAL  FEAST  AND  WARRIOR’S  PRIDE — TRAINING  OF  THE  WARRIOR  — THE  ORDEAL 
OF  THE  “gloves” — INTELLIGENCE  OF  THE  MUNDURUCUS  — THE  HEALING  ART  — ENCHANTED 
CIGARS  — COLLECTING  SARSAPARILLA  — THE  GUARANA  TEA  — THE  PARICA  SNUFF  AND  ITS  OPE- 
RATION—THE  SNUFF  TUBE  — COOKERY  AMONG  THE  MUNDURUCUS. 


The  largest,  most  warlike,  and  most  power- 
ful of  the  Amazonian  tribes  is  that  which  is 
known  by  the  name  of  Munduhucu. 

Formerly,  they  used  to  inhabit  the  country 
on  the  southern  bank  of  the  great  Amazon 
River;  but  since  their  long  and  valiant 
struggle  with  the  Portuguese,  they  have 
moved  considerably  southward,  having  con- 
ceded to  their  new  allies  the  more  northern 
portion  of  their  territory.  Since  that  time, 
they  have  been  on  very  good  terms  with 
Europeans,  and  a white  man  of  any  nation 
is  sure  to  find  a welcome  when  he  comes 
among  the  Mundurucus.  This  feeling  does 
not  extend  to  the  negroes  and  mulattoes, 
the  dark  skin  arousing  the  anger  of  the 
Mundurucu  as  a white  skin  excites  his 
friendship. 

The  color  of  the  Mundurucus  is  warm 
coppery  brown;  their  hair  is  thick,  black, 
and  straight,  and  with  the  men  is  cut 
short,  except  a long  fringe,  which  is  allowed 
to  hang  over  the  forehead.  Their  features 
are  good,  the  lips  being  thin,  the  forehead 
tolerably  high  and  arched,  and  the  general 
contour  of  the  face  oval.  Unfortunately, 
they  disfigure  themselves  by  a tattoo  which 
is  just  as  elaborate  as  that  of  the  Marque- 
sans,  but  without  its  elegance. 

The  Mundurucu  seems  to  have  no  idea  of 
a curved  or  scroll-like  pattern,  and  contents 
himself  with  tracing  straight  lines  and 
angles.  One  favorite  plan  is,  to  cover  the 
whole  body  with  a sort  of  trellis-like  pat- 
tern, the  lines  crossing  each  other  diago- 
nally in  some,  and  at  right  angles  in  others. 
One  man,  seen  by  Mr.  Bates,  had  a large 
black  patch  on  the  centre  of  his  face,  cover- 


ing the  bottom  of  the  nose  and  mouth,  while 
his  body  was  decorated  with  a blue  checkered 
pattern,  and  his  arms  and  legs  with  stripes. 

At  first  it  seems  strange  how  the  people 
can  draw  the  lines  with  such  regularity.  It 
is  managed,  however,  easily  enough  by 
means  of  the  peculiar  form  of  the  tattooing 
instrument.  This,  instead  of  being  very 
small  and  made  of  bone,  is  of  considerable 
size,  and  is  in  fact  a comb  made  of  the  sharp 
thorns  of  the  pupunha  palm  set  side  by  side. 
With  this  instrument  there  is  no  difficulty  in 
producing  straight  lines,  as  all  that  the  ope- 
rator has  to  do  is  to  lay  the  points  of  the 
comb  on  the  skin,  tap  it  sharply  until  a row 
of  little  holes  is  made,  and  then  rub  into  the 
wounds  the  charcoal  pigment. 

Besides  the  tattoo,  they  use  paint  in  profu- 
sion, and  adorn  themselves  with  lovely  or- 
naments made  of  the  feathers  of  the  macaw, 
the  toucan,  and  other  native  birds.  There 
are  other  tribes  which  use  similar  decora- 
tions, specimens  of  which  we  shall  presently 
see.  They  are  perhaps  the  best  savage 
feather  workers  in  the  world,  displaying  an 
amount  of  artistic  taste  which  is  really  as- 
tonishing. Their  feather  sceptres  are  beau- 
tiful specimens  of  native  art.  They  are 
about  three  feet  in  length  and  three  inches 
in  diameter,  and  are  made  by  fastening  on  a 
wooden  rod  the  beautiful  white  and  yellow 
feathers  from  the  breast  of  the  toucan.  At 
the  top,  the  sceptre  expands  into  a wide 
plume,  composed  of  the  long  tail-feathers  of 
the  trogons,  macaws,  and  other  birds.  In 
order  to  preserve  these  sceptres  in  their  full 
beauty,  they  are  kept  in  cylindrical  bamboo 
cases  until  they  are  wanted.  These  decora- 


(1215) 


1216 


THE  MUNDURUCtS. 


tioiis  are  only  used  on  festival  days,  which  c 
are  determined  by  the  will  of  the  Tushaua  1 
or  chief  of  the  tribe.  On  these  occasions  s 
the  women  prepare  great  quantities  of  “ tar-  i 
oba,”  which  is  exactly  the  same  as  the  mu-  t 
dai  of  tlie  Araucanians,  and  they  go  on  i 
drinking,  singing,  and  dancing  until  all  the 
liquor  is  exhausted.  ] 

The  illustration  Ko.  7 on  page  1231,  gives  ] 
some  idea  of  the  mode  of  feaUier  working,  ; 
and  the  kind  of  pattern  employed  by  the  ] 
Amazonian  aborigines,  though  the  plain  i 
black  and  white  can  give  no  idea  of  the  gor-  ; 
geous  coloring  and  artistic  arrangement  of 
the  hues.  For  this  reason,  I have  been 
obliged  to  limit  the  illustrations  of  the  elab- 
orate feather  work  of  these  natives,  and 
only  to  give  a few  examples,  where  form, 
as  well  as  color,  is  exemplified. 

The  bod}'-  of  this  apron  is  made  of  cotton 
strings,  plaited  into  a netting,  so  close  that 
it  resembles  a woven  fabric,  while  they  are 
allowed  at  the  upper  part  to  be  loose,  and 
parallel  to  each  other.  Beginning  at  the 
bottom  of  the  apron,  we  have  first  a row  of 
jetty  black  feathers,  upon  which  is  a toler- 
ably broad  band  of  bright  yellow.  The 
ground-work  of  the  rest  of  the  apron  as  far 
as  the  base  strings  is  made  of  scarlet  feath- 
ers, crossed  by  two  narrow  yellow  bands, 
and  the  curious  double  pattern  in  the  mid- 
dle is  yellow  above  and  blue  below.  The 
sides  and  top  are  edged  by  a belt  of  black 
monkey  fur. 

Among  the  upper  edge  of  the  base  strings 
are  a number  of  the  elytra  or  wing  cases  of 
the  gorgeous  Buprestis  beetle.  They  are 
loosely  strung  in  a row  by  their  bases,  and 
not  only  look  splendid  when  the  light  of  the 
sun  shines  on  them,  but  rattle  at  every 
movement,  so  as  to  keep  time  to  the  steps 
of  the  dancers,  for  whom  such  ornaments 
are  chiefly  made.  These  wing  cases  are 
used  also  for  children’s  rattles. 

Like  many  other  warlike  savages,  the 
Munduruciis  perpetuate  the  memory  of  val- 
iant deeds  by  preserving  a trophy  of  the 
slain  enemy.  Indeed,  this  is  the  only  way 
in  which  it  is  possible  to  preserve  the  ac- 
counts of  their  valor,  and  the  Munduruciis 
follow  in  this  respect  the  example  of  the 
Byaks,  by  cutting  off  and  preserving  the 
head  of  the  dead  man.  When  a Mundu- 
rucii  has  been  fortunate  enough  to  kill  an 
enemy,  he  cuts  off  the  head  with  his  bam- 
boo knife,  removes  the  brain,  soaks  the 
whole  head  in  a bitter  vegetable  oil,  called 

andiroba,”  and  dries  it  over  a fire  or  in  the 
sun.  When  it  is  quite  dry,  he  puts  false 
eyes  into  the  empty  orbits,  combs,  parts,  and 
plaits  the  hair,  and  decorates  it  with  brilliant 
feathers,  and  lastly  passes  a string  through 
the  tongue,  by  means  of  which  it  can  be  sus- 
pended to  the  beams  of  the  malocca  or  coun- 
cil-house, where  it  remains  except  on  festi- 
val days.  When,  however,  the  chief  gives 


orders  for  a feast,  the  proud  owner  of  the 
head  arrrys  himself  in  his  most  magnificent 
suit  of  feathers,  fetches  his  prize  from  the 
malocca,  fixes  it  upon  the  point  of  his  spear, 
and  parades  himself  before  his  comj3anions 
in  all  the  glory  of  an  acknowledged  brave. 

One  of  these  preserved  heads  is  shown  on 
203,  drawn  from  a specimen  in  the 
possession  of  A.  Franks,  Esq.,  of  the  British 
Museum.  In  order  to  show  the  ordinary 
kind  of  feather  headdress  which  is  worn  by 
the  Munduruciis,  a portrait  of  a chief  is  also 
given  on  the  same  page,  so  that  the  contrast 
between  the  living  and  preserved  head  is 
well  marked. 

The  value  which  a Mundurucii  attaches  to 
this  trophy  is  simply  inestimable.  As  none 
except  acknowleged  warriors  are  allowed  to 
contend  against  the  enemy,  the  fact  of  pos- 
sessing a head  proves  that  the  owner  has 
passed  triumphantly  through  the  dreadful 
ordeal  of  the  gloves.  It  is  very  remarkable 
that  we  find  two  totally  distinct  races  of 
men,  the  Malay  and  the  Mongol,  possessing 
exactly  the  same  custom,  and  reckoning  the 
possession  of  a head  as  the  chief  object  in 
life. 

It  is  quite  impossible  that  the  Dyak  of 
Borneo  and  the  Mundurucii  of  Central 
Southern  America  could  have  been  geo- 
graphically connected,  and  we  must  infer 
that  the  custom  took  its  rise  from  the  love 
of  approbation  inherent  in  human  nature. 
In  all  countries,  whether  civilized  or  not, 
renown  as  a warrior  is  one  of  the  chief  ob- 
jects of  ambition.  In  civilized  countries, 
where  a literature  exists,  this  renown  is 
spread  and  conserved  by  means  of  the  pen; 
but  in  uncivilized  lands,  some  tangible  proof 
of  success  in  war  must  be  required.  In  this 
head  the  necessary  proof  is  obtained,  for  its 
existence  shows  that  the  owner  has  killed 
3 some  man  or  other,  and  the  form  or  absence 
of  the  tattoo  is  a proof  that  the  slain  man 
was  an  enemy  and  not  a friend. 

3 The  successful  warriors  are  so  proud  of 

- their  heads  that  they  will  often  remove  them 
3 temporarily  from  the  malocca,  and  place 
r them  on  the  fence  which  surrounds  their 

- crops,  so  that  the  women,  who  are  working 
5 in  the  field,  may  be  cheered  by  the  sight  of 
3 their  relative’s  trophies.  Of  late  years, 
3 either  this  custom  has  fallen  into  abeyance, 

- or  the  people  are  unwilling  to  exhibit  their 
1 trophies  to  a white  man,  for  Mr.  Bates,  who 

- spent  so  much  time  with  them,  never  even 
3 saw  a preserved  head,  or  could  hear  of  one 
1 being  used. 

3 Like  many  other  natives,  the  Munduruciis 
3 have  to  pass  through  a horribly  _ painful 
1 ordeal  before  they  can  be  admitted  into  the 
t rank  of  men.  . There  is  a strange,  weird- 
1 like  character  about  the  whole  proceeding. 

The  reader  must  know  that  South  America 

- possesses  a great  number  of  ants,  many  of 

- which  sting  most  horribly.  There  is.  for 
s example,  the  muniri  ant,  a great  black  in- 


.-.i 


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1 


(2.)  THE  GLOVE  DANCE  OF  THE  MUNDURUCT^S.  (See  page  1219.) 

(1218) 


THE  ORDEAL  OF  THE  GLOVES. 


1219 


sect,  as  large  as  a wasp  and  with  as  venom- 
ous a sting.  Then  there  is  the  fire  ant, 
whose  bite  is  just  like  a redhot  needle  pierc- 
ing the  flesh,  together  with  many  others. 
These  ants  are  made  the  instruments  by 
which  the  courage  of  the  lad  is  tested. 

On  the  appointed  day,  the  candidate  for 
manhood  and  the  privilege  of  a warrior,  goes 
to  the  council-house,  accompanied  by  his 
friends,  who  sing  and  beat  drums  to  encour- 
age him.  The  old  men  then  proceed  to  the 
test.  They  take  two  bamboo  tubes,  closed 
at  one  end  and  open  at  the  other,  and  place 
in  each  tube  or  “ glove  ” a number  of  the 
fiercest  ants  of  the  country.  Into  these 
tubes  the  wretched  lad  thrusts  his  arms,  and 
has  them  tied,  so  that  they  cannot  fall  off. 
The  drummers  and  singers  then  strike  up, 
and  the  candidate  joins  in  the  song. 

Accompanied  by  the  band  and  his  friends, 
he  is  taken  round'^  the  village,  and  made  to 
execute  a dance  and  a song  in  front  of  every 
house,  the  least  symptom  of  suffering  being 
fatal  to  his  admission  among  the  men.  In 
spite  of  the  agony  which  he  endures  — an 
agony  which  increases  continually  as  the 
venom  from  the  stings  circulates  through 
his  frame  — the  lad  sings  and  dances  as  if  he 
were  doing  so  from  sheer  joy,  and  so  makes 
the  round  of  the  village.  At  last  he  comes 
in  front  of  the  chief’s  tent,  where  he  sings 
his  song  for  the  last  time,  and  is  admitted 
by  acclamation  to  be  a man.  His  friends 
crowd  round  to  offer  their  congratulations, 
but  he  dashes  through  them  all,  tears  off  the 
gloves  of  torture,  and  plunges  into  the  near- 
est stream,  to  cool  his  throbbing  arms. 

This  fearful  test  of  manhood,  called  “ The 
glove  dance,”  is  represented  on  page  1218. 

The  Munduruciis  seem  to  be  an  intelli- 
gent race  of  savages,  as  may  be  seen  from 
Mr.  Bates’s  account  of  the  interest  which 
they  displayed  in  a book  of  illustrations. 

“ To  amuse  the  Tushaua,  I fetched  from 
the  canoe  the  two  volumes  of  Knight’s  ‘ Pic- 
torial Museum  of  Animated  Nature.’  The 
engravings  quite  took  his  fancy,  and  he 
called  his  wives,  of  Avhom,  as  I afterward 
heard  from  Aracii,  he  had  three  or  four,  to 
look  at  them  : one  of  them  was  a handsome 
girl,  decorated  with  necklace  and  bracelets 
of  blue  beads.  In  a short  time  others  left 
their  work,  and  I then  had  a crowd  of 
women  and  children  around  me,  who  all 
displayed  unusual  curiosity  for  Indians. 

“ It  was  no  light  task  to  go  through  the 
whole  of  the  illustrations,  but  they  would 
not  allow  me  to  miss  a page,  making  me 
turn  back  when  I tried  to  skip.  The  pic- 
tures of  the  elephants,  camels,  orang-outangs, 
and  tigers  seemed  most  to  astonish  them, 
but  they  were  interested  in  almost  every- 
thing, down  even  to  the  shells  and  insects. 
They  recognized  the  portraits  of  the  most 
striking  birds  and  mammals  which  are  found 
in  their  own  country  ; the  jaguar,  howling- 
monkey,  parrots,  trogons,  and  toucans. 


‘‘The  elephant  was  settled  to  be  a large  kind 
of  ta])ir;  but  they  made  Imt  few  remarks,  and 
those  in  the  Muiidurucu  language,  of  which 
I understood  only  two  or  three  words.  Their 
way  of  expressing  surprise  was  a clicking 
sound  made  witli  the  teeth,  similar  to  the 
one  we  ourselves  use,  or  a subdued  excla- 
mation, Ilm!  Ilni! 

“ Before  I finished,  from  fifty  to  sixty  had 
assembled  ; there  was  no  pushing,  or  rude- 
ness, the  grown-up  women  letting  the  young 
girls  and  children  stand  before  them,  and  all 
behaved  in  the  most  quiet  and  orderly  man- 
ner possible.” 

Like  other  savage  tribes  the  Munduruciis 
place  great  faith  in  their  medicine  men,  or 
“pajes,”  as  they  are  termed.  These  men 
are  supposed  to  exercise  a power  over  evil 
spirits,  especially  those  which  cause  sick- 
ness, and  which  take  the  visible  form  of  a 
worm  or  some  such  creature. 

When  a Mundurucu  is  ill,  he  sends  for 
the  paje,  who  goes  through  the  gesticula- 
tions common  to  all  the  tribe  of  medicine 
men,  until  he  has  fixed  upon  some  spot 
wherein  the  evil  spirit  has  located  itself. 
He  then  makes  a huge  cigar,  by  wrapping 
tobacco  in  folds  of  tanari,  i.  e.  the  inner  bark 
of  a tree,  which  is  separated  into  layers  and 
then  beaten  out  like  the  bark  cloth  of  Poly- 
nesia. Several  trees,  especially  the  monkey- 
root  tree  (Lecythis  otlaria)^  furnish  the  tan- 
ari, the  best  being  able  to  furnish  a hundred 
layers  from  one  piece  of  bark. 

The  smoke  from  the  cigar  is  blown  for 
some  time  upon  the  seat  of  the  malady, 
and  after  a while  the  paje  applies  his  lips  to 
the  spot,  and  sucks  violently,  producing  out 
of  his  mouth  the  worm  which  has  done  the 
mischief.  On  one  occasion,  when  a paje  had 
operated  on  a child  for  a headache,  a white 
man  contrived  to  get  possession  of  the 
“ worm,”  which  turned  out  to  be  nothing 
but  a long  white  air-root  of  some  plant. 

These  people  have,  however,  some  genu- 
ine medicines.  In  the  first  place,  they  know 
the  use  of  sarsaparilla  root,  and  gather  it  in 
large  quantities  for  the  market.  The  root, 
or  rather  the  rhizome,  of  a species  of  Smilax 
is  the  well-known  sarsaparilla  of  commerce. 

The  natives  collect  it  during  the  rainy 
season,  when  the  roots  can  be  easily  torn 
out  of  the  wet  earth.  After  washing  the 
roots  carefully,  the  gatherers  store  them 
under  shelter  until  they  are  quite  dry,  and 
then  make  them  up  into  bundles  of  uniform 
size,  for  the  convenience  of  packing.  These 
bundles  are  rather  more  than  three  feet  in 
length,  and  about  five  inches  in  diameter. 
They  are  tied  up  very  tightly  with  the  sipo, 
a kind  of  creeper,  and  sold  to  the  traders. 

Another  medicine  known  to  them  is  the 
guarana.  It  is  made  from  the  seeds  of  a 
climbing  plant  belonging  to  the  genus  Paul- 
linia.  The  seeds  are  roasted  in  their  en- 
velopes, and  then  taken  out  and  pounded 
between  two  stones.  The  powder  is  mixed 


1220 


THE  MUXDUBUCIJS. 


with  water  so  as  to  form  a stiff  paste,  which 
is  moulded  into  squares  and  left  to  dry. 
When  used,  the  vegetable  brick  is  scraped 
into  water,  about  a teaspoonful  going  to  the 
pint,  and  the  medicine  is  complete.  It  has 
a stimulating  effect  on  the  system.  Like 
strong  tea,  it  repels  sleep,  but  is  so  valuable 
in  the  intermittent  fever  of  the  country  that 
in  the  Brazilian  settlements  it  obtains  a very 
high  price. 

There  is  another  very  remarkable  medi- 
cine, which,  though  not  used  by  the  pure 
Mundurucu  tribe,  is  in  great  favor  with  the 
Cuparis,  a sub-tribe  of  the  same  nation. 
This  is  a sort  of  snuff,  called  parica,  which 
is  prepared  and  used  after  the  following 
manner.  The  seeds  of  a species  of  inga  (a 
plant  belonging  to  the  Leguminous  Order) 
are  dried  in  the  sun,  pounded  in  wooden 
mortars,  and  the  dust  put  into  bamboo  tubes. 

When  the  people  determine  to  have  a 
bout  of  snuff  taking,  they  assemble  together 
and  drink  various  fermented  liquors  until 
they  are  half  intoxicated.  They  then  sepa- 
rate into  pairs,  each  having  a hollow  reed 
filled  with  the  parica  snuff.  After  dancing 
about  for  some  time,  they  blow  the  snuff 
into  the  nostrils  of  their  partners  so  as  to 
make  it  produce  its  full  effect. 

The  action  of  the  parica  is  very  singular. 
Sometimes  it  is  so  violent,  that  the  taker 
drops  on  the  ground  as  if  shot,  and  lies  in- 
sensible for  some  time.  On  those  who  are 
more  used  to  it  the  effect  is  different.  It 
causes  for  a time  the  highest  excitement, 
driving  off  the  heaviness  of  intoxication, 
and  imparting  a lightness  and  exhilaration  of 
spirits,  causing  the  taker  to  dance  and  sing 
as  if  mad,  which  indeed  he  is  for  a time. 
The  effect  soon  subsides,  and  the  men  drink 
themselves  anew  into  intoxication. 

The  Muras,  a quarrelsome  and  savage 
tribe,  with  whom  the  Mundurucus  are  at 
perpetual  feud,  are  the  most  confirmed  par- 
ted takers.  The  Mauhes,  a neighboring 
tribe,  use  it  as  a means  of  repelling  ague  in 
the  months  between  the  wet  and  dry  sea- 
sons, when  miasma  always  abounds. 

They  keep  the  powder  in  the  state  of 
dried  paste,  and  when  they  wish  to  use  it, 
scrape  it  into  a flat  shell,  spreading  it  very 
carefully  with  a little  brush  made  from  the 
hair  of  the  great  ant-eater.  They  then  pro- 
duce the  snuff-taking  apparatus.  This  is 
made  of  two  eagle  quills  tied  side  by  side 
for  part  of  their  length,  and  diverging  at 
one  end  to  such  a distance  from  each  other 
that  the  extremeties  will  go  easily  into  the 
possessor’s  nostrils.  The  shape  of  the  instru- 
ment is  very  much  like  that  of  the  letter  Y. 

Inserting  the  diverging  ends  into  his  nos- 
trils, the  Mauhe  places  the  other  end  on  the 
powder,  and  draws  it  through  the  quills,  the 
end  travelling  over  the  shell  until  every 

article  of  the  powder  has  been  taken. 

ometimes  the  snuff  taker  employs,  instead 
of  the  quills,  the  bone  of  a plover’s  leg. 


This  instrument,  however,  is  very  rare,  and 
cannot  easily  be  procured,  the  possessor 
esteeming  it  to  be  a most  valuable  piece  of 
property.  It  is  remarkable  that  the  parica, 
under  different  names,  is  used  in  places  a 
thousand  miles  apart. 

The- cookery  of  the  Mundurucus  is  very 
simple.  They  make  cassava  bread  and  tap- 
ioca, after  a fashion  which  will  be  presently 
described,  and  feed  on  j^ams,  plantains,  and 
similar  vegetables.  Animal  food  is  obtained 
by  hunting,  and  chiefly  consists  of  the  mon- 
keys with  which  the  South  American  forests 
abound.  When  a monkey  is  to  be  eaten, 
it  is  cooked  in  one  of  two  ways.  Should 
there  be  time,  a large  fire  is  made  and  al- 
lowed to  burn  nearly  down,  so  that  there  is 
little  or  no  smoke.  Over  the  red  embers  a 
number  of  green  sticks  are  laid  parallel  to 
each  other,  just  like  the  bars  of  a gridiron, 
and  on  these  bars  the  monkey  is  placed  just 
as  it  is  killed,  the  skin  never  being  removed, 
and  the  interior  seldom  cleaned. 

There  is  even  a simpler  plan  than  this, 
which  is  employed  when  the  Mundurucu 
has  no  time  to  build  a large  fire.  He  makes 
up  as  large  a fire  as  he  can  manage,  impales 
the  monkey  on  a stick  sharpened  at  each  end, 
and  fixes  the  stick  diagonally  in  the  ground, 
so  that  the  body  of  the  monkey  hangs  over 
the  fire,  just  as  a soldier  cooks  or  rather 
burns  his  rations  by  impaling  the  piece  of 
meat  on  his  ramrod.  Yery  little  cooking  is 
required  by  these  people,  who  are  content 
if  the  skin  is  well  calcined  and  the  flesh  not 
quite  raw. 

The  Mundurucu  can  also  procure  fruits 
that  are  capable  of  preservation,  so  that  he 
need  be  in  no  fear  as  to  suffering  from  lack 
of  provisions.  The  chief  fruits  are  the 
“ nuts  ” of  the  Lecythis  and  the  Bertholetia. 
The  fruit  of  the  former  tree  is  popularly 
known  as  “ monkey-cup,”  because  the  hard 
envelope  which  encloses  the  seeds  has  a 
movable  lid,  that  falls  off  when  the  fruit  is 
ripe,  and  enables  the  monkeys  to  draw  the 
seeds  out  of  their  case. 

The  fruit  of  the  Bertholetia  is  familiarly 
known  as  the  Brazil  nut.  A number  of 
these  nuts  are  enclosed  within  a yery  thick 
and  hard  pericarp,  which  has  no  lid,  though 
there  is  a little  hole  at  the  top  through  which 
the  seeds  can  be  seen.  When  the  fruit  is 
ripe,  it  falls  to  the  ground  with  such  force 
that  if  it  were  to  strike  a man  on  the  head 
it  would  instantly  kill  him.  One  of  these 
fruits  in  my  collection  measures  exactly  a 
foot  in  circumference,  and,  though  very 
dry,  weighs  nine  ounces.  The  reader  may 
imagine  the  force  with  which  such  a fruit 
would  fall  from  the  height  of  a hundred 
feet  or  so. 

To  guard  themselves  against  accidents, 
the  Mundurucus  always  wear  thick  wooden 
caps  when  they  go  after  the  Brazil  nuts,  and 
are  careful  to  walk  very  upright,  so  as  not  to 
be  struck  on  the  back  or  the  nape  of  the  neck. 


CHAPTEK  CXXIX. 


THE  TRIBES  OF  GUIAKA. 


WEAPONS. 

CHAJJGES  OF  LANGUAGE— ESrVERSION’  OF  WORDS  AND  SENTENCES  — THE  TALKING  PARROT  — THE  FIVE 
CHIEF  TRIBES  OF  GUIANA  — PECULIARITY  OF  CLIMATE,  AND  CONSEQUENT  EFFECT  ON  VEGETABLE 
AND  ANIMAL  LIFE  — THE  HAMMOCK  OF  GUIANA  — THE  WEAPONS  PECULIAR  TO  THE  COUNTRY  — 
THE  TWO  KINDS  OF  BLOW  GUN  — THE  ZARABATANA,  AND  MODE  OF  CONSTRUCTION  — WEIGHT  OF 
THE  WEAPON  — THE  PUCUNA  — ITS  DOUBLE  TUBE  — THE  OURAH  AND  SAMOURAH  — THE  KURU- 
MANNI  WAX— THE  INGENIOUS  FORE  AND  BACK  SIGHTS — THE  BLOW  GUN  ARROWS  — THEIR  CON- 
STRUCTION— MODE  OF  SHARPENING  — THE  PIRAI  FISH  — INGENIOUS  MODE  OF  PACKING  THE 
ARROWS  — MODE  OF  PROPELLING  THE  ARROWS — THE  WINGED  ARROW  — THE  QUIVER  AND  COT- 
TON RASKET. 


It  is  evident  that  the  innumerable  tribes 
which  inhabit  the  neighborhood  of  the 
great  Amazon  Eiver  are  members  of  the 
same  family,  differing  more  in  language 
than  in  appearance  or  habits.  ' It  is  natu- 
ral that  families  when  they  become  large 
should  separate  themselves,  and  so  become 
founders  of  fresh  tribes,  which  spread  them- 
selves over  the  country,  settling  down  in 
those  spots  which  suit  them  best.  They 
retain  the  general  character  of  their  man- 
ners and  customs,  but,  owing  to  the  total 
want  of  a literature,  their  language  is  con- 
tinually changing. 

This  alteration  in  their  language  is  also 
due  to  the  native  fondness  for  inverting 
words  and  sentences  during  their  conversa- 
tion with  each  other,  a custom  which  bears 
some  resemblance  to  that  of  punning  among 
ourselves.  When  these  inverted  w’ords  hap- 
pen to  please  the  people’s  fancy,  they  are 
retained  in  the  language,  so  that  in  a few 
years  after  a family  has  separated  itself 
from  the  parent  tribe  the  two  dialects  will 
have  receded  so  far  from  each  other  that  the 
people  can  hardly  understand  each  other. 

To  the  philologist  this  fluctuation  of  lan- 
guage would  be  exceedingly  interesting,  but, 
as  we  are  concerned  with  manners  and  cus- 
toms rather  than  with  language,  we  will 
pass  northward  and  eastward  to  Guiana. 
Sir  R.  Schomburgk  mentions  a fact  which  is 


a singular  corroboration  of  the  rapidity  with 
which  language  changes  among  these  tribes. 
There  was  a parrot  living  in  1800,  which 
spoke  well,  but  many  of  whose  words  could 
not  be  understood,  because  it  spoke  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Atures,  a tribe  which  had 
passed  entirely  out  of  recollection  after  it 
had  been  mastered  by  the  warlike  Caribs. 

This  comparatively  small  country  is  espe- 
cially interesting  to  ethnologists,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  perfect  manner  in  which  the 
natives  have  guarded  their  individuality. 
Evidently  sprung  from  one  source,  they 
have  settled  down  in  difierent  districts 
and,  though  alike  in  color  and  general  con- 
formation, are  as  widely  different  in  lan- 
guage, and  often  in  manners,  as  if  they  be- 
longed to  separate  quarters  of  the  world. 

Five  principal  nations  inhabit  Guiana, 
and  are  subdivided  into  a vast  number  of 
small  tribes.  These  are  the  Macoushies, 
the  Arawaks,  the  Accawaios,  the  Caribs, 
and  the  Waraus.  The  two  first  of  these 
will  be  taken  as  representatives  of  the 
tribes  in  Guiana,  though  the  others  will  be 
mentioned  in  cases  where  they  present  any 
marks  of  difference. 

Taking  broadly  the  chief  points  of  distinc- 
tion between  these  tribes,  we  may  simply 
define  them  as  follows. 

The  Macoushies  are  the  largest  and  most 
ingenious  tribe.  They  excel  in  the  manu- 


(.1221) 


1222 


GUIAXA. 


factiire  of  the  terrible  woiirali  poison,  which 
they  exchange  for  canoes  and  other  necessa- 
ries from  other  tribes.  They  also  make  the 
best  blow  guns.  Their  huts  are  closed,  and 
conical  like  sugar  loaves.  Their  number  is 
somewhere  about  three  thousand. 

The  Arawilks  are  rather  taller  than  the 
Macoushies,  being,  on  an  average,  five  feet 
six  inches  in  height.  Their  faces  are  marked 
with  the  tattoo,  and,  as  they  are  much 
brought  into  contact  with  white  men,  they 
approach  civilization  nearer  than  do  the 
other  tribes. 

The  Accawaios  and  Caribs  wear  no  cloth- 
ing except  on  occasions  of  ceremony.  The 
former  are  distinguished  by  a wooden  orna- 
ment in  the  cartilage  of  the  nose,  and  the 
latter  by  wearing  ornaments  in  the  under 
lip,  and  by  a lump  of  annatto  fastened  to  the 
hair  of  the  forehead.  The  W araus  are  darker 
than  the  others,  and  are  acknowledged  to  be 
the  best  canoe  makers  in  Guiana.  Some  of 
their  vessels  will  carry  ninety  or  a hundred 
men,  and  they  sell  these  canoes  to  the  Ma- 
coushies for  the  excellent  wourali  poison  for 
which  that  tribe  is  celebrated. 

Owing  to  the  peculiarities  of  the  climate, 
all  these  tribes  have  many  customs  in  com- 
mon. The  climate  is  a very  remarkable 
one,  being  exceedingly  hot  and  exceedingly 
wet.  The  heat  is  owing  to  the  geographical 
position  of  Guiana,  which  is  close  to  the 
equator,  and  the  wet  is  due  to  the  trade 
winds  and  the  configuration  of  the  country. 
Blowing  across  the  Atlantic  they  absorb  a 
vast  quantity  of  moisture  from  the  ocean, 
and  discharge  the  greater  portion  of  it  be- 
fore they  can  reach  any  distance  inland,  the 
moisture  being  condensed  by  the  secondary 
mountain  chains,  which  are  from  five  to  seven 
thousand  feet  in  height. , 

In  consequence  of  this  perpetual  heat  act- 
ing on  perpetual  moisture,  vegetation  flour- 
ishes with  a luxuriousness  scarcely  to  be 
seen  in  any  other  part  of  the  world;  and  so 
completely  is  the  ground  covered  with  tree 
and  bush,  that  many  trees  are  unable  to  find 
a habitation  upon  the  ground,  and  are  forced 
to  live  upon  each  other.  Thus,  upon  a lofty 
mora  tree  a fig  tree  will  grow,  and  upon  the 
fig  an  enormous  creeper  will  fasten  itself,  its 
long  shoots  dangling  loosely  from  the  enor- 
mous height  at  which  they  grow,  or  drooping 
in  graceful  and  flower-clad  festoons  from  one 
tree  to  another.  Such  a forest  as  this  is  often 
ankle-deep  in  water  for  miles  together,  and 
the  vegetation  is  so  thick  that  the  only  way 
of  passing  through  the  tangled  mass  of  vege- 
tation is  to  cut  a path  with  the  axe.  And 
even  then,  after  a week  or  two  has  elapsed, 
the  path  Avill  have  vanished,  so  rapid  is  the 
growth  of  vegetable  life. 

It  follows  from  this  description  that  the 
animals  which  inhabit  Guiana  must  be 
chiefly  of  two  kinds,  those  which  inhabit  the 
trees  and  those  which  live  in  the  water. 


Accordingly,  we  find  that  the  country  is 
tenanted  by  a great  variety  of  the  monkey 
tribe,  that  the  arboreal  puma  and  jaguar 
take  the  place  of  the  terrestrial  lion  and 
tiger,  and  that  the  aquatic  capybara  and 
tapir  flourish  where  beasts  of  equal  size 
would  perish  if  they  had  to  live  on  the  land. 
Birds  of  the  most  lovely  plumage  abound  in 
Guiana,  which  is  also  a very  paradise  of  in- 
sects. 

It  is  evident  that  any  human  beings  that 
live  in  such  a country  as  this  must  have 
many  characteristics  in  common.  They 
need  no  clothes,  no  houses,  and  the  woods 
supply  them  with  food  without  the  trouble 
of  cultivation,  so  that  their  chief  incentives 
to  labor  are  taken  away.  Consequently,  they 
may  be  called  an  idle  people,  though  the  in- 
dolence is  rather  apparent  than  real.  They 
will  work  as  long  as  there  is  a necessity  for 
it;  but,  as  a man  can  support  existence  with- 
out doing  a real  day’s  work  in  his  life,  it  is 
evident  that  the  necessity  for  work  does  not 
often  arise. 

One  habit  which  they  have  in  common  is 
that  of  sleeping  in  the  hammock.  This  arti- 
cle is  made  by  the  natives  from  various 
vegetable  fibres,  and  is  woven  in  different 
ways,  according  to  the  character  of  the  tribe 
which  makes  it.  Some  of  these  are  made 
simply  by  laying  a number  of  strings  parallel 
to  each  other,  and  knotting  others  across  at 
right  angles;  but  the  best  have  no  knots  at 
all,  the  strings  interlacing  with  each  other 
diagonally,  so  as  to  yield  in  every  direction 
to  the  bo%  of  the  occupier.  When  a native 
has  made  a particularly  fine  specimen,  he 
adorns  it  with  feathers,  and  other  brilliantly 
colored  objects. 

These  hammocks  are  of  various  sizes,  some 
being  small  and  used  for  children,  and  others 
large  enough  to  contain  an  entire  family. 
The  specimen  in  my  collection  will  hold  two 
Guianan  natives,  but  not  two  Englishmen. 
It  is  rather  more  than  sixteen  feet  in  length, 
and  six  feet  in  width. 

The  hammock  is  exactly  adapted  to  the 
wants  of  the  native.  It  is  so  light  that  he 
can  roll  it  up  and  tie  it  round  his  body,  so  as 
to  carry  it  on  a journey;  so  slight  in  texture 
as  to  keep  him  cool  when  lying  in  it;  and  so 
yielding  in  its  structure  that  the  bare  cords 
do  not  hurt  his  naked  skin.  On  a journey 
he  always  carries  his  hammock  with  him, 
and  if  he  wants  to  rest,  he  does  not  sit  down, 
but  slings  the  hammock  between  two  trees 
and  lies  in  it.  Several  purposes  are  fulfilled 
by  this  arrangement.  In  the  first  place,  the 
ground  is  usually  wet,  so  that  the  man  is 
kept  dry  in  the  hammock;  in  the  next  place, 
he  is  safe  from  the  snakes  and  other  un- 
pleasant reptiles  that  swarm  in  the  forests; 
and  lastly,  he  would  always  rather  lie  down 
than  sit. 

Another  point  which  they  have  in  com- 
mon is  the  mode  in  which  they  destroy  the 
animals  on  which  they  live.  The  reader  will 


THE  BLOW  GUKS. 


1223 


remember  that  the  density  of  the  jungle  is 
so  great,  that  if  an  animal  were  able,  after  it 
was  wounded,  to  run  for  a hundred  yards  or 
so,  or  a bird  to  fly  the  same  distance,  it  would 
be  lost  in  the  bush  without  the  chance  of  re- 
covery. It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  the 
successful  hunter  must  possess  some  means 
of  destroying  motion,  if  not  life,  almost  in- 
stantaneously, and  this  he  finds  in  the  terri- 
ble wourali  poison,  which  has  the  effect  of 
causing  instant  stupor  when  it  mixes  with 
the  blood.  The  mode  of  manufacturing  this 
poison  will  presently  be  described,  and  at 
present  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  nearly  all 
the  missiles  used  by  the  Guianan  aborigines, 
whether  propelled  by  the  bow  or  by  the 
breath,  are  armed  with  this  poison. 

We  will  first  take  those  missiles  which  are 
propelled  by  the  breath,  and  examine  the 
instrument  through  which  they  are  sent. 
In  principle  this  is  exactly  like  the  sumpitan 
of  Borneo,  described  on  page  1119,  but  the 
mode  of  construction  is  different,  and  in  the 
best  specimens  the  Guianan  work  is  far  su- 
perior to  that  of  Borneo. 

Of  this  singular  weapon  there  are  several 
varieties,  the  two  principal  of  which  are 
shown  over  the  title  “Blow  guns”  on  the 
1225th  page,  both  being  taken  from  spec- 
imens in  my  possession.  On  the  right  is  the 
zarabatena.  This  is  found  throughout  a 
very  large  tract  of  country  southward  of 
Guiana,  when  it  takes  a somewhat  modified 
and  improved  form. 

It  is  made  of  two  separate  pieces  of  wood, 
in  each  of  which  is  cut  a semicircular  groove, 
so  that  when  they  are  placed  in  contact  with 
each  other  they  form  a long  wooden  rod, 
pierced  with  a circular  bore.  As  the  natives 
use  nothing  but  the  incisor  teeth  of  rodent 
animals  by  way  of  tools,  it  may  be  seen  that 
the  labor  of  making  one  of  these  instruments 
is  very  great.  The  bore  being  carefully 
smoothed,  the  two  halves  are  laid  together, 
and  bound  by  means  of  long,  flat  strips  of 
jacitara  wood  wound  spirally  round  them. 

To  the  lower  end  of  the  weapon  is  fas- 
tened a large  mouthpiece,  with  a conical 
opening  like  the  mouthpiece  of  a trumpet, 
so  as  to  collect  the  breath  for  the  pro- 
pulsion of  the  arrow.  A quantity  of  cement, 
composed  of  a black  wax  made  by  a wild  bee 
mixed  with  a pitchy  substance  obtained  from 
several  trees,  is  then  rubbed  over  the  whole 
weapon,  which  is  considered  complete.  The 
zarabatanais  exceedingly  heavy,  and  requires 
not  only  a strong  but  a practised  arm  to  hold 
it  steady.  The  specimen  in  my  collection, 
which  is  several  feet  in  length,  weighs  three 
pounds  twelve  ounces. 

A far  superior  weapon,  called  the“pu- 
cuna,”  larger,  lighter,  and  more  easily 
handled,  is  made  by  the  natives  of  many 
parts  of  Guiana,  that  used  by  the  Macoushie 
tribe  being  the  best.  The  specimen  which 
is  shown  on  the  left  of  the  zarabatana  was 


brought  from  Guiana  by  the  late  Mr. 
Waterton,  who  presented  it  to  me  shortly 
before  the  accident  which  caused  his  death. 

The  weapon  in  question  (called  pucuna) 
is  double,  being  made  of  two  portions, 
called  ourah  and  samourah.  The  essential 
portion  of  the  blow  gun  is  the  ourah.  This 
is  a singular  reed  {Arandinaria  Schom- 
burgJdi)^  which,  as  far  as  is  known,  only 
grows  on  the  sandstone  ridge  of  the  Upper 
Orinoco  between  the  rivers  Ventuari,  Par- 
amu,  and  Mavaca.  Like  the  bamboo,  it 
grows  in  clusters,  and,  though  not  exceeding 
half  an  inch  in  diameter,  the  first  fourteen 
or  sixteen  feet  are  without  a knot.  From 
this  point  spread  the  long,  slender  branches, 
measuring  from  thirty  to  forty  feet  in  length, 
and  waving  in  graceful  curves  when  moved 
by  the  wind. 

The  portion  used  for  the  blowpipe  is  the 
first  joint,  which  is  uniform  in  diameter 
throughout,  and  is  naturally  polished  within. 
But  it  is  so  thin,  the  walls  being  not  twice 
the  thickness  of  a playing  card,  that  it  would 
be  too  fragile  to  be  used  without  some  protec- 
tion. Accordingly,  the  native  has  recourse 
to  a sort  of  palm,  called  by  him  samourah,  its 
scientific  title  being  Ireartia  setigera. 

This  is  chosen  of  a proper  size,  cut  down, 
and  steeped  in  water,  for  the  purpose  of  ex- 
tracting the  pulp  which  fills  the  interior. 
When  it  is  quite  dry,  the  reed  is  inserted 
into  this  tube,  the  native  gunmaker  having 
a wonderful  talent  in  getting  the  slender 
reed  exactly  in  the  centre  of  the  palm-stem, 
and  fixing  it  in  its  place  with  the  black  wax 
already  mentioned.  This  wax  is  called  kuru- 
manni  by  the  Macoushies,  and  is  used  by 
them  as  freely  as  is  the  “ black-boy  ” wax  by 
the  Australian  aborigines.  The  samourah 
is  then  scraped  down  to  the  proper  thickness, 
well  polished,  and  the  weapon  is  ready  for 
the  accessories  which  complete  it. 

One  end  is  chosen  to  serve  as  a mouth- 
piece, and  is  bound  with  a string  made  of 
silk-grass  and  the  other  is  tipped  with  the 
half  of  the  acuero  nut,  which  is  very  hard 
and  prevents  the  end  of  the  weapon  from 
being  injured  by  accidental  blows  against  a 
tree  or  the  ground.  This  acuero  seed  acts 
as  a fore-sight,  by  which  the  native  hunter 
can  direct  his  weapon;  but,  in  order  to  secure 
a more  certain  aim,  he  adds  a singularly  in- 
genious back-sight.  Taking  a lump  of  kuru- 
manni  wax,  he  presses  it  on  the  blowpipe 
about  eighteen  inches  from  the  mouthpiece, 
and  by  means  of  the  wax  fixes  upon  the  tube 
the  two  lower  incisor  teeth  of  the  acouchi, 
one  of  the  cavies. 

Figure  1 shows  the  weapon  itself,  and  fig. 
2 the  front  view  of  the  tip,  guarded  with  its 
ring  of  acuero  seed,  which  forms  the  fore- 
sight. Fig.  3 gives  an  enlarged  representa- 
tion of  the  back-sight,  made  of  the  teeth  of 
the  acouchi  (Dasyprocta  Acouchi)  fixed  in 
their  place  by  the  black  kurumanni  wax.  Fig. 
4 is  a section  taken  through  the  middle  of 


69 


1224 


GUIANA. 


the  back-sight,  so  ?s  to  show  the  way  in 
which  the  teeth  project  from  the  shaft.  Fig. 
5 is  a front  view  of  the  butt,  showing  the 
way  in  which  the  ourah  reed  is  enclosed 
within  the  samourah  palm. 

Such  a weapon  as  this  is  exceedingly  light 
and  easy  to  handle,  presenting  a strong  con- 
trast to  the  heavy  and  cumbrous  zarabatana. 
The  weight  of  the  one  in  my  collection  barely 
exceeds  a pound  and  a half,  although  it  is 
eleven  feet  in  length.  It  is  held  in  rather  a 
curious  manner.  The  left  hand  is  turned 
with  the  palm  upward,  and  the  elbow  against 
the  hip.  The  hand  then  grasps  the  blow  gun 
within  a hands-breadth  of  the  mouthpiece, 
and  the  right  hand  seizes  it,  palm  downward, 
in  the  space  left  by  the  other  hand.  In  fact, 
this  mode  of  holding  the  weapon  is  exactly 
similar  in  principle  to  that  which  is  employed 
by  riflemen.  The  blowpipe  is  then  raised, 
not  by  the  arms,  but  by  bending  back  the 
body;  and  it  is  astonishing  to  see  how  steady 
it  can  be  held  for  a lengthened  time  — a 
steadiness  which  can  never  be  gained  if  it  be 
held  by  stretching  out  the  right  arm  and 
grasping  it  at  some  distance  from  the  mouth. 

The  natives  are  most  careful  respecting 
the  straightness  of  their  blow  guns,  and 
never  allow  them  to  lean  against  anything 
lest  they  should  be  warped.  ‘ When  they  go 
hunting,  they  carry  the  blow  gun  upright, 
like  a soldier,  “ shouldering  arms,”  and  when 
they  return  to  their  huts,  they  suspend  the 
weapon  by  a loop  to  the  top  of  the  house. 
Mr.  Waterton  repeatedly  draws  attention  to 
this  point  in  his  “ Wanderings,”  and  when 
he  presented  me  with  the  pucuna  which 
he  brought  from  Guiana,  the  gift  was  ac- 
companied by  a condition  that  it  should 
never  be  allowed  to  lean  against  a wall,  but 
should  be  either  laid  on  the  ground  or\sus- 
pended  by  its  loop. 

We  now  come  to  the  arrows  which  are 
propelled  through  the  pucuna.  They  very 
much  resemble  in  shape  and  size  those 
which  are  employed  by  the  Dyaks,  but,  in- 
stead of  being  made  to  fit  the  bore  of  the 
pucuna  by  a piece  of  pith  or  soft  wood  at 
the  butt*  a small  quantity  of  wild  cotton, 
taken  from  the  Bomhax  ceiba-^  is  wound 
upon  it,  and  fastened  with  a fibre  of  silk 
grass.  Cultivated  cotton  is  too  heavy  to 
serve  the  purpose,  and  nothing  answers  so 
well  as  the  yellow,  stout-fibred  cotton  of  *the 
Bombax.  Very  great  art  is  required  in  put- 
ting on  the  cotton  properly.  It  must  exactly 
fit  the  bore,  be  perfectly  regular,  so  as  not  to 
disturb  the  accuracy  of  the  flight,  and  must 
taper  gradually  in  front,  so  as  to  offer  the 
least  possible  resistance  to  the  air.  See  il- 
lustration No.  1,  on  the  next  page. 

Tlie  shaft  of  the  arrow  is  made  of  the  leaf 
ribs  of  the  coucourite  palm,  a species  of 
areca.  It  is  about  ten  inches  in  length,  no 
thicker  than  a crow  quill,  and  at  one  end  is 
brought  to  a point  as  sharp  as  a needle  by 


scraping  it  between  the  teeth  of  the  pirai 
fish  (Serrasalmus  piraya).  The  teeth  of  this 
fish  are  flat,  pointed,  and  double-edged,  much 
like  those  of  the  shark  — and,  indeed,  the 
pirai  is  a veritable  fresh-water  shark,  biting 
whole  mouthfuls  from  the  bodies  of  animals 
that  enter  the  water,  and  even  attacking  the 
alligator  itself— and  when  the  arrow  is 
drawn  between  them,  delicate  shavings 
are  taken  oft*  just  as  is  the  case  with  the 
double  knife-sharpeners  of  the  present  day. 
One  half  of  a pirai  jaw  is  always  suspended 
to  the  quiver  of  a Macoushie. 

Of  the  poison  with  which  the  arrow  is 
armed  we  will  presently  treat:  we  are  now 
only  concerned  with  the  manufacture  of  the 
weapon.  In  order  to  save  space,  the  cotton 
is  not  put  upon  the  arrows  until  just  before 
they  are  wanted,  six  or  seven  finished  ar- 
roAvs  being  left  in  the  quiver  for  immediate 
use,  and  the  rest  tied  in  a bundle  until 
needed.  The  formation  of  this  bundle  is 
singularly  ingenious,  the  native  being  able 
to  remove  any  of  the  arrows  without  unty- 
ing it,  and  to  add  as  many  as  he  likes  with- 
out disturbing  those  which  already  are  tied 
together. 

The  native  takes  a rod  of  hard  wood,  a lit- 
tle longer  than  the  arrows,  and  at  one  end 
he  fixes  a little  Avheel,  rather  more  than  two 
inches  in  diameter.  At  two  inches  from  the 
Avheel,  and  the  same  distance  from  the  end 
of  the  rod,  two  holes  are  bored,  through 
each  of  which  are  passed  two  strings  made 
of  cotton.  When  the  man  wishes  to  tie  up 
a number  of  arrows,  he  lays  them  succes- 
sively between  the  strings,  which  he  twists 
between  each  arroAv.  When  the  last  arroAv 
is  laid  in  its  place,  the  whole  are  kept  firm 
by  a couple  of  sliding  knots,  which  can  be 
slipped  along  the  strings. 

Illustration  No.  7 on  the  following  page, 
Avill  explain  the  method  of  stringing  the  ar- 
roAvs  better  than  can  be  done  by  words 
alone.  Tavo  of  the  arrows  are  shoAAm  as 
prepared  for  use,  the  cotton  being  on  their 
butts  and  the  poison  on  their  tips.  A num- 
ber more  are  shown  as  they  appear  on  the 
double  strings,  poisoned,  but  without  the 
cotton.  A hunter  will  sometimes  have  as 
many  as  five  hundred  arroAvs  at  once  upon  a 
string. 

In  order  to  keep  the  weapons  compact,  so 
that  they  can  be  easily  slipped  into  the 
quiver,  they  are  rolled  round  the  little  rod, 
and  bound  firmly  together  in  a cylindrical 
form,  the  poisoned  points  being  directed  to 
the  wheel,  of  which  the  reader  will  noAv  see 
the  use.  It  serves  as  a sort  of  shield  to  the 
hand,  so  that  when  the  hunter  wishes  to  take 
the  arrows  out  of  the  quiver,  he  can  do  so 
without  the  least  danger;  and  AA^hen  he  de- 
sires to  remove  some  arrows  to  be  mounted 
Avith  cotton,  he  can  push  them  through  the 
spokes  of  the  Avheel,  and  take  them  put  with- 
out having  to  untie  the  bundle.  See  illus- 
tration No.  6. 


•w 


(5.)  BLOW  GUNS. 
(See  page  1223.) 


(6.)  ABROWS  ROUND 
STICK. 

(See  page  1224.) 


(7.)  ARROWS  STRUNG. 
(See  page  1224.) 


(1225) 


\ 


.■i'’thi'' 

' 4^' 

< ■■  T-1 


THE  PUCUNA. 


1227 


When  properly  made  and  mounted,  these 
arrows  can  be  propelled  with  wonderful 
force.  I have  sent  one  for  a distance  of  a 
hundred  yards,  and  the  natives  can  propel 
them  to  a still  greater  distance.  There  is  a 
certain  art  in  using  the  pucuna,  the  arrow 
not  being  urged  by  a lengthened  breath,  but 
by  collecting  all  the  air  that  the  lungs  will 
hold,  and  giving  a short  expiration,  as  if  the 
object  were  to  empty  the  lungs  at  one  pulf. 
The  force  comes  entirely  from  the  lungs,  the 
cheeks  having  nothing  to  do  with  it.  When 
an  arrow  is  rightly  propelled,  it  flies  from 
the  tube  with  a slight  pop,  like  that  which  is 
produced  by  quickly  drawing  the  cork  of  a 
small  bottle.  It  is  quite  invisible  for  some 
little  time,  so  rapid  is  the  motion;  and  even 
when  fitted  with  white  instead  of  yellow 
cotton  the  eye  can  scarcely  follow  its  course. 

Such  an  instrument  as  this  is  simply 
invaluable  for  the  purposes  to  which  it  is 
devoted.  It  is  intended  to  be  used  almost 
exclusively  for  killing  birds  and  small  mon- 
keys, both  of  which  creatures  live  on  trees. 
Now,  as  the  trees  of  Guiana  run  to  an  enor- 
mous height,  some  of  them  attaining  at  least 
a hundred  feet  before  they  throw  out  a 
branch,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  birds  are  be- 
yond the  reach  of  shot-guns.  The  foliage  is 
so  thick  that  it  does  not  permit  more  than 
one  or  two  shots  to  reach  the  bird,  and  the 
height  is  so  great  that,  even  if  they  did 
strike,  they  would  produce  but  little  effect. 
But  the  i3ucuna  can  throw  an  arrow  higher 
than  a gun  can  propel  a shot,  and  if  the 
needle-like  point  enters  any  part  of  the  bird 
the  effect  is  fatal. 

There  is  another  advantage  which  the 
pucuna  possesses  over  fire-arms.  The  re- 
port of  the  gun  frightens  away  every  bird 
within  sound,  whereas  the  pucuna  is  practi- 
cally noiseless.  The  slight  “ pop  ” with 
which  the  arrow  is  expelled  does  not  alarm 
the  birds,  and  an  expert  hunter  can  kill 
twenty  or  thirty  birds  from  one  tree  without 
alarming  the  others.  The  pucuna  is  partic- 
ularly useful  in  the  chase  of  the  toucan. 
The  feathers  of  this  bird  are  much  used  in 
the  manufacture  of  the  beautiful  gala  dresses 
which  the  natives  wear  on  grand  occasions, 
and  are  much  prized  by  them.  Now,  the 
toucan  has  a way  of  sitting  on  the  topmost 
boughs  of  the  tallest  trees,  and  were  it  not 
for  the  deadly  arrow  of  his  pucuna,  the  na- 
tive could  seldom  obtain  a specimen. 

Just  before  the  arrow  is  put  into  the  blow- 
gun,  the  hunter  places  it  between  two  of  the 
pirai-teeth  already  mentioned,  and  turns  it 
round  between  his  fingers.  He  thus  cuts  it 
through  just  above  the  poisoned  portion,  so 
as  to  leave  a mere  thread  of  wood  attaching 
the  head  to  the  shaft.  If,  therefore,  the  bird  or 
monkey,  on  feeling  the  smart,  should  seize 
the  arrow  and  withdraw  it,  the  poisoned 
head  snaps  off  and  is  left  in  the  wound. 

In  some  parts  of  the  country  a very  in- 
genious form  of  arrow  is  used.  Instead  of 


being  made  to  fit  the  bore  by  means  of  cot- 
ton tied  on  the  butt,  a fiat  piece  of  bark  is 
twisted  round  the  arrow  so  as  to  cause  it  to 
terminate  in  a hollow  cone.  A larger  piece 
of  the  same  material  is  fixed  along  the  shaft 
of  the  arrow,  and  slightly  twisted  so  as  to 
cause  it  to  revolve  when  projected  through 
the  air.  The  arrow  is  tipped  with  a slight 
iron  blade,  instead  of  being  merely  sharp- 
ened wood.  (See  illustration  No.  2.)  This 
form  of  hollow  base  is  admirably  adapted  for 
its  purpose,  and  has  been  copied  by  Messrs. 
Lang,  the  well-known  gunmakers  of  Cock- 
spur  Street,  in  their  blow  gun  darts  for  kill- 
ing small  birds  and  animals  without  noise. 

Next  comes  the  quiver  in  which  the  ar- 
rows are  kept.  This  is  shown  in  illustration 
No.  4,  on  page  1225.  The  framework  of  the 
quiver  is  made  of  the  ittiritti-reed,  and  the 
bottom  is  closed  by  a circular  plate  of  wood. 
In  order  to  keep  the  poisoned  arrows  from 
the  damp,  which  would  eftectually  spoil  them, 
the  whole  of  the  quiver  is  covered  with  a 
thick  coat  of  kurumanni  wax,  which  is 
pressed  firmly  into  the  interstices  of  the 
wicker-work,  and  into  the  junction  between 
the  bottom  and  the  sides  of  the  quiver. 

Lest  the  rough  basketwork  should  injure 
the  delicate  arrows,  the  quiver  is  lined  with 
beautifully  made  mat-work,  of  much  finer 
material,  and  quite  smooth  to  the  hand.  The 
cover  is  made  of  a piece  of  skin,  sometimes 
of  the  tapir,  but  mostly  of  the  peccary. 
While  fresh  and  wet  it  is  moulded  over  a 
wooden  block  of  the  proper  size,  just  as  hat- 
ters mould  their  felt  into  its  form.  The 
hairy  side  is  kept  inward,  and  when  it  is 
pressed  on  the  top  of  the  quiver,  and  twisted 
with  a turn  of  the  hand,  it  holds  itself  firmly 
in  its  place.  When  the  cover  is  on  the 
quiver,  no  water  can  enter,  and  even  if  the 
hunter  were  to  drop  it  into  the  river,  the  ar- 
rows would  be  preserved  quite  dry  in  their 
floating  receptacle. 

Before  the  kurumanni  wax  which  covers 
the  quiver  is  quite  dry,  a flat  plaited  belt 
made  of  silk  grass  is  secured  to  it  by  means 
of  a long  string,  which  encircles  the  quiver 
several  times.  In  this  cincture  is  also  se- 
cured by  strings  a coil  of  silk  grass,  from, 
which  can  be  drawn  the  fibres  by  which  the 
cotton  is  attached  to  the  arrow,  together  with 
the  halt  jaw-bone  of  the  pirai,  with  which 
the  arrows  are  sharpened.  In  my  specimen 
this  jaw-bone  is  two  inches  in  length. 

The  last  article  which  completes  the  equip- 
ment of  the  bird  hunter  is  the  basket  of 
wild  cotton.  This,  as  may  be  seen  from  illus- 
tration No.  3,  has  a narrow  neck,  and  bulg- 
ing body;  so  that  the  cotton  does  not  fall 
out  of  the  basket,  though  carried  with  the 
opening  downward.  The  quantity  which  it 
will  hold  is  astonishing.  From  one  of  them 
Mr.  Waterton  took  handful  after  handful 
until  a large  heap  was  on  the  table,  just  as 
a conjuror  takes  vast  quantities  of  feathers 
out  of  an  apparently  empty  hat. 


CHAPTEE  CXXX. 


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r'^7 

■' 

». ) !'4  lliifi  it  »>,l..ni.vipa 
i 1 .‘.-i;  a I M'us  niar:  m 
. i.  :;i  ll  1T',;</  ;iu'(  .'7 
‘•A.*  ill*  -•/  v.r 

i 1.':.-  ■ 

! . fa.  > u\  • :•.  V ■ 


THE  TKIBES  OF  GUIAKA— Contwued 


WEAPONS  — Concluded, 


EFFECT  OF  THE  WOURALI  — DEATH  OF  THE  AI  — THE  LARGER  ARROWS  — TUFTED  ARROWS  — A SINGU- 
LAR QUIVER — ARRANGEMENT  OF  THE  MOVABLE  HEAD  — QUIVER  FOR  THE  HEADS  — FATE  OF  THE 
WOUNDED  INDIAN  — HOW  THE  ARROWS  ARE  FEATHERED  — THE  NATIVE  BOW  — TURTLE  AR- 
ROWS— MANUFACTURE  OF  THE  WOURALI  — THE  QUAKE  AND  ITS  USES —THE  WOURALI  VINE,  AND 
OTHER  VEGETABLE  CONSTITUENTS  — THE  HYARRI  POISON,  AND  ITS  USES  — ANTS  AND  SNAKE 
FANGS  — BOILING  THE  WOURALI  — EFFECTS  OF  THE  PROCESS  ON  THE  MAKER  — SELF-POISONED 
ARROWS — VARIOUS  ARROW  HEADS  OF  GUIANA  — THE  WHISTLING  ARROW. 


The  effect  of  the  poison  is  instantaneous, 
provided  that  it  be  of  good  quality  and  kept 
dry.  There  are  many  varieties  of  the  wou- 
raii,  but  the  best,  which  is  made  by  the 
Macoushies,  is  so  powerful  that  one  of  the 
tiny  arrows  brought  by  Mr.  W aterton  from 
Guiana  killed  a hedgehog  at  once,  though 
fifty  years  had  elapsed  since  the  poison  was 
made.  Death  was  not  instantaneous,  for  the 
animal,  which  was  very  slightly  wounded 
in  the  hind  leg,  breathed  for  some  seconds; 
but  the  hedgehog  was  quite  insensible,  and, 
as  soon  as  it  had  been  pricked  by  the  dart, 
it  allowed  me  to  lay  it  on  its  back,  and 
place  my  finger  on  the  ball  of  its  eye,  with- 
out shrinking. 

Many  experiments  have  been  made  in 
England  with  the  wourali  poison,  most  of 
which  have  tended  to  prove  that  its  power 
has  been  exaggerated,  and  that  a man  could 
not  be  killed  by  the  small  quantity  that 
could  be  conveyed  into  a wound  on  the 
point  of  an  arrow.  I feel  certain,  however, 
that  in  such  cases  either  the  poison  has  not 
been  of  good  quality,  or  that  it  has  been 
carelessly  kept,  and  allowed  to  become 
damp,  in  which  case  it  loses  the  greater 
part  of  its  strength.  It  is  very  difficult  to 
procure  the  strongest  wourali  poison  from 
the  natives,  who  are  very  unwilling  to  part 
with  it,  and  will  always  try  to  substitute  an 
inferior  kind.  The  only  mode  of  procuring 
the  best  wourali  is  to  do  as  Mr.  Waterton 
did,  i.  e.  live  among  them,  and  induce  them 
to  part  with  the  little  wourali-pots  from 


which  they  have  poisoned  their  own  arrows. 
Moreover,  he  must  imitate  their  example  in 
keeping  the  poison  in  a perfectly  dry  place. 
The  natives  are  so  careful  on  this  point  that 
they  frequently  remove  the  covers  of  their 
poison  pots  and  put  them  near  the  fire. 

There  is  no  mistake  about  the  potency  of 
such  poison  as  this.  Its  effect  upon  a hedge- 
hog has  already  been  mentioned,  but  Mr. 
Waterton  tried  it  on  several  animals.  For 
example,  he  had  an  Ai  sloth  that  he  wanted 
to  kill  painlessly,  and  without  damaging  the 
skin.  How  he  did  it  is  best  told  in  his  own 
words:  — 

“ Of  all  animals,  not  even  the  toad  and 
the  tortoise  excepted,  this  poor  animal  is 
the  most  tenacious  of  life.  It  exists  long  j 
after  it  has  received  wounds  which  would  , 
have  destroyed  any  other  animal,  and  it  i 
may  be  said,  on  seeing  a mortally  wounded  ' 
sloth,  that  life  disputes  with  death  every  ' 
inch  of  flesh  in  its  body.  j 

“ The  Ai  was  wounded  in  the  leg,  and  put 
down  upon  the  floor,  almost  two  feet  from 
the  table.  It  contrived  to  reach  the  leg  of 
the  table,  and  fastened  itself  upon  it  as  if 
wishful  to  ascend.  But  this  was  its  last  ad- 
vancing step;  life  was  ebbing  fast,  though 
imperceptibly;  nor  could  this  singular  pro- 
duction of  nature,  which  has  been  formed 
of  a texture  to  resist  death  in  a thousand 
shapes,  make  any  stand  against  the  wourali. 

“ First  one  fore-leg  let  go  its  hold,  and 
dropped  down  motionless  by  its  side;  the 
other  gradually  did  the  same.  The  fore- 


POISONED  ARROWS. 


1229 


legs  having  now  lost  their  strength,  the 
sloth  slowly  doubled  its  body,  and  placed 
its  head  betwixt  its  hind-legs,  which  still 
adhered  to  the  table;  but  when  the  poison 
had  affected  these  also,  it  sank  to  the  ground, 
but  sank  so  gently  that  you  could  not  dis- 
tinguish the  movement  from  an  ordinary 
motion;  and  had  you  been  ignorant  that  it 
was  wounded  with  a poisoned  arrow,  you 
would  never  have  suspected  that  it  was  dy- 
ing. Its  mouth  was  shut,  nor  had  any 
froth  or  saliva  collected  there. 

“ There  was  no  subsultus  tendinum,  nor 
any  visible  alteration  in  its  breathing.  Dur- 
ing the  tenth  minute  from  the  time  it  was 
wounded  it  stirred,  and  that  was  all;  and 
the  minute  after  life’s  last  spark  went  out. 
From  the  time  the  poison  began  to  operate, 
you  would  have  conjectured  that  sleep  was 
overpowering  it,  and  you  would  have  ex- 
claimed — 

‘ Pressitque  jacentem 
Dulcis  et  alta  quies,  placidjeque  siuiillima  niorti.’  ” 

The  reader  will  see  that  this  account 
agrees  exactly  with  my  own  experiment. 
In  neither  case  w^as  death  instantaneous, 
but  in  both  cases  the  power  or  wish  to  move 
seemed  to  be  immediately  taken  from  the 
animal,  though  wounded  in  a limb  and  not 
in  a mortal  spot. 

Of  course  the  quantity  of  poison  must  be 
proportioned  to  the  size  of  the  animal.  The 
tales  that  are  told  of  a mere  scratch  pro- 
ducing death  are  manifest  exaggerations. 
It  has  been  mentioned  that  in  Guiana  no 
very  large  animals  are  found,  the  tapir  and 
the  jaguar  being  the  largest  of  the  mam- 
malia. For  the  purpose  of  killing  these,  or 
going  to  battle  w^here  man  is  to  be  de- 
stroyed, the  natives  employ  a very  different 
weapon,  and  use  a bow  and  arrow  of  rather 
peculiar  construction. 

They  are  extremely  long,  some  of  them 
being  six  feet  in  total  length.  The  shaft  is 
made  of  a cylindrical,  hollow,  and  very 
strong  reed  (Gynecium  saccharinum)  which 
runs  to  some  length  without  a knot  or  joint. 
In  one  end  is  fixed  a long  spike  of  a very 
hard  and  heavy  wood,  called  letter  wood, 
because  it  is  covered  with  red  marks 
like  rude  attempts  at  writing,  very  mueh 
like  the  scribbled  marks  on  a yellow-ham- 
mer’s egg.  In  order  to  guard  it  from  split- 
ting, the  shaft  of  the  arrow  is  bound  for 
some  inches  with  cotton  thread.  The  com- 
moner kinds  of  arrow  are  merely  wrapped 
W'ith  this  thread,  but  in  the  better  sorts  the 
thread  is  woven  in  patterns  almost  as.  neat 
as  those  employed  by  the  Polynesian  island- 
ers. When  the  native  w'ants  to  make  a 
peculiarly  beautiful  arrow,  he  ornaments  it 
in  a most  singular  manner.  Into  the  thread 
which  wraps  the  shaft  are  inserted  a quan- 
tity of  brilliantly  colored  feathers,  mostly 
those  of  the  various  parrots  which  are  so 
plentiful  in  Southern  America.  Only  the 


smallest  and  softest  feathers  are  used,  and 
they  are  worked  into  the  wrapping  in  a 
manner  which  produces  the  most  artistic 
combinations  of  color. 

The  natives  have  a marvellous  eye  for 
color,  most  likely  from  having  continually 
before  their  eyes  the  gorgeous  insects  and 
birds  of  their  luxuriant  country,  and  it  is 
wonderful  to  see  the  boldness  with  which 
they  achieve  harmony  from  a number  of 
hues  that  scarcely  any  one  would  dare  to 
place  in  opposition  with  each  other.  Scarlet, 
yellow,  pink,  blue,  green,  and  snowy  white 
are  ail  used  in  these  arrows,  and  are  ar- 
ranged in  a way  that  would  do  honor  to  the 
best  European  artist. 

Sometimes  a cap  is  made  for  the  arrows, 
and  decorated  with  feathers  in  the  same 
brilliant  style.  Such  arrows  as  these  require 
much  care  on  the  part  of  the  owner,  who  is 
not  content  with  an  ordinary  quiver,  wherein 
they  might  be  jolted  about  and  their  lovely 
feathers  spoiled,  but  constructs  a special  and 
peculiar  quiver  for  their  reception.  He 
takes  a number  of  bamboos,  about  the  thick- 
ness of  a man’s  finger,  and  cuts  them  into 
pieces  some  eighteen  inches  in  length. 
These  he  lashes^  firmly  together,  and  then 
ties  over  them  a bark  cover,  neatly  wrapped 
with  cotton  string. 

Each  of  these  tubes  contains  one  arrow, 
which  fits  with  moderate  tightness,  the 
downy  feathers  keeping  it  in  its  place.  They 
are  fixed  so  perfectly,  that  when  the  arrow 
is  pushed  into  its  tube  the  feathers  are 
pressed  tightly  against  the  shaft,  and  when 
it  is  withdrawn,  they  spring  out  by  their 
own  elasticity,  and  form  an  elegant  colored 
tuft.  As  the  long  arrowy  shafts  are  apt  to 
vibrate  by  their  own  weight,  and  might 
damage  the  feather  tufts  in  the  tubes,  a cap 
is  usually  slipped  over  them  — in  some 
cases  plain,  like  the  covering  of  the  quiver, 
but  in  others  gorgeously  made  of  feathers. 
These  arrows  are  tipped  with  the  barbed 
tail-bone  of  the  sting-ray  or  are  pointed  with 
iron,  and  not  with  bone.  These  arrrows  and 
one  of  the  tubes  are  illustrated  on  p.  1214. 

The  heads  of  the  arrows  are  made  in  vari- 
ous ways.  Sometimes  they  are  simply  cov- 
ered with  a series  of  rather  blunt  barbs,  but 
the  generality  of  them  are  constructed  after 
a very  elaborate  fashion. 

The  barb  of  one  kind  of  arrow  reminds 
the  observer  of  the  weapon  of  the  Bosjes- 
man,  though  the  arrow  is  almost  a spear  in 
comparison  with  the  tiny  weapon  of  the  Afri- 
can savage.  The  point  is  tipped  with  a piece 
of  iron  cut  into  a single  barb,  and  projecting 
from  it  and  pointing  in  the  opposite  direc- 
tion a curved  iron  spike  is  slightly  lashed  to 
the  shaft  with  cotton. 

A thick  layer  of  wourali  poison  is  laid  on 
the  arrow  for  about  three  inches,  aiding  to 
fasten  the  iron  spike  to  the  shaft.  Now,  the 
wourali  poison  mixes  instantaneously  with 
the  blood,  so  that  when  the  arrow  penetrates 


1230 


GUIAKA. 


an  animal,  the  poison  dissolves,  and  allows 
the  spike  to  escape  into  the  wound,  carrying 
with  it  a sufficient  amount  of  the  poison  to 
cause  death,  even  if  in  its  struggles  the  ani- 
mal should  succeed  in  shaking  out  the  ar- 
row itself.  If  the  reader  will  refer  to  illus- 
tration No.  4,  on  page  247,  he  will  see  in  the 
illustration  (tig.  4)  the  Bosjesman  arrow, 
which  is  made  on  the  same  principle. 

Some  of  these  arrows  appear  to  have  been 
much  prized  by  the  owners  who  have  cov- 
ered them  with  an  elaborate  ornamentation 
of  cotton  thread  for  a considerable  portion  of 
their  length  — an  example  of  which,  drawn 
from  one  of  my  own  specimens,  may  be 
seen  in  the  illustration.  Some  of  the  arrows 
have  long  ends  of  cotton  strings  hanging 
from  them  in  lieu  of  the  feather  tufts. 
These  dangling  cords  are  often  used  as  orna- 
ments by  the  natives,  who  decorate  with 
them  their  clubs  in  such  a manner  that  two 
or  three  blows  must  destroy  the  whole  of  the 
work.  We  shall  presently  see  examples  of 
these  clubs. 

The  arrow  head  which  is  most  in  vogue 
among  the  Macoushies,  whom  we  take  as  the 
typical  tribe  of  this  part  of  the  world,  is  made 
in  a dilFerent  fashion.  A square  groove,  about 
an  inch  in  depth,  is  cut  in  the  extremity  of 
the  letter  wood  spike  which  terminates  the 
arrow,  and  a slight  sliver  of  bamboo  is 
lashed  so  as  to  press  against  the  opening 
along  the  side.  A barbed  spike  of  coucou- 
rite  wood  is  then  cut.  It  is  about  three 
inches  in  length,  flat  toward  the  point,  and 
squared  at  the  base,  so  as  to  slip  easily  into 
the  groove  at  the  head  of  the  arrow,  where 
it  is  slightly  held  by  means  of  the  little 
bamboo  spring.  This  spring  enables  the 
head  to  remain  in  its  place  while  the  archer 
is  fitting  the  arrow  to  his  bow  and  taking 
aim ; but  as  soon  as  the  missile  has  struck 
its  object,  and  the  animal  bounds  forward, 
the  poisoned  head  remains  in  the  wound, 
and  the  shaft  falls  on  the  ground. 

There  is  considerable  art  in  putting  the 
wourali  on  this  kind  of  arrow  head.  It  is 
done  in  several  layers,  one  being  allowed  to 
dry  before  the  other  is  applied,  and  being 
managed  so  as  to  cause  an  edge  of  the 
pitch-like  wourali  to  run  along  each  side  of 
the  head.  In  consequence  of  the  movabil- 
ity  of  the  head  the  native  archer  does  not 
trouble  himself  to  carry  more  than  one  or 
two  shafts,  though  he  has  by  him  a store  of 
ready-poisoned  heads.  These  are  kept  in  a 
little  quiver  made  of  a joint  of  bamboo  fitted 
Avith  a cover,  in  order  to  keep  the  poison 
from  moisture,  and  Avith  a cotton  belt  by 
Avhich  it  can  be  slung  over  the  shoulders. 

One  of  these  quivers  in  my  collection, 
(see  illustration  No.  6,  page  1231,)  brought 
from  Guiana  by  Sir.  R.  Schomburgk,  is  only 
seven  inches  long  by  an  inch  and  a half 
wide,  and  is  capable  of  containing  twelve  to 
fourteen  poisoned  heads.  The  native  hunter 
does  not  require  more  than  this  number,  as 


he  rarely  shoots  without  hitting,  and  when 
he  has  struck  one  animal  large  enough  to 
require  this  kind  of  arroAV,  he  seldom  Avants 
more  than  one  specimen.  In  the  course  of 
this  account  of  the  Guiana  natives  the 
reader  Avill  notice  the  many  trouble  saving 
expedients  employed  by  them. 

Owing  to  the  generous  nature  of  the  coun- 
try, which  supplies  food  Avithout  requiring 
labor,  and  the  Avarm,  moist  character  of  the 
climate,  the  natives  are  very  apathetic,  and 
have  the  strongest  objection  to  carrying  one 
ounce  more  weight,  or  doing  one  stroke  more 
Avork,  than  is  absolutely  needful.  So,  in- 
stead of  carrying  a large  bundle  of  arrows, 
the  hunter  has  one,  or  at  the  most  tAVO  arroAvs, 
and  a quantity  of  small  poisoned  heads,  the 
whole  equipment  being  so  light  that  a child 
just  able  to  Avalk  could  carry  the  boAv,  ar- 
roAvs,  and  quiver  without  being  much  incon- 
venienced. 

Knowing  the  power  of  this  poison,  the 
natives  are  exceedingly  cautious  in  handling 
it,  and  never  carry  the  arroAV  with  its  head 
bare.  They  ahvays  slip  over  the  head  a 
small  tube  of  bamboo,  just  large  enough  to 
be  held  in  its  place  by  the  cotton  Avrapping 
that  passes  round  the  junction  of  the  head 
and  the  shaft.  This  is  never  removed  except 
AAdieii  the  arrow  is  to  be  used,  and  it  is 
scarcely  possible  to  frighten  a native  more 
than  by  taking  off  the  guard  of  an  arrow  and 
holding  the  point  to  him.  It  is  of  this  kind 
of  arrow  that  the  following  story  is  told  in 
Mr.  Waterton’s  “ Wanderings.” 

“ One  day  ....  an  AniAvak  Indian  told  an 
affecting  story  of  what  happened  to  a comrade 
of  his.  He  Avas  present  at  his  death.  As  it 
did  not  interest  the  Indian  in  any  point  to 
tell  a falsehood,  it  is  very  probable  that  his 
account  Avas  a true  one.  If  so,  it  appears 
that  there  is  no  certain  antidote,  or  at  least 
an  antidote  that  could  be  resorted  to  in  a 
case  of  urgent  need;  for  the  Indian  gave  up 
all  thoughts  of  life  as  soon  as  he  was  Avoimded. 

“ The  AraAvak  Indian  said  it  was  but  four 
years  ago  that  he  and  his  companion  Avere 
ranging  in  the  forest  in  quest  of  game.  His 
companion  took  a poisoned  arroAv,  and  sent 
it  at  a red  monkey  in  a tree  above  him.  It 
was  nearly  a perpendicular  shot.  The  arroAV 
missed  the  monkey,  and  in  the  descent 
struck  him  in  the  arm,  a little  above  the 
elbow.  He  Avas  convinced  it  was  all  over 
Avith  him.  ‘I  shall  never,’ said  he  to  his 
companion,  in  a faltering  voice,  ‘ bend  this 
bow  again.’  And  having  said  that,  he  took 
off  his  little  bamboo  poison  box  Avhich  hung 
across  his  shoulder,  and  putting  it,  together 
with  his  bow  and  arroAvs,  on  the  ground, 
he  laid  himself  down  close  by  them,  bade 
his  companion  farewell,  and  never  spoke 
more.” 

Mr.  Waterton  then  proceeds  to  mention 
the  different  antidotes,  in  none  of  which  does 
he  place  the  least  reliance,  and  in  another 
place  remarks  that  if  the  natives  knew  of 


(4.)  ARROW  HEADS.  (See  page  1235.)  (6.)  QUIVER.  (5.)  TURTLE  ARROW.  (7.)  FEATHER  APRON. 
From  Christy  Collection.  From  my  Collection.  (See  p.  1230.)  (See  page  1233.)  (See  page  1216.) 


(1231) 


/ / : 


POTENCY  OF  WOURALI  POISON. 


1233 


any  remedy  for  the  poison,  they  would  nervier 
be  without  it. 

Before  passing  to  the  manufacture  of  this 
dreaded  poison,  we  will  finish  the  description 
of  the  arrows. 

The  very  long  arrows,  with  their  plumed 
shafts,  need  no  feathers,  their  great  length 
sufficing  to  keep  them  straight  during  their 
flight.  W ere  the  Guianan  native  to  attempt 
a “ long  shot,”  he  would  fail.  He  is  not  used 
to  long  ranges,  which  for  the  most  part  are 
rendered  needless  by  the  conformation  of  the 
country  and  the  density  of  the  foliage.  He 
does  not  expect  to  shoot  at  an  object  distant 
more  than  thirty  or  forty  yards,  and  likes  to 
get  much  closer  if  possible.  At  these  short 
ranges,  the  great  length  of  the  arrow  keeps 
it  straight,  and  is  effectual  in  enabling  the 
hunter  to  strike  an  animal,  such  as  a tapir, 
a capybara,  or  a monkey,  through  the  masses 
of  vegetation  by  which  it  is  concealed  from 
most  eyes  except  those  of  a native.  ■ 

Most  of  the  arrows,  however,  are  feathered, 
and  there  is  such  ingenuity  in  the  way  of 
putting  on  the  feathers  that  it  deserves 
mention.  In  the  arrows  to  which  we  are 
accustomed  there  are  three  feathers,  but 
in  the  Guianan  arrow  there  are  only  two. 
These  are  taken  from  the  corresponding 
feathers  of  the  opposite  wings  of  the  bird,  so 
that  when  they  are  fixed  on  the  end  of  the 
shaft  they  curve  in  different  directions,  like 
two  blades  of  a steamer’s  screw,  and  so  com- 
municate a revolving  motion  to  the  arrow 
as  it  flies  through  the  air.  So,  if  a native 
has  two  or  three  arrows  before  him  to  which 
he  wishes  to  add  the  feathers,  he  procures 
a bird,  and  for  the  first  arrow  takes,  we  will 
say,  the  second  primary  feather  from  the 
right  and  left  wings  of  the  bird,  cuts  off  a 
j^ortion  of  the  upper  part,  about  three  inches 
in  length,  strips  away  the  inner  half  of  the 
feather,  and  fastens  the  remainder  on  the 
weapon.  The  next  arrow  is  feathered  from 
the  third  primary  of  each  wing,  and  so  on. 
See  illustration  No.  1,  page  1231. 

The  feathers  are  lashed  to  the  arrow  with 
cotton  thread,  and  so  rudely  put  on,  that 
they  would  sadly  cut  an  English  archer’s 
hand  when  the  arrow  was  shot.  In  order  to 
preserve  the  nock  of  the  arrow  from  being 
split  by  the  bow-string,  it  is  not  made  in  the 
reed  shaft  of  the  arrow  itself,  but  in  a piece 
of  letter  wood,  which  is  lashed  to  the  butt 
of  the  arrow. 

The  bow  is  often  shorter  than  the  arrows, 
and  is  of  no  great  strength,  a long  range 
being,  as  has  already  been  stated,  not  re- 
quired. Many  kinds  of  wood  furnish  the 
Guianan  bow,  but  those  weapons  which  are 
most  in  favor  are  made  of  a species  of 
Lecythis.  They  are  strung  with  the  silk 
grass  which  has  been  already  mentioned. 

Besides  the  ordinary  mode  of  using  their 
bows  and  arrows,  the  Guianan  natives  have 
another,  which  exactly  resembles  that  sport 
of  the  old  English  archers,  when  a garland 


was  laid  on  the  ground,  and  the  archers, 
standing  in  a circle  round  it,  shot  their 
arrows  high  into  the  air,  so  that  they  should 
fall  into  the  garland.  It  sometimes  hai)pens 
that  a turtle  is  lying  in  the  water  in  such  a 
manner  that  an  arrow,  shot  at  it  in  the  usual 
manner,  would  only  glance  off  its  hard  coat 
without  doing  any  injury.  The  hunter, 
therefore,  shoots  upward,  calculating  the 
course  of  the  descending  missile  so  accurately 
that  it  falls  upon  the  turtle’s  back,  and  peu- 
etrates  the  shell: 

These  arrows  are  heavier  than  the  or- 
dinary kinds,  and  are  furnished  with  a sharp 
iron  point,  made  in  a very  ingenious  manner. 
As  may  be  seen  by  reference  to  illustration 
No.  5,  page  1231,  the  iron  point  is  doubly 
barbed.  Its  neck,  at  first  tint,  is  soon  divided 
into  two  portions,  which  diverge  from  each 
other,  and  have  their  ends  sharply  pointed, 
so  as  to  constitute  a secondary  pair  of  barbs. 
A stout  double  string  of  silk  grass  is 
then  fixed  to  the  neck,  and  cotton  cord, 
strengthened  with  kurumanni  wax,  is  coiled 
round  the  diverging  points,  so  as  to  form  a 
tube.  The  end  of  the  piece  of  hard  wood 
which  terminates  the  arrow  is  scraped  down 
to  a conical  point,  so  that  it  can  easily  be 
slipped  into  the  tube.  Lastly,  the  double 
cord  fastened  to  the  head  is  carried  for  a foot 
or  so  along  the  arrow,  and  made  fast  by  a 
couple  of  belts  of  silk  grass. 

As  soon  as  this  arrow  strikes  the  turtle,  it 
dashes  off,  shaking  the  shaft  out  of  the  tube, 
and  so  preventing  the  arrow  from  being 
worked  out  of  the  wound  by  dragging  the 
upright  shaft  through  the  water.  Whenever 
the  reptile  comes  near  the  surface,  the  light 
reed  shaft  of  the  arrow  rises  so  as  to  indi- 
cate its  presence,  and,  aided  by  this 
mark,  the  hunter  is  soon  able  to  secure  the 
reptile.  The  arrow,  a part  of  which  is 
shown  in  the  illustration,  is  rather  more  than 
five  feet  in  length.  It  is  represented  with 
the  shaft  separated  from  the  tube.  The  iron 
point  is  thick  and  solid,  and  as  the  hard- 
wood spike  is  fourteen  inches  in  length,  the 
front  part  of  the  missile  is  comparatively 
heavy,  causing  it  to  descend  with  great  force. 

We  now  come  to  the  manufacture  of  the 
dreaded  poison  which  produces  such  fatal 
effects.  The  natives  are  very  chary  of  giving 
information  on  the  subject,  and  it  is  very 
difficult  to  learn  the  precise  ingredients,  the 
proportionate  quantities,  or  the  mode  of  pre- 
paring them.  The  following  account  is  ob- 
tained partly  from  Mr.  Waterton’s  book, 
partly  from  information  given  by  himself, 
and  partly  from  the  words  and  works  of  other 
travellers  in  the  country. 

A good  many  articles  are  employed,  or 
said  to  be  employed,  but  I believe  that  only 
two  are  really  needed.  The  native  who  is 
about  to  make  wourali  sets  about  his  task  in 
a very  deliberate  manner.  He  sets  off'  into 
the  woods  alone,  taking  on  his  back  a pecul- 


1234 


GUIANA. 


iar  kind  of  basket  called  a “quake”  or 
“ habbah.”  This  is  a very  ingenious  kind 
of  basket,  combining  the  two  requisites  of 
lightness  and  strength.  It  is  generally  used 
when  the  native  wants  to  carry  objects  that 
are  not  very  heavy,  and  are  large  enough 
not  to  slip  through  the  interstices. 

It  is  made  from  the  ittiritti  reed,  split  into 
slips  about  the  third  of  an  inch  in  width. 
As  when  filled  it  swells  out  toward  the  bot- 
tom and  is  narrow  at  the  mouth,  the  objects 
that  are  placed  in  it  have  no  tendency  to  fall 
out,  which  might  easily  be  the  case  with  an 
ordinary  basket,  as  the  bearer  is  obliged  to 
clamber  over  fallen  trees,  to  force  his  way 
through  the  dense  underwood  of  a tropical 
forest,  and  to  subject  the  quake  to  such 
rough  treatment  ’that  its  qualities  of  form 
and  elasticity  are  continually  brought  into 
operation. 

The  quake  will  hold  a wonderful  amount 
of  goods,  being  as  dilatable  as  an  English 
carpet-bag.  My  own  specimen  (see  illustra- 
tion No.  3,  p.  1231,)  measures  twenty  inches 
in  width,  and  this  is  the  usual  average. 

The  first  thing  to  be  sought  is  the  wourali 
vine  (strychnos  toxifera).  It  is  closely  allied 
to  the  tree  which  furnishes  the  well-known 
strychnine,  in  its  coarser  stages  of  prepara- 
tion called  nux  vomica^  or  ratsbane.  The 
upas  tree,  which  furnishes  the  poison  for 
the  Dyak  sumpitan  arrows,  belongs  to  the 
same  genus.  The  wourali  (spelt  sometimes 
“oorara”  or  “curari”),  though  not  very 
rare,  is  very  local,  and  not  easily  discovered. 
It  has  a vine-like  appearance,  with  a woody 
stem  about  three  inches  in  diameter,  cov- 
ered with  rough  gray  bark.  The  loaves  are 
dark  green,  placed  opposite  each  other,  and 
of  an  oval  form.  The  fruit  is  nearly  as 
large  as  an  apple,  round,  and  smooth,  with 
seeds  imbedded  in  a bitter  gummy  pulp. 

When  the  poison  maker  has  found  the 
wourali,  he  looks  after  two  bulbous  plants, 
containing  a green  and  glutinous  juice,  and 
puts  some  of  their  stems  into  the  quake. 
The  third  vegetable  is  a bitter  root,  which  I 
believe  to  be  the  hyarri,  a papilionaceous 
plant,  which  is  largely  used  by  the  natives 
in  poisoning  the  water  when  catching  fish 
on  a large  scale.  All  parts  of  the  hyarri  are 
j)oisonous,  but  the  root  is  the  most  powerful 
part  of  it.  The  natives  take  some  of  the 
root  in  their  canoes,  bale  water  over  it,  and 
pound  it  with  their  clubs.  After  allowing 
the  water  time  to  mix  with  the  expressed 
juice,  the  fisherman  throws  it  overboard,  and 
in  a few  minutes  every  fish  within  a consid- 
erable distance  comes  floating  to  the  surface 
perfectly  helpless.  One  cubic  foot  of  the 
hyarri  will  poison  an  acre  of  water,  even 
among  rapids,  while  a much  less  quantity  is 
needed  for  creeks  and  still  water.  The 
poison  has  no  effect  on  the  flesh  of  the  fish, 
which  is  perfectly  wholesome. 

The  wourali  and  the  hyarri  are,  in  my 
opinion,  the  essential  parts  of  the  poison, 


the  bulbous  plants  probably  supplying  the 
glutinous  matter  needed  to  make  it  adhere 
to  the  point  of  the  weapon.  But  the  poison 
maker  is  not  content  with  vegetable  sub- 
stances, but  presses  the  animal  kingdom  into 
his  service. 

He  procures  two  kinds  of  ant,  one  the 
muniri  (Foyiera  grandis),  a huge,  black  crea- 
ture, sometimes  an  inch  in  length,  with  a 
sting  so  venomous  that  it  often  produces  a 
fever.  One  of  these  ants  is  in  my  collection, 
and  its  very  look  is  venomous  enough  to 
warn  any  one  against  it.  The  other  is  the 
fire-ant  (Myrmica  scevisshna),  a tiny  red  in- 
sect, whose  sting  is  just  like  the  thrust  of  a 
redhot  needle.  Besides  these  he  takes  the 
poison  fangs  of  the  labarri  and  counacouchi 
snakes,  two  of  the  most  venomous  serpents 
of  the  country.  These  fangs  are  kept  in 
store,  as  the  native  always  kills  these  rep- 
tiles whenever  he  sees  them,  and  extracts 
their  poison  fangs. 

That  these  latter  ingredients  can  have  no 
effect  in  increasing  the  power  of  the  poison 
I never  doubted,  and  some  years  ago  I ex- 
pressed my  opinion  that  they  were  not  used 
at  all,  but  merely  collected  as  a blind,  to  pre- 
vent the  secret  of  the  poison  being  known. 
This  opinion  is  corroborated  by  the  re- 
searches of  Dr.  Herman  Beigel,  who  ana- 
lyzed some  wourali  poison  taken  from  the 
same  arrow  with  which  the  hedgehog  was 
killed,  and  who  ascertained  that  there  was 
not  a particle  of  bony  or  animal  matter  in 
the  poison,  but  that  it  was  wholly  of  a vege- 
table character.  Moreover,  there  was  no 
trace  of  red  pepper,  which  is  said  to  be  one 
of  the  ingredients. 

As  far  as  the  sense  of  taste  goes,  my  own 
experience  coincides  with  that  of  Dr.  Beigel. 
I have  tasted  the  poison,  which  is  innocuous 
unless  mixed  directly  with  the  blood,  and 
found  it  to  be  intensely  bitter,  and  rather 
aromatic.  These  two  qualities  are  doubtless 
due  to  the  strychnine  of  the  wourali  and  to 
the  hyarri.  There  was  not  the  least  flavor 
of  red  pepper. 

All  these  ingredients  being  procured,  the 
poison  maker  sets  to  work  in  a very  sys- 
tematic manner„  He  will  not  prepare  the 
wourali  in,  or  even  near,  his  own  house,  but 
makes  his  preparations  in  the  depth  of  the 
forest,  where  he  builds  a little  hut  especially 
for  the  purpose.  His  first  care  is  to  build  a 
fire,  and  while  it  is  burning  up,  he  scrapes 
into  a perfectly  new  pot  a sufficient  quantity 
of  the  wourali  wood,  adding  to  it  the  hyarri 
in  proper  proportion,  and  placing  them  in  a 
sort  of  colander.  Holding  the  colander  and 
its  contents  over  the  pot,  the  Indian  pours 
boiling  water  over  them,  and  allows  the  de- 
coction to  drain  into  the  vessel,  when  it 
looks  something  like  coffee.  When  a suffi- 
cient quantity  has  been  obtained,  the  bulbous 
roots  are  bruised  and  their  juiee  squeezed 
into  the  pot,  and,  lastly,  the  snakes’ fangs  and 
ants  are  pounded  and  thrown  into  the  pot. 


MANUFACTURE  OF  WOURALI. 


1235 


The  vessel  is  now  placed  on  the  fire,  which 
is  kept  up  very  gently,  so  as  to  allow  the 
contents  to  siinnier,  rather  than  boil,  and 
more  wourali  juice  is  added  to  supply  the 
waste  by  evaporation.  A scum  is  thrown  up 
during  the  process,  and  carefully  skimmed 
with  a leaf,  the  boiling  being  continued  until 
the  poison  is  reduced  to  a thick  dark  brown 
syrup,  about  the  consistence  of  treacle.  Ac- 
cording to  some  accounts,  the  seeds  of  the 
red  pepper  are  used,  not  as  adding  to  the 
strength  of  the  poison,  but  as  a test  of  its 
preparation  being  complete.  When  the  na- 
tive thinks  that  the  poison  is  nearly  ready, 
he  throws  into  it  a single  seed  of  red  pep- 
per, which  immediately  begins  to  revolve. 
He  then  allows  the  boiling  to  proceed  a 
little  longer,  and  throws  in  another  seed, 
which  perhaps  revolves,  but  more  slowly; 
and  he  repeats  this  experiment  until  the 
seed  remains  stationary,  which  is  accepted 
as  a proof  that  the  preparation  is  com- 
plete. 

The  Indian  then  takes  a few  arrows,  dips 
them  in  the  poison,  and  tries  their  effect 
upon  some  animal  or  bird,  and,  if  satisfied 
with  the  effect,  pours  the  poison  into  a new 
earthenware  pot,  ties  a couple  of  leaves  over 
the  mouth,  and  a piece  of  wet  hide  over  the 
leaves,  so  as  to  exclude  both  air  and  mois- 
ture, especially  the  latter.  The  little  pots 
which  are  used  for  holding  the  wourali  are 
nearly  spherical,  and  about  as  large  as  an 
ordinary  orange. 

The  above  account  of  preparing  the  wou- 
rali poison  is  that  which  is  furnished  by  the 
natives,  but,  as  they  have  a definite  object  in 
keeping  the  mode  of  preparation  secret,  it 
cannot  be  absolutely  relied  upon.  That 
there  is  a secret  connected  with  its  manufiic- 
ture  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  the  Ma- 
coushie  poison  is  acknowledged  to  be  better 
and  stronger  than  that  which  is  manufac- 
tured by  any  other  tribe,  and  that  all  the 
Guianan  tribes  arc  glad  to  jHirchase  wourali 
from  the  Macoushies. 

It  is  not  every  native  who  knows  how  to 
make  this  wonderful  poison.  The  knowl- 
edge is  restricted  to  the  conjurers,  who  keep 
it  in  their  families  and  hand  it  down  from 
father  to  son.  They  are  so  careful  to  pre- 
serve their  secret,  that  not  only  do  they 
make  the  wourali  at  a distance  from  their 
houses,  but  when  they  have  completed  the 
manufacture  they  burn  down  the  huts,  so  as 
to  obliterate  every  trace  of  the  means  which 
have  been  employed. 

They  have  a sort  of  superstitious  rever- 
ence for  the  wmurali.  The  ostensible  reason 
wdiich  is  given  for  burning  down  the  hut  is, 
that  it  is  polluted  by  the  fumes  of  the  poison, 
and  may  never  again  be  inhabited,  so  that  it 
is  better  to  burn  it  down  at  once.  They  al- 
lege that  during  its  preparation  the  Yaba- 
hou,  or  evil  spirit,  is  hovering  over,  ready  to 
seize  upon  those  who  are  uninitiated  in  the 
mysteries,  ^nd  so  by  the  aid  of  superstition 


effectually  prevent  their  proceedings  from 
being  watched. 

In  order  to  carry  out  this  fear  of  the  wou- 
rali to  its  full  extent,  the  professors  of  poison- 
manufacture  will  refuse  to  make  it  except 
when  they  please,  alleging  any  excuse  that 
may  suggest  itself.  Mr.  Waterton  narrates 
an  instance  where  a man  who  had  promised 
to  make  some  wourali  poison  declined  to  do 
so  at  the  last  moment,  on  the  ground  that  he 
expected  an  increase  to  his  family.  The 
maker  is  always  pleased  to  consider  himself 
ill  after  he  has  completed  his  work,  which, 
in  spite  of  the  repeated  washing  of  his  face 
and  hands,  renders  him  sufiicienlly  liable  to 
the  attacks  of  the  invisible  Yal^ahou  to 
cause  indisposition.  The  manufacturer  is 
not  altogether  an  impostor  in  this  case,  but 
acts  from  a sort  of  belief  in  the  mysterious 
gloom  which  always  surrounds  the  wourali. 
Nothing,  for  example,  would  induce  him  to 
eat  wdiile  the  poison  is  being  prepared,  and, 
however  hungry  he  may  be,  he  will  fast 
until  the  completed  wourali  has  been  poured 
into  its  receptacle.  « 

Although  the  chief  poison  in  Guiana,  the 
w^ourali  is  not  the  only  one,  the  natives  hav- 
ing discovered  a sort  of  wood  which  is  suffi- 
ciently poisonous  in  itself  to  need  no  other 
appliance.  The  wood  is  that  of  some  endog- 
enous tree,  of  a pale  yellow  color.  From 
this  wood  the  natives  cut  long  blade-shaped 
heads,  much  resembling  those  of  the  Kaffir 
assagais  in  form.  The  peculiar  shape  of  the 
head  may  be  seen  in  figures  4 and  5 of  illus- 
tration No.  4,  on  page  1231,  which  represents 
two  views  of  the  same  arrow  head.  Some- 
times the  head  is  left  quite  plain,  but  in 
some  specimens  a pattern  is  rudely  scribbled 
on  the  outer  surface  of  the  blade.  Annatto 
is  the  coloring  matter  used,  leaving  a dusky 
red  dye  behind  it.  I possess  specimens  of 
these  arrows,  both  plain  and  colored. 

These  fiat  heads  are  lashed  to  the  hard- 
wood spike  that  terminates  the  arrow  by  a 
complicated  arrangement  of  cotton  threads, 
which,  though  they  do  not  possess  the  artis- 
tic elegance  of  the  Polynesian  wrapping, 
yet  are  crossed  and  rccrossed  so  as  to  pro- 
duce a series  of  diamond  shaped  patterns. 
Mr.  Waterton  first  called  my  attention  to 
the  venomous  properties  of  this  arrow  head. 

The  young  men  practise  diligently  with 
these  weapons.  The  largest,  which  are  in- 
tended for  the  slaughter  of  tapirs,  jaguars, 
and  such  like  animals,  are  tested  by  being 
shot  perpendicularly  into  the  air,  each  archer 
trying  to  send  his  arrow  above  that  of  his 
competitor. 

Mr.  Brett,  in  his  “ Indian  Tribes  of  Gui- 
ana,” gives  an  interesting  account  of  the 
skill  of  the  natives  as  marksmen,  and  relates 
one  little  episode  of  the  shooting,  which 
shows  that  the  “ inevitable  dog  ” accompa- 
nies sports  in  Guiana,  just  as  he  does  in 
England. 

“ After  several  rounds  from  each  man  and 


1236 


GUIAKA. 


boy,  the  archery  contest  closed  by  a simul- 
taneous discharge  of  arrows  from  every  bow. 
More  than  two  hundred  shafts  flying  through 
the  air  together  presented  a novel  spectacle, 
and  in  an  instant  demolished  the  target  amid 
loud  shouts  from  all.  A dog  which,  unheeded, 
had  wandered  behind  it,  was  surrounded  by 
the  crop  of  arrows  which  suddenly  stuck  in 
.the  sand,  some  even  beneath  him.  He  was 
a lucky  dog,  however,  for  with  marvellous 
fortune  he  escaped  unhurt,  though  bewil- 
dered by  the  adventure  and  the  roar  of 
applause  which  followed  his  somewhat 
hasty  retirement,  with  deprecating  look  and 
drooping  tail.” 

Spears  are  also  used  by  some  of  the  tribes. 
The  same  writer  describes  the  mode  in  which 
a Warau  had  practised  with  the  spear.  His 
weapon  was  made  of  the  same  material  as 
the  arrow,  but  of  greater  size,  the  shaft 
being  .of  reed,  and  the  head  of  hard  wood. 
The  young  spearman  had  fixed  a mark  on 
the  soft  stem  of  a plantain  tree.  As  the 
missile  struck  the  mark,  the  hard-wood  head 
remained  sticking  in  the  tree,  while  the 
elastic  shaft  bounded  back  toward  the 
thrower. 

The  lad  said  that  this  javelin  was  used  for 
killing  sundry  large  fishes,  which  are  in- 
duced to  rise  to  the  surface  of  the  water  by 
means  of  scattering  seeds  and  other  food  of 
which  they  are  fond,  and  are  then  killed  by 
means  of  this  weapon. 

Some  of  the  arrows  are  unpoisoned,  and, 
as  an  example  of  the  great  variety  assumed, 
of  the  arrow  heads  of  the  difierent  tribes 
three  more  specimens  are  given  in  the  three 
left-hand  figures  of  illustration  Ho.  4,  on 
page  1231,  taken  from  the  “ Christy  ” collec- 
tion. These  heads  are  something  of  the 
same  form  as  those  which  have  just  been 
described,  but,  instead  of  being  flat,  they  are 
curved.  The  reader  may  remember  that  a 
similar  form  of  arrow  prevails  in  Hew 
Guinea.  The  reason  is  simple  enough. 
The  bamboo  is  covered  with  a coating  of 
pure  flint,  which  forms  a natural  edge  so 
sharp,  that  when  the  bamboo  is  split,  it  can 
be  used  as  a knife. 

Indeed,  until  the  introduction  of  iron,  the 
bamboo  furnished  the  knife  in  ordinary  use 
throughout  all  Polynesia  and  many  other 
countries  where  it  grew.  It  is  evident, 
therefore,  that  an  arrow  head  merely  made 
from  a hollow  bamboo  stem,  and  retaining 
the  hollow  shape,  must  be  a most  formidable 
weapon,  and  inflict  a very  dangerous  wound. 
It  is  brittle,  fragile,  and  would  shiver  to 
pieces  against  a shield  or  defensive  armor  of 
even  moderate  strength,  but  against  the 
naked  bodies  of  the  Indians  it  is  a most  ef- 
fective weapon. 

Great  pains  have  been  taken  with  these 
arrov/s,  all  of  which  have  been  ornamented 
in  some  peculiar  manner.  One  of  them  is 
covered  on  the  convex  side  with  colored 
patterns,  just  as  is  the  case  with  the  poison- 


wood  arrow  just  described.  Another  is  not 
only  ornamented,  but  cut  into  barbs.  The 
third,  which  is  plain,  is  distinguished  by  a 
hollow  ball,  placed  just  below  the  head.  The 
ball  is  pierced  with  a hole,  so  that  when  the 
arrow  is  sent  from  the  bow  a whistling 
sound  will  be  produced.  The  Chinese  use 
whistling  arrows  at  the  present  time,  and  so 
did  our  archers  in  the  days  when  the  long- 
bow was  the  pride  of  England.  In  all  these 
cases,  the  whistle  could  be  used  for  amuse- 
ment in  time  of  peace,  but  for  signals  in 
time  of  war. 

As  the  thoughtful  reader  might  gather 
from  the  elaborate  care  exercised  in  orna- 
menting these  weapons,  the  natives  would 
rather  exhibit  than  use  them.  It  is  almost 
invariably  found  to  be  the  case,  that  really 
warlike  people  keep  their  weapons  in  the 
highest  state  of  efficiency,  but  trouble  them- 
selves comparatively  little  about  ornament- 
ing them,  whereas  those  who  want  a repu- 
tation for  valor,  without  the  trouble  and 
danger  of  earning  it,  try  to  gain  their  end 
by  having  their  weapons  covered  with  orna- 
ment, and  themselves  assuming  as  martial 
an  aspect  as  possible.  If  the  reader  will 
remember  the  various  peoples  that  have 
been  described  in  the  course  of  this  work, 
he  will  see  how  completely  this  rule  holds 
good. 

• Take,  by  way  of  example,  the  Eijian  and 
the  Tongan.  The  one  is  celebrated  through- 
out the  world  for  the  variety,  the  beauty, 
the  finish,  and  the  artistic  ornamentation  of 
his  weapons.  He  always  moves  armed,  feel- 
ing himself  at  a loss  without  his  club  on  his 
shoulder  ; he  bedizens  himself  in  the  most 
extravagant  manner  for  the  war  dance,  and 
before  joining  in  actual  battle  he  consumes 
a vast  amount  of  . time  in  boasting  of  his 
prowess,  and  of  the  use  to  which  he  will  put 
the  body  of  his  foe.- 

But  the  Tongan,  who  never  thinks  of 
boasting  before  or  after  battle,  whose  wea- 
pons are  simple  and  unadorned,  is  so  com- 
pletely the  superior  of  the  Fijian  that  he 
could,  if  he  chose,  make  himself  the  master 
of  the  whole  Fiji  territory.  We  see  the 
same  characteristic  in  several  Eastern  lands, 
in  which  the  men  are  walking  arsenals  of 
weapons  inlaid  with  gold,  silver,  and  pre- 
cious stones,  and  yet  will  take  the  first  op- 
portunity of  running  away  when  there  is 
a probability  that  their  ornamental  weapons 
will  be  used  in  earnest. 

So  the  experienced  anthropologist,  as 
soon  as  he  sees  these  beautifully  carved 
arms,  decorated  with  the  most  delicate  plu- 
mage, and  painted  with  all  the  colors  which 
native  art  can  supply,  at  once  makes  up  his 
mind  that  such  weapons  are  more  for  show 
than  use,  and  that  the  makers  would  not 
have  expended  such  time  and  trouble 
upon  them,  if  they  had  intended  them  to 
undergo  the  rough  usage  of  actual  war- 
fare. 


I-  -Y 

Vs 

CE 


|A  ► 


(8.)  GUIANAN  CLUBS.  (See  page  1289.)  (4.)  GUIANAN  CRADLE.  (See  page  1247.) 


(1288) 


CHAPTER  CXXXI. 


THE  TEIBES  OF  GHIAHA— Ooti(in«ed. 


WAR  — SUPERSTITION. 

GUIANAN  CLUBS  — THE  SAPAKANA  AND  POTU  — WARFARE — CANNIBALISM  — THE  SHELL  MOUND  AND 
ITS  CONTENTS — RISE  AND  FALL  OF  THE  CARIB  TRIBE  — BLOOD  FEUDS— THE  KANAIMA  AND  ITS 
RESULTS  — A STRANGE  SUPERSTITION  — THE  GUIANAN  VAMPIRE— WAR  WITH  THE  ARAWAKS  — 
INGENIOUS  STRATEGY  — THE  AMBUSH  — THE  FORT  AND  THE  BOOM  — CAPTURE  OF  THE  CHIEF  AND 
END  OF  THE  WAR. 


We  will  now  pass  to  their  clubs,  in  which, 
as  well  as  in  the  arrows,  can  be  read  the 
characteristics  of  their  makers  : some  of 
them  are  wonderful  examples  of  savage  art. 
The  specimens  which  are  shown  in  an  illus- 
tration on  the  preceding  page  are  all  drawn 
from  examples  in  the  “ Christy  ” collection. 

Those  on  the  right  are  examples  of  the 
kind  of  club  which  is  called  Sapakana.  They 
are  made  of  the  heaviest  and  hardest  wood 
which  the  native  can  find,  and  some  of  them 
are  so  large  and  heavy  that  they  require  a 
strong  man  to  wield  them.  The  blade  is 
formed  something  like  that  of  the  Kew  Zea- 
land merai,  being  slightly  convex  in  the 
middle,  and  coming  to  an  edge  on  either 
side,  so  that  it  is  as  formidable  a weapon  as 
can  well  be  imagined. 

In  order  to  give  a firm  grasp,  the  handle 
is  covered  with  cotton  string  wound  upon  it 
very  neatly,  afterward  being  ornamented 
with  feathers  and  similar  decorations.  As 
the  heads  of  these  clubs  are  very  much 
alike,  I have  only  given  one  entire,  and  the 
handles  of  two  others.  The  central  is  the 
most  highly  ornamented,  having  tufts  of 
brilliant  green  feathers  just  at  the  junction 
of  the  head  and  the  handle,  and  below  the 
feathers  a series  of  white  balls  made  of  cot- 
ton-wool. The  reader  will  doubtless  admire 
the  elaborate  pattern  in  which  the  cotton 
string  is  wound  upon  the  handle.  One  of 
these  weapons  in  my  own  collection  very 
much  resembles  that  which  has  been  already 
described,  except  that,  instead  of  the  feathers 
and  cotton-wool  balls,  it  is  ornamented  with 
a series  of  long  trailing  tufts  made  of  cotton 
fibre, 

(12 


^ At  the  present  time  the  use  of  these  beau- 
tiful clubs  is  practically  abandoned,  the  mus- 
ket having  superseded  the  native  weapons, 
so  that  the  clubs,  although  they  are  still  man- 
ufactured, are  made  for  sale,  and  not  for  use. 

iN'ext  comes  a club  which  is  used  by  the 
Caribs.  It  carries  out  fully  the  principle 
which  has  just  been  mentioned  respecting 
the  ratio  between  the  ornament  of  the  wea- 
pon and  the  warlike  spirit  of  the  user.  This 
club  is  comparatively  plain,  being  meant 
for  use  and  not  for  show.  The  makers  call 
it  by  the  name  of  Potu,  and  it  is  evidently 
a modification  of  the  “ macana  ” club  of  the 
Gran  Chaco  Indians.  To  the  eye  it  seems 
no  very  powerful  weapon,  but  its  weight, 
form,  and  balance  render  it  capable  of  dash- 
ing out  the  brains  of  a man  with  a single 
blow.  There  is  generally  a -wrapping  of 
cotton  string  round  the  middle,  so  as  to  af-  , 
ford  a firm  grip,  and  a loop  made  of  the 
same  material,  which  passes  over  the  wrist. 

A modification  of  the  potu  is  shown  in  the 
left-hand  specimen. 

The  very  shape  of  the  potus  proves  that 
they  are  meant  to  be  used  by  a courageous 
and  warlike  people.  As  a rule  the  instinct 
of  a really  courageous  people  is  to  “ get  at  ” 
the  adversary,  while  that  of  an  unwarlike 
people  is  to  keep  the  foe  at  a distance. 

As  to  warfare  and  the  mode  of  conducting 
it,  there  is  considerable  variation  in  the 
different  tribes,  some  being  peaceable  and 
quiet,  while  others  are  just  the  reverse.  The 
most  warlike  tribe  among  them  is  undoubt- 
edly the  Carib,  of  which  Ealeigh  wrote  that 
they  were  a naked  people,  but  as  valiant  as 
any  under  the  sky. 


1240 


GUIANA. 


The  Caribs  were  at  that  time  the  most 
important  of  the  Guianan  tribes,  having 
earned  their  prominence  by  their  weapons. 
If  they  quarrelled  with  another  tribe,  they 
were  accustomed  to  make  an  expedition  into 
the  enemy’s  land  by  night,  surround  in  suc- 
cession their  scattered  villages,  kill  all  the 
men,  and  take  the  women  and  children  pris- 
oners. Some  of  these  captives  were  em- 
ployed as  slaves  among  themselves,  and  by 
degrees  became  incorporated  with  the  tribe 
of  their  captors,  while  others  were  reserved 
for  sale.  They  did  not,-  however,  restrict 
themselves  to  this  kind  of  secret  expedition, 
but  openly  made  war  with  other  tribes,  and 
boasted  that  they  would  paddle  their  canoes 
against  the  stream,  so  that  the  enemy  might 
hear  them  coming  and  not  be  taken  by  sur- 
prise. 

There  seems  to  be  little  doubt  that  the 
Caribs  were  at  one  time  cannibals,  though 
at  the  present  day  there  is  great  difficulty  in 
getting  them  to  acknowledge  the  fact.  The 
former  cannibalism  of  these  tribes  was  easily 
confirmed  by  some  discoveries  which  were 
made  in  a large  mound  situated  on  a sand 
reef,  some  ten  or  twelve  miles  from  the  sea. 

Thinking  that  this  mound  might  be  a 
kitchen  midden  similar  to  those  which  are 
found  in  many  parts  of  the  Old  World,  Mr. 
Brett  instituted  a search,  and  found  that, 
like  these  mounds,  the  heap  consisted  chiefly 
of  shells,  mostly  those  of  mussels  and  peri- 
winkles, together  with  the  claws  and  shells 
of  crabs,  and  some  bones  of  fishes  and  land 
vertebrates.  At  no  very  great  depth  from 
the  surface,  the  excavators  came  upon  a vast 
quantity  of  human  bones,  the  skulls  shat- 
tered to  pieces,  and  the  bones  of  the  arms 
and  legs  split  longitudinally. 

To  an  experienced  ejm  this  state  of  the 
bones  told  its  own  story.  The  bones  were 
not  laid  regularly,  as  they  would  have  been 
if  they  had  been  the  remains  of  bodies  reg- 
ularly interred,  but  were  tossed  about  in 
confusion,  the  fragments  'of  skulls,  vertebrae, 
and  limbs  being  scattered  here  and  there 
without  the  least  order.  The  story  which 
• these  remains  tell  is  simple  enough.  They 
are  the  bones  of  human  beings  who  have 
been  eaten  by  their  fellow-men,  which,  after 
being  cracked  for  the  sake  of  the  marrow, 
have  been  flung  aside,  together  with  the 
shells  of  molluscs  and  other  refuse.  That 
this  horrid  custom  was  common  to  all  the 
tribes  at  one  time  seems  very  probable,  but 
the  Caribs  are  the  last  to  whom  cannibalism 
has  been  attributed. 

Like  the  Mundurucus,  the  Caribs  had  an 
ordeal  consisting  in  enduring  the  bites  of 
ants.  They  had  no  hereditary  chief,  though 
the  son  of  a chief  would  succeed  his  father 
if  he  were  considered  to  possess  sufficient 
ability  and  courage.  Even  in  such  a case, 
the  candidate  for  chieftainship  had  to  prove 
his  superiority  over  his  fellows  by  his  capa- 
bility of  bearing  privations  as  well  as  tor- 


ture. lie  was  required  to  show  that  he  was 
acquainted  with  all  the  stratagems  of  war, 
that  he  could  endure  long  fasting,  that  he 
was  of  unflinching  courage,  and  that  he 
could  resist  even  the  terrible  ordeal  of  the 
ants,  and  not  until  he  had  satisfactorily  passed 
through  all  those  trials  did  the  tribe  lay 
their  weapons  at  his  feet  in  token  of  their 
submission  to  him. 

W e may  naturally  feel  some  surprise  that 
a people  who  exhibit  such  an  indomitable 
spirit,  and  such  a love  of  freedom,  who  have 
overrun  vast  tracts  of  territory  and  success- 
fully resisted  even  the  well-armed  and  disci- 
plined troops  of  Europe,  should  not  have  ad- 
vanced in  the  scale  of  civilization,  but  have 
remained  as  savage  at  the  present  day  as  we 
know  them  to  have  been  three  hundred 
years  ago.  Mr.  Brett,  whose  personal  knowl- 
edge of  them  enables  him  to  speak  with  au- 
thority, gives  his  solution  of  the  question  as 
follows:  — 

“ There  arose  among  them  no  master 
spirit,  who,  combining  the  wisdom  of  the 
legislator  with  the  bravery  of  the  warrior, 
might  have  established  humane  and  civilizing 
institutions  among  his  people,  and  perma- 
nently united  their  scattered  hordes.  In  great 
emergencies  the  necessity  for  united  action 
led  them  accordingly  to  follow,  and  implicitly 
obey,  some  one  of  their  chiefs,  invested  by 
themselves  with  superior  authority,  like  a 
dictator  of  ancient  Rome.  But  at  other 
times  each  petty  head  of  a clan  or  family 
moved  and  acted  in  a great  measure  as  he 
pleased,  there  being  no  actual  power  nor 
hereditary  authority  sufficiently  respected  to 
command  the  obedience  of  all. 

“ Having  thus  no  permanent  band  of  co- 
hesion, their  wild  hordes  could  only  fight, 
overrun,  oppress,  and  destroy,  and  in  their 
highest  prosperity  were  incapable  of  accom- 
plishing any  great  and  useful  work  which 
might  have  remained  as  their  memorial  to 
future  ages.” 

In  consequence  of  the  want  of  leadership, 
the  Carib  tribe,  once  the  greatest,  and  per- 
haps the  origin  of  all  the  Guianan  tribes,  is 
steadily  decreasing,  and,  valiant  as  they  may 
be,  they  are  no  longer  the  terror  of  the 
other  tribes,  as  they  used  to  be.  Indeed, 
during  their  feud  with  the  Acawaios,  in 
which  they  have  been  engaged  for  a long  time, 
the  Caribs  have  by  no  means  been  the  win- 
ners. They  have  even  been  obliged  to  quit 
their  own  district,  and  settle  themselves  near 
the  missionary  stations  for  protection. 

The  same  author  who  has  just  been  quo- 
ted mentions  several  instances  which  show 
the  failing  power  of  the  Caribs.  On  one 
occasion  a Carib  chief  came  to  live  at  the 
mission  station  because  he  had  found  that 
a party  of  Acawaios,  painted  and  equipped 
for  war,  were  lurking  near  his  home  in  the 
forest.  Even  in  his  place  of  refuge  he  was 
not  safe  from  his  enemies.  One  evening 
the  village  was  disturbed  by  loud  outcries, 


THE  KANAIMA. 


1241 


and  it  was  found  that  a son-in-law  of  the 
chief  had  been  seriously  hurt,  and  was  lying 
in  his  hammock,  writhing  with  the  pain  of 
a blow  which  he  had  received.  lie  had 
wandered  to  some  little  distance  from  tlie 
house,  when  he  caught  sight  of  an  Acawaio 
behind  him.  He  turned  round,  sprang  upon 
the  enemy,  and  threw  his  arms  round  him; 
but  the  man  was  too  strong,  hurled  him  to  the 
ground,  and,  as  he  fell,  struck  the  blow  which 
had  caused  him  to  take  to  his  hammock. 

The  whole  Carib  party  was  in  great  con- 
fusion and  terror  for  some  time,  but  at  last 
it  turned  out  that  the  attack  was  in  conse- 
quence of  a personal  feud  with  the  wounded 
man.  Tw'O  years  before,  his  father  had  been 
assassinated  by  the  Acawaios,  and  he  very 
naturally  used  his  bow  and  arrows  in  a vain 
attempt  to  save  his  father’s  life.  This  act 
drew  upon  him  the  vengeance  of  the  Aca- 
waios, who  marked  him  for  death  whenever 
they  could  find  an  opportunity  of  killing 
him.  He  had  fled  from  the  Essequibo  to 
Pomeroon,  but  uselessly,  and  was  advised 
by  the  missionary  to  go  to  the  coast  and 
procure  employment  on  one  of  the  sugar 
estates,  where  his  enemies  would  not  be 
likely  to  follow. 

Sometimes  a blood  feud  is  caused  by  a su- 
perstitious practice  called  Kanaima.  A per- 
son dies,  and  the  medicine  man  decides  that 
the  death  has  been  caused  by  some  one  wdio 
has  used  sorcery  for  the  purpose  of  taking 
away  his  life.  The  supposed  wizard  is  then 
doomed  to  die,  and  a near  relative  of  the 
deceased  is  set  apart  for  the  purpose  of  car- 
rying out  the  sentence.  He  is  supposed  to 
be  possessed  by  a w^andering  spirit  called 
Kanaima,  and  is  called  by  that  name  until 
the  deed  of  vengeance  is  accomplished. 
During  the  time  of  possession,  the  Kanaima 
has  to  suffer  many  privations,  so  that  the 
mere  wish  to  be  restored  to  his  ordinary  life 
acts  as  an  incentive  to  the  fulfilment  of  his 
office. 

The  mode  of  killing  a victim  according  to 
the  Kanaima  superstition  is  a very  cruel 
one.  He  is  approached  from  behind  (as 
was  the  case  with  the  young  Carib  above- 
mentioned);  and  if  the  slayer  can  come 
within  reach,  the  victim  is  struck  down  with 
a blow  on  the  back  of  his  neck.  This  blow 
is  not  meant  to  be  fatal,  and  is  only  hard 
enough  to  cause  insensibility  for  a time. 
The  Kanaima  then  forces  open  his  victim’s 
mouth,  and  presses  through  his  tongue  the 
fangs  of  a venomous  serpent.  The  tongue 
immediately  swells  to  such  an  extent  as  to 
prevent  the  unfortunate  wretch  from  speak- 
ing. and  in  the  course  of  a day  or  two  to 
end  his  life.  Sometimes  the  Kanaima  is 
said  to  substitute  for  the  serpent’s  fangs  a 
poisonous  powder,  made  for  the  express 
purpose,  and  kept  in  a little  tube  made  of 
the  wing-bone  of  a bird.  The  preparation 
of  this  powder  is  a secret,  handed  down 
from  father  to  son. 


The  task  of  the  Kanaima  is  not  yet  ended. 
Three  days  after  the  burial  of  the  victim, 
the  murderer  must  visit  the  grave  and  go 
through  some  ceremony,  before  the  Kana- 
ima spirit  departs  and  allows  the  man  to 
return  to  his  friends.  The  natives  are  very 
chary  of  their  knowledge  on  ihis  sulqcct, 
but,  as  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  the  Kana- 
ima presses  a pointed  stick  through  the 
body,  tastes  the  blood,  and  by  that  act  is  re- 
lieved from  the  spirit  of  murder. 

The  friends  of  the  victim,  therefore,  al- 
ways endeavor  to  conceal  the  place  of  bur- 
ial, and  it  is  the  duty  of  the  murderer  to 
hover  about  the  place  so  that  they  shall  not 
be  able  to  inter  the  body  without  his  knowl- 
edge. Should  the  friends  be  successful,  the 
vengeance  is  reversed,  for  the  unfortunate 
Kanaima  is  obliged  to  w^ander  through  the 
woods  until  he  is  afflicted  with  madness,  or 
some  other  form  of  vengeance  whereby  the 
spirit  of  murder  punishes  those  who  have 
not  carried  out  his  wdshes. 

Mr.  Brett  witnessed  several  instances  of 
this  dreadful  mode  of  punishment,  and  in 
one  case  had  little  doubt  that  he  had  come 
upon  a Kanaima  who  had  been  unable  to 
find  the  body  of  his  victim.  “ An  Indian, 
reduced  almost  to  a skeleton,  and  in  a dread- 
ful state  of  exhaustion,  w^as  picked  up  in  the 
forest  by  some  ArawAk,  and  brought  to  the 
Pomeroon  mission.  He  had  lost  a portion 
of  his  scalp,  and  had  his  low^er  lip  torn  dowm 
at  each  corner.  This  he  said  had  been  done 
by  a small  ‘ tiger,’  which  had  sprung  on  him 
while  lying  in  the  forest.  . . . 

“The  Acaw^aios  at  the  mission,  whose 
language  he  spoke,  took  much  care  of  him 
at  first,  but  afterward  judged,  from  his  refus- 
ing certain  kinds  of  food  and  oilier  signs, 
that  he  w^as  a devotee  and  victim  of  unap- 
pea^ed  Kanaima,  and  the  murderer  of  a man 
killed  some  time  before.  From  this,  and  his 
savage,  ungrateful  demeanor  (though  Mr. 
M’Clintock  aided  by  myself,  cleansed  and 
dressed  his  sores  to  encourage  them),  w^e  had 
some  difficulty  in  getting  him  nursed  till  his 
strength  had  returned,  as  they  feared  lest 
they  should  become  his  future  victims.” 

If  the  friends  of  the  murdered  man  fear 
that  they  will  not  be  able  to  conceal  the 
body  effectually,  they  remove  the  liver,  and 
put  in  its  place  a redhot  axe-head,  under  the 
belief  that  when  the  Kanaima  tastes  the 
blood  of  his  victim,  the  heat  which  w as  in  the 
axe-head  will  pass  into  his  body  and  consume 
him. 

Putting  aside  private  feud,  the  Caribs 
have  of  late  been  beaten  by  the  other  tribes 
in  open  war.  They  had  been  partially  suc- 
cessful against  the  Arawaks,  who  had  been 
driven  into  the  swampy  district  near  the 
Waini.  Here,  however,  the  fugitives  made 
a stand,  and  placed  themselves  under  the 
supreme  command  of  a well-known  and  tried 
warrior.  Expecting  that  the  Caribs  would 
soon  follow  them  into  their  place  of  refuge, 


1242 


GUIAKA. 


their  leader  placed  his  men  in  ambush  among 
the  islands,  and  awaited  the  coming  of  the 
enemy. 

On  came  the  Caribs  in  their  great  war 
canoes,  following  each  other  in  single  file 
tJirough  the  narrow  creeks  which  sejDarate 
the  wet  savannah  ” into  islands.  They 
were  allowed  to  pass  unhurt,  until  they 
rounded  one  of  the  islands,  when  a deadly 
shower  of  arrows  from  both  banks  disabled 
or  killed  every  man  on  board.  The  second 
canoe  pushed  on,  only  to  meet  the  same  fate, 
while  the  others,  not  being  able  to  see  the 
carnage  that  was  taking  place,  hurried  on- 
ward toward  the  spot  whence  the  cries  pro- 
ceeded, and  were  in  their  turn  overwhelmed 
with  the  deadly  shower.  The  victorious 
Arawaks  then  jumped  into  the  water,  seized 
the  canoes,  and  killed  every  one  of  the  war- 
riors with  the  exception  of  two.  These  were 
sent  home  by  the  victors  on  the  promise  of 
a large  ransom,  to  be  paid  in  the  cotton 
hammocks  for  the  manufacture  of  which  the 
Caribs  are  so  famous;  and  an  insulting  mes- 
sage was  also  sent  by  them,  requesting  the 
Caribs  to  send  another  expedition. 

On  land  the  Caribs  fared  as  badly  against 
the  same  foes  as  they  had  done  by  sea. 
Being  determined  to  resist  the  continual  at- 
tacks of  the  Caribs,  the  Arawaks  made  up 
their  minds  to  fly  no  more  to  the  swamps  for 
safety,  but  to  boldly  face  their  enemies. 
They  therefore  built  a large  house  on  the 
banks  of  a rivulet,  surrounded,  it  with  trees 
laid  with  their  branches  outward  — in  fact, 
the  abattis  of  modern  engineering  — and 
stored  the  house  with  as  many  arrows  as 
they  could  make.  Moreover,  they  made 
broad  wooden  shields,  which  were  used  on 
this  occasion  for  the  first  and  probably  for 
the  last  time. 

As  had  been  anticipated,  the  Caribs  were 
not  very  long  in  making  their  attack.  See- 
ing a small  party  of  men  among  the  trees, 
they  gave  chase  and  pursued  them  as  far  as 
the  house,  which  they  immediately  attacked. 
The  defenders  did  not  return  the  fire  of  the 
Caribs,  but  contented  themselves  with  receiv- 
ing on  their  shields  the  arrows  of  the  enemy. 
When  they  judged  that  the  arrows  of  the 
foe  were  nearly  exhausted,  they  made  use  of 
their  own  stores,  and  poured  volley  after 


volley  on  the  invaders,  being  supplied  by 
the  women  and  boys  with  arrows  as  fast  as 
they  could  shoot.  The  Caribs  were  unable 
to  withstand  such  an  attack,  and  were 
obliged  to  beat  a retreat,  during  which  ,they 
lost  many  more  of  their  number  by  the  pur- 
suing Arawaks. 

The  two  last  decisive  battles  between  these 
great  tribes  ended  again  in  favor  of  the 
Arawaks.  The  latter  established  themselves 
on  the  banks  of  a branch  of  the  river 
Moruca,  a stream  which  is  thickly  wooded 
on  both  sides.  The  name  of  this  branch  is 
Haimara-Cabura.  Across  this  stream  the 
Arawaks  sank  a tree  trunk  at  such  a depth 
that  it  would  allow  small  canoes  to  pass  over 
it,  while  the  large  and  heavily-laden  war- 
canoes  must  inevitably  strike  upon  it. 

The  invaders  came,  as  had  been  expected, 
but  found  nothing  except  empty  houses. 
They  then  descended  the  Moruca,  looking 
about  for  their  prey,  and  at  last  caught 
sight  of  several  canoes  and  gave  chase.  The 
fugitive  canoes,  on  reaching  the  mouth  of 
the  Haimara-Cabura,  darted  into  it  as  if  for 
shelter,  and  were  followed  by  the  invaders, 
yelling  and  shouting  with  excitement.  Sud- 
denly, their  canoes  struck  violently  against 
the  sunken  boom,  jerked  the  paddles  from 
their  places,  became  entangled  with  each 
other,  and  caused  inextricable  confusion. 
In  the  midst  of  their  perplexity,  sho Avers  of 
arrows  were  hurled  upon  them,  and  very 
few  of  the  invading  force  escaped. 

Among  them,  hoAvever,  was  the  Carib 
chief  Manarrawa,  Avho  was  incensed  at  the 
repulse  with  which  he  had  met,  returned  to 
the  Orinoco,  organized  another  force,  and 
again  attacked  the  Arawaks.  This  time  he 
was  less  fortunate,  being  wounded  and  taken 
prisoner.  On  being  brought  before  the 
council  of  chiefs,  Manarrawa  promised  that, 
if  his  life  was  spared,  he  would  cause  his 
people  to  cease  from  further  attacks.  The 
Arawaks,  more  lenient  than  the  Caribs, 
granted  his  request,  gave  him  a canoe,  and 
sent  him  home. ' He,  on  his  part,  performed 
his  promise,  and  from  that  time  there  has 
been  no  regular  Avar  between  the  Caribs  and 
AraAvaks,  although  there  have  been  private 
blood  feuds  of  the  kind  described. 


V 


(1.)  LAKE  DWELLERS  OF  THE  ORINOCO.  (See  page  ]20'J.) 


(2.)  A WARAU  HOUSE.  (See  pages  1245,  1251,  1268.) 
(1244) 


CHAPTER  CXXXII. 


THE  TRIBES  OF  GUIANA  — ConUnuei. 

ARCHITECTURE  AND  SOCIAL  CUSTOMS. 

ARCHITECTURE  — THE  ORDINARY  GUIANAN  HOUSE — THE  MACOUSHIE  AND  INLAND  HUTS  — CHOICE  OF 
THE  SITE  — MATRIMONIAL  ARRANGEMENTS  — POLYGAMY  AND  ITS  RESULTS — A BREACH  OF  PROM- 
ISE CASE — JEALOUSY  AND  ITS  RESULTS  — FORBIDDEN  DEGREES  AMONG  THE  ARAWAKS— THE 
GUIANAN  MOTHER  AND  CHILD — A SINGULAR  CUSTOM  — POLYANDRY  — MAKING  CASSAVA  — THE 
MANIOC  TREE  AND  ITS  ALLIES  — THE  GRATER,  THE  BOWL,  AND  THE  COLANDER  — THE  PRESS,  OR 
TIPITI  — USE  MADE  OF  THE  POISONOUS  JUICE — MAKING  SUGAR -PTWARRI  DRINKING — THE 
MAQUARRI  DANCE  — CONSTRUCTION  OF  THE  WHIPS  — ENDURANCE  OF  PAIN. 


We  will  now  examine  the  domestic  life  of 
the  Guianan  natives. 

Their  architecture  differs  considerably  ac- 
cording to  the  district.  As  a rule,  the  cli- 
mate is  so  warm  that  houses  are  but  little 
needed,  all  that  is  required  being  a simple 
roof  above  the  head.  The  ordinary  kind  of 
hut  is  nothing  more  than  a mere  shed,  a 
sort  of  barn  without  the  walls,  supported  on 
posts  and  thatched  with  leaves.  From  the 
posts  and  rafters  are  hung  the  personal 
goods  of  the  natives,  such  as  fans,  paddles, 
clubs,  blow  guns,  bows  and  arrows,  and  sim- 
ilar articles,  while  from  one  or  two  of  the 
cross-beams  is  sure  to  be  hanging  the  sin- 
gular cassava  press,  which  will  be  presently 
described.  Such  a house  is  represented  on 
the  preceding  page. 

Between  the  upright  posts,  and  sometimes 
from  the  transverse  beams,  are  suspended  the 
hammocks,  some  of  which  are  almost  inva- 
riably occupied,  as  the  master  has  a natural 
genius  for  lying  in  his  hammock  when  he 
is  not  absolutely  obliged  to  be  on  his  feet. 
The  number  of  hammocks  under  a single  roof 
is  almost  incredible.  They  are  hung  in  tiers, 
one  above  another,  like  the  berths  on  board 
a passenger  ship,  and  when  thirty  or  forty 
of  them  are  occupied  at  once,  it  seems 
rather  wonderful  that  the  building  should 
be  able  to  withstand  such  a strain. 

As  the  inhabitants  move  about,  or  get 
into  and  out  of  their  hammocks  while  re- 
plenishing the  nightly  fires,  whose  smoke  is 


the  only  defence  against  the  mosquitoes  and 
other  winged  pests,  the  whole  building 
rocks,  the  joifits  creak,  and  the  house  seems 
on  the  point  of  coming  down.  But  the 
junctions  of  the  beams  and  posts  are  so 
firmly  tied  that  they  arc  far  stronger  than 
they  look,  and  however  fragile  the  shed  may 
seem,  it  is  quite  equal  to  any  strain  they 
may  have  to  endure. 

In  the  interior,  however,  the  huts  are 
more  of  a complicated  character,  and  have 
walls  as  well  as  a roof.  Their  form  is  inva- 
riably round,  and  their  roofs  pointed  in  the 
centre.  Some  are  shaped  almost  exactly 
like  single-poled  tents,  having  a circular  up- 
right wall,  some  five  or  six  feet  in  height, 
and  from  that  wall  a tolerably  high  conical 
roof  ending  in  a sharp  point.  Their  gen- 
eral shape  much  resembles  that  of  the  Mak- 
ololo  house,  seen  on  page  329.  The  roof, 
however,  is  neater,  and  the  central  pole,  by 
which  it  is  supported,  rises  to  some  height 
above  the  top,  looking  like  the  ornamental 
spikes  with  which  English  builders  are  fond 
of  decorating  some  of  their  villas. 

Other  houses,  though  built  on  the  same 
principle,  are  not  quite  conical.  They  have 
no  distinction  between  the  wall  and  roof, 
and,  instead  of  being  circular,  are  octagonal. 
They  may  be  very  well  imitated  by  cutting 
out  eight  isosceles  triangles  from  cardboard, 
the  larger  sides  being  about  four  times  the 
length  of  the  shortest,  and  sewing  them  to- 
gether. A knitting  needle  through  the  cen- 


1246 


GUIAKA. 


tre  will  act  as  a support,  and  look  very  much 
like  the  centre  pole  of  the  edifice. 

These  huts  are  used  by  the  Macoushies, 
the  makers  of  the  very  long  blow  guns 
wdiich  have  already  been  described,  and 
from  projections  in  the  upright  poles  the 
weapons  are  suspended  when  not  in  use. 
It  need  scarcely  be  said  that  the  task  of 
house  building  belongs  to  the  women,  inas- 
much as  it  pertains  to  the  category  of  heavy 
work,  which  is  beneath  the  character  of  a 
man  to  undertake.  Indeed,  with  these  peo- 
ple, as  with  many  other  uncivilized  nations, 
the  rooted  disinclination  of  the  men  to.  la- 
bor, and  the  consequent  falling  of  all  the 
work  upon  the  women,  is  one  cf  the  most 
serious  obstacles  to  their  progress  in  civiliza- 
tion; and  even  polygamy  is  not  so  much  a 
drawback  as  the  inferior  condition  of  the 
women. 

Treating  of  the  native  houses,  Mr.  Brett 
remarks  that  the  builders,  simple  as  may  be 
the  house  itself,  carefully  select  a site  which 
must  combine  several  requirements.  In  the 
first  place,  it  must  be  near  a stream,  so  that 
the  women  may  not  have  more  trouble  than 
needful  in  fetching  water  for  the  use  of  the 
household,  and  that  the  canoe  may  be  within 
easy  reach  of  the  house  when  the  owner 
wishes  to  set  out  upon  one  of  the  frequent 
migrations  which  take  place  among  these 
tribes. 

It  must  be  a spot  which  is  rather  out  of 
the  way.  The  native  Guianan  likes  peace 
and  quietness,  and  has  a strong  objection  to 
being  disturbed,  the  apathy  of  his  nature 
being  supplemented  by  an  inveterate  shy- 
ness, which  makes  him  keep  aloof  from 
strangers.  It  must  also  be  a spot  where  the 
ground  is  light  and  sandy,  and  where  the 
very  slight  cultivation  needed  in  this  land 
can  be  easily  carried  on. 

The  house  being  built,  the  next  business  is 
to  prepare  a field  for  the  cultivation  of  yams 
and  cassava,  and  this  is  the  only  hard  work 
which  the  men  will  condescend  to  do.  The 
ground  is  already  occupied  by  trees,  but  this  is 
of  no  consequence  to  the  native  agriculturist. 
Having  selected  a convenient  spot,  he  cuts 
down  the  -trees,  ingeniously  contriving  that 
the  fall  of  one  shall  bring  down  several 
others.  This  is  done  at  the  beginning  of  the 
hot  season,  i.  e.  somewhere  in  August.  The 
tropical  sun  soon  dries  the  fallen  trees,  and 
when  they  are  sufficiently  parched  for  the 
purpose,  the  Indian  sets  them  on  fire,  a 
process  which  rapidly  consumes  all  but  the 
trunks  and  the  largest  branches.  He  has 
now  done  his  share  of  the  work,  and  leaves 
the  rest  to  the  women,  who  have  to  clear 
away  the  debris  as  far  as  they  can,  and  to 
do  all  the  digging,  planting,  and  weeding 
that  is  needed. 

Among  these  people  polygamy,  though 
not  always  the  rule,  is  often  the  case,  and  a 
man’s  greatness  is  partly  estimated  by  the 
number  of  his  wives.  It  is  not,  however, 


carried  out  to  such  an  excess  as  is  the  case 
with  many  other  peoples,  inasmuch  as  one 
chief  was  looked  upon  with  the  greatest 
respect  because  he  had  the  unusual  number 
of  nine  wives.  This  chief,  a Wa'rau,  was 
very  jealous  of  his  establishment,  and  was 
said  to  have  shot  one  of  his  wives,  and 
severely  wounded  another  with  his  cutlass. 
As  a rule,  however,  a man  has  one  wife  only, 
the  exceptions  being  rarer  in  proportion  to 
the  number  of  wives. 

The  Caribs  appear  to  carry  out  the  princi- 
ple of  proprietorship  in  their  women  to  the 
fullest  degree,  as  is  exemplified  by  an  amus- 
ing anecdote  related  by  Mr.  Brett.  It  must 
be  premised  that,  as  is  usual  among  nearly 
all  uncivilized  natives,  the  wife  is  purchased 
from  her  father  or  oldest  male  relative,  who 
has  absolifte  power  over  and  can  sell  her  as 
he  would  sell  his  bow,  and  with  as  much 
regard  for  the  feelings  of  one  article  of 
property  as  the  other. 

“ A high-spirited  Caribi  girl,  indignant  at 
being  given  in  marriage  to  an  elderly  man, 
who  had  already  other  wives  (one  being  her 
own  sister),  ran  away  from  him,  and  be- 
stowed her  hand  on  one  of  the  Essequibo 
Caribs,  a younger  man  whom  she  liked  bet- 
ter. After  a while,  the  old  man  visited  that 
quarter  — not,  however,  to  exercise  his  un- 
doubted right  to  bring  her  back  and  beat 
her,  but  to  claim  compensation  for  her  ser- 
vices. It  was  willingly  allowed,  and  for  a 
gun,  a barrel  of  salt,  or  some  article  of  like 
value,  the  woman  was  left  with  the  man  of 
her  choice,  who  perhaps  thought  himself 
secure,  and  the  business  ended. 

“ But  the  next  year  the  old  man,  wdio  well 
knew  what  he  w^as  doing,  paid  them  another 
visit,  still,  as  he  said,  in  quest  of  compensa- 
tion. On  being  reminded  by  the  husband 
that  he  had  already  been  paid  for  the  woman, 
he  replied,  ‘Yes — ^for  the  woman;  but  she 
has  since  borne  you  a child  — you  must  now 
pay  me  for  that.’ ' The  unwritten  law  of 
Caribi  usage  was  decidedly  in  the  old  man’s 
favor,  and  he  received  compensation  for 
that  child.  For  each  succeeding  birth  he 
could,  if  he  chose,  reappear,  like  an  unquiet 
spirit,  make  a similar  demand,  and  be  sup- 
ported therein  by  the  custom  of  his  na- 
tion.” 

Sometimes  the  second  wife  is  purchased 
while  still  a child,  and  brought  up  together 
with  the  family  of  the  first  wife,  and  a pru- 
dent chief  will  thus  provide  himself  with  a 
succession  of  wives,  each  attaining  mar- 
riageable years  as  her  predecessors  become 
too  old  to  suit  the  taste  of  their  proprietor. 
Now  and  then,  the  first  wife  successfully 
resists  the  introduction  of  a sharer  of  her 
household.  In  one  such  case,  the  first  wife, 
after  trying  to  commit  suicide,  and  being 
prevented,  took  a more  sensible  course. 
She  was  an  Arawak,  one  of  three  sisters,  all 
living  with  their  respective  husbands  at  one 
settlement.  One  day,  the  husband  of  the 


A SIKGULAE  CUSTOM. 


1247 


eldest  sister,  having  been  on  a visit  to  some 
friends,  brought  home  another  wife,  a full- 
grown  young  woman.  The  first  wife,  after 
lier  unavailing  attempt  at  suicide,  made  an 
onslaught  upon  the  intruder,  aided  by  her 
two  sisters,  whose  husbands  stood  quietly 
looking  on.  The  end  of  the  business  was, 
that  the  wonian  was  sent  back  to  her 
friends,  and  the  first  wife  was  left  in  the  un- 
disturbed rule  of  her  household. 

The  Arawaks  have  a curious  and  praise- 
worthy regulation  concerning  marriage. 
Their  tribe  is  divided  into  a number  of 
tamilies,  each  descending  in  the  female  line, 
and  being  known  by  its  own  name.  No  one 
is  allowed  to  marry  into  the  family  bearing 
the  same  name  as  himself  or  herself,  and 
this  principle  is  carried  out  in  a rather  curi- 
ous manner. 

As  the  succession  £alls  in  the  woman’s 
line,  her  sons  and  daughters,  and  the  chil- 
dren of  her  daughters,  bear  the  same  name 
as  herself,  but  not  so  the  children  of  her 
sons,  who  will  take  the  names  of  their  re- 
vspective  mothers.  The  Arawaks  are  very 
tenacious  of  this  rule,  and  think  an  infrac- 
tion of  it  to  be  a great  crime. 

As  is  the  case  with  most  uncivilized  na- 
tions, the  Guianan  mothers  think  but  little 
of  the  event  which  lays  a civilized  European 
woman  on  the  bed  of  sickness  for  weeks. 
Mr.  Brett  saw  one  Warau  woman,  only  two 
hours  after  the  birth  of  her  child,  tie  up  her 
hammock,  and  carry  it,  together  with  her 
newly  born  infant,  from  one  house  to 
another.  When  the  child  is  very  young, 
it  is  laid  in  a small  hammock,  but  when  it 
gains  a little  strength,  a rather  curious  cra- 
dle is  provided  for  it. 

The  body  of  the  cradle  is  made  of  the 
ever-useful  itirritti  reed,  which  is  split  into 
slips  about  the  tenth  of  an  -inch  in  width, 
and  then  woven  so  as  to  make  a kind  of 
basket,  open  at  one  end  and  down  one  side. 
The  edges  are  strengthened  by  a rod  of 
flexible  wood  lashed  firmly  to  them,  and  the 
cradle  is  brought  into  shape  by  means  of  a 
framework  consisting  of  tolerably  strong 
sticks.  The  opening  in  front  is  much  nar- 
rower than  the  body  of  the  cradle,  so  that 
the  child  can  be  easily  secured  in  it.  The 
length  of  my  specimen,  drawn  on  page 
12.38,  is  exactly  twenty  inches,  and  width 
at  the  back  thirteen  inches,  while  that  of 
the  opening  is  only  seven  inches.  This 
cradle  is  very  strong,  very  elastic,  and  very 
light  — three  great  requisites  in  such  an 
article.  When  the  mother  wishes  to  carry 
her  child,  she  only  takes  a broad  plaited 
belt,  the  two  ends  of  which  are  united, 
passes  it  over  the  crossbars  at  the  top  of 
the  cradle,  and  then  brings  the  belt  across 
her  forehead. 

The  parents  are  very  kirid  to  their  chil- 
dren, and  can  seldom  bring  themselves  to 
chastise  them,  except  in  a sudden  fit  of 
anger.  The  natural  consequence  of  this 
60 


treatment  is,  that  they  have  scarcely  any 
control  over  tlie  children,  though,  when  they 
grow  uj),  the  respect  shown  by  sons  and 
daughters  to  their  parents  of  either  sex  is 
worthy  of  all  praise. 

Connected  with  this  subject,  the  Guianan 
natives  have  a very  singular  custom,  which, 
according  to  our  ideas  at  the  present  day, 
entirely  reverses  the  order  of  things.  With 
us,  when  a wife  expects  to  be  a mother,  she 
often  thinks  it  necessary  to  abstain  from 
certain  articles  of  food,  and  from  too  much 
exertion.  With  the  Guianan  Indians,  the 
wife  eats  exactly  what  she  chooses,  and 
works  as  hard  as  ever,  while  the  husband 
thinks  himself  bound  to  abstain  and  to  rest. 
For  example,  the  Acawaios  and  Caribs  will 
not  eat  the  flesh  of  the  agouti,  lest  the  future 
offspring  should  be  thin  and  meagre;  the 
haimara  fish,  lest  it  should  be  dim-siglited; 
or  the  maroudi,  lest  it  should  be  still-born, 
the  cry  of  this  bird  being  held  as  an  omen  of 
death.  The  reader  may  remember  that  a 
Macoushie  excused  himself  from  making 
wourali  by  reference  to  this  custom.  This 
custom  does  not  stop  with  the  child’s  birth, 
but  extends  to  several  weeks  afterward. 

As  soon  as  her  child  is  born,  the  Indian 
wife  washes  the  baby,  rolls  it  in  the  cradle 
hammock,  and  goes  about  her  business  as 
usual.  But  the  Indian  husband  is  pleased  to 
consider  himself  very  ill,  and  straightway 
takes  to  his  hammock,  where  he  is  waited 
upon  by  the  women  with  the  most  solicitous 
attention.  In  some  districts  the  sick  hus- 
band has  not  a very  pleasant  part  to  play, 
being  obliged  to  take  nauseous  drinks,  and 
to  go  through  a course  of  very  unpleasant 
medicine.  Generally,  however,  he  does 
nothing  but  lie  in  his  hammock  for  a week 
or  two,  during  which  time  he  is  kept  amply 
supplied  Muth  the  daintiest  food,  and  petted 
as  if  he  were  recovering  from  a dangerous 
sickness. 

This  custom  has  gradually  expired  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  mission  stations,  but  it  occa- 
sionally revives.  Mr.  Brett  mentions  an 
instance  where  a large  influx  of  strangers 
reintroduced  it  into  the  station.  * It  so 
happened  that  a young  Christian  Indian 
had  become  a father,  and  was  violently  im- 
portuned by  his  female  relatives  to  take  to 
his  hammock  according  to  ancient  custom. 
He  resisted  for  some  time,  but  was  so  perse- 
cuted that  he  fairly  ran  away,  and  went 
tu  work  at  a distance  for  three  M^eeks,  at 
the  expiration  of  which  time  he  thought 
he  might  be  considered  as  convalescent. 
Strange  as  this  custom  may  seem  to  be,  it  is 
one  which  has  prevailed  through  a very  con- 
siderable portion  of  the  globe,  and  even  in 
Europe  has  not  been  extinct  until  compara- 
tively late  years. 

Not  only  is  polygamy  practised  fimong 
these  tribes,  but  the  strange  custom  of  poly- 
andry exists.  On  one  occasion,  when  a mis- 
sionary was  arguing  with  a native  against 


1248 


GUIANA. 


the  practice  of  polygamy,  he  used  an  anju- 
mentum  ad  hominem,  and  with  the  bad  re- 
sults that  usually  follow  such  an  argument. 
Finding  that  he  could  not  pr.ove  to  his  in- 
terlocutor that  a man  ought  not  to  have  two 
wives,  the  missionary  asked  how  it  would  be 
liked  l3y  the  men  if  one  wife  were  to  have 
two  husbands.  To  his  astonishment,  the 
man  replied  that  the  plan  answered  very 
well,  and  that  he  knew  a woman  who  at  that 
time  had  three  husbands. 

It  has  been  already  mentioned  that  the 
natives  of  Guiana  depend  chiefly  for  their 
food  upon  the  beasts,  birds,  and  Ashes  which 
they  capture.  Yege table  food  is  not  so  im- 
portant to  them  as  it  is  generally  to  inhabi- 
tants of  warmer  climates,  probably  because 
the  almost  perpetual  moisture  of  the  country 
forces  the  inhabitants  to  partake  of  a com- 
paratively generous  diet. 

The  staple  vegetable  food  is  the  cassava, 
which  is  preiDared  in  rather  a curious  man- 
ner. Strange  to  say,  it  is  obtained  from  a 
plant  belonging  to  the  natural  order  Euphor- 
biacete,  plants  which  are  celebrated  for  con- 
taining most  poisonous  juices. 

Some  of  them  are  trees  of  the  largest  size, 
while  others  are  little  herbs  that  only  exist 
for  a few  weeks.  All  of  them,  however,  se- 
crete an  acrid  juice,  more  or  less  poisonous. 
A familiar  example  of  these  plants  may  be 
found  in  the  common  spurge,  or  wart-wort  of 
our  gardens  {Euphorbia  helioscopa),  the 
white,  acrid,  milky  juice  of  which  is  em- 
ployed in  destroying  warts.  Several  of  these 
Euphorbiacese  produce,  beside  the  poisonous 
juice,  a farinaceous  substance,  from  which 
the  poison  can  be  separated,  and  which  is 
then  useful  as  human  food. 

The  chief  plant  which  produces  the  cas- 
sava is  the  Jatropha  manihot,  though  there 
are  others  from  which  the  farina  can  be 
obtained.  The  juice  of  this  plant  is  so 
poisonous  that  a very  small  dose  will  pro- 
duce death.  Fortunately,  the  venomous 
principle  is  exceedingly  volatile,  and  can 
be  driven  off  by  heat,  so  that  the  very  sub- 
stance which  in  its  raw  state  is  a deadly 
poison  becomes,  when  cooked,  a wholesome 
article  of  food. 

The  mode  of  preparing  the  cassava  is  as 
follows:  Taking  on  her  back  the  quake, 

which  has  already  been  described,  the 
Guianan  woman  digs  up  a quantity  of  the 
cassava  root,  puts  it  into  the  quake,  and 
brings  it  to  her  hut.  She  next  peels  it  by 
tearing  off  the  outer  covering  with  her 
teeth,  and  then  proceeds  to  scrape  it  into 
very  fine  shavings.  This  is  done  by  means 
of  the  native  grater,  which,  rude  as  it  looks, 
is  a very  effective  machine.  It  consists  of 
a thick  board  about  a yard  in  length  and 
half  as  much  in  width.  Into  the  upper  sur- 
face of  this  board  are  driven  in  regular  rows 
a number  of  fragments  of  sharp  stones,  which 
are  further  secured  in  their  places  by  a sort 


of  vegetable  glue  obtained  from  the  juice  of 
a tree. 

By  being  drawn  over  this  surflice,  the 
cassava  roots  are  soon  reduced  to  thin 
shavings,  much  like  those  of  the  horse  radish, 
which  are  collected  into  a basket.  One  of 
these  baskets  is  shown  in  fig.  2^  on  page  1231. 
It  is  made  much  like  the  crWlle  already  men- 
tioned, but  is  of  closer  texture,  and  the  strips 
of  cane  are  wider.  It  is  about  two  feet  in 
diameter,  and  is  capable  of  containing  a con- 
siderable quantity  of  the  grated  root. 

When  the  native  cassava  maker  does  not 
possess  one  of  these  graters,  she  uses  as  a 
substitute  the  acrid  root  of  a species  of 
Ireartia  palm,  which  is  covered  with  hard 
protuberances,  and  answers  the  purpose  tol- 
erably well,  though  it  does  not  work  so 
smoothly  or  neatly  as  the  regular  grater. 

Sometimes  a furthg'  process  of  grinding  is 
employed,  though  not  always.  In  such  cases, 
the  grated  root  is  placed  on  a flat,  sloping 
stone,  and  rubbed  with  another,  just  as  is 
done  by  the  Araucanians.  See  page  1203. 

The  next  process  is  to  rid  it  of  its  poi- 
sonous juices,  and  in  this  part  of  the  ope- 
ration there  is  also  considerable  variation. 
Among  some  tribes,  the  scraped  cassava  is 
taken  out  of  the  dish  and  pressed  tightly  into 
a sieve  or  colander.  This  instrument  is  very 
ingeniously  made.  It  is  of  basket  work,  but 
instead  of  being  made  of  flat  strips  of  cane  or 
reed,  round  twigs  are  used,  about  as  thick  as 
ordinary  drawing  pencils.  The  natives  have 
an  ingenious  mode  in  which  the  shape  of  the 
vessel  is  preserved  while  the  interstices  are 
not  allowed  to  diminish  or  increase  in  size. 
This  is  done  by  beginning  with  a com- 
paratively few  twigs  at  the  apex  of  the  col- 
ander, and  inserting  fresh  twigs  at  regular 
intervals  as  the  vessel  increases  in  size. 

Into  this  colander  the  cassava  is  pressed 
and  kneaded  with  water,  until  a considerable 
amount  of  the  juice  is  expressed.  It  is  then 
left  in  the  sieve  to  undergo  a partial  drying, 
and  is  soon  ready  for  another  process,  that 
of  the  press;  and  it  is  remarkable  that, 
though  presses  of  various  descriptions  have 
been  sent  from  Europe,  none  of  them  seem 
to  answer  so  well  as  the  native  Guianan  press 
called  the  “ tipiti.”  This  press  is  a long, 
cylindrical  basket,  from  six  to  seven  feet  in 
length,  and  about  four  inches  in  diameter, 
made  of  the  bark  of  the  Jacitara  palm,  a 
species  of  Desmoncus.  The  lower  part  of  the 
tipiti  is  closed,  and  brought  nearly  to  a point, 
while  the  upper  part  is  left  open,  each  end 
terminating  in  a very  strong  loop.  Owing 
to  the  mode  in  which  the  tipiti  is  made,  the 
central  portion  is  highly  elastic,  while  the 
mouth  and  tip  are  comparatively  stiff.  One  of 
these  is  represented  on  the  following  page. 

Several  of  these  tipities  generallv  hang  to 
the  roof  or  the  cross-beam  of  the  nut,  so  as 
to  be  ready  for  use  when  wmnted.  One  of 
them  is  then  filled  with  grated  cassava,  which 
is  thrust  into  the  elastic  tube  as  tightly  as 


BEAD  APRON.  (See  page  1266.) 


(1249) 


MAKING  CASSAVA. 


1251 


possible,  so  as  to  cause  it  to  become  very 
much  shorter,  and  very  much  thicker  in  the 
middle.  Underneath  the  tipiti  is  placed 
an  earthenware  bowl  to  receive  the  juice. 
Vessels  such  as  these  are  made  by  the  na- 
tives, and  although  they  are  very  fragile,  as 
the  clay  is  never  thoroughly  kneaded,  and 
the  baking  is  insufficient,  they  can  endure 
the  tire  well  enough  for  cooking  purposes. 
The  vessel  which  is  represented  in  the  illus- 
tration is  of  a deep  brown  color,  striped  and 
spotted  with  black. 

Besides  these  soft  and  fragile  bowls,  the 
natives  make  bottles  for  the  purpose  of 
carrying  water.  Some  of  these  clay  bottles 
are  really  elegant  in  form,  and  show  evi- 
dences of  artistic  feeling  on  the  part  of  the 
potter.  A figure  of  a double  water  bottle, 
with  its  earthenware  stoppers,  is  given  on 
page  1249. 

A heavy  weight  is  then  fastened  to  the 
bottom  of  the  tipiti,  which  is  consequently 
elongated  and  narroAved,  so  as  to  compress 
the  contents  forcibly,  and  squeeze  out  the 
juice  that  remains  in  the  cassava.  After  a 
Avhile  a still  stronger  pressure  is  obtained  by 
means  of  the  lever.  A pole  is  passed  through 
the  loop  at  the  bottom  of  the  tipiti,  and  tlie 
shorter  end  of  it  is  lashed  to  one  of  the 
upright  posts  of  the  house.  The  heavy 
weight  — usually  a large  stone  — is  then  hung 
to  the  longer  end  of  the  pole,  so  as  to  pro- 
duce a poAverful  leverage  on  the  tipiti,  and 
compress  the  cassava  still  further. 

When  the  process  has  arrived  at  this  state, 
the  cassava  maker  often  adds  her  OAvn  Aveight 
to  that  of  the  stone,  by  sitting  on  the  end  of 
the  lever,  and  with  her  baby  slung  in  its 
cradle  on  her  back,  occupies  herself  in  some 
of  the  lighter  feminine  occupations. 

The  cassava  is  now  fit  for  baking,  for 
which  purpose  it  is  placed  on  circular  iron 
plates,  Avhich  are  laid  over  the  fire  like  the 
“ girdles  ” on  which  oat  cakes  are  baked. 
Although  little  knoAvn  in  this  country  under 
its  proper  name,  cassava  is  largely  used  un- 
der the  name  of  semolina,  Avhich  is  nothing 
more  than  the  the  cassava  roughly  ground 
to  a coarse  sort  of  grain. 

Nothing  of  this  useful  plant  is  throAvn 
aAvay.  W e have  seen  that  the  farinaceous 
matter  can  be  rendered  wholesome  by  being 
deprived  of  its  poisonous  juice,  and  we 
shall  noAV  see  that  even  this  juice  itself  can 
be  rendered  useful.  If  man  or  beast  were 
to  drink  it  as  it  pours  from  between  the  in- 
terstices of  the  tipiti,  they  would  SAvell,  and 
die  in  great  agony.  But  by  means  of  boil- 
ing the  poisonous  principle  is  driven  off 
and  the  juice  changes  to  a deep  brown  liq- 
uid, Avhich  is  well  known  under  the  name 
of  cassareep,  and  extensively  used  as  a 
sauce.  It  is  the  foundation  of  the  “ pepper- 
pot ” of  the  W est  Indies,  and  when  used  by 
natives  is  so  highly  impregnated  with  red 
pe\)per,  that  when  they  hospitably  serve  a 
wliite  stranger  with  cassava  bread  and  cas- 


sareep sauce,  the  mouth  of  the  stranger  is 
excoriated  by  the  quantity  of  capsicum. 

If  the  reader  will  refer  to  the  illustration 
representing  a Warau  house,  on  page  1244, 
he  will  see  the  various  processes  of  cassava- 
making. On  the  right  hand  is  seen  a Avoman 
kneeling  before  the  grater,  and  scra])ing  the 
cassava  into  the  dish  or  basket.  Hanging 
to  the  cross-beams  of  the  hut  are  tAvo  of  the 
tipiti  presses,  one  filled  ready  for  the  weight 
and  the  lever,  and  the  other  stretched 
nearly  to  its  full  extent.  A woman  is  sitting 
on  the  lever,  and  so  expressing  the  last 
drops  from  the  cassava  into  the  bowl.  The 
baking  of  the  cassava  cake  is  shoAvn  in  the 
background  on  the  right  hand. 

A few  little  episodes  of  Guianan  life  are 
shoAvn  in  the  same  illustration.  On  the  left 
hand  is  seen  a man  armed  with  his  boAV  and 
long  arrows,  and  having  slung  on  his  shoul- 
ders the  little  bag  Avhich  serves  as  a pocket. 
Another  man  is  lying  asleep  in  his  ham- 
mock, and  nearly  in  the  middle  is  shoAvn  a 
mother  Avith  her  tAvo  children,  one  of  them 
dragging  a huge  spider  tied  to  a string. 
The  spiders  of  this  country  are  sometimes 
as  large  as  a man’s  outspread  hand,  and,  un- 
pleasant playfellows  as  they  appear  to  us, 
they  are  used  in  this  light  by  the  children, 
as  Avas  seen  by  Mr.  Bates. 

The  natives  can  also  make  sugar,  though 
of  a rather  coarse  character.  Some  of  the 
tribes  employ  a machine  Avith  small  wooden 
rollers,  for  the  purpose  of  crushing  the  Su- 
gar-cane and  expressing  the  juice,  but  the 
plan  folloAved  by  the  Caribs  is  the  most  sim- 
ple, and  at  the  same  time  the  most  remark- 
able. They  carve  the  upper  part  of  a stout 
post  into  the  rude  semblance  of  a human 
bust,  the  post  being  as  nearly  as  possible  as 
large  as  a man.  The  part  that  ansAA^ers  to 
the  collar-bone  projects  considerably,  and  a 
hole  is  bored  through  the  middle  of  the  neck 
under  the  chin. 

When  the  Caribs  Avish  to  make  their  su- 
gar, they  put  one  end  of  a long  and  stout 
lever,  into  the  hole  in  the  neck,  and  lay  the 
cane  horizontally  upon  the  collar-bones. 
One  man  then  takes  the  end  of  the  lever, 
and  by  pressing  it  doAvn  crushes  the  cane 
so  that  the  juice  fiows  down  the  breast 
of  the  image  into  the  vessel,  while  another 
man  shifts  the  cane  so  as  to  bring  every 
portion  successively  under  the  lever. 

As  for  drink,  the  Guianan  natives  have 
from  time  immemorial  made  an  intoxicat- 
ing liquor  called  piwarri,  which  is  almost 
exactly  like  the  mudai  of  the  Araucanians. 
A number  of  cakes  of  cassava  bread  are 
toasted  broAvn,  throAvn  into  a large  vessel, 
and  boiling  water  poured  over  them.  The 
remainder  of  the  cakes  are  masticated  and 
mixed  with  the  others  in  the  vessel,  rer- 
mentation  then  takes  place  very  rapidly, 
and  in  a short  time  the  liquor  is  fit  to  drink. 
The  natives  are  immoderately  fond  of  this 
, disgusting  preparation,  and  often  brew  and 


1252 


GUIAKA. 


and  drink  great  quantities  at  a time.  A canoe 
is  no  uncommon  vessel  to  be  filled  with  pi- 
warri,  and  every  one  who  joins  in  the  revel 
is  presumed  to  become  intoxicated  as  soon 
as  possible.  Mr.  Brett  mentions  an  amus- 
ing instance  of  native  feeling  on  this  subject. 

The  Arawaks  of  the  Mahaiconi  district 
having  begged  that  a missionary  might  be 
sent  to  them,  the  bishop  determined  on  vis- 
iting them  personally.  In  honor  of  his  ar- 
rival, the  Arawaks  had  got  up  a great  festi- 
val, including  a canoe  full  of  piwarri,  and 
the  curious  Maquarri  dance,  of  which  we 
shall  presently  learn.  Most  of  them  were 
intoxicated,  but  they  apologized  to  the 
bishop  for  their  shortcomings  in  politeness, 
and  said  that  if  they  had  known  sooner  of 
his  visit,  they  would  have  had  two  canoes 
full  of  piwarri  instead  of  one. 

Piwarri  feasts  vary  in  detail  according  to 
the  tribe  which  holds  them.  They  are, 
however,  always  accompanied  by  a dance, 
and  by  some  ceremonies  practised  by  the 
piaman  or  conjurer.  An  interesting  ac- 
count of  a piv/arri  feast  is  given  by  Messrs. 
Spix  and  Martins,  in  their  “ Travels  in  Bra- 
zil : ” — 

“ By  degrees,  those  residing  at  a greater 
distance  arrived  in  single  troops,  each  with 
his  whole  family,  and  with  bag  and  baggage, 
as  if  they  were  going  to  migrate;  the  men 
who  had  not  yet  secreted  their  bows  and  ar- 
rows in  the  neighboring  woods  hid  them 
here;  the  women  put  down  their  baskets, 
took  the  children  on  their  shoulders,  and 
looked  for  the  drinking-cup  {mja).  With- 
out conversing  with  each  other,  each  mem- 
ber of  the  family  examined  the  surrounding 
company  with  an  unsteady  look;  the  men 
approached  each  other,  and  saluted  their 
neighbors,  at  most,  by  pouting  out  their 
lips,  and  a scarcely  audible  nasal  tone. 

“In  the  middle  of  the  assembly,  and 
nearest  to  the  pot,  stood  the  chief,  who,  by 
his  strength,  cunning'  and  courage,  had  ob- 
tained some  command  over  them,  and  had 
received  the  title  of  captain.  In  his  right 
hand  he  held  the  maracd,  the  above-men- 
tioned Castanet,  which  they  call  gringcrina, 
and  rattled  with  it,  beating  time  with  his  right 
foot.  W e did  not  find  any  traces  among  the 
Indians  of  the  oracles  of  the  maraca,  men- 
tioned in  the  accounts  of  earlier  travellers. 
Rather  walking  than  dancing,  he  advanced 
slowly,  with  his  body  bent  forward,  round 
the  pot,  toward  which  his  eyes  were  con- 
stantly turned.  The  dance,  the  measure  of 
which  was  in  triple  time,  was  accompanied 
by  him  with  a low  monotonous  singing, 
which  was  more  strongly  marked  when  he 
stamped  with  his  foot.  The  oftener  the 
song  was  repeated,  the  more  solemn  and  an- 
imated was  the  expression  of  his  voice  and 
features.  All  the  rest  stood  motionless 
round  the  pot,  stared  at  him  without  speak- 
ing, and  only  now  and  then,  when  the  words 
of  the  dancer,  which  seemed  to  be  extempore, 


moved  them,  they  broke  out  into  immoder- 
ate cries. 

“ After  this  measured  circular  dance,  by 
which,  probably,  it  was  intended  to  conjure 
and  keep  off  evil  spirits,  the  leader  ap- 
proached the  pot,  took  from  the  hand  of  his 
neighbor  the  drinking-vessel  which  he  held 
ready,  gravely  dipped  it  into  the  pot,  and  took 
a sip.  The  rattling  of  the  gringcrina  and 
the  monotonous  music  became  general,  and 
more  and  more  noisy  the  longer  the  cup 
went  round.  We,  too,  had  a full  cuja  pre- 
sented to  us,  and  though  filled  with  disgust, 
we  were  obliged  to  follow  the  advice  of  our 
guide  to  empty  it,  in  order  not  to  give  the 
Indians  any  reasons  for  distrust. 

“ The  beverage  resembles  in  taste  our 
malt  liquor,  and  when  taken  in  a large 
quantity  is  intoxicating,  an  effect  which  was 
but  too  manifest  toward  the  end  of  the  feast, 
by  their  leaping  and  noisy  singing  of,  ‘ Hi! 
ha!  ha!  ’ Hopes  had  been  given  us  that  we 
should  see  on  this  occasion  the  dances  of  the 
Coroados;  but  toward  evening,  after  their 
stomachs  and  heads  were  full,  one  party 
slipped  away  after  the  other,  as  if  by  pre- 
vious agreement.” 

The  same  authors  give  an  account  of  a 
melancholy  sort  of  dance  performed  by 
another  tribe  of  natives,  the  Paris  ; — 

“ When  they  had  been  made  familiar,  and 
treated  with  plentiful  draughts  of  brandy,  of 
which,  like  all  Indians,  they  are  passionately 
fond,  the}^  began  their  dance  by  night,  on  an 
open  spot  not  far  from  the  fazenda  of  Guid- 
owald.  If  the  compact  low  stature,  the 
brown-red  color,  the  jet-black  hair  hanging 
down  in  disorder,  the  disagreeable  form  of 
their  broad  angular  countenances,  the  small, 
oblique,  unsteady,  blinking  eyes,  and,  lastly, 
the  tripping,  short,  light  stejD  of  these  sav- 
ages had  excited  in  us  the  most  sorrowful 
feelings  at  the  debasement  of  humanity  in 
them,  these  were  further  increased  by  the 
melancholy  expression  of  their  festivity  in 
the  darkness  of  the  night.  The  men  placed 
themselves  close  together  in  a line,  and  be- 
hind them  the  women,  also  in  a line.  The 
male  children,  sometimes  two  or  three,  took 
hold  of  each  other  and  of  the  fathers  round 
the  waist,  as  the  female  children  did  their 
mothers.  In  this  position  they  begin  their 
melancholy  ‘ Hdu  — jo  — hd  — ha  — /id.’  It 
is  remarkable  that  the  melodies  which  Lery 
noted  above  two  hundred  years  ago  among 
the  Indians  in  the  neighborhood  of  Rio 
Janeiro  very  much  resemble  those  observed 
by  us. 

“ The  song  and  the  dance  were  repeated 
several  times,  and  the  two  rows  moved  slowly 
forward  in  a measured  triple  time.  In  the 
first  three  steps  they  jDUt  the  left  foot  forv^ard, 
and  bent  the  left  side;  at  the  first  and  third 
step  they  stamped  with  the  left  foot,  and 
at  the  second  with  the  right;  in  the  following 
three  steps  they  advanced  the  right  foot  at 
the  first  and  last,  bending  on  the  right  side. 


THE  MAQUAEKI  DANCE. 


1253 


In  this  manner  they  advanced  a little  alter- 
nately, in  short  steps.  As  soon  as  the  song 
was  concluded,  they  ran  back  in  disorder, 
as  if  in  flight  — first  the  women  with  their 
daughters,  and  then  the  men  with  their  sons. 
After  this  they  placed  themselves  in  the 
same  order  as  before,  and  the  scene  was  re- 
peated. A negro,  who  had  lived  along  time 
among  the  Puris,  explained  to  us  the  words 
sung  to  this  dance  as  a lamentation,  the 
subject  of  which  was,  that  they  had  attempted 
to  pluck  a flower  from  a tree,  but  had  fallen 
down.  No  interpretation  of  this  melancholy 
scene  could  have  appeared  to  us  more  appro- 
priate than  that  of  the  loss  of  Paradise.” 

The  most  curious  of  all  the  Gkiianan  dances 
is  that  which  is  called  the  Maquarri  dance, 
from  the  implement  which  forms  its  prin- 
cipal element.  The  Maquarri  is  a wfliip,  and 
the  object  of  the  dance  is  giving  and  re- 
ceiving blows  from  the  maquarri.  The  form 
of  this  whip  varies  in  different  districts.  The 
form  usually  employed,  is  made  of  silk  grass 
fibre,  bound  together  so  as  to  form  a stiff  and 
elastic  whip.  The  handle  is  strengthened 
by  being  bound  strongly  with  a strip  of  dark 
cane  wound  spirally  around  it,  and  is  or- 
namented by  a tuft  of  fibres,  which  hang 
from  the  butt.  Several  tufts  of  white  cotton 
wool  adorn  the  transition  between  the  handle 
and  the  lash,  the  latter  of  which  tapers  grad- 
ually to  a point.  The  whole  whip  including 
the  lash,  is  nearly  five  feet  in  length,  and  is 
a most  formidable  instrument  of  torture, 
capable  of  cutting  into  the  bare  skin  like  a 
knife,  and  causing  the  blood  to  spirt  from 
the  -wound  which  it  makes.  The  other  form 
is  scarcely  so  terrible  a "v^ip  to  the  eye, 
though  it  may  inflict  quite  as  much  pain 
when  skilfully  handled.  It  is  entirely  cov- 
ered with  cane,  and,  as  it  is  swung  about,  it 
gives  a crackling  sound  with  every  curve. 
The  length  of  this  whip  is  three  feet  four 
inches. 

The  maquarri  dance  is  conducted  in  the 
following  manner.  The  young  men  and 
boys,  decorated  with  all  the  fantastic  feather 
work. which  native  art  can  supply,  range 
themselves  in  two  rows  opposite  each  other, 
the  dancers  being  all  armed  with  their  ma- 
quarri whips,  which  they  wave  in  the  air, 
uttering  at  the  same  time  cries  which  are  in- 
tended to  imitate  the  notes  of  birds. 

Presently  two  of  the  dancers  from  opposite 
sides  challenge  each  other,  leave  the  ranks, 
and  dance  opposite  each  other  in  the  open 
space  between  the  ranks.  After  dancing  for 
a while,  one  of  them  stops,  and  stands  firmly 
on  one  leg,  thrusting  the  other  forward,  and 
remaining  perfectly  firm  and  steady.  See 
illustration  on  page  1280. 

His  opponent,  or  partner,  whichever  he 
may  be  called,  stoops  down,  takes  deliberate 
aim  at  some  part  of  the  projecting  leg,  and 
then  leaping  into  the  air,  in  order  to  give  force 
to  his  stroke,  delivers  a blow  with  all  his 
strength.  A practised  maquarri  dancer  is 


sure  to  cut  deeply  into  the  skin  and  to  draw  ' 
blood  by  the  stroke;  but  the  receiver  does 
not  shrink  from  the  blow,  gives  no  sign  of 
pain,  and  only  smiles  contemptuously  as  he 
executes  the  dance.  Presently  his  o])})onent 
holds  out  his  leg  in  turn  to  be  struck,  and 
after  a few  lashes  have  been  exchanged, 
they  retire  to  the  piwarri  vessel,  drink  some 
of  its  contents,  and  return  to  their  places  in 
the  ranks. 

The  greatest  good  humor  prevails  during 
this  strange  contest,  though  when  a couple 
of  powerful  and  experienced  dancers  have 
met,  they  have  often  scarcely  been  able  to 
walk  from  the  severity  of  the  blows  which 
they  have  received.  Sometimes,  after  a hard 
day’s  dancing  and  drinking,  when  their  legs 
are  stiff  and  sore  from  the  blows  which  they 
have  received,  and  their  heads  are  aching 
from  the  liquid  they  have  drunk,  they  de- 
clare that  they  will  abandon  the  dance  for 
ever.  But,  as  soon  as  theiiTegs  get  well  and 
their  heads  are  clear  again,  they  forget  all 
their  promises,  and  join  in  the  next  maquarri 
dance  with  unabated  zest. 

During  one  of  these  dances,  which  was 
performed  in  Mr.  Brett’s  presence,  a stout 
little  W arau  came  to  the  encampment,  when 
the  dance  was  nearly  over,  evidently  with 
the  idea  of  getting  some  piwarri  without 
undergoing  the  previous  salutation  of  the 
maquarri  whip.  The  young  men  at  once 
divined  his  intention,  and  quietly  passed 
the  word  among  themselves  to  frustrate  his 
design.  Accordingly,  he  was  challenged  in 
rapid  succession  by  the  young  men,  and 
subjected  to  more  than  ordinary  castigation 
before  he  obtained  any  piwarri.  However, 
he  bore  his  punishment  manfully,  and  did 
his  best  to  look  pleasant,  although  he  soon 
perceived  the  trap  into  which  he  had  fallen. 

On  that  occasion  the  dance  was  given  in 
honor  of  a woman  who  had  been  buried  in 
the  house.  A broad  plank  lay  upon  her 
grave,  and  on  it,  among  other  articles,  was  a 
bundle  of  silk  grass  being  the  remainder  of 
the  material  from  which  the  maquarri  whips 
had  been  made,  these  articles  having  some- 
what of  the  sacred  character  about  them. 
After  going  through  a few  ceremonies,  two 
or  three  men,  armed  with  long  knives, 
dashed  in  among  the  dancers,  snatched 
the  whips  from  them,  cut  oft'  the  lashes, 
and  flung  them  into  the  grave.  The  owners 
of  the  whips  pretended  to  be  very  savage 
at  surrendering  the  whips,  leaping,  throw- 
ing somersaults,  and  going  through  all 
kinds  of  evolutions,  so  that  it  was  great 
matter  of  surprise  that  any  of  them  escaped 
injury. 

On  another  occasion,  when  the  maquarri 
dance  had  been  got  up  in  honor  of  the 
bishop,  all  the  dancers,  before  they  went 
into  the  large  house,  laid  their  whips  on  a 
board  which  had  been  placed  there  expressly 
for  their  reception. 

With  regard  to  this  dance,  Mr.  Brett  was 


1254 


GUIANA. 


much  struck  with  the  apparent  indifference 
to  pain  manifested  by  the  natives,  and  asked 
them  how  they  could  endure  such  tortures 
without  seeming  to  feel  them.  The  Indians 
replied  that  their  insensibility  to  pain  was 
partly  produced  by  the  piwarri,  and  was 
partly  owing  to  the  presence  of  the  women, 
who  would  scoff  at  any  one  who  showed  the 
least  symptom  of  suffering. 

Giving  both  these  reasons  their  full  value, 
there  are  two  others  of  much  greater  impor- 
tance. One  is  the  natural  apathy  of  the  na- 
tive, who  requires  a very  strong  stimulus  for 
exertion.  This  apathy  extends  to  the  nerves 
of  sensation  as  well  as  to  those  of  volition, 
and  the  real  fact  is,  that  a blow  which  would 
cause  the  most  horrible  agony  to  a white 
man  is  scarcely  felt  by  the  native  Guianan. 
The  other  is  the  effect  of  exposure  and  per- 
fect health  of  body.  All  those  who  have 
gone  into  training  for  any  athletic  contest 
will  remember  how  different  is  the  pain- 
bearing capacity  of  the  trained  and  untrained 
man,  the  former  scarcely  seeming  to  be 
aware  of  an  injury  which  would  have  pros- 
trated him  for  weeks  had  he  been  untrained. 
Now  these  natives  are  always  in  the  state 
of  body  to  which  the  civilized  athlete  occa- 
sionally brings  himself,  and  the  result  is, 
that  external  injuries  have  but  little  effect 
on  them. 

Another  and  a rather  picturesque  dance  is 
described  by  Mr.  Brett.  This  is  an  Arawak 
dance,  and  is  performed  in  the  following 
manner: — Twelve  young  men  step  forward, 
and  arrange  themselves  in  parallel  rows;  but 


instead  of  carrying  maquarri  whips,  they 
bear  slender  rods,  about  twelve  feet  in  length, 
decorated  with  strips  of  silk  grass  stained 
red,  and  having  at  the  tips  little  gourds  with 
stones  in  them.  They  dance  backward  and 
forward,  striking  the  ends  of  their  rods 
against  the  ground,  and  keeping  time  with 
the  measure.  From  time  to  time  the  young 
women  go  up  to  the  dancers,  seize  their 
arms,  and  dance  with  them,  and  then,  as  the 
men  clash  the  rattling  ornaments  of  beetles’ 
wing  cases  with  which  their  wrists  and  legs 
are  decorated,  the  women  loose  their  hold, 
and  run  back  to  their  companions  like 
frightened  deer. 

A Warau  dance  is  described  by  the  same 
missionary  who  witnessed  the  maquarri 
dance.  “ It  was  little  more  than  a meas- 
ured series  of  steps,  accompanied  with  stamp- 
ing, while  the  persons  advanced  or  receded, 
sometimes  in  single  rank,  som^imes  in  two 
ranks  facing  each  other,  throwing  their 
right  arms  over  their  right-hand  neighbor’s 
shoulders,  and  their  left  arms  round  their 
left-hand  neighbor’s  waist,  swaying  their 
bodies  to  and  fro.  Occasionally  the  women 
would  run,  and,  inserting  themselves  be- 
tween the  men,  join  in  the  dance. 

“ The  effect  was  somewhat  heightened  by 
a monotonous  chant  sung  in  unison,  and  by 
the  clatter  of  beads  and  anklets  made  of 
hard  seeds  and  the  wings  of  beetles.  The 
dance  was  intended  to  represent  the  antics 
of  a herd  of  kairounies,  or  bush  hogs,  and 
the  chant  was  a succession  of  mocking  or 
jeering  expressions.” 


CHAPTEK  CXXXIII. 


THE  TEIBES  OF  GUIANA  — 

DRESS  — AMUSEMENTS. 


FEATHER  HEADDRESSES  AND  THEIR  STRUCTURE — THE  FEATHER  APRON  — DRESS  OF  THE  WOMEN  — 
THE  KIMISA  AND  QUEYU  — MODE  OF  MANUFACTURE — HARMONY  OF  COLOR  — MR.  BAINES’  THEORY 
— A SINGULAR  PURCHASE— THE  SAPURU  OR  GARTER  OF  THE  CARIES  — PAINT  AND  TATTOO  — THE 
SPATHE  CAP  AND  APRON— PETS  AMONG  THE  NATIVES  — SKILL  IN  FISHING  AND  CAYMAN  CATCH- 
ING— MR,  WATERTON’S  adventure  — THE  INGENIOUS  HOOK  — GAMES  AND  SPORTS  — SHIELD 
WRESTLING  — CANOE  IVIAKING — NAVIGATING  THE  FALLS. 


During  their  dances  the  natives  display  all 
their  best  feather  ornaments.  Two  of  their 
headdresses  are  shown  on  page  1238.  The 
foundation  of  these  is  a circlet  made  of 
thin  dark  cane,  cut  into  strips.  One  of  them 
(fig.  2)  is  made  of  parrots’  feathers,  beauti- 
fully shaded  from  dark  blue  to  brilliant  green, 
and  being  topped  with  three  long  straight 
scarlet  feathers  from  the  tail  of  the  macaw. 
The  general  effect  of  this  beautiful  head- 
dress is  heightened  by  a row  of  white 
downy  feathers  by  which  it  is  surrounded. 
This  specimen  was  made  by  the  Macoushie 
tribe. 

The  other  headdress  (fig.  1)  is  called 
Arok,  and,  though  very  handsome  in  point 
of  color,  does  not  possess  the  beauty  of  form 
which  characterizes  the  other.  The  greater 
part  of  the  headdress  is  bright  yellow,  but 
just  on  either  side  of  the  top  are  two  broad 
bands  of  scarlet.  The  feathers  in  this  speci- 
men are  arranged  four  deep. 

The  reader  may  remember  that,  in  many 
portions  of  the  uncivilized  world,  aprons  are 
made  of  thongs  depending  from  the  waist. 
This  principle  is  carried  out  by  many  of  the 
African  tribes,  who  use  thongs  or  strips  of 
leather,  as  well  as  in  several  of  the  islands 
of  Polynesia,  where  vegetable  materials  are 
used.  We  have  at  fig.  4,  on  page  1249,  an 
example  of  the  same  principle  carried  out  in 
Tropical  America,  feathers  being  employed 
instead  of  skin,  grass,  or  bark.  The  length 
of  this  apron  is  one  foot  nine  inches,  and  its 
depth  one  foot  three  inches.  It  is  made  of 
feathers,  blue  at  the  base  and  tip,  and  scarlet 
in  the  middle.  As  may  be  seen  by  the 


smaller  figure  at  the  side,  the  feathers  are 
fastened  on  the  string  that  binds  the  apron 
on  the  waist  by  doubling  over  the  quill,  and 
tying  the  doubled  end  over  the  string. 

It  is  on  such  occasions  as  the  Arawak 
and  Warau  dances,  of  which  a description 
was  given  in  the  last  chapter,  that  the 
women  produce  their  best  apparel.  Gener- 
ally, as  long  as  none  but  their  own  people 
are  in  sight,  they  are  not  particular  about 
wearing  clothes  of  any  kind,  but  since  they 
have  mixed  with  the  white  people  they  have 
learned  to  be  more  fastidious.  When  a 
white  stranger  comes  to  a native  settlement, 
the  men  and  women  are  mostly  independent 
of  clothing,  but  the  latter,  as  soon  as  they 
distinguish  the  color  of  their  visitor,  run  off 
to  their  homes  to  put  on  their  dresses. 

Those  settlements  that  are  tolerably  near 
civilization  usually  employ  the  “ kimisa,” 
i.e.  a sort  of  petticoat  passing  round  the  waist, 
and  suspended  by  a string  over  one  shoul- 
der. These  dresses  are  considered  merely 
a concession  to  the  peculiar  notions  of  the 
white  man,  and,  though  worn  while  he 
is  present,  are  taken  off  as  soon  as  he  de- 
parts, and  carefully  put  away  until  the  next 
white  visitor  comes. 

The  native  dress  of  ceremony  is,  however, 
the  little  apron  called  the  queyu,  or  keu. 
At  the  present  time  it  is  made  of  beads, 
but  before  beads  were  procurable  it  was 
simply  of  cotton,  decorated  with  shells,  bee- 
tles’ wings,  and  similar  ornaments.  Several 
of  these  odd  little  aprons  are  in  my  collec- 
tion. The  best  and  most  elaborate  of  them 
is  that  which  is  represented  at  fig.  5,  on 


1256 


GUIAKA. 


pnge  1249,  and  was  presented  to  me  by  H. 
13 email,  Esq. 

This  beautiful  specimen  of  native  art  is 
eight  inches  in  length  and  four  in  depth,  in- 
cluding the  large  beads  that  serve  as  a 
fringe.  It  is  made  entirely  of  “ seed  ” beads, 
threaded  on  silk  grass  in  such  a manner 
that  the  thread  is  scarcely  visible.  The 
principle  on  which  the  maker  has  gone  is, 
that  she  has  woven  a sort  of  framework  of 
Tierpendicular  threads  or  strings,  set  exactly 
wide  enough  apart  to  allow  two  beads  to  be 
placed  between  them.  this  plan  she  has 
regulated  the  arrangement  of  the  beads 
requisite  to  form  the  pattern,  while  the 
•beads  themselves  are  strung  upon  fine  silk- 
grass  threads  that  run  at  right  angles  to  the 
others. 

The  colors  are  blue,  yellow,  green,  and 
carmine,  in  transparent  beads,  and  chalk- 
lyhite  and  vermilion  in  opaque  beads,  not 
counting  the  larger  beads  used  to  form  the 
fringe.  The  principle  of  the  pattern  is  that 
of  the  square  standing  on  an  angle,  or  the 

diamond,”  as  it  is  more  familiarly  termed. 
First,  three  diamonds  have  been  worked  in 
yellow  beads,  a line  of  green  beads  running 
down. the  centre  of  the  yellow,  and  a rather 
broad  line  of  carmine  beads  passing  along 
the  inner  and  outer  edge  of  each  diamond. 

. The  dark  pattern  in  the  centre  of  each 
diamond  is  made  of  blue  beads,  and  the 
square  patterns  in  each  angle  of  the  dia- 
mond are  made  of  chalk-white  beads  with  a 
centre  of  vermilion.  The  entire  apron  is 
edged  with  the  chalk-white  beads  The 
fringe  at  the  bottom  is  made  of  a treble  row 
of  much  larger  beads,  one  of  which  is  repre- 
sented of  the  full  size,  and  at  either  end  of 
each  bead  is  a small  scarlet  cylinder,  like 
coral. 

On  looking  at  the  form  of  the  apron,  the 
reader  will  notice  that  it  is  much  wider  at 
the  bottom  than  at  the  top.  This  is  inten- 
tional. The  thick  perpendicular  strings 
only  extend  as  far  as  the  upper  corners,  the 
others  being  thin  threads.  The  conse- 
quence of  this  structure  is,  that  when  the  i 
apron  is  held  up  by  two  loops,  the  middle  of 
it  is  nearly  flat,  while  the  two  ends  fall  into 
heavy  folds. 

There  is  a positively  startling  boldness 
about  the  coloring  of  this  apron;  such,  for 
example,  as  the  placing  green  beads  next  to 
the  yellow.  Still,  the  whole  arrangement  of  ' 
the  colors  is  so  admirable,  that  in  spite  ^ 
of  the  brilliant  hues  of  the  beads,  which  are 
of  the  brightest  possible  blue,  yellow,  car-  ; 
mine,  and  vermilion,  they  are  so  well  har- 
monized, that  in  no  case  does  one  hue  seem  ; 
to  predominate  over  another,  or  to  interfere 
with  another. 

Some  few  years  ago,  I was  discussing  the 
coloring  of  this  very  apron  with  Mr.  T. 
Baines,  the  celebrated  traveller,  and  asking 
if  he  had  any  theory  by  which  he  could  ac-  : 
count  for  the  artistic  harmony  of  color  which  ( 


is  invpiably  displayed  in  the  aprons.  He 
said  that  he  had  long  thought  that  the  na- 
tives unconsciously  imitated  the  coloring  on 
the  wings  of  the  gorgeous  butterflies  which 
are  so  plentiful  in  that  land,  and,  from  spec- 
imens in  his  collection,  showed  that  the  very 
collocation  of  hues  which  produced  harmony 
of  coloring  in  the  bead  apron  was  also  to  be 
found  in  the  wings  of  Guianan  butterflies. 
Perhaps  the  splendid  plumage  of  many 
Guianan  birds  may  also  alford  hints  for  the 
native  artist. 

Another  que}ui  in  my  collection  is  made 
of  similar  materials,  and  on  the  same  princi- 
ple, but  is  of  a totally  different  pattern.  In 
this  case,  the  maker  has  evidently  possessed 
a preponderance  of  the  chalk-white  beads, 
and  comparatively  few  of  the  red,  blue,  and 
yellow  beads.  She  has  accordingly  made 
the  body  of  the  apron  of  the  white  beads, 
and  enlivened  it  by  two  patterns,  of  red, 
blue,  and  yellow,  formed  much  like  those 
which  occupy  the  centre  of  the  diamond  in 
the  apron  which  has  been  just  described. 
In  .shape  the  two  aprons  are  identical,  but 
the  latter  is  very  much  smaller  in  size,  being 
only  four  inches  in  length  and  two  in 
depth. 

The  third  specimen  of  the  queyii  in  my 
collection  is  much  larger,  being  made  of 
large  beads,  and  really  may  take  rank  as  an 
article  of  dress  and  not  a mere  ornament. 
It  is  thirteen  inches  in  length  by  nine  in 
depth,  and,  though  not  possessing  the  bril- 
iant  colors  of  the  two  queyus  which  have 
been  described,  is  yet  a handsome  article  of 
costume.  The  white  beads  of  which  the 
groundwork  of  this  apron  is  made  are  as 
large  as  ordinary  peas,  so  that  the  whole 
work  is  of  a much  coarser  character  than 
that  which  distinguishes  the  two  other 
aprons.  Those  which  form  the  pattern  are 
deep  garnet  color,  so  dark  that  except  in 
particular  lights  it  looks  black.  The  woman 
who  made  this  apron  has  ingeniously  se- 
lected the  beads  of  such  a size  that  two  of 
the  garnet  beads  occupy  exactly  the  same 
space  as  one  white  bead,  and  exactly  fill  the 
interval  between  the  perpendicular  strings 
of  the  framework. 

The  most  remarkable  point  in  this  apron 
is  the  pattern,  which  is  exactly  like  that 
which  IS  found  on  old  patterns,  and  which 
has  come  into  modern  use  under  the  name 
of  the  Greek  fret.  I have  seen  several 
queyus  of  different  sizes  and  colors  made 
with  this  pattern.  The  lower  edge  of  the 
apron  is  made  of  six  rows  of  topaz  colored 
beads,  as  large  as  the  white  beads,  and  it  is 
further  decorated  with  a fringe  made  of 
tufts  of  cotton  strings,  one  such  tuft  being 
fixed  to  every  alternate  bead. 

As  may  be  imagined  from  the  description, 
the  beads  employed  in  making  the  apron  are 
very  heavy,  the  whole  article  weighing 
nearly  a pound  and  a half,  so  that  in  this 
case  the  owner  has  good  reason  for  not 


THE  CARIB  SAPAIHJ. 


1257 


wearing  it  except  on  occasions  of*  ceremony. 
Owing  to  the  material  of  which  these  aprons 
are  made,  none  of  them  put  forth  their  full 
beauties  unless  they  are  held  between  the 
spectator  and  the  light. 

One  of  these  aprons  was  procured  by  a 
friend  of  mine  in  a manner  which  shows  that 
they  are  considered  rather  as  ornaments 
than  dress.  He  happened  to  be  in  one  of 
the  civilized  coast  towns,  and  met  a wmman 
wearing  a queyu  of  remarkable  beauty.  He 
stopped  her  and  tried  to  induce  her  to  sell 
the  apron;  but  all  his  exertions  were  in  vain, 
and  for  no  amount  of  money  could  he  pur- 
chase it.  At  last  a brilliant  thought  struck 
him.  He  had  in  his  pocket  one  of  the  com- 
mon printed  handkerchiefs  containing  the 
dags  of  all  nations,  and,  as  a last  resource, 
he  offered  the  kerchief  in  exchange  for  the 
queyu. 

The  woman  could  not  withstand  such  a 
temptation.  The  gorgeous  patterns  on  the 
handkerchief  vfere  far  superior  to  the  best 
examples  of  native  art,  and  might  afford 
new  ideas  for  the  future.  Accordingly,  she 
then  and  there  took  off  the  queyu,  handed  it 
to  the  purchaser,  and  received  in  exchange 
the  kerchief,  which  she  tied  round  her  head, 
and  then  pursued  her  walk  in  all  the -dignity 
of  the  best-dressed  woman  in  Guiana. 

The  strangest  article  of  dress  to  be  found 
in  Guiana  is  undoubtedly  fhe  Carib  sapiu’u, 
or  garter,  an  ornament  which  can  compete 
with  the  compressed  foot  of  a Chinese 
beauty,  or  the  wasp-like  waist  of  an  European 
belle,  both  for  inconvenience  and  ugliness. 
While  the  Carib  girl  is  young  a band  of  rat- 
tan is  bound  tightly  under  the  knee  and 
another  above  the  ankle.  To  give  them  an 
ornamental  appearance  they  are  stained 
with  a red  dye,  but  in  fact  they  are  instru- 
ments of  torture,  which  entirely  alter  the 
form  of  the  human  limb  and  convert  it  into  a 
mere  spindle  thicker  in  the  middle  than  at 
each  end. 

There  are  now  before  me  a number  of 
photographic  portraits  of  Carib  women,  and 
it  is  scarcely  possible  to  imagine  anything 
more  hideously  ludicrous  than  the  effect  of 
the  sapuru.  Deprived  of  its  natural  powers 
of  extension,  the  limb  has  to  expand  itself 
as  it  can,  and  the  consequence  is,  that  it  is 
obliged  to  develop  itself  in  the  compara- 
tively narrow  space  between  the  two  band- 
ages. 

If  the  reader  should  wish  to  obtain  an  ac- 
curate idea  of  a Carib  belle’s  leg  from  the 
ankle  to  the  knee,  he  ean  easily  do  so.  Let 
him  take  an  ordinary  broomstick,  eighteen 
inches  in  length,  and  push  it  through  the 
middle  of  a rather  small  Stilton  cheese;  then 
let  him  wrap  the  slick  above  and  below  the 
cheese  with  a red  bandage,  adorn  the  cheese 
with  a number  of  blue  spots,  and  he  will  have 
a very  good  idea  of  the  extraordinary  shape 
which  is  assumed  by  the  leg  of  a Carib  fe- 
male. 


The  women  are  inordinately  fond  of  the 
sapuru,  and  are  as  scornful  respecting  those 
of  their  own  sex  who  do  not  wcfir  it  as  are 
the  Chinese  women  respecting  those  who 
do  not  wear  the  “ golden  lilies.” 

These  women  have  a variety  of  orna- 
ments, but  little  clothes.  Necklaces  of  va- 
rious kinds  are  highly  esteemed  among 
tliem,  especially  when  they  arc  made  of  the 
teeth  of  the  jaguar  and  alligator,  inasmuch 
as  such  ornaments  indicate  the  prowess  of 
their  admirers.  The  appearance  of  a Carib 
woman  in  full  dress  is  not  very  attractive. 
These  people  are  short,  thick  necked,  and 
awkward  looking,  and  in  those  respects  the 
women  are  much  worse  than  the  men.  Of 
the  ten  portraits  there  is  not  one  that  can 
bear  comparison  with  the  female  inhab- 
itants of  Southern  Africa,  such  as  have  been 
figured  in  the  first  part  of  this  work.  Their 
short  necks  are  cumbered  with  row  upon 
row  of  necklaces,  their  only  dress  is  a narrow 
strip  of  blue  cloth,  and  they  have  done 
their  best  to  make  themselves  entirely 
hideous  by  the  abominable  sapuru. 

Then,  by  way  of  adding  to  their  attrac- 
tions, they  perforate  the  under  lip,  and  wear 
in  it  one  or  several  pins,  the  heads  being 
within  the  mouth  and  the  points  projecting 
outward.  Some  of  the  women  smear  their 
whole  bodies  and  limbs  with  the  annatto 
dye,  which  gives  them  the  appearance  as 
if  blood  were  exuding  from  every  pore;  and 
the  reader  may  well  imagine  the  appearance 
of  such  women,  with  pins  sticking  through 
their  lips,  their  bosoms  covered  with  row 
upon  row  of  necklaces,  their  reddened  limbs 
variegated  with  blue  spots,  and  their  legs 
swollen  and  distorted  by  the  effects  of  the 
sapuru. 

The  Carib  men  wear  an  article  of  dress 
which  is  almost  exactly  like  that  which  is 
worn  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  Nicobar 
Islands.  It  is  a narrow  but  very  long  scarf, 
woven  from  cotton  fibre.  After  passing 
round  the  waist  and  between  the  legs,  it  is 
tucked  into  the  girdle,  and  then  is  so  long 
that  it  can  be  hung  over  the  shoulder  like  a 
Highlander’s  plaid.  The  men  are  very 
proud  of  a good  girdle,  and  adorn  it  plenti- 
fully with  cotton  tassels,  beetles’  wings,  and 
similar  ornaments. 

Of  all  the  Guianan  tribes,  the  Waraus  are 
least  careful  respecting  dress.  Even  the 
women  wear  nothing  but  a triangular  piece 
of  bark,  or  a similarly  shaped  article  of  ap- 
parel formed  from  the  spadhe  of  the  young 
palm  leaf.  This  spathe  is  also  used  for  a head 
dress  by  several  tribes.  In  order  to  under- 
stand the  structure  of  this  article  the  reader 
must  remember  that  the  palm  tree  is  an 
endogenous  plant,  and  that  all  the  leaves 
spring  from  a central  shoot.  From  this 
same  spot  there  also  starts  a conical  shoot, 
which  contains  the  flowers.  In  its  earlier 
stages  of  development  this  shoot  is  covered 
with  a membranous  envelopej  called  a 


1258 


GUIAKA. 


spatlie,  wliich  bursts  in  order  to  allow  the 
enclosed  tlower-stalk  to  develop  itself.  Be- 
fore it  has  attained  its  full  development,  the 
spathe  is  drawn  oft'  the  flower-stalk  and 
soaked  in  water  for  a time,  until  all  the 
green  substance  becomes  decomposed,  and 
can  be  washed  away  from  the  fibrous  frame- 
work. The  well-known  skeleton  leaves  are 
prepared  in  exactly  the  same  manner. 

When  decomposition  is  complete,  the 
spathe  is  carefully,  washed  in  running  wa- 
ter, so  that  the  whole  of  the  green  matter  is 
removed  and  nothing  is  left  but  the  tougher 
fibres.  These  are  tangled  together  in  a 
very  remarkable  manner,  so  as  to  be  very 
elastic,  and  to  allow  the  fabric  to  be  stretched 
in  different  directions  without  causing  any 
interstices  to  appear  between  them. 

In  this  state  the  spathe  is  conical,  of  a yel- 
low-brown color,  and  extraordinarily  light. 
A specimen  in  my  possession,  though  meas- 
uring twenty-seven  inches  in  length,  weighs 
barely  half  an  ounce. 

When  the  native  wishes  to  convert  the 
spathe  into  a cap,  he  doubles  the  open  end 
twice,  and  then  makes  a deep  fold  within 
eight  or  nine  inches  of  the  tip,  thus  causing 
it  to  assume  the  shape  which  is  seen  in  the 
illustration  on  page  1249.  Slight  as  is  the 
texture  of  this  odd  cap,  it  forms  an  excellent 
defence  against  the  rays  of  the  sun,  which 
is  the  only  object  of  the  headdress  in  such 
a climate. 

The  reader  will  see  that  the  shape,  as 
well  as  the  lightness  of  the  spathe,  con- 
duces to  its  usefulness  as  an  apron  as  well 
as  a headdress.  Such  at  all  events  is  the 
only  dress  for  which  the  Waraus  care;  and 
whether  on  account  of  the  perpetual  ex- 
posure of  their  skins,  or  whether  from  other 
causes,  the  short,  stout,  sturdy  Waraus  are 
much  darker  than  the  other  tribes  — so  dark, 
indeed,  that  they  have  been  said  to  approach 
the  blackness  of  the  negro.  Mr.  Brett  thinks 
their  want  of  cleanliness  is  one  cause  of 
this  deeper  hue.  They  are  the  best  native 
laborers  that  can  be  found,  and,  when  they 
can  be  induced  to  shake  oft*  their  national 
apathy  and  fairly  begin  work,  they  will  do 
more  than  any  other  tribe.  ISTeither  do 
they  want  so  much  wages  as  are  required 
by  the  other  natives,  preferring  liberal  ra- 
tions of  rum  to  actual  wages. 

Living  as  do  the  Guianan  natives  in  the 
forests,  amid  all  the  wealth  of  animal  life 
which  is  found  in  them,  and  depending 
chiefly  for  their  subsistence  on  their  success 
in  hunting,  they  attain  an  intimate  knowl- 
edge of  the  habits  of  the  various  animals, 
and  display  considerable  skill  in  taking 
them.  They  capture  birds,  monkeys,  and 
other  creatures,  not  for  the  sake  of  killing 
them,  but  of  domesticating  them  as  pets, 
and  almost  every  hut  has  a parrot  or  two,  a 
monkey,  or  some  such  pet  attached  to  it. 

The  women  are  especially  fond  of  the 
little  monkeys,  and  generally  carry  them  on 


their  heads,  so  that  at  a little  distance  they 
look  as  if  they  were  wearing  a red  or  a 
black  headdress,  according  to  the  species 
and  color  of  the  monkey.  They  carry  their 
fondness  for  their  animals  to  such  an  extent 
that  they  treat  them  in  every  respect  as  if 
they  were  their  children,  even  allowing 
them  to  suck  at  their  breasts  in  turn  with 
their  own  oft'spring. 

Dreading  the  venomous  snakes  most  thor- 
oughly, they  have  no  fear  of  the  non-poi- 
sonous  kinds,  and  capture  them  without 
difticulty.  Mr.  Brett  saw  one  of  them  catch 
a young  coulacanara  snake  by  dropping  a 
noose  over  its  head  by  means  of  a forked 
stick,  and  then  hauling  it  out  and  allowing 
it  to  coil  round  his  arm.  Although  a very 
young  specimen,  only  five  feet  or  so  in 
length,  the  reptile  was  so  strong  that  the 
man  was  soon  obliged  to  ask  some  one  to 
release  his  arm. 

Sometimes  this  snake  grows  to  a great 
length,  and,  as  it  is  extremely  thick-bodied, 
is  a very  dangerous  reptile  to  deal  with. 
Mr.  W aterton  succeeded  in  taking  a coula- 
canara fourteen  feet  long,  after  a fierce 
struggle,  which  is  amusingly  told  in  his 
“Wanderings.”  I have  seen  the  skin  of 
this  snake  in  the  collection  which  then 
adorned  Walton  Hall. 

The  skill  of  these  natives  is  well  shown 
by  their  success  in  capturing  a cayman  with 
a hook.  Mr.  Waterton  had  tried  to  catch 
the  reptile  with  a shark  hook,  but  his  eftbrts 
were  unavailing,  the  reptile  declining  to 
swallow  the  bait,  and  at  last  contriving 
to  get  it  off*  the  hook,  though  it  was  tied 
on  with  string.  After  more  than  one 
failure,  he  showed  the  hook  to  a native, 
who  shook  his  head  at  it,  and  said  that 
it  would  not  answer  the  purpose,  but  that 
he  would  make  a hook  that  would  hold  the 
cayman. 

Accordingly,  on  the  following  day  he  re- 
turned with  a very  remarkable  hook.  It 
consisted  of  four  pieces  of  hard  wood  about 
a foot  in  length,  curved,  and  sharpened  at 
the  ends,  which  were  slightly  barbed.  These 
barbs,  if  we  may  so  call  them,  were  tied 
back  to  back  round  the  lower  end  of  a rope, 
a knot  in  the  rope  preventing  it  from  drop- 
ping through  the  barbs,  which  were  forced 
to  diverge  from  each  other  by  four  pegs 
driven  between  them  and  the  rope.  The 
so-called  hook,  indeed,  was  very  like  a four- 
pronged Fijian  spear,  supposing  the  shaft  to 
be  cut  off  below  the  prongs,  a hole  bored 
through  the  centre  of  the  cut  shaft,  and  a 
rope  passed  through  the  hole  and  knotted 
below  the  prongs.  It  is  evident  that  if  such 
an  instrument  as  this  were  taken  into  a cay- 
man’s throat,  the  diverging  prongs  would 
prevent  it  from  coming  out  again,  and  as 
long  as  they  remained  unbro&n,  so  long 
would  the  cayman  be  held. 

This  curious  hook  was  then  taken  to  the 
river  side,  and  baited  with  an  agouti.  The 


(1.)  THE  MAQUARRI  DANCE.  (See  page  1253.) 


(2.)  SHIELD  WRESTLING  OF  THE  WARAUS.  (See  page  1261.) 


'(1260) 


SHIELD  WRESTLING. 


1261 


end  of  the  rope  was  made  fast  to  a tree,  and 
the  barbed  hook  suspended  about  a foot 
from  the  water  by  means  of  a short  stick 
driven  into  the  bank.  The  native  then  took 
the  empty  shell  of  a tortoise,  and  struck  it 
several  blows  with  an  axe,  by  way  of  telling 
the  cayman  that  its  meal  was  ready.  The 
result  of  the  operation  justified  the  Indian’s 
promise.  The  cayman  could  not  get  at  the 
bait  without  lifting  itself  well  out  of  the 
water,  and  securing  it  by  a sudden  snap; 
while  the  resistance  offered  by  the  stick 
caused  the  projecting  barbs  to  be  driven 
into  the  reptile’s  throat  as  it  fell  back  into 
the  water. 

How  the  cayman  was  dragged  out  of  the 
water,  and  how  Mr.  Waterton  jumped  upon 
its  shoulders,  and  disabled  it  % seizing  its 
fore-paws  and  twisting  them  on  its  back,  is 
matter  of  history.  The  tale  was  generally 
disbelieved  at  the  time,  and  gave  rise  to  no 
small  amount  of  banter;  but  it  is  a perfectly 
true  one,  and  the  objections  to  it  have  long 
died  away.  Indeed,  one  of  Mr.  Waterton’s 
men,  who  was  then  little  more  than  a mere 
lad,  was,  as  an  old  man,  in  the  service  of 
one  of  my  friends,  and  corroborated  every 
word  of  the  story. 

As  might  be  inferred  from  the  natural 
apathy  and  indolence  of  the  natives,  they 
have  but  few  games.  They  only  work  by 
fits  and  starts,  and  spend  a very  large  pro- 
portion of  their  time  in  their  hammocks, 
caring  little  for  those  contests  of  skill  and 
strength  which  are  so  absorbingly  interest- 
ing to  the  inhabitants  of  cooler  and  more 
bracing  climates.  There  is,  however,  one 
such  game-  which  is  played  by  the  War- 
aus,  who  have  already  been  mentioned 
as  the  stoutest  and  strongest  of  the  tribes. 
This  game  is  well  described  by  Mr.  Brett : — 

“There  is  also  a kind  of  wrestling,  or 
trial  of  strength,  practised  by  the  Waraus 
at  their  drinking-bouts,  in  which  each  of 
the  antagonists  is  furnished  with  a sort  of 
shield,  (see  illustration  on  page  1260),  made 
of  the  light  branches  of  the  ita,  cut  into 
equal  lengths,  and  firmly  lashed  across  a 
frame  three  or  four  feet  in  height,  some- 
what less  in  width,  and  slightly  bending 
outward. 

“ The  front  of  each  shield  is  painted  in 
various  colors,  and  with  some  peculiar  de- 
vice, according  to  the  fancy  of  the  owner. 
From  its  upper  edge^  arise  elastic  stems, 
generally  three  in  number,  adorned  with 
colored  tassels,  and  surmounted  with  stream- 
ers made  of  the  same  material  as  the  ma- 
quarri  whips,  and  not  much  unlike  them. 
It  has  altogether  a picturesque  appear- 
ance. 

“ Each  champion  grasps  the  edges  of  his 
shield  firmly  with  both  hands,  and,  after  va- 
rious feints  and  grimaces  to  throw  his  oppo- 
nent off  his  guard,  a clash  is  heard,  as  one 
springs  forward,  and  his  shield  strikes  that 


of  his  adversary.  The  contest  is  generally 
one  of  mere  strength,  the  shield  being 
pushed  forward  by  the  whole  force  of  the 
body,  and  supported  by  one  knee,  while  the 
other  leg  is  extended  behind.  Sometimes 
one  of  the  players  is  able  to  push  the  other 
off  the  ground,  or,  by  a dexterous  slip  and 
thrust  on  the  flank,  to  send  him  rolling  on 
the  ground.  More  frequently  they  remain 
pressing,  panting,  and  struggling,  till  ex- 
hausted, when  the  contest  ceases  by  mutual 
consent. 

“ It  is  then  a point  of  W arau  etiquette  to 
shake  the  shields  at  each  other  in  a jeering 
manner,  with  a tremulous  motion  of  their 
elastic  ornaments,  and  to  utter  a very  pecul- 
iar and  ridiculously  defying  sound,  some- 
thing like  the  whinnying  of  a young  horse. 
This  is  generally  followed  by  a hearty,  good- 
humored  laugh,  in  which  the  bystanders 
join.  Another  couple  then  step  forward  to 
engage.” 

The  ita  palm,  of  which  the  Warau  shields 
are  made,  will  be  briefly  described  when  we 
come  to  that  singular  branch  of  the  Warau 
tribe  which  lives  in  dwellings  raised  above 
the  surface  of  the  water.  It  has  already 
been  mentioned  that  the  Waraus  are  cele- 
brated for  the  excellence  of  their  canoes. 
They  are  universally  recognized  as  the  chief 
canoe  builders  of  the  whole  country,  and 
to  them  the  other  tribes  resort  from  consid- 
erable distances.  Some  of  these  canoes  are 
large  enough  to  hold  fifty  men,  so  that  very 
considerable  skill  is  needed  in  building 
them  without  the  instruments  and  measures 
by  which  our  own  boat  builders  ensure  the 
regularity  of  their  craft. 

There  are  several  forms  of  these  canoes. 
The  most  important  is  that  which  has  just 
been  mentioned.  It  is  hollowed  out  of  the 
trunk  of  a tree,  and  is  forced  into  the  proper 
shape  partly  by  means  of  fire,  and  partly  by 
wedges  and  cross  planks.  The  largest  of 
the  canoes  have  the  sides  made  higher  by  a 
narrow  plank  of  soft  wood,  which  is  laced 
upon  the  gunwale,  and  the  seam  well 
caulked.  The  canoe  is  alike  at  both  ends, 
the  stem  and  stern  being  pointed,  curved, 
and  rising  well  out  of  the  water.  There  is 
no  keel,  and  it  draws  but  a few  inches  of 
water.  This  formation  would  be  very  awk- 
ward in  our  own  rivers ; but  in  those  of  Gui- 
ana, such  as  the  Essequibo,  there  are  so 
many  falls  and  rapids,  that  the  canoe  must 
be  especially  adapted  for  them.  This  kind 
of  canoe  is  called  a curial,  or  corial. 

The  perils  of  the  rapids  have  been  well 
told  by  Mr.  Brett : — “ Advantage  is  taken 
of  the  eddies  which  are  found  at  the  base  of 
the  huge  rocks  that  interrupt  the  stream. 
The  Indians  pass  from  rock  to  rock  by  wad- 
ing, leaping,  or  swimming,  and  by  means  of 
a hawser  haul  the  boat  through  the  rushing 
water  from  one  resting  point  to  another,  the 
steersman  meantime  keeping  his  seat,  and 
sometimes  lashed  to  it,  striving  with  his 


1262 


GUIANA. 


large  paddle  to  guide  in  some  degree  her 
course.  The  waters  dashing  and  foaming 
amidst  the  surrounding  rocks  render  this 
operation  as  exciting  as  it  is  difficult.  Still 
more  exciting  and  dangerous  is  the  task  of 
descending  these  rapids.  The  safety  of  all 
then  depends  on  the  perfect  steadiness  of 
those  in  the  canoe,  and  on  the  bowman  and 
steersman  acting  in  concert  and  with  instant 
decision. 

“ The  canoe  is  kept  in  the  very  centre  of 
the  current,  one  of  her  best  hands  kneeling, 
with  quick  eye  and  ready  paddle,  in  the 
bow,  and  the  rest  of  the  men  exerting  their 
strength  to  give  her  headway.  Darting 
swiftly  along,  she  arrives  at  the  edge  of  the 
fall,  and,  pointing  downward,  shoots  into  the 
surf  below  it,  dashing  it  up  on  either  side, 
and  leaving  her  crew  alone  visible.  If  all  be 
well,  rising  above  the  fall,  she  obeys  the 
guiding  paddles  in  stem  and  stern,  and 
dances  over  the.  tumbling  waves,  while  her 
excited  crew  with  a triumphant  cry  exult  at 
their  success.” 


Sometimes  even  the  skill  of  the  natives 
fails  to  overcome  all  the  difficulties,  and  the 
canoe  is  upset,  the  crew  barely  escaping 
with  their  lives.  It  was  in  descending  one 
of  these  falls  that  Mr.  AVaterton’s  canoe  was 
upset,  and  flung  into  the  Essequibo  the  pre- 
cious store  of  materials  from  which  the 
wourali  is  made. 

The  simplest  kind  of  boat,  called  by  the 
colonists  a “woodskin,”  is  nothing  more 
than  the  flexible  bark  of  the  purple-heart 
trees  stripped  off  in  one  piece,  forced  open 
in  the  middle,  tied  together  at  the  ends,  and 
so  left  until  dry.  In  order  to  prevent  these 
bark  canoes  from  taking  in  water  at  the  ends, 
a large  lump  of  clay  is  pressed  firmly  into  the 
end,  so  as  to  make  a barrier  against  the 
water.  This  mode  of  caulking  is  necessarily 
but  temporary,  and  the  “ back-dam,”  as  it  is 
called  by  the  colonists,  is  sure  to  be  washed 
away  sooner  or  later,  according  to  the  state 
of  the  river.  The  reader  will  remember  that 
a similar  appliance  of  clay  is  found  among 
the  Australian  savages. 


CHAPTER  CXXXIV. 


THE  TRIBES  OF  GV1A:N A— Concluded. 

RELIGION  — BURIAL. 

BELIEF  m ONE  CHIEF  DEITY  AND  MANY  DEMI-GODS  — THE  SOKCERER  OR  PIAI-MAN,  AND  HIS  TRAINING 
— THE  SACRED  RATTLE  — DUTIES  AND  PRIVILEGES  OF  THE  PIAI-ALAN  — CURING  DISEASE  AND 
DRIVING  OUT  THE  EVIL  SPIRIT  — JIUSICAL  INSTRTOIENTS — THE  WATER-MAMMA  — THE  ORIGIN 
OF  THE  CARIB  RACE  — A WILD'  LEGEND  — DISPOSAL  OF  THE  DEAD — THE  LAKE-DWELLING 
WARAUS  — THE  ITA  PALM  AND  ITS  USES  — AN  AERIAL  HOUSE  — THE  LAKE-DWELLERS  OF 
MARACAIBO. 


We  will  conclude  this  history  of  the  Gui- 
anan tribes  with  a few  remarks  on  their  re- 
ligion. 

As  far  as  is  known  of  their  religious  ideas 
as  they  were  before  they  became  intermixed 
with  those  taught  to  them  by  the  white  man, 
the  Guianan  natives  believe  in  one  supreme 
Deity,  and  a vast  number  of  inferior  divini- 
ties, mostly  of  the  evil  kind.  All  pain  is  said 
to  be  caused  by  an  evil  spirit  called  Yau- 
hahu,  and  is  said  to  be  the  Yauhahu’s  ar- 
row. 

As  it  is  necessary  that  these  evil  beings 
should  be  propitiated  when  any  calamity  is 
feared,  a body  of  sorcerers,  called  piai  men, 
are  set  apart  in  order  to  communicate  be- 
tween their  fellow  men  and  the  unseen 
world.  In  order  to  qualify  themselves  for 
the  task,  the  piai  men  are  obliged  to  go 
through  sundry  strange  ceremonies,  under 
the  charge  of  some  venerable  professor  of 
the  art.  The  neophyte  is  taken  to  a soli- 
tary hut,  and  there  compelled  to  fast  for 
several  days  before  his  spirit  is  fit  to  leave 
his  body  and  receive  the  commands  of  the 
Yauhahu. 

For  this  purpose  a quantity  of  tobacco  is 
boiled,  and  the  infusion  drunk  by  the  aspi- 
rant to  priestly  honors.  The  natural  efiect 
of  this  dose  is  to  exhaust  the  already  weak- 
ened body,  and  to  throw  the  recipient  into  a 
state  of  fainting,  during  wdiich  his  spirit  is 
supposed  to  leave  his  body,  and  receive  a 
commission  from  the  Yauhahu.  Indeed,  he 
undergoes  a civil  death,  he  is  proclaimed 
as  dead,  and  his  corpse  is  exposed  to  public 
view. 


He  recovers  very  slowly  from  the  terrible 
state  of  prostration  into  which  he  has  been 
thrown,  and  when  at  last  he  leaves  his  hut, 
he  is  worn  almost  to  a skeleton.  As  a mark 
of  office,  he  is  solemnly  presented  vfith  the 
marakka,  or  sacred  rattle.  This  is  nothing 
more  than  a hollow  calabash,  some  eight 
inches  in  diameter,  having  a stick  run 
through  it,  and  a few  white  stones  within  it, 
so  as  to  make  a rattling  sound  when  shaken. 
The  calabash  is  painted  red,  and  a few 
feathers  are  generally  hung  to  the  sticks. 
It  is  two  feet  in  length,  and  adorned  with 
scarlet  and  blue  feathers.  These  rattles  are 
held  in  the  greatest  veneration  by  the  un- 
initiated, who  will  not  venture  to  touch  them, 
and  are  chary  even  of  entering  a house  in 
which  a marakka  is  hung.  In  consequence 
of  the  value  set  upon  these  instruments,  the 
natives  can  scarcely  be  induced  to  part  with 
them,  and  the  few  which  have  been  sent  to 
England  have  in  nearly  every  case  been 
procured  from  sorcerers  Vvdio  have  been 
converted  to  Christianity,  and,  as  a proof  of 
their  sincerity,  have  given  up  the  emblems 
of  their  order 

The  piai  man  is  called  in  on  almost  every 
occasion  oflife,  so  that  his  magic  rattle  has 
but  little  rest.  He  is  present  at  every  pi- 
warri  feast,  when  he  decorates  himself  with 
feather  plumes,  the  skins  of  snakes,  and  sim- 
ilar ornaments,  and  shakes  his  rattle  over 
the  bowl  before  the  contents  are  drunk. 

Chiefly  is  he  needed  in  times  of  sickness, 
when,  by  virtue  of  his  rattle,  he  is  supposed 
to  be  capable  of  driving  away  the  evil  spirit 
whose  curse  has  caused  the  malady.  When 


12Gi 


GUTAISTA. 


a piai  man  is  called  to  a case  of  sickness,  he 
sends  all  the  women  away,  and  even  keeps 
the  men  at  a respectful  distance.  His  ex- 
ercises then  begin,  and  are  continued  for 
hours,  chants  to  the  evil  spirit  being  accom- 
panied with  sundry  rattlings,  until  in  the 
depth  of  night  the  Yauhahu  manifests 
himself  to  the  sorcerer,  and  tells  him  how  to 
extract  the  “ arrow  ” which  he  has  aimed  at 
the  sick  man.  Of  course  it  is  incumbent  on 
the  sorcerer  to  produce  the  arrow  in  ques- 
tion, which  is  done  by  sucking  the  affected 
part,  and  producing  from  the  mouth  a little 
pebble,  a bird’s  claw,  a snake’s  fang,  or  some- 
thing of  the  kind. 

If  the  reader  will  refer  to  illustration  No. 
o,  on  page  1265,  he  will  see  a very  complicated 
and  rather  elegantly  formed  rattle.  The  hol- 
low gourd  forms  part  of  the  rattle,  but  it  is 
very  small,  and  depends  from . series  of  three 
hoops,  which  are  strung  with  beetle  wings. 
The  noise  which  this  simple  instrument 
makes  is  really  wonderful,  and  the  slightest 
movement  of  the  string  by  which  it  is  held 
sets  all  the  wings  clattering  against  each 
other.  This  interesting  object  was  brought 
from  Guiana  by  H.  Bernau,  Esq. 

Even  accepting  the  marakaand  the  beetle 
wing  rattle  as  musical  instruments,  we  find 
that  the  Guiana  natives  have  but  little 
variety  in  music.  The  only  instruments 
which  are  really  worthy  of  the  name  are 
pipes  or  flutes  made  of  different  materials. 
One  of  these  instruments  is  in  my  collection. 
It  is  made  of  the  ever-useful  bamboo,  and  in- 
cludes one  internode,  i.  e.  the  space  between 
two  knots. 

The  mouthpiece  is  narrow  and  oblong,  and 
the  maker  has  possessed  sufficient  knowledge 
of  sound  to  cut  out  a large  scooped  piece 
from  the  middle  of  the  instrument.  The 
owner  seems  to  have  prized  this  flute  ex- 
ceedingly, as  he  has  covered  it  with  elaborate 
patterns.  It  is  blown  like  our  own  flute, 
and  the  sound  which  it  produces  is  loud,  full, 
but,  if  musical,  is  melancholy  also,  and  much 
resembles  the  wailing  sound  produced  by 
blowing  into  the  mouth  of  a soda-water 
bottle.  The  length  of  this  flute  is  fourteen 
inches. 

The  natives  also  make  a flute  of  the  leg 
bone  of  the  jaguar,  which  is  very  much 
prized,  the  spoils  of  the  jaguar  having  a very 
high  value  among  them.  One  of  these  is 
shown  on  the  next  page.  The  Caribs  once 
used  human  bones  for  this  purpose,  but  at  the 
present  time  are  content  with  jaguar  bones, 
as  equally  indicative  of  courage  and  skill. 

To  return  to  the  superstition  of  the 
Guianan  natives.  One  of  the  beings  which 
they  most  dread  is  the  water  mamma,  or 
Orehu.  This  is  an  unfortunate  being  who 
inhabits  the  water,  and  occasionally  shows 
herself,  though  in  different  forms,  sometimes 
even  assuming  that  of  the  horse,  but  often 
taking  that  of  the  manati.  The  Orehu  is  a 
female  spirit,  and  is  generally,  though  not 


always,  malicious,  and,  when  she  is  in  a bad 
temper,  is  apt  to  rise  close  to  the  canoes,  and 
drag  them  and  their  crews  under  water. 

The  legends  told  by  the  various  tribes  re- 
specting their  origin  are  very  curious,  as 
showing  a great  similarity  with  those  of 
other  parts  of  the  world  with  whom  there 
could  have  been  no  geographical  connexion. 
For  example,  the  legend  of  the  earth  sub- 
merged under  water,  through  the  disobe- 
dience of  some  of  its  inhabitants,  and  re- 
peopled by  a few  who  were  placed  in  a safe 
spot  until  the  waters  subsided. 

One  of  the  strangest  of  their  legends  is 
told  by  Mr.  Brett.  It  concerns  the  origin 
of  the  Warau  and  Carib  tribes. 

Originally  the  W araus  lived  in  a country 
above  the  sky,  where  they  had  all  they  could 
desire.  One  day  a young  hunter  shot  an 
arrow  into  the  air,  and  when  he  came  to 
search  for  it,  found  a deep  hole  through 
which  it  had  fallen.  Looking  down  through 
the  aperture,  he  saw  another  world  opened 
out  beneath  him,  and  was  seized  with  curi- 
osity to  visit  it.  Accordingly,  he  made 
himself  a sort  of  ladder  of  rattan,  which  grows 
abundantly  in  the  upper  world  where  he 
lived,  and  descended  to  the  world  below. 

Here  he  remained  for  some  time,  revel- 
ling on  the  flesh  of  animals  hitherto  unknown 
to  him.  After  a. while,  he  climbed  up  the 
ladder  with  great  trouble,  and  told  his 
friends  the  wonders  which  he  had  seen. 
Struck  with  surprise  at  his  narrative,  and 
eager  to  partake  of  the  luxuries  which  he 
described,  the  whole  of  his  friends  deter- 
mined on  paying  a visit  to  these  wondrous 
regions.  Accordingly,  they  descended  the 
ladder  in  safety,  except  the  last  of  their  num- 
ber, a very  fat  man,  who,  in  trying  to  squeeze 
himself  through  the  aperture,  became  fixed 
in  it,  and  could  not  escape,  thus  shutting  off 
all  communication  between  the  two  worlds. 

Nothing  was  left  for  them  but  to  make 
the  best  of  a bad  business,  and  first  of  all  to 
beseech  the  Great  Spirit  to  send  them  some 
water.  He  listened  to  their  entreaties,  cre- 
ated the  Essequibo,  the  Demerara,  and 
other  rivers,  and  made  for  the  special  use  of 
the  W araus  a small  lake  of  the  purest  water, 
of  which  they  were  to  drink,  but  in  which 
they  were  forbidden  to  bathe. 

Now  it  happened  that  there  was  a Warau 
family  of  four  brothers  and  two  sisters,  the 
latter  beautiful,  but  wilful  maidens.  They 
rebelled  against  the  prohibition,  plunged 
into  the  lake,  swam  to  a pole  that  was 
planted  in  its  midst,  and  shook  it.  The  pre- 
siding genius  of  the  lake  was  a male  spirit, 
who  was  kept  prisoner  as  long  as  the  pole 
was  untouched,  but  as  soon  as  it  was  shaken 
the  spell  was  broken,  and  the  spirit  of  the 
lake  pounced  on  the  offending  maiden  and 
carried  her  off.  After  a while  he  allowed 
her  to  rejoin  her  friends,  but  the  indignation 
of  her  brothers  was  very  great  when  they 
found  that  their  sister  was  about  to  become 


tl 


(3.)  JAGUAR  BONE  FLUTE. 
(See  page  1264.) 


(4.)  SHIELD  AND  CLUBS. 
(See  page  1282.) 


(5.)  RATTLE. 
(See  page  1264.) 


(1265) 


CAEIB  LEGENDS. 


12G7 


a mother,  and  they  determined  to  kill  the 
child  when  it  was  born.  However,  it  was  ex- 
actly like  any  other  Warau  child,  and  so  they 
allowed  it  to  live. 

Though  living  among  her  own  friends,  the 
girl  could  not  forget  her  strange  lover,  and 
went  off  again  to  liim.  A second  child  was 
born,  but  this  time  the  upper  parts  of  the 
body  were  those  of  a child,  and  the  lower 
parts  were  developed  into  a water  snake. 
The  mother,  though  terrified  at  the  appear- 
ance of  her  offspring,  carried  it  off  into  the 
woods  and  cherished  it,  but  it  was  dis- 
covered by  her  brothers,  who  pierced  it 
with  their  arrows,  and  left  it  for  dead.  Her 
attention,  however,  restored  it  to  life,  and  it 
grew  to  a formidable  size.  The  brothers 
held  a consultation,  and  at  last  surrounded 
it,  transfixed  it  with  show^ers  of  arrows,  and, 
to  make  sure  of  its  death  cut  it  to  pieces. 

“The  unhappy  Korobona  carefully  col- 
lected the  remains  into  a heap,  which  she 
kept  continually  covered  with  fresh  leaves, 
and  guarded  with  tender  assiduity.  After 
long  watching,  her  patience  was  rewarded. 
The  vegetable  covering  began  to  heave  and 
show  signs  of  life.  From  it  there  slowly 
arose  an  Indian  warrior  of  majestic  and  ter- 
rible appearance.  Efts  color  was  of  a bril- 
liant red,  he  held  bow  and  arrows  in  his 
hand,  and  was  otherwise  equipped  for  in- 
stant battle. 

“That  warrior  was  the  first  Caeib,  the 
great  father  of  a powerful  race.  He  forth- 
with commenced  the  task  ofVevenge  for  the 
wrongs  suffered  in  his  former  existence. 
Neither  his  uncles,  nor  the  whole  Warau 
race  whom  they  summoned,  could  stand  be- 
fore him.  He  drove  them  hither  and  thither 
like  deer,  took  possession  of  such  of  their 
women  as  pleased  him,  and  by  them  became 
the  father  of  brave  and  terrible  warriors  like 
hirpself.  From  their  presence  the  un- 
happy Waraus  retired,  till  they  reached  the 
swampy  shores  of  the  Atlantic,  forsaking 
those  pleasant  hunting  grounds  which  they 
had  occupied  on  their  first  descent  from 
heaven.” 

The  Waraus  are  wonderfully  inventive 
with  regard  to  legends;  and  have  one  which 
is  worthy  of  notice,  if  only  for  the  fact  that 
it  attributes  all  the  learning  of  the  white 
men  to  a Warau  origin.  This  is  the  legend 
of  Abore.  “ Once  upon  a time,”  there  was  a 
very  ill-conditioned  female  spirit,  named 
Wowta,  who  usually  preferred  the  form  of  a 
frog,  but  who  changed  herself  into  a woman 
for  the  purpose  of  stealing  a very  beautiful 
little  boy  called  Abore.  In  the  form  of  a 
woman  she  obtained  access  to  the  house  of 
Abore ’s  mother,  whom  she  induced  to  leave 
the  child  under  her  care.  No  sooner  was 
she  alone  with  Abore  than  she  pulled  and 
stretched  him  to  such  a degree  that  in  a few 
hours  he  grew  as  much  as  he  would  have 
done  in  several  years,  so  that  his  mother  re- 
pudiated him  on  her  return. 


As  he  grew  to  manhood,  Abord  became 
the  slave  of  his  captor,  whom  he  thought  to 
be  his  mother,  until  he  was  undeceived  by  a 
friendly  spirit  who  met  him  in  the  forest. 
After  trying  several  plans  for  escape,  and 
failing  in  them  all,  he  hit  upon  the  design  of 
making  a canoe  of  wax.  lie  was  aided  in 
this  task  by  the  fondness  of  Wowid  for 
honey,  in  search  of  which  the  unfortunate 
Abore  passed  nearly  the  whole  of  his  time. 
Wowta  received  the  combs  with  croaks  of 
delight,  and  as  she  threw  them  away  after 
eating  the  honey,  Abore  laid  the  wax.  aside, 
until  he  had  enough  for  a canoe. 

As  soon  as  he  had  collected  a sutficiency 
of  wax,  Abore  called  his  mistress  to  look  at 
a hollow  tree  filled  with  bee-comb.  She 
crept  into  the  tree  to  regale  herself  on  the 
honey,  and  was  imprisoned  by  the  crafty 
Abore,  who  fastened  up  the  aperture  so  that 
the  sorceress  could  not  escape,  loaded  his 
canoe  with  provisions,  and  set  olf  for  a land 
of  reEige.  He  sailed  far  away  until  he  came 
to  a strange  country  where  the  people  were 
white,  naked,  uneducated,  and  utterly  bar- 
barous. He  taught  them  the  elements  of 
civilization,  showed  them  how  to  forge  iron, 
and  initiated  them  into  the  arts  and  sciences, 
for  which  the  white  man  was  now  so  distin- 
guished. 

In  that  far  land  he  still  lives,  and,  remem- 
bering the  wants  of  his  fellow  countrymen, 
he  continually  sends  them  shiploads  of  the 
things  which  they  most  need.  But  in  conse- 
quence of  the  bad  faith  of  those  to  whom  they 
are  delivered,  the  poor  Waraus  are  obliged 
to  pay  for  everything  that  he  sends.  The 
moral  which  is  derived  from  this  legend  is, 
that  all  the  white  men  who  visit  the  Waraus 
ought  to  make  up  for  the  dishonesty  of  their 
countrymen,  and  give  them  as  many  beads, 
knives,  and  guns  as  they  can  procure. 

When  Mr.  Brett  first  heard  this  tale,  he 
thought  that  it  was  simply  an  ingenious  in- 
vention framed  for  the  purpose  of  unlimited 
begging,  especially  as  the  narrator  asked  for 
a shirt  as  soon  as  he  had  finished  the  story,  and 
then  proceeded^  to  request  a whole  series  of 
other  articles.  He  found,  however,  by  ques- 
tioning different  natives,  that  the  legend  was 
really  a national  one,  and  not  a mere  inven- 
tion of  an  ingenious  native. 

There  is  evidently  a distinction  to  be 
drawn  between  the  two  portions  of  the  leg- 
end. The  first  part,  containing  the  adven- 
tures of  Abore,  is  evidently  ancient,  while 
the  second  part  is  as  evidently  modern,  and 
has  been  introduced  since  the  coming  of  white 
men  into  Guiana. 

In  the  disposal  of  the  dead  there  is  some 
little  variation.  The  mode  which  was  most 
prevalent  before  the  missionaries  introduced 
Christian  burial  among  them  was  as  follows : 
The  body  was  placed  in  a net  and  sunk  in 
the  river,  where  the  whole  of  the  flesh  was 
quickly  eaten  from  the  bones  by  the  pirai 
and  other  voracious  fish.  If  the  dead  man 


12G8 


GUIANA. 


were  a person  of  distinction,  the  skeleton 
was  then  removed  from  the  water,  dried, 
painted  red,  and  suspended  under  the  roof  of 
the  house. 

the  fifth  book  of  Herodotus,  chap,  xv., 
occurs  the  following  passage,  which  was 
long  thought  to  be  a mere  invention  on  the 
part  of  the  historian.  After  enumeration  of 
the  various  nations  that  Megabazes  subdued, 
he  mentions  that  the  Persian  monarch  also 
endeavored  to  conquer  “ those  who  live  upon 
the  Lake  Prasias  in  dwellings  contrived  after 
this  manner. 

“ Planks  fitted  on  lofty  piles  are  placed  in 
the  middle  of  the  lake,  with  a narrow  en- 
trance from  the  mainland  by  a single  bridge. 
These  piles  that  support  the  planks  all  the 
citizens  anciently  placed  there  at  the  common 
charge;  but  afterward  they  established  a law 
to  the  following  effect : ‘Whenever  a man 
marries,  for  each  wife  he  sinks  three  piles, 
bringing  wood  from  a mountain  called  Orbe- 
lus,’  but  every  man  has  several  wives. 

“ They  live  in  the  following  manner. 
Every  man  has  a hut  on  the  planks,  in 
which  he  dwells,  with  a trap-door  closely 
fitted  in  the  planks,  and  leading  down  to  the 
lake.  They  tie  the  young  childr-en  with  a 
cord  round  the  feet,  fearing  lest  they  should 
fall  into  the  lake  beneath.  To  their  horses 
and  beasts  of  burden  they  give  fish  for  fod- 
der, of  which  there  is  such  abundance, 
that  when  a man  has  opened  his  trap-door, 
he  lets  down  an  empty  basket  by  a cord  into 
the  lake,  and,  'after  waiting  a short  time, 
draws  it  up  full  of  fish.” 

In  these  words  the  old  historian  describes 
with  curious  exactitude  the  mode  of  life 
adopted  by  some  branches  of  the  Waraus 
and  Caribs.  These  have  been  described  at 
some  length  by  Humboldt,  in  his  “ Personal 
Narrative.”  The  large  tract  of  land  which 
forms  the  delta  of  the  Orinoco  possesses 
some  very  remarkable  characteristics.  It  is 
always  wet,  but  during  several  months  in 
the  year  it  is  completely  inundated,  the  river 
rising  to  an  astonishing  height,  and  covering 
with  water  a tract  nearly  half  as  large  as 
England.  This  seems  to  be  as  impropitious 
a spot  as  could  be  adopted  for  human  habita- 
tions, and  yet  the  Waraus  (or  Guaranos,  as 
Humboldt  spells  the  word)  have  established 
themselves  there,  and  prefer  it  to  any  other 
locality,  probably  because  their  strange  mode 
of  life  enables  them  to  pass  an  existence  of 
freedom. 

Varying  much  in  the  height  to  which  it 
rises,  in  some  places  exceeding  fifty  feet,  the 
Orinoco  has  the  quality  of  rising  year  after 
year  to  the  same  height  in  the  same  place,  so 
that  when  a mark  is  made  to  designate  the 
height  to  which  the  water  rose  in  one  year, 
the  same  mark  will  answer  year  after  year 
with  scarcely  the  slightest  deviation.  It  is 
evident  that  in  such  a spot,  where  the  soil  is 
in  the  dry  season  nothing  but  mud,  and  in 


the  wet  season  is  forty  or  fifty  feet  under 
water,  only  a very  peculiar  vegetation  can 
live.  This  is  the  ltd  (pronounced  Eetah) 
palm,  belonging  to  the  genus  Mauritia,  a 
plant  which,  like  the  mangrove  of  Africa, 
requires  plenty  of  heat  and  moisture  to  en- 
able it  to  develop  itself  fully.  The  native 
name  for  this  tree  is  Murichi. 

A brief  description  of  the  ita  palm  must 
be  given  before  we  proceed  further,  or  the 
reader  will  not  understand  the  peculiar  con- 
ditions under  which  these  water  dwellers 
live.  When  full  grown,  it  resembles  a tall, 
cylindrical  pillar,  with  a fan  of  ten  or  twelve 
vast  leaves  spreading  from  its  extreme  top. 
Each  leaf  is  some  ten  feet  in  wddth,  and  is 
supported  upon  a huge  stem  about  twelve 
feet  in  length,  looking  more  like  a branch 
than  a leaf-stem.  Indeed,  a complete  leaf  is 
a heavy  load  for  a man.  At  regular  intervals 
the  whole  fan  of  leaves  falls  off,  and  is  re- 
placed by  another,  the  tree  adding  to  its 
height  at  every  change  of  leaf,  until  the  stem 
is  nearly  a hundred  feet  high,  and  fifteen  in 
circumference. 

Myriads  upon  myriads  of  these  marvellous 
trees  rise  amid  the  waters  of  the  Orinoco 
delta,  sometimes  clustered  into  solid  masses 
of  vegetation,  sometimes  scattered,  and  some- 
times drawn  up  in  devious  avenues,  accord- 
ing to  the  windings  of  the  muddy  channels 
that  even  in  the  dry  seasons  traverse  the 
country.  Whether  grouped  or  scattered,  the 
ita  flourishes  in  this  delta  to  such  an  extent 
that  only  the  experienced  canoe  men  of  the 
place  can  navigate  their  barks  among  the 
tall  stems,  the  narrow  and  v>^inding  chan- 
nels which  form  the  natural  paths  being 
completely  obliterated  by  the  w^aste  of 
water.  Any  stranger  who  tried  to  thread  this 
aquatic  forest  without  the  aid  of  a native  guide 
would  soon  lose  himself  among  the  armies  of 
ita  palm,  and  perish  miserably  of  hunger. 
Yet  this- very  tree  supplies  to  the  Waraus  of 
the  Orinoco  not -only  all  the  necessaries,  but 
the  luxuries  of  life,  and  were  the  whole  tribe 
to  be  cut  off  from  the  mainland,  they  could 
support  themselves  without  the  least  diffi- 
culty, the  ita  palm  supplying  house,  food, 
drink,  clothing,  and  furniture. 

First,  as  to  the  house.  The  Warau  re- 
quires for  a house  nothing  but  a floor  and  a 
roof.  In  the  example  seen  on  page  1244, 
the  floor  is  supplied  by  the  earth,  but  it  is 
evident  that  in  a house  built  in  a locality 
where  the  ground  is  for  many  months  to- 
gether thirty  or  forty  feet  beneath  the  sur- 
face of  the  water,  an  artificial  flooring  is 
needed.  The  Warau  architect,  therefore, 
proceeds  to  construct  his  house  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner. 

Selecting  four  ita  trees  that  grow  near 
each  other  in  the  form  of  a square,  and,  cut- 
ting away  any  of  the  intervening  trees,  he 
makes  use  of  these  four  as  the  corner  posts 
of  his  house.  He  knows  by  marks  left  on 
the  trunks  the  precise  height  to  which  the 


LAKE  DWELLINGS. 


12G9 


water  will  rise,  and  some  three  feet  or  so 
above  this  mark  he  builds  his  lloor,  cutting 
deep  notches  in  the  trunk.  In  these  notches 
are  laid  beams  made  from  the  stems  of  the 
felled  ita  palms,  and  lashed  tightly  in  their 
places  by  ropes  made  of  ita  fibre. 

On  these  beams  are  laid  a number  of, 
cross-pieces,  sometimes  made  from  the  split 
trunks,  but  usually  being  nothing  more  than 
the  gigantic  leaf-stems  which  have  been  al- 
ready mentioned,  and  which  are  when  dry 
very  light,  very  tough,  and  very  elastic. 
These  cross-pieces  are  tied  firmly  together, 
and  constitute  the  essential  part  of  the  fioor. 
On  them  is  placed  a layer  of  palm  leaves, 
and  upon  the  leaves  is  a thick  coating  of  mud, 
which  soon  dries  under  the  tropical  sun, 
and  forms  a smooth,  hard,  and  firm  fiooring, 
which  will  bear  a fire  without  risk  of  dam- 
age to  the  wooden  structure  below.  Ten  or 
twelve  feet  above  the  floor  the  W arau  con- 
structs a roof  of  palm  leaves,  the  corners  of 
which  are  supported  by  the  same  trees 
which  uphold  the  house,  and  then  the  chief 
labors  of  the  native  architect  are  over.  An 
illustration  on  page  1244  shows  the  scenery 
of  the  Orinoco  delta  and  the  architecture  of 
these  lake  dwellers.  So  much  for  the  house 
furnished  by  the  ita  palm. 

Food  is  supplied  by  it  in  various  forms. 
First,  there  is  the  fruit,  wLich,  when  ripe,  is 
as  large  as  an  ordinary  apple,  many  hun- 
tlreds  of  which  are  developed  on  the  single 
branch  produced  by  this  tree.  Next,  there 
is  the  trunk  of  the  tree  and  its  contents.  If 
It  be  split  longitudinally  at  the  time  when 
the  flower  branch  is  just  about  to  burst  from 
the  enveloping  spathe,  a large  quantity  of 
soft,  pith-like  substance  is  found  within  it. 
This  is  treated  like  the  cassava,  and  fur- 
nishes a sort  of  bread  called  yuruma. 

Drink  is  also  obtained  from  the  it4  palm. 
From  the  trunk  is  drawn  a sap,  which, 
like  that  of  the  maguey  or  great  American 
aloe,  can  be  ferment^ed,  and  then  it  becomes 
intoxicating  in , quality.  Another  kind  of 
drink  is  procured  from  the  fruit  of  the  ita, 
which  is  bruised,  thrown  into  water,  and 
allowed  to  ferment  for  a while.  When  fer- 
mentation has  proceeded  to  a sufficient  ex- 
tent, the  liquor  is  strained  through  a sieve 
made  of  ita  fibre,  and  is  thus  ready  for  con- 
sumption. 

The  small  amount  of  clothing  required 
by  the  Warau  is  also  obtained  from  the 
itd,  the  membrane  of  the  young  leaf  being 
stripped  off  and  woven  into  a simple  fab- 
ric. 

From  the  same  tree  the  Warau  obtains  all 
his  furniture.  Bow's,  arrows,  and  spears  are 
made  from  its  leaf-stems,  the  canoe  in  which 
he  goes  fishing  is  made  from  a hollow  ita 
trunk,  and  the  lines  and  nets  are  both  fur- 
nished from  the  same  tree,  as  is  also  the 
string  of  which'his  hammock  is  made.  That 
the  one  single  tree  should  be  able  to  supply 
all  the  wants  of  an  entire  population  is  the 

61 


more  extraordinary,  because  in  former  days 
the  Warau  had  no  iron  tools,  and  it  is  not 
easy  to  find  a tree  that  will  at  the  same  time 
furnish  all  the  necessaries  of  his  life,  and  be 
of  such  a character  that  it  can  be  worked  by 
the  rude  stone  implements  which  the  Warau 
had  to  use  before  he  obtained  iron  from  the 
white  men. 

It  may  readily  be  imagined  that  the  Wa- 
raus  who  inhaifit  this  strange  region  are 
lower  in  the  scale  of  civilization  than  those 
who  live  on  dry  land,  and,  to  use  the  w^ords  of 
Humboldt,  “ in  the  lowest  grades  of  man’s 
development  we  find  the  existence  of  an  en- 
tire race  dependent  upon  almost  a single 
tree,  like  certain  insects  which  are  confined 
to  particular  portions  of  a flower.” 

The  Waraus  are  not  the  only  lake  dwellers 
of  Southern  America.  At  the  extreme  north 
of  this  half  of  the  continent  there  is  a prov- 
ince which  derives  its  name  from  the  mode 
of  life  adopted  by  the  savage  tribe  which 
dwells  upon  the  waters  of  a lake.  On  the 
north-western  coast  of  Yenezuela  there  is  a 
large  gulf,  called  the  Gulf  of  Maracaibo,  the 
name  having  been  given  to  it  by  the  Spanish 
discoverers  in  honor  of  a native  chief  whom 
they  met  on  its  shores.  Close  to  the  gulf, 
and  only  separated  from  it  by  a narrow,  is  a 
vast  fresh-water  lake,  fed  % the  streams 
that  pour  from  the  mountains  which  sur- 
round it.  The  shape  of  this  lake  has  been 
well  compared  to  that  of  a jews-harp,  with 
a rather  elongated  neck,  and  the  depth  of 
its  water  varies  in  a most  remarkable  man- 
ner. 

From  the  sides  the  bottom  of  the  lake 
shelves  almost  imperceptibl}^  for  a great  dis- 
tance, so  that  at  a distance  of  two  or  three 
miles  from  the  shore,  a man  would  be  able 
to  walk  with  his  head  above  the  surface. 
Suddenly,  and  without  the  least  warning, 
the  bed  of  the  lake  dips  into  almost  un- 
fathomable depths,  so  that,  though  a man 
might  be  barely  submerged  above  his  waist, 
a single  step  will  plunge  him  into  water  so 
deep  that  the  tallest  spire  ever  built  would 
be  plunged  far  below  the  surface. 

Over  the  surface  of  this  lake  dwell  nu- 
merous human  beings,  and,  even  at  the 
present  day,  when  the  number  of  the  inhab- 
itants has  been  much  decreased,  upon  its 
waters  are  no  less  than  four  large  villages, 
beside  numerous  detached  dwellings  formed 
in  the  various  bays  which  indent  its  shores. 

The  reason  for  thus  abandoning  the  dry 
land  and  taking  to  the  water  is  a very  curi- 
ous one,  and  may  be  summed  up  in  a single 
word  — mosquitoes.  These  tiny  but  most 
annoying  insects  are  found  in  clouds  around 
the  edge  of  the  lake,  some  species  flying  by 
night  and  others  by  day,  so  that  at  no  hour 
is  there  the  least  respite  from  their  attacks. 
Fortunately,  they  need  the  protection  of  the 
luxuriant  vegetation  that  fringes  the  shore 
of  the  lake,  and  not  being  very  enduring  of 


1270 


GUIA^TA. 


wing,  are  obliged  to  rest  at  intervals  in  their 
flight.  They  tlierefore  keep  to  the  shore, 
and  do  not  venture  to  any  great  distance 
over  the  water.  Knowing  this  characteris- 
tic of  the  insect,  the  natives  manage  to  evade 
them  by  making  their  dwellings  behind  the 
range  of  the  mosquito’s  flight. 

In  building  these  curious  habitations,  the 
lake  dweller  of  Maracaibo  is  forced  to  em- 
ploy a greater  skill  in  architecture  than  is 
needed  by  the  Waraus  of  the  Orinoco  delta. 
In  that  muddy  delta,  formed  by  the  alluvium 
washed  down  by  the  river,  the  ita  palm 
abounds,  and  forms  natural  pillars  for  the 
house;  but  the  Lake  Maracaibo  furnishes 
no  such  assistance,  and  the  native  archi- 
tect is  therefore  obliged  to  drive  piles  into 
the  bed  of  the  lake  in  order  to  raise  his 
floor  above  the  level  of  the  water. 

It  is  evidently  needful  that  these  piles 
should  be  made  of  wood  which  will  not  per- 
ish by  the  action  of  the  water,  and  upon  the 
shores  of  the  lake  grows  a tree  wLich  sup- 
plies precisely  the  kind  of  timber  that  is 
required.  It  is  one  of  the  numerous  iron- 
wood  trees,  and  its  scientiflc  name  is  Guia- 
cum  arhoreiim.  It  is  a splendid  tree,  rising 
to  the  height  of  a hundred  feet  or  so,  and 
having  wood  so  hard  that  it  will  turn  the 
edge  of  an  axe.  The  natives,  however, 
manage  to  fell  these  trees,  to  cut  them  into 
proper  lengths,  and  to  drive  them  firmly 
into  the  bed  of  the  lake,  where  they  become 
even  stronger  by  submersion,  being  covered 
in  course  of  years  with  an  incrustation  of 
lime,  which  makes  them  look  as  if  they  had 
been  actually  converted  into  stone. 

On  these  piles  are  laid  cross-beams  and 
planks  of  lighter  wood,  and  when  a strong 
roof  and  light  walls  have  been  added,  the 
house  is  complete.  All  the  parts  of  the 


house  are  lashed  together  with  green  sipo, 
which  contracts  when  dry,  and  binds  the 
various  portions  as  with  bands  of  iron. 

As  has  been  already  mentioned,  numbers 
of  these  houses  are  gathered  together  into 
villages.  When  the  Spaniards  first  entered 
the  Gulf  of  Maracaibo,  and  came  within 
view  of  the  lake,  the}^  were  struck  with 
amazement,  at  these  habitations,  and  called 
the  place  Venezuela — i.  e.  Little  Venice — ■ 
a name  which  has  since  been  extended  to 
the  whole  of  the  large  province  which  is 
now  known  by  that  title. 

It  is  on  this  lake  that  the  gourd  system 
of  duck  catching  is  carried  to  the  greatest 
perfection.  Great  quantities  of  ducks  fre- 
quent its  waters,  but  they  are  shy  of  man, 
and  will  not  allow  him  to  come  near  them. 
The  natives,  however,  manage  to  catch 
them  by  hand,  without  even  employing  a 
snare.  They  take  a number  of  large  gourds, 
scrape  out  the  inside,  and  set  them  floating 
on  the  lake.  At  first  the  timid  birds  are 
afraid  of  the  gourds  and  avoid  them,  but 
after  a while  they  become  accustomed  to 
them,  and  allow  them  to  float  freely  among 
their  ranks. 

The  Indian  then  takes  a similar  gourd 
and  puts  it  over  his  head,  having  previously 
cut  a couple  of  holes  through  which  he  can 
see.  He  slips  quietly  into  the  water,  and 
makes  his  way  toward  the  duck,  taking  care 
to  keep  the  whole  of  his  body  submerged. 
As  soon  as  he  gets  among  them,  he  grasps 
the  nearest  duck  by  the  legs,  jerks  it  under 
water,  and  ties  it  to  his  girdle,  where  it  is 
soon  drowned.  He  then  makes  his  way  to 
another  duck,  and,  if  an  exj)erienced  hand, 
will  capture  as  many  as  he  can  carry,  and 
yet  not  alarm  th®  survivors. 


CHAPTER  CXXXV. 


MEXICO. 

HISTORY  — RELIGION — ART. 


MEXICO  AS  IT  IS,  AND  WAS  BEFORE  THE  SPANISH  CONQUEST  — WHY  THE  EMPIRE  FAILED  — CONTRA- 
DICTORY ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  ANCIENT  MEXICANS — THE  RUINS  OF  THEIR  BUILDINGS  — HUMAN 
SACRIFICES  — THE  SACRIFICIAL  KNIFE  — MEXICAN  ART  — MOSAIC  WORK  AND  FEATHER  PICTURES 
— CAPABILITIES  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 


Before  passing  to  the  Xorth  American 
tribes,  a brief  notice  must  be  taken  of  Mex- 
ico. 

At  the  present  day  this  land  is  possessed 
of  a sort  of  civilization  which  presents  no 
features  of  interest.  It  is  inhabited  chiefly 
by  a mixed  people,  the  descendants  of  the 
Spanish  conquerors  having  contracted  alli- 
ances with  the  natives,  and  so  produced  a 
hybrid  race,  wdiich  is  continually  retro- 
grading from  the  white  parentage,  and  as- 
suming more  of  the  aboriginal  type. 

The.  failure  in  establishing  a Mexican  em- 
pire was  entirely  due  to  the  question  of  race. 
Those  inhabitants  who  were  either  pure 
whites,  or  in  whom  the  white  blood  pre- 
dominated, were  naturally  desirous  to  have 
a ruler  of  their  own  kind,  thinking  that  an 
empire  was  the  only  mode  of  civilizing  the 
land,  and  of  putting  an  end  to  the  constant 
civil  wars  and  repeated  changes  of  dynasty 
which  kept  back  their  most  prolific  and  fer- 
tile land  from  developing  its  full  capabilities. 
But  in  the  great  bulk  of  the  people  the  Indian 
blood  predominated,  and  in  consequence  an 
empire  founded  on  the  principles  of  Eu- 
ropean civilization  was  as  irreconcilable  to 
them  as  would  be  the  rule  of  an  Indian  ca- 
cique in  Europe.  Such  an  empire  could  only 
be  held  by  force  of  arms,  and  as  soon  as  the 
bayonet  was  withdrawn  the  empire  fell.  We 
pust,  however,  confine  ourselves  to  Mex- 
ico as  it  was  before  the  Spaniard  crushed 
out  her  civilization  and  destroyed  her  history. 

The  accounts  of  ancient  Mexico  are  most 
perplexing.  If  the  narratives  of  the  Span- 
ish conquerors  could  be  implicitly  trusted, 


nothing  would  be  simpler  than  to  condense 
them  into  a consecutive  history.  But  it  is 
quite  certain  that  these  accounts  were  very 
much  exaggerated,  and  that  the  reality  fell 
very  far  short  of  the  romantic  tales  of  the 
Spanish  conquerors. 

The  following  is  an  abstract  of  the  nar- 
ratives put  forth  by  the  Spaniards.  The 
capital  was  situated  on  an  island  in  the  midst 
of  a large  lake.  It  contained  tv^enty  thou- 
sand houses,  which  were  of  great  magnifi- 
cence. In  the  midst  wns  the  emperor’s 
palace,  built  of  marble  and  jasper,  and  of 
prodigious  extent.  It  was  adorned  with  foun- 
tains, baths,  and  statues,  and  the  walls  were 
covered  with  pictures  made  of  feathers.  Xot 
only  the  palace,  but  the  houses  of  the  ca- 
ciques, possessed  menageries  filled  with  all 
the  animals  of  the  country,  together  with 
museums  of  various  natural  curiosities. 

One  of  the  greatest  beauties  of  Mexico  was 
a large  square,  daily  filled  with  merchants, 
who  came  to  buy  and  sell  the  various  works 
of  art  in  gold,  silver,  and  feathers  for  which 
the  Mexicans  were  famous.  Between  the 
city  and  the  borders  of  the  lake  a hundred 
thousand  canoes  were  continually  passing; 
besides  W'hich  mode  of  transit  three  vast 
causeways  were  built  on  the  lake.  The 
capital  was  not  the  only  city  of  the  waters, 
for  more  than  fifty  large  cities  and  a multi- 
tude of  villages  were  built  on  the  same  lake. 

The  dress  of  the  nobles  was  most  gorgeous, 
and  their  persons  were  adorned  with  gold  and 
jewels  in  profusion.  Their  treasuries  were 
filled  with  the  precious  metals,  and  gold  was 
as  plentiful  in  Mexico  as  copper  in  Europe. 


1272  MEXICO. 


That  these  statements  were  much  ex- 
aggerated is  not  to  be  doubted,  but  they  were 
not  pure  inventions,  and  had  all  some  foun- 
dation in  fact.  For  example,  the  archi- 
tecture of  the  ancient  Mexicans  was  of  a 
Cyclopean  vastness,  as  is  proved  b^  the  ruins 
which  are  now  almost  the  sole  memorials  of 
a vanished  system  of  civilization.  There  is 
a strong  resemblance  between  the  archi- 
tecture of  Mexico  and  that  of  Egypt,  not 
only  in  its  massiveness,  but  in  the  frequent 
use  of  the  pyramid. 

One  of  these  pyramids  has  the  sides  ex- 
actly twice  as  long  as  those  of  the  large 
pyramid  of  Egypt.  This  is  the  great  pyramid 
lower  of  Cholula,  which  had  eight  stories, 
each  forming  a platform  on  which  rested  the 
one  above  it,  so  that  it  closely  resembled  the 
Temple  of  Belus  as  described  by  Herodotus. 
The  interior  of  these  pyramidal  structures 
was  pierced  with  chambers,  galleries,  and 
flights  of  stairs,  probably  the  habitations  of 
the  priests  who  served  the  temples  and  per- 
formed those  terrible  human  sacrifices  which 
formed  an  important  part  of  their  religious 
system.  Viaducts  which  crossed  deep  val- 
leys, bridges,  and  roads,  remains  of  which 
are  still  in  existence,  testify  to  the  vanished 
civilization  of  the  Mexicans,  or,  as  some  eth- 
nologists think,  of  a race  that  preceded 
them. 

Specimens  of  the  artistic  skill  of  the  ancient 
Mexicans  may  be  seen  in  the  magnificent 
Christy  Collection.  There  is,  for  example, 
one  of  the  sacrificial  knives  with  which  the 
priests  laid  open  the  breast  of  the  human 
victim  in  order  to  tear  out  the  heart  and 
offer  it  to  the  blood-loving  deity  of  the  temple. 
The  blade  of  this  instrument  is  obsidian,  and 
its  handle  is  a marvellous  piece  of  mosaic 
work,  made  of  lapis  lazuli,  ruby,  and  other 
precious  stones.  Then  there  are  masks  made 
of  similar  materials,  one  being  a most  ghastly 
imitation  of  a human  skull. 

The  skill  in  feather  working  still  survives, 
and  even  at  the  present  day  pictures  are 
made  so  exquisitely  from  humming-birds’ 
feathers  that  they  seem,  at  a little  distance, 
to  be  admirable  specimens  of  enamel. 

The  courage  of  the  ancient  Mexicans  was 
very  great.  They  opposed  their  naked 
breasts  to  the  mail-clad  invaders,  and  their 
comparatively  feeble  weapons  to  the  dreaded 
fire-arms.  Even  the  horse,  which  at  first 
struck  terror  into  them  as  a supernatural 
being,  soon  ceased  to  be  an  object  of  dread, 
and  there  is  a story  that  they  captured  a 
horse  in  battle,  stabled  it  in  a temple,  and 
treated  it  as  a god,  feeding  it  with  daintily 
dressed  chickens  and  similar  dishes,  until  the 
poor  beast  was  starved  in  the  midst  of  plenty. 

The  conduct  of  the  Aztecs  in  destroying 
their  once  venerated  Emperor  Montezuma, 
because  he  yielded  to  the  Spaniards,  and  the 
calm  endurance  of  his  warlike  successor 
Guatemozin,  when  stretched  on  the  fiery 
rack,  are  sufficient  instances  of  the  courage 


possessed  by  the  Mexicans  when  Cortez  came 
into  the  country. 

The  real  prosperity  of  Mexico  is  to  come. 
There  is  every  capability  in  the  country, 
which  is  fertile  in  many  valuable  pro- 
ductions, — cattle  and  horses,  for  example, 
both  of  which,  importations  from  Europe, 
have  multiplied  in  an  astonishing  manner, 
and  may  at  some  time  supply  half  Europe 
with  cheap  food,  hides,  and  beasts  of  burden. 

Insect  life  is  almost  as  valuable  as  that  of 
the  higher  and  larger  animals.  The  co- 
chineal insect  reproduces  itself  in  vast 
numbers,  and,  large  as  is  the  trade  in  this 
valuable  insect,  it  could  be  extended  almost 
indefinitely!  There  is  no  trouble  in  breed- 
ing the  insect,  no  risk,  and  scarcely  any 
capital  required.  It  feeds  upon  the  prickly 
pear,  a plant  which  springs  up  luxuriantly 
if  but  a leaf  be  stuck  in  the  ground. 

It  is  indeed  so  luxuriant,  that  riders  are 
forced  to  employ  a peculiar  kind  of  stirriqi, 
in  order  to  prevent  their  feet  from  being 
riddled  with  the  needle-like  thorns  with 
which  the  plant,  the  leaf,  and  fruit  are  cov- 
ered. One  of  these  curious  stirrups  is  shown 
in  illustration,  Xo.  1,  page  1265,  drawn  from 
my  own  specimens,  udiich  was  brought  from 
Mexico  by  Sir  F.  W etherell. 

It  is  cut  from  a solid  block  of  wood,  and 
is  therefore  exceedingly  heavy.  A.  hole  is 
cut  in  the  back  of  the  stirrup,  into  which 
the  foot  can  be  thrust  nearly  half  way. 
Owing  to  the  size  and  weight  of  this  curious 
implement,  the  prickly  pears  are  pushed 
aside  as  the  rider  passes  among  them,  and 
thus  the  foot  and  ankle  are  protected  from 
the  slender  but  formidable  thorns  with  which 
they  are  armed.  The  stirrup  is  sometimes 
put  to  another  use,  and  employed  as  a rough 
and  ready  drinking  cup.  The  front  of  the 
implement  is  covered  with  bold  and  grace- 
ful patterns,  the  effect  of  which  is  often 
heightened  by  means  of  color.  In  my  own 
specimen  they  are  colored  with  blue,  scar- 
let, and  black. 

As  to  the  vegetable  products  of  Mexico, 
they  are  too  numerous  to  mention,  but  the 
principal  are  the  indigo,  the  chocolate,  and 
the  vanilla. 

Then  it  is  as  prolific  in  mineral  as  in  ani- 
mal wealth,  and  in  the  hands  of  an  energetic 
and  industrious  people,  the  yield  of  copper, 
iron,  gold,  silver,  and  other  metals  might  be 
almost  indefinitely  extended.  In  all  these 
productions  comparatively  little  labor  is  re- 
quired. Xature  gives  almost  gratuitously 
those  privileges  which  in  other  lands  cannot 
be  obtained  without  the  expenditure  of  time, 
labor,  and  money. 

The  past  civilization  of  Mexico  has  van- 
ished never  to  return.  Its  present  is  a 
comparative  failure.  The  future  is  yet  to 
be  seen,  but  it  may  even  eclipse  the  van- 
ished glories  of  the  past  if  guided  by  those 
who  understand  the  epoch,  the  country,  and 
the  race. 


CHAPTER  CXXXVI. 


THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 

GOVERKMENT  — CUSTOMS. 


GENERAL  NOTICE  OF  THE  TRIBES — THEIR  COLOR  AND  FEATURES  — CATLIN’s  DESCRIPTION  OF  A CROW 
CHIEF — LONG  HAIR  OF  THE  MEN  — SILVER  HAIR  OF  THE  MANDAN  TRIBE  — GOVERNMENT  OF 
THE  TRIBES  — THE  HEREDITARY  AND  ELECTED  CHIEFS  — THEIR  LIMITED  POWERS  — THEIR  DIS- 
TINCTIVE DRESS  — COSTUME  THE  RECORD  OF  DEEDS  — THE  SCALP-LOCKS,  PAINTED  ROBES,  AND 
CLAW  COLLAR — PRESERVATION  OF  SKINS  — THE  FEATHER  PLUMES  — THE  HORNS,  AND  THEIR 
SIGNIFICATION  — INDIAN  DANDIES — ESTIMATION  IN  WHICH  THEY  ARE  HELD  — THE  PORTR.AIT 
PAINTER  BAFFLED  — DRESS  OF  THE  WOMEN— BISON  SKIN  ROBES  — WAMPUM,  AND  ITS  SIGNIFI- 
CATION. 


It  has  already  been  mentioned  that,  with 
the  exception  of  the  shore  districts,  America 
is  inhabited  from  the  extreme  south  to  ex- 
treme north  by  the  same  race. 

The  various  tribes  into  which  that  race  is 
divided  'are  naturally  varied  according  to 
the  locality  and  climate  of  the  spot  which 
they  inhabit.  Those,  for  example,  who  live 
in  the  perpetual  snow  and  ice  of  either  the 
extreme  north  or  south  are  naturally  dif- 
ferent in  manners  and  customs  from  those 
who  inhabit  the  tropical  centre  of  America. 
Then,  even  in  similar  climate,  there  is  very 
definite  modification  according  to  locality. 
The  inhabitants  of  the  mountains,  for  ex- 
ample, differ  materially  from  the  dwellers  of 
the  plain,  while  those  tribes  who  live  in  the 
forests  differ  from  both. 

Yet  they  are  all  members  of  one  and  the 
same  great  race,  and  whether  in  the  Esqui- 
maux of  the  north,  the  Amazonian  of  the 
tropics,  or  the  Patagonian  of  the  extreme 
south,  all  display  the  same  race  charac- 
teristics. 

The  color  of  the  skin  is  deep  copper  red, 
the  cheek-bones  are  prominent,  the  nose 
mostly  aquiline,  the  forehead  rather  reced- 
ing, and  the  eyes  apparently  small,  this 
latter  characteristic  being  due  to  the  contin- 
ual exposure  to  the  sun,  and  to  the  smoky 
atmosphere  of  the  huts.  The  beard  is  very 
deficient,  and  even  those  few  hairs  that 
make  their  appearance  are  carefully  eradi- 
cated with  tweezers.  Sometimes  an  old  man 


who  is  careless  about  his  personal  appear- 
ance allows  his  beard  to  grow,  but  in  that 
case  it  is  very  scanty,  thin,  and  never  reaches 
any  great  length. 

The  hair  of  the  head  contrasts  strongly 
with  that  of  the  face,  being  very  long  and 
fine,  in  some  of  the  tribes  attaining  an  al- 
most incredible  length.  The  Crow  tribe  are 
remarkable  for  the  extraordinary  develop- 
ment of  their  hair,  which  in  some  of  the 
warriors  actually  trails  on  the  ground  as 
they  walk.  They  pride  themselves  so  much 
on  this  peculiarity,  that  in  1833  their  chief 
received  both  his  name  of  Longhair  and  his 
office  from  his  wonderful  tresses.  The  hair 
of  this  man  was  carefully  measured  by  some 
white  travellers,  who  had  lived  in  his  lodge 
for  months  together,  and  was  found  to  be 
ten  feet  seven  inches  in  length. 

He  did  not  allow  it  to  hang  at  its  full 
length  except  on  occasions  of  ceremony, 
but  kept  it  carefully  wound  with  a broad 
leather  strap,  and  made  up  into  a bundle 
weighing  several  pounds.  Usually  this  bun- 
dle was  carried  under  his  arm  or  in  the 
bosom  of  his  robe,  but  on  great  occasions 
the  hair  was  let  down  to  its  full  length,  and 
carefully  smoothed  with  bear’s  grease,  and 
allowed  to  trail  on  the  ground  several  feet 
behind  the  owner  as  he  proudly  stalked 
along. 

Several  other  tribes,  such  as  the  Blackfeet 
(so  called  from  the  dark  moccasins  which 
they  wear),  have  very  long  hair,  of  which 


1274 


THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


they  are  exceedingly  proud,  and  those  indi- 
viduals whose  locks  do  not  reach  the  stand- 
ard of  beauty  are  in  the  habit  of  splicing 
false  hair  to  their  own  tresses. 

The  Mandans,  of  whom  we  shall  hear 
much  in  the  course  of  this  narrative,  the 
Sioux,  and  the  Minatarees,  are  all  distin- 
guished by  this  peculiarity,  though  none  of 
them  possess  it  so  abundantly  as  the  Crows. 
When  Mr.  Catlin  was  staying  among  the 
Minatarees,  a party  of  Crows  came  to  visit 
them,  and  excited  the  admiration  of  their 
hosts  by  their  magnificent  hair.  One  of 
them  possessed  so  picturesque  an  appear- 
ance that  the  artist  traveller  transferred 
him  at  once  to  canvas,  and  the  engraver  has 
reproduced  the  sketch  for  the  reader  on  the 
1284th  page.  The  following  is  Mr.  Catiin’s 
{iccount  of  this  splendid  specimen  of  the 
North  American  Indian  : — 

“I  think  I have  said  that  no  part  of  the 
human  race  could  present  a more  pictu- 
resque and  thrilling  appearance  on  horse- 
back than  a party  of  Crows  rigged  out  in 
all  their  plumes  and  trappings  — galloping 
about  and  yelling  in  what  they  call  a war 
jmrade,  i.  e.  in  a sort  of  tournament  or  sham 
fight,  passing  rapidly  through  the  evolutions 
of  battle,  and  vaunting  forth  the  wonderful 
character  of  their  military  exploits.  This  is 
an  amusement  of  which  they  are  exces- 
sively fond;  and  great  preparations  are  in- 
variably made  for  these  occasional  shows. 

“ No  tribe  of  Indians  on  the  continent  are 
better  able  to  produce  a pleasing  and  thrill- 
ing effect  in  these  scenes,  not  any  more  vain, 
and  consequently  better  prepared  to  draw 
pleasure  and  satisfaction  from  them,  than 
the  Crows.  They  may  be  justly  said  to  be 
the  most  beautifully  clad  of  all  the  Indians 
in  these  regions,  and,  bringing  from  the 
base  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  a fine  and 
spirited  breed  of  the  wild  horses,  have  been 
able  to  create  a great  sensation  among  the 
Minatarees,  who  have  been  paying  them  all 
attention  and  all  honors  for  some  days  past. 

“From  amongst  these  showy  fellows  who 
have  been  entertaining  us,  and  pleasing 
themselves  Vvith  their  extraordinary  feats 
of  horsemanship,  I have  selected  one  of  the 
most  conspicuous,  and  transferred  him  and 
his  horse,  with  arms  and  trappings,  as  faith- 
fully as  I could  to  the  canvas,  for  the  infor- 
mation of  the  world,  who  will  learn  vastly 
more  from  lines  and  colors  than  they  could 
from  oral  or  written  delineations. 

“ I have  painted  him  as  he  sat  for  me, 
balanced  on  his  leaping  wild  horse,  with  his 
shield  and  quiver  slung  on  his  back,  and  his 
long  lance,  decorated  with  the  eagle’s  quills, 
trained  in  his  right  hand.  His  shirt  and  his 
leggings,  and  moccasins  were  of  the  moun- 
tain-goat skins,  beautifully  dressed;  and 
their  seams  everywhere  fringed  with  a pro- 
fusion of  scalp-locks  taken  from  the  heads  of 
his  enemies  slain  in  battle.  His  long  hair, 
which  reached  almost  to  the  ground  while 


he  was  standing  on  his  feet,  was  now  lifted 
in  the  air,  and  tioating  in  black  waves  over 
the  hips  of  his  leaping  charger.  On  his  head, 
and  over  his  shining  black  locks,  he  wore  a 
magnificent  crest,  or  headdress,  made  of  the 
quills  of  the  war  eagle  and  ermine  skins,  and 
on  his  horse’s  head  was  another  of  equal 
beauty,  and  precisely  the  same  in  pattern 
and  material. 

“.Added  to  these  ornaments  there  were 
yet  many  others  which  contributed  to  his 
picturesque  appearance,  and  amongst  them 
a beautiful  netting  of  various  colors,  that 
completely  covered  and  almost  ob’fecured  the 
horse’s  head  and  neck,  and  extended  over  its 
back  and  its  hips,  terminating  in  a most  ex- 
travagant and  magnificent  crupper,  em- 
bossed and  fringed  with  rows  of  beautiful 
shells  and  porcupine  quills  of  various  colors. 

“With  all  these  picturesque  ornaments 
and  trappings  upon  and  about  him,  with  a 
noble  figure,  and  the  bold  stamp  of  a wild 
gentleman  on  his  face,  added  to  the  rage  and 
spirit  of  his  wild  horse,  in  time  with  whose 
leaps  he  issued  his  startling  though  smoth- 
ered yelps,  as  he  gracefuliy  leaned  to  and 
fro,  leaving  his  plume  and  his  plumage,  his 
long  locks  and  his  fringes,  to  float  in  the 
wind,  he  galloped  about;  and  felt  exceeding 
pleasure  in  displaying  the  extraordinary  skill 
which  a lifetime  of  practice  and  experiment 
had  furnished  him  in  the  beautiful  art  of  rid- 
ing and  managing  his  horse,  as  well  as  in  dis- 
playing to  advantage  his  weapons  and  orna- 
ments of  dress,  hy  giving  them  the  grace  of 
motion,  as  they  were  brandished  in  the  air 
and  floating  in  the  wind.” 

Although  the  hair  is  generally  black,  it 
sometimes  takes  various  colors,  the  Mandan 
tribe  being  the  most  remarkable  for  this  pe- 
culiarity. Some  of  them,  even  though  quite 
young,  have  the  hair  of  a bright  silver  gray, 
or  even  white.  The  men  dislike  this  kind  of 
hair  in  their  own  sex,  and  when  it  occurs  try 
to  disguise  it  by  a plentiful  use  of  red  or  black 
earth  mixed  with  glue.  The  women,  on  the 
contrary,  are  very  proud  of  such  hair,  and 
take  every  opportunity  of  displaying  its 
beauties.  Generally  a woman  wears  the 
hair  in  two  plaits,  which  are  allowed  to  fall 
down  the  back  over  on  each  side  of  the 
head;  but  when  they  wish  to  appear  to  the 
best  advantage,  they  rapidly  unplait  it,  pass 
their  fingers  through  it  in  the  manner  of  a 
comb,  and  spread  it  as  widely  as  possible 
over  the  shoulders.  They  always  part  it  in 
the  middle  and  fill  the  line  of  parting  with 
red  paint. 

The  silver  gray  hair  is  remarkable  for  its 
coarseness,  in  v/hich  respect  it  seems  like  a 
horse’s  mane,  while  the  dark  colored  hair  is 
quite  soft.  Among  the  Mandans  almost 
every  shade  of  hair  is  found  between  white, 
brown,  and  black,  but  there  is  never  the 
least  tinge  of  red  in  it. 

The  Mandan  men  have  a curious  habit  of 
dividing  their  long  hair  into  flat  tresses,  two 


GOYEENMEKT  OF  THE  TRIBES. 


1275 


inches  or  so  in  width,  and  filling  each  tress  I 
at  intervals  of  an  inch  with  vermilion  and  1 
glue,  so  as  to  keep  them  separate.  These 
patches  of  glue  and  earth  become  very  hard, 
and  are  never  removed.  The  hair  thus 
treated  is  drawn  tightly  over  the  top  of  the 
head,  and  allowed  to  fall  down  the  back  in 
parallel  tresses,  which  mostly  reach  to  the 
knee,  and  in  some  cases  to  the  ground. 

The  government  of  these  tribes  is  of  a 
similar  character  throughout.  Each  tribe 
has  at  its  head  a chief,  whose  office  is  usually, 
but  not  always,  hereditar3^  Provided  the 
eldest  son  of  a chief  be  tolerably  well 
qualified  for  the  post,  he  is  suffered  to  as- 
sume the  leadership  when  his  father  dies,  or 
becomes  too  old  for  work.  Should  the  tribe 
be  dissatisfied  with  him,  they  elect  a leader 
from  among  the  sub-chiefs.  "There  is  often 
a double  system  of  government,  two  chiefs 
of  equal  power  being  appointed,  one  of 
whom  manages  all  matters  of  war,  and  the 
other  effects  the  administration  of  domestic 
policy. 

It  often  happens  that,  although  the  head 
chief  of  the  tribe  is  nominally  the  ruler,  and 
holds  the  first  place,  the  real  jiower  lies  in 
the  second  or  third  chief,  who  pays  to  his 
superior  every  deference  which  is  due  to  his 
position,  but  is  practically  the  leader  and 
commander  of  the  tribe.  This  was  the  ease 
among  the  Mandans  when  Mr.  Gatlin  visited 
them.  The  head  chief,  though  a man  of 
abilities  and  courage,  and  therefore  respected 
and  feared  by  the  people,  was  by  no  means 
loved  by  them,  on  account  of  his  haughty 
and  overbearing  demeanor.  The  real  leader 
of  the  tribe  was  the  second  chief,  named 
Mah-to-toh-pa,  ^.  e.  the  Four  Bears,  a name 
which  he  got  from  an  exclamation  of  the 
enemy,  who  said  that  he  came  at  them  “ like 
four  bears.”  Some  of  the  adventures  of  this 
extraordinary  man  will  be  mentioned  in  the 
course  of  the  following  pages. 

Great  as  is  the  power  of  the  chief,  it  is 
much  more  limited  than  that  which  is  en- 
joyed by  the  chiefs  of  the  African  tribes. 
The  American  chief  has  no  control  over  life, 
or  limb,  or  liberty.  He  takes  the  lead  in 
council,  and  if  an  offender  be  cited  before 
the  councillors,  his  voice  carries  great  weight 
with  it,  but  nothing  more.  Should  he  be  the 
war  chief,  he  cannot  compel  a single  man  to 
follow  him  to  battle,  nor  can  he  punish  one 
of  his  followers  for  deserting  him.  Any  of 
the  warriors,  even  the  very  youngest,  may 
follow  or  desert  his  chief  as  he  pleases,  the 
principal  check  against  desertion  being  the 
contempt  with  which  a warrior  is  sure  to  be 
regarded  if  he  leaves  a chief  who  is  worthy 
of  his  office. 

The  chiefs  have,  as  a rule,  no  advantage 
over  the  other  members  of  the  tribe  in  point 
of  wealth.  A chief  would  soon  lose  the 
popularity  on  which  his  influence  depends 
if  he  were  to  amass  wealth  for  himself.  By 


virtue  of  his  office,  he  has  a larger  house  or 
tent  than  the  rest  of  the  tribe,  and  he  gene- 
rally possesses  a few  more  wives.  But  he 
is  often  actually  poorer  than  most  of  the 
warriors,  thinking  himself  bound  in  honor 
to  distribute  among  the  tribe  the  spoils  that 
he  takes  in  war.  Many  chiefs  even  dress 
worse  than  the  warriors  under  their  com- 
mand, so  as  not  to  excite  envy,  and  only 
assume  their  splendid  dress  of  office  on  great 
occasions. 

The  question  of  dress  is  really  an  impor- 
tant one.  Varying  as  it  does  among  the  dif- 
ferent tribes,  there  is  a general  character 
which  runs  through  the  whole. 

Every  man  without  distinction  wears  a 
scanty  dress  much  like  the  “ cheripa  ” which 
has  already  been  described,  but  is  very  much 
smaller.  In  battle  or  hunting,  and  in  all 
cases  in  which  exertion  is  required,  he  con- 
tents himself  with  this  single  garment;  but 
when  he  is  enjoying  himself  at  home,  he  as- 
sumes his  full  costume.  He  wears  a pair  of 
leggings  reaching  to  the  hips,  and  falling  as 
low  as  the  ankles,  sometimes  spreading  well 
over  them.  These  leggings  are  mostly 
adorned  with  little  bells,  bits  of  fur,  or  simi- 
lar decorations;  and  if  the  wearer  be  a suc- 
cessful warrior,  he  fringes  them  along  the 
sides  with  tufts  of  hair  taken  from  the  head 
of  a slain  enemy. 

He  has  also  a loose  coat  descending  to  the 
knees,  and  ornamented  in  a similar  manner 
with  feathers  or  scalp-locks,  and,  when  the 
owner  has  performed  any  conspicuous  feat 
of  valor,  he  makes  a rude  painting  of  the 
event.  This  answers  the  same  purpose  as 
the  Victoria  Cross  among  ourselves.  Al- 
though it  is  conferred  by  the  man  himself,  it 
is  equally  valuable.  E"o  man  would  dare  to 
depict  on  his  robe  any  deed  of  valor  which 
he  had  not  performed,  as  he  would  be  chal- 
lenged by  the  other  warriors  to  prove  his 
right  to  the  decoration,  and,  if  he  failed  to  do 
so,  would  be  utterly  scorned  by  them.  The 
chief  Mah-to-toh-pa  represented  on  his  robe 
a series  of  events  in  which  he  had  killed  no 
less  than  fourteen  of  the  enemy  with  his  own 
hand.  Sometimes,  when  the  tribe  uses  skin 
huts  or  wigwams,  the  warriors  also  paint 
their  adventures  upon  the  walls  of  their 
dwellings. 

From  a similar  spirit  the  scars  and  wounds 
received  in  war  are  kept  covered  with  scar- 
let paint,  and  when  a man  has  succeeded  in 
killing  a grizzly  bear  he  is  entitled  to  wear 
its  skin,  claws,  and  teeth.  The  usual  mode 
of  so  doing  is  to  string  the  claws  into  neck- 
laces and  bracelets,  and  to  make  the  skin 
into  robes.  Sometimes  they  dress  the  skin 
without  removing  the  claws,  and  wear  it  in 
such  a fashion  that  the  claws  are  conspicu- 
ously seen.  Owing  to  the  extreme  ferocity, 
strength,  and  cunning  of  the  bear,  to  kill  one 
of  these  animals  is  considered  equivalent  to 
killing  a warrior,  and  the  claw  necklace  is  as 
honorable  an  ornament  as  the  much  prized 


1276 


THE  KORTH  AMERICAK  IKBIAKS. 


scalp.  Some  of  the  most  valiant  hunters 
have  killed  several  of  these  animals,  and  it  is 
a point  of  honor  with  them  to  appear  on 
great  occasions  with  all  their  spoils,  so  that 
they  have  to  exercise  considerable  ingenu- 
ity, and  display  some  forty  huge  claws  about 
their  persons  in  a sufficiently  conspicuous 
manner. 

All  the  dress  of  a Korth  American  Indian 
is  made  of  skin,  mostly  that  of  the  deer,  and 
in  dressing  it  the  natives  are  unrivalled,  con- 
triving to  make  a leather  which  is  as  soft  as 
silk,  is  nearly  white,  and  which  may  be  wet- 
ted and  dried  an}’  number  of  times  without 
becoming  harsh. 

The  skin  is  first  washed  in  strong  lye, 
made  of  wood-ashes  and  water,  so  as  to 
loosen  the  hair,  which  is  then  scraped  off. 
The  hide  is  next  stretched  tightly  upon  the 
ground  upon  a frame,  or  by  means  of  a 
number  of  wooden  pegs  driven  firmly  into 
the  ground.  In  this  position  it  remains  for 
several  days,  the  brains  of  the  animal  being 
spread  thickly  upon  it,  and  rubbed  into  it. 
The  next  process  is  to  scrape  it  carefully 
with  a blunt  knife  made  of  the  shoulder- 
blade  of  the  bison,  the  native  tanner  press- 
ing heavily  upon  it,  and  scraping  every  por- 
tion of  the  hide. 

The  process  by  which  it  is  made  capable  of 
resisting  the  effects  of  water  has  yet  to  be 
undergone.  A hole  is  made  in  the  ground, 
and  a quantity  of  rotten  wood  is  piled  in  it, 
so  that  when  lighted  it  will  continue  to 
smoulder  for  a long  time,  and  produce 
smoke,  but  no  flame.  Around  the  hole 
are  stuck  a number  of  sticks,  which  are 
then  tied  together  at  the  top,  so  as  to  make 
the  framework  of  a sort  of  tent.  The  wood 
is  then  set  on  fire,  the  hides  are  placed 
within  the  tent,  and  over  the  sticks  are 
wrapped  other  hides  carefully  fastened  to- 
gether, so  as  to  prevent  the  smoke  from 
escaping.  For  several  days  the  hides  are 
left  in  the  smoke,  and  at  the  expiration  of 
that  time  they  have  assumed  the  peculiar 
quality  which  has  been  described.  The 
whole  of  the  processes  are  conducted  by 
women,  manual  labor  being  beneath  the  dig- 
nity of  a man  and  a warrior. 

The  headdress  of  a N’orth  American  In- 
dian deserves  some  attention.  Variable  as 
are  the  modes  of  dressing  the  hair,  no  war- 
rior ever  wears  his  hair  short.  By  so  doing 
he  would  be  taking  an  unfair  advantage  of 
an  adversary.  When  a warrior  is  killed,  or 
even  totally  disabled,  the  successful  adver- 
sary has  a right  to  take  his  scalp,  in  which 
he  would  be  much  impeded  if  the  hair 
was  short.  Moreover,  he  would  lose  the 
dionorable  trophy  with  which  he  is  entitled 
to  fringe  his  garments.  So  for  a warrior  to 
wear  his  hair  short  would  be  a tacit  ac- 
knowledgment that  he  was  afraid  of  losing 
his  scalp,  and  all  the  men  therefore  always 
leave  at  least  one  lock  of  hair  attached  to  the 
crown  of  the  head. 


The  process  of  scalping  will  be  presently 
described,  when  we  treat  of  war. 

A great  chief  always  wears,  in  addition  to 
the  ordinary  headdress  of  the  -warrior,  a 
plume  of  eagle  feathers,  by  which  he  is  made 
as  conspicuous  as  possible,  so  that  the 
enemy  shall  have  no  difficulty  in  recog- 
nising him.  The  form  of  plume  varies  ac- 
cording to  the  different  tribes.  That  of  the 
Crows  may  be  seen  in  an  illustration  on 
page  1284.  That  of  the  Mandans  is  repre- 
sented on  the  following  page.  It  is  made 
of  a long  strip  of  ermine,  to  which  are 
fastened  the  quill  feathers  of  the  war  eagle, 
so  as  to  form  a crest  beginning  at  the  back 
of  the  head  and  descending  to  the  feet. 
These  quills  are  so  valuable  that  a perfect 
tail  of  the  war  eagle  is  considered  to  be 
worth  a first-rate  horse. 

In  the  present  instance  two  horns  may  be 
seen  projecting  from  the  headdress.  This 
is  a decoration  very  rarely  seen,  and  only 
conferred  by  the  chief  and  council  upon  the 
most  distinguished  warriors.  Even  the 
head  chief  will  not  be  able  to  assume  them 
unless  by  the  general  vote  of  the  council, 
and  in  the  case  of  the  Mandans  the  second 
chief  wore  them,  while  the  head  chief  was 
not  privileged  to  do  so. 

Even  a brave  may  wear  them,  though  he 
be  below  the  rank  of  chief. 

They  are  made  from  the  horns  of  the  bi- 
son bull,  divided  longitudinally,  scraped 
nearly  as  thin  as  paper,  and  highly  polished. 
They  are  loosely  attached  at  the  base,  so 
that  they  can  be  flung  backward  or  forward 
by  the  movement  of  the  head,  and  give  a 
wonderful  animation  to  the  action  of  the 
wearer  when  he  is  speaking. 

This  elaborate  headdress  is  very  seldom 
worn,  and  is  only  assumed  on  occasions  of 
special  state,  such  as  public  festivals,  war  pa- 
rades, or  the  visits  of  other  chiefs.  In  battle 
the  wearer  always  assumes  the  headdress 
by  way  of  challenge  to  the  enemy.  There 
is  good  reason  for  not  always  wearing  this 
dress.  I have  worn  the  dress  formerly  used 
by  Mah-to-toh-pa,  and  found  it  to  be  hot, 
heavy,  and  inconvenient. 

As  a contrast  to  the  dress  of  a noted  war- 
rior, we  may  take  that  of  a mere  dandy,  a few 
of  whom  are  sure  to  be  found  in  every  tribe. 
They  are  always  remarkable  for  elegance  of 
person  and  effeminacy  of  nature,  having  the 
greatest  horror  of  exposing  themselves  to 
danger,  and  avoiding  equally  the  bear,  the 
bison,  and  the  armed  enemy.  Consequently 
they  may  not  deck  themselves  with  the  plu- 
mage of  the  war  eagle,  every  feather  of  which 
signifies  a warrior  slain  by  the  warrior’s  own 
hand.  Neither  may  they  adorn  their  necks 
with  the  claws  of  the  grizzly  bear,  their  robes 
with  scalp-locks  and  paintings,  nor  their 
bodies  with  the  scarlet  streaks  that  tell  of 
honorable  wounds  received  in  battle. 

Such  ornaments  would  at  once  be  torn 
from  them  by  the  indignant  warriors  of  the 


THE  MANDAN  CHIEF  MAH-TO-TOH-PA  AND  WIFE. 
(See  pages  1276,  1286,  1287.) 


(1277) 


m VHP 


AK  IKDIAN  DA^TBY. 


1270 


tribe,  and  they  are  forced  to  content  them- 
selves with  mountain  goat,  doe,  and  ermine 
skins,  swans’  down,  porcupine  quills,  and 
similar  articles  — all  more  beautiful  than 
the  sombre  eagle  quills,  bears’  claws,  and 
scalp-locks  that  mark  the  brave. 

They  spend  their  whole  lives  in  idleness, 
and  do  not  even  join  the  athletic  games  of 
which  the  Americans  are  exceedingly  fond, 
but  devote  their  whole  energies  to  the 
adornment  of  their  persons.  They  will  oc- 
cupy four  of  five  hours  in  making  their  toi- 
lets, being  fastidious  as  to  the  arrangement 
of  every  hair  of  their  eyebrows,  and  trying 
by  the  mirror  the  effect  of  various  expres- 
sions of  countenance. 

Having  spent  the  whole  morning  in  this 
occupation,  they  sally  out  on  their  horses, 
seated  on  white  and  soft  saddles,  beautifully 
ornamented  with  porcupine  quills  and  er- 
mine, and  lounge  about  the  village  for  an 
hour  or  two,  displaying  their  handsome  per- 
sons to  the  best  advantage.  They  then 
saunter,  still  on  horseback,  to  the  place 
where  the  young  warriors  are  practising 
athletic  exercises,  and  watch  them  for  an 
hour  or  two,  plying  all  the  while  their  tur- 
key-tail fans.  Fatigued  with  the  effort, 
they  lounge  home  again,  turn  their  horses 
loose,  take  some  refreshment,  smoke  a pipe, 
and  fan  themselves  to  sleep. 

These  men  are  utterly  despised  by  the 
warriors,  as  Mr.  Gatlin  found.  He  was 
anxious  to  procure  a portrait  of  one  of  these 
men  : — 

“ Whilst  I have  been  painting,  day  by 
day,  there  have  been  two  or  three  of  these 
fops  continually  strutting  and  taking  their 
attitudes  in  front  of  my  door,  decked  out  in 
all  their  finery,  without  receiving  other  in- 
formation than  such  as  they  could  discover 
through  the  seams  and  cracks  of  my  cabin. 
The  chiefs,  I observed,  passed  them  without 
notice,  and,  of  course,  without  inviting 
them  in;  and  they  seemed  to  figure  about 
my  door  from  day  ter  day  in  their  best 
dresses  and  best  attitudes,  as  if  in  hopes 
that  I would  select  them  as  models  for  my 
canvas.  It  was  natural  that  I should  do  so, 
for  their  costume  and  personal  appearance 
were  entirely  more  beautiful  than  anything 
else  to  be  seen  in  the  village. 

“ My  plans  were  laid,  and  one  day,  when 
I had  got  through  with  all  of  the  head  men 
who  were  willing  to  sit  to  be  painted,  and 
there  were  two  or  three  of  the  chiefs  loung- 
ing in  my  room,  I stepped  to  the  door,  and 
tapped  one  of  these  fellows  on  the  shoulder, 
who  took  the  hint,  evidently  well  pleased 
and  delighted  with  the  signal  and  honorable 
notice  I had  at  length  taken  of  him  and  his 
beautiful  dress.  Headers,  you  cannot  imag- 
ine what  was  the  expression  of  gratitude 
which  beamed  forth  in  this  poor  fellow’s 
face,  and  how  high  his  heart  beat  with  joy 
and  pride  at  the  idea  of  my  selecting  him  to 
be  immortal  alongside  of  the  chiefs  and 


worthies  whose  portraits  he  saw  ranged 
around  the  room;  and  by  which  honor  he  un- 
doubtedly considered  himself  well  paid  for 
two  or  three  weeks  of  regular  painting,  and 
greasing,  and  dressing,  and  standing  alter- 
nately on  one  leg  and  the  other  at  the  door  of 
my  premises. 

“ W ell,  I placed  him  before  me,  and  a 
canvas  on  my  easel,  and  chalked  him  out  at 
full  length.  He  was  truly  a beautiful  sub- 
ject for  the  brush,  and  I was  filled  with  en- 
thusiasm. 

“ His  dress  from  head  to  foot  was  made  of 
the  skins  of  the  mountain  goat,  dressed  so 
neatly  that  they  were  almost  as  soft  and 
white  as  Canton  crape.  Around  the  bottom 
and  the  sides  it  was  trimmed  with  ermine,  and 
porcupine  quills  of  beautiful  dyes  garnished 
it  in  a hundred  parts.  His  hair,  which  was 
long  and  spread  over  his  back  and  shoul- 
ders, extending  nearl}’’  to  the  ground,  was 
all  combed  back,  and  parted  on  his  fore- 
head like  that  of  a woman.  He  was  a tall 
and  fine  figure,  with  ease  and  grace  in  his 
movements  that  were  worthy  of  better  caste. 
In  his  left  hand  he  held  a beautiful  pipe,  in 
his  right  hand  he  plied  his  fan,  and  on  his 
wrist  was  attached  his  whip  of  elk-horn  and 
his  fly-brush,  made  of  the  buffalo’s  tail. 
There  was  nought  about  him  of  the  terrible, 
and  nought  to  shock  the  finest  and  chastest 
intellect.” 

Unfortunately,  the  portrait  was  never 
taken,  for  the  chiefs  were  so  exceedingly 
offended  that  so  contemptible  a being  should 
be  put  on  the  same  level  as  themselves  by 
being  painted,  that  they  left  the  hut  in  angry 
silence,  and  sent  a message  to  the  effect 
that,  if  Mr.  Gatlin  painted  the  portrait  of  so 
worthless  a man,  he  must  destroy  all  the 
portraits  of  the  chiefs  and  warriors.  The 
message  was  also  given  to  the  obnoxious  in- 
dividual, who  at  once  yielded  the  point, 
walked  consequentially  out  of  the  hut,  and 
took  up  his  old  station  at  the  door  as  if  noth- 
ing had  happened  to  disturb  his  equanimity. 

On  their  feet  the  American  Indians  wear 
moccasins,  i.  e.  shoes  made  of  soft  leather, 
the  sole  of  which  is  no  thicker  than  the 
upper  part.  To  an  European  walking  in 
moccasins  is  at  first  very  fatiguing,  on  ac- 
count of  the  habit  of  turning  out  the  toes. 
When,  however,  the  white  man  learns  to  walk 
as  the  natives  do,  with  his  toes  rather  turned 
in,  he  soon  finds  that  the  moccasin  is  a better 
preservative  of  the  feet  than  the  European 
shoe,  with  its  thick  and  almost  inflexible 
sole. 

The  dress  of  the  women  is  made  of  the 
same  materials  as  that  of  the  men,  and  dif- 
fers chiefly  in  its  greater  length,  reaching 
nearly  to  the  ankle.  It  is  generally  em- 
broidered in  various  patterns  with  colored 
porcupine  quills,  as  arc  the  leggings  and 
moccasins.  The  women  are  fond  of  tattoo- 
ing themselves,  and  produce  blue  and  red 
patterns  by  the  use  of  charcoal  and  vermil- 


1280 


THE  KOKTII  AMERICA^^-  IKDIAKS. 


ion  rubbed  into  the  punctures.  Both  sexes 
are  furnished  with  large  robes  made  of  bison 
skins,  and  the  inner  side  of  these  robes  is 
often  painted  in  curious  patterns.  One  of 
these  robes  in  Mr.  Gatlin’s  collection,  had  a 
most  elaborate  figure  of  the  suii  in  the  cen- 
tre, around  which  were  figures  of  men  and 
animals,  showing  the  prowess  of  the  owner 
both  in  war  and  hunting. 

Beads  and  such  like  ornaments,  obtained 
from  the  white  men,  are  much  in  fashion; 
but,  long  before  a glass  or  porcelain  bead 
was  introduced  into  America,  the  natives 
had  an  ornament  of  their  own  manufacture. 
This  is  the  celebrated  wampum,  an  article 
which  is  now  almost  extinct.  It  is  made  of 
fresh  water  shells,  which  are  found  on  the 
borders  of  the  lakes  and  streams.  The  thick 
part  of  the  shell  is  cut  into  cylinders  an  inch 
or  so  in  length,  and  then  bored  longitudi- 
nally, like  the  “ bugles  ” that  are  worn  by  Eu- 
ropean ladies.  Indeed,  when  the  shell  is,  as 
is  mostly  the  case,  a white  one,  the  piece  of 
wampum  looks  almost  exactly  like  a frag- 
ment of  clay  tobacco-pipe  stem. 

The  wampum  is  either  strung  like  beads 


and  worn  round  the  neck,  or  is  formed  into 
war  belts  for  the  waist.  It  answers  several 
purposes.  In  the  first  place,  it  acts,  like  the 
cowries  of  Africa,  as  a substitute  for  money, 
a certain  number  of  hand  breadths  being 
the  fixed  value  of  a horse,  a gun,  or  a robe. 
It  is  also  the  emblem  of  peace  when  pre- 
sented by  one  chief  to  another,  and,  when 
war  has  ceased  between  two  hostile  tribes,  a 
wampum  belt  is  presented  as  a token  that 
the  two  tribes  are  at  peace. 

There  is  no  particular  beauty  about  the 
wampum.  If  the  reader  will  break  a to- 
bacco-pipe stem  into  pieces  an  inch  in 
length  and  string  them  on  a thread,  he  will 
produce  a very  good  imitation  of  a wampum 
necklace.  Its  only  value  lies  in  the  labor 
represented  by  it;  and,  as  the  white  men 
have  introduced  tons  of  imitation  wampum 
made  of  porcelain,  which  looks  rather  better 
than  the  real  article,  and  is  scarcely  one-hun- 
dredth part  of  the  value,  the  veritable  wam- 
pum is  so  completely  extinct  among  many  of 
the  tribes  that,  if  one  of  the  natives  should 
wish  to  see  a string  of  wampum,  he  must  go 
to  a museum  for  that  purpose. 


CHAPTER  CXXXYII. 


THE  NOETH  AMERICAK  mDIAKS  — Con 


WAR  — WEAPONS. 

MABTIAIi  CHARACTER  OF  THE  TRIBES  — THEIR  MODE  OF  FIGHTING  — DECLARATION  OF  WAR,  AND 
APPLICATION  FOR  VOLUNTEERS  — WEAPONS  — THE  PLAIN  AND  THE  SPIKED  CLUB  — THE  SHIELD, 
AND  THE  INGENIOUS  MODE  OF  MAKING  IT  — THE  LONG  SPEAR  — THE  BOW  AND  ITS  CONSTRUC- 
TION— MODE  OF  SHOOTING — THE  STONE  AND  IRON  TOMAHAWKS  — THE  SCALPING-KNIFE  — MODE 
OF  SCALPING  — USE  MADE  OF  THE  LOCKS  — THE  SCALP  DANCE — THE  EXPLOITS  OF  MAH-TO-TOH- 
PA  — SHAM  BATTLES  OF  THE  BOYS — THE  TORTURE  OF  PRISONERS  — TWO  WONDERFUL  ESCAPES 
— HOW  THE  CAMANCHEES  FIGHT  — SMOKING  HORSES. 


The  North  American  Indians  are  essen- 
tially a warlike  people,  measuring  their 
respect  for  a man  almost  entirely  by  his 
conduct  in  battle  and  the  number  of  ene- 
mies which  he  has  slain. 

The  very  constitution  of  the  tribes,  which 
prevents  any  leader  from  enforcing  obe- 
dience upon  his  followers,  as  is  done  with 
civilized  armies,  entirely  precludes  the  pos- 
sibility of  such  military  manoeuvres  as  those 
which  are  employed  in  civilized  countries, 
where  bodies  of  men  are  wielded  by  the 
order  of  one  individual.  The  leader  can 
only  give  general  orders,  and  leave  his  fol- 
lowers to  carry  them  out  in  the  way  that 
best  suits  each  individual.  Consequently, 
war  among  these  tribes  is  much  of  the 
guerilla  kind,  where  each  combatant  fights 
almost  independently  of  the  other,  and  the 
moral  effect  of  mutual  defence  and  support 
^s  therefore  wanting. 

A few  very  simple  manoeuvres  are  known 
to  them,  and  practised  by  them  from  infancy, 
but  they  lead  to  nothing  more  than  skir- 
mishing, the  chief  being  merely  the  leader 
of  his  men,  and  expected  to  be  in  the  post 
of  danger.  The  idea  of  a general  directing 
the  battle  from  a place  of  comparative  safety 
is  unknown  to  them. 

Declaration  of  war  is  made  in  the  full 
council  of  chiefs  and  doctors,  the  majority 
deciding  the  question.  The  chief  who  is  to 
lead  the  expedition  then  asks  for  volunteers 
by  sending  his  reddened  war  pipe  through 
the  tribe  by  means  of  his  messengers,  and 


each  warrior  who  draws  a puff  of  smoke 
through  its  stem  by  that  act  enlists  himself. 

After  the  jiipe  has  gone  its  round  and  a 
sufficient  number  of  men  have  volunteered, 
a grand  war  dance  is  got  up  in  front  of  the 
chiefs  house,  where  has  been  set  up  a post 
covered  with  red  paint,  the  sign  of  war. 
The  newly  enlisted  warriors  make  their  ap- 
pearance with  all  their  weapons,  and  exe- 
cute a solemn  dance,  each  man  in  succes- 
sion dancing  up  to  the  reddened  post  and 
striking  his  axe  into  it  as  a public  ratifica- 
tion of  his  promise.  As  has  been  men- 
tioned, the  leader  always  wears  every  deco- 
ration to  which  he  is  entitled,  so  as  to  make 
himself  as  conspicuous  a mark  as  possible, 
while  the  braves  and  warriors  wear  scarcely 
any  clothing,  and  have  their  faces  so  dis- 
guised with  black  and  red  paint  that  even 
their  most  intimate  friends  can  scarcely 
recognize  them. 

As  among  us,  white  and  red  are  the  signs 
of  peace  and  war,  and  each  leader  carries 
with  him  two  small  fiags,  one  of  white  bi- 
son’s hide,  and  the  other  of  reddened  leather. 
These  are  kept  rolled  round  the  staff  like  a 
railway  flag-signal,  and  only  produced  when 
required. 

At  the  present  day  fire-arms  have  super- 
seded the  original  weapons  of  the  American 
Indians,  and  much  changed  the  mode  of 
warfare.  We  will,  however,  contemplate 
the  warfare  of  these  tribes  as  it  was  con- 
ducted before  the  introduction  of  these 
weapons,  when  the  bow,  the  club,  the  axe, 


(1281) 


1282 


THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


the  spear,  and  in  some  districts  the  lasso, 
were  the  only  weapons  employed. 

In  illustration  No.  4,  on  page  1265,  are 
seen  examples  of  the  clubs  and  shield, 
drawn  from  specimens  in  the  Christy  Col- 
lection. The  clubs  are  short,  seldom  ex- 
ceeding a yard  in  length,  and  mostly  eight 
or  nine  inches  shorter.  They  are  almost 
invariably  made  upon  one  or  other  of  two 
models,  examples  of  which  are  seen  in  the 
illustration.  The  primitive  idea  of  a club 
is  evidently  derived  from  a stick  with  a 
knob  at  the  end,  and  that  is  the  form  which 
is  most  in  vogue.  In  the  common  kind  of 
club  the  whole  of  the  weapon  is  quite  plain, 
but  in  many  specimens  the  native  has  im- 
bedded a piece  of  bone  or  spike  of  iron  in 
the  ball  or  bulb  at  the  end  of  the  club,  and 
has  decorated  the  handle  with  feathers,  bits 
of  cloth,  scalps,  and  similar  ornaments. 

The  second  kind  of  club  is  shaped  some- 
thing like  the  stock  of  a gun,  and  has  al- 
ways a spike  projecting  from  the  angle.  In 
most  cases  this  spike  is  nothing  more  than 
a pointed  piece  of  iron  or  the  head  of  a 
spear,  but  in  some  highly  valued  weapons 
a very  broad  steel  blade  is  employed,  its 
edges  lying  parallel  with  the  length  of  the 
weapon.  Such  a club  as  this  is  often  deco- 
rated with  some  hundreds  of  brass  headed 
nails  driven  into  it  so  as  to  form  patterns, 
and  is  besides  ornamented  so  profusely  with 
strings  and  feathers,  and  long  trailing  scalp- 
locks  five  or  six  feet  in  length,  that  the  effi- 
cacy of  the  weapon  must  be  seriously  im- 
peded by  them. 

I have  handled  both  kinds  of  clubs,  and 
found  this  latter  weapon  to  be  most  awk- 
ward and  unwieldy,  its  thick,  squared,  slop- 
ing handle  giving  scarcely  any  power  to  the 
grasp,  while  the  abundant  ornaments  are 
liable  to  entanglement  in  the  other  weapons 
that  are  carried  about  the  person. 

The  shield  is  made  by  a very  ingenious 
process  from  the  thick  hide  which  covers 
the  shoulders  of  the  bull  bison.  Making  a 
shield  is  a very  serious,  not  to  say  solemn, 
business,  and  is  conducted  after  the  follow- 
ing manner. 

The  warrior  selects  a piece  of  hide  at 
least  twice  as  large  as  the  intended  shield, 
and  from  the  hoof  and  joints  of  the  bison 
prepares  a strong  glue.  He  then  digs  in 
the  ground  a hole  the  exact  size  of  the 
shield,  and  almost  two  feet  in  diameter,  and 
makes  in  it  a smouldering  fire  of  decayed 
wood.  These  arrangements  being  com- 
pleted, his  partieular  friends  assemble  for 
the  purpose  of  dancing,  singing,  and  smok- 
ing round  the  shield  maker,  and  invoking 
the  Great  Spirit  to  render  the  weapon  proof 
against  spears  and  arrows. 

The  fire  being  lighted  and  the  glue  heated, 
the  skin  is  stretched  above  the  hole  by  means 
of  numerous  pegs  round  the  edge,  which 
keep  it  a few  inches  above  the  ground.  As 
soon  as  the  skin  is  thoroughly  heated^  the 


glue  is  spread  over  it  and  rubbed  carefully 
into  the  fibres.  This  operation  causes  the 
skin  to  contract  forcibly,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  become  thicker.  As  it  contracts, 
the  vfamily  of  the  shield  maker  busy  them- 
selves in  loosening  the  pegs,  and  shifting 
them  inward,  so  as  to  yield  with  the  con- 
traction of  the  skin,  and  at  the  same  time  to 
keep  it  on  the  full  stretch.  This  goes  on 
until  the  skin  has  absorbed  all  the  glue 
which  it  is  capable  of  receiving,  and  has 
contracted  to  the  very  utmost.  By  this 
time  it  is  only  half  as  wide,  though  twice  as 
thick,  as  it  was  when  first  placed  on  the  fire, 
and  is  allowed  to  cool  slowly,  after  which  it 
is  carefully  trimmed  into  shape,  furnished 
with  a strap,  painted  with  the  totem  ” or 
symbol  of  the  owner,  and  decorated  with 
the  usual  ornaments. 

The  completed  shield  is  rather  flexible, 
but  is  so  strong  that  it  will  resist  the  direct 
blow  of  a spear  or  arrow,  and  if  turned  a 
little  obliquely  will  throw  off  even  a pistol 
bullet.  The  specimen  shown  in  the  illus- 
tration is  painted  light  green  with  a white 
pattern.  Above  it  is  a cover  made  of  very 
thin  and  soft  leather,  which  is  thrown  over 
it  in  case  of  rain.  The  long  strap  is  for  the 
purpose  of  throwing  the  shield  when  not  in 
use  over  the  shoulders,  where  it  hangs, 
together  with  the  bow  and  quiver. 

The  spear  presents  nothing  especially 
worthy  of  remark,  except  that  the  blade  is 
leaf-shaped,  long,  and  narrow,  and  the  shaft 
is  often* so  covered  with  feathers  and  scalp- 
locks  that  there  is  barely  enough  space  for 
the  hand  of  the  wielder.  It  sometimes 
measures  fourteen  or  fifteen  feet  in  length. 

Next  come  the  bows  and  arrows.  The 
bow  is  always  a very  short  and  apparently 
insignificant  weapon,  being  mostly  used  on 
horseback.  It  scarcely  ever  exceeds  three 
feet  in  length,  and  is  mostly  six  inches 
shorter,  so  that  it  looks  more  like  a child’s 
toy  than  a weapon  fit  for  a w^arrior’s  hand. 
Yet,  with  this  apparently  feeble  bow,  the 
American  Indian  can  drive  an  arrow  com- 
pletely through  a man,  and  some  of  their 
best  hunters  are  known  to  have  sent  their 
arrows  fairly  through  the  body  of  a bison,  so 
that  the  missile  fell  on  the  ground  after  pass- 
ing through  the  huge  animal. 

These  bows  are  made  of  wood,  horn,  or 
bone.  Ash  is  considered  the  best  wood  for 
bov>^s,  and  it  is  strengthened  enormously  by 
having  the  wet  sinews  of  the  bison  or  deer 
fastened  along  the  back,  and  so  worked  and 
kneaded  into  it  that  they  appear  to  be  of  one 
substance  \xRh  the  wood.  Several  layers  of 
sinews  are  often  used,  so  that,  in  spite  of  its 
small  size,  the  bow  is  a very  powerful  one. 
Some  of  them  are  made  of  the  horn  of  the 
mountain  or  big  horn  sheep,  and  a few  which 
are  the  most  valuable  are  made  of  bone, 
probably  obtained  on  the  Pacific  coast  from 
the  spermaceti  whale,  and  sent  inland  by 
the  traders.  The  owners  of  these  bows  do 


/•< 


MODE  OF  SCALPING. 


1285 


not  like  to  have  the  material  questioned,  and 
check  the  interrogation  with  a remark  of 
“Hush!  that  is  medicine.”  One  of  these 
bows  is  in  the  Christy  Collection.  I have 
tried  several  of  the  bows  in  Mr.  Catlin’s  col- 
lection, and  found  them  to  be  very  elastic, 
and,  in  spite  of  their  small  size,  very  stiff. 

The  arrow  is  headed  with  flint  or  bone, 
and  when  used  against  the  enemy  is  usually 
poisoned.  The  feathers  are  taken  from  the 
wing  of  the  wild  turkey.  (See  page  1290.) 
When  a warrior  is  fully  armed,  he  has  a 
hundred  or  so  of  these  arrows  in  a neat 
quiver  made  of  deer  or  cougar  skin,  and 
tastefully  decorated  with  patterns  woven  in 
stained  porcupine  quills. 

In  an  illustration  on  page  1318,  the  reader 
may  see  the  usual  costume  of  the  Indian 
when  equipped  for  battle.  The  portrait  is 
that  of  Ee-a-chin-che-a  (the  red  thunder) 
son  of  Black  Moccasin  of  the  Minatarees. 
lie  was  at  this  time  one  of  the  bravest  and 
most  desperate  warriors  of  this  tribe.  He 
has  on  his  war-dress,  with  quiver  slung,  and 
shield  upon  his  arm.  “ In  this  plight,”  says 
Mr.  Catlin,  “ sans  headdress,  sans  robe,  and 
sans  everything  that  might  be  a useless  en- 
cumbrance, — with  the  body  chiefly  naked, 
and  profusely  bedaubed  with  red  and  black 
paint,  so  as  to  form  an  almost  perfect  dis- 
guise, the  Indian  warriors  sally  forth  to 
war.”  The  chief  only  plumes  himself,  and 
loaded  with  his  ornaments  and  trophies 
renders  himself  a conspicuous  target  for  the 
enemy. 

The  Indians  are  not  celebrated  for  their 
skill  in  marksmanship,  which  indeed  is 
scarcely  required,  as  they  never  shoot  at 
long  ranges,  like  the  old  English  bowmen. 
But  they  are  wonderfully  skilled  in  dis- 
charging a number  of  arrows  in  rapid  suc- 
cession, a practised  archer  being  able  to 
throw  twenty  or  more  in  a minute  while 
galloping  at  full  speed. 

There  is  a game  much  practised  by  the 
various  tribes,  by  means  of  which  this  pe- 
culiar modification  of  skill  in  archery  is 
kept  at  the  highest  pitch.  The  young  men 
assemble  with  their  bows  and  arrows,  and 
each  brings  several  articles  of  property 
which  he  is  willing  to  stake  on  his  skill,  and 
throws  one  of  them  on  the  ground.  When 
every  one  has  thrown  down  his  stake,  the 
first  archer  advances  with  his  bow  and  ten 
arrows  clenched  in  his  left  hand.  He  then 
draws  the  arrows  and  shoots  them  upward 
as  rapidly  as  he  can,  the  object  being  to 
throw  as  many  arrows  as  possible  into  the 
air  before  the  first  arrow  has  reached  the 
ground.  He  who  gets  the  greatest  number 
simultaneously  in  the  air  wins  the  stakes. 
Some  archers  are  so  skilful  that  they  will 
discharge  the  eighth  arrow  before  the  first 
has  touched  the  ground. 

We  now  come  to  the  axe  or  tomahawk. 
The  two  figures  in  illustration  Ko.  2,  page 
1265,  afford  excellent  examples  of  the  prin- 


cipal forms  of  this  weapon;  namely,  that 
winch  is  made  entirely  by  themselves,  and 
that  which  is  partly  made  in  Europe  and 
finished  by  themselves.  The  most  primitive 
tomahawk  is  that  wliicli  is  made  of  a stone 
fixed  to  a wooden  handle.  Fig.  2,  on  the  above 
mentioned  page,  shows  how  the  head  is 
fixed  to  the  handle,  exactly  as  a blacksmith 
fixes  his  punches.  The  "stone  axe-heads 
which  are  found  so  abundantly  as  relics  of  a 
bygone  age,  were  fastened  on  their  handles 
in  precisely  the  same  manner.  This  kind  of 
weapon  is  now  so  rare  that  it  is  scarcely  pos- 
sible to  procure  a specimen. 

The  steel-headed  tomahawk  has  in  most 
tribes  superseded  that  which  is  made  of  stone. 
Vast  numbers  of  these  steel  axe-heads  are 
made  in  Birmingham,  and  sold  at  a very 
high  price  to  the  Indians. 

The  form  which  is  most  valued  is  that 
which  is  shown  in  fig.  1,  page  1265.  It  is  a 
“ pipe-tomahawk,”  the  upper  part  ofthehead 
being  formed  into  a pipe-bowl,  and  the  smoke 
drawn  through  the  handle,  which  is  plen- 
tifully decorated  with  porcupine  quills  and 
feathers.  This  is  specially  valued  by  the 
American  Indians,  because  it  saves  them 
the  trouble  of  carrying  a separate  pipe,  and 
is  most  formidable  as  a weapon,  and  in  time 
of  peace  is  an  efficient  axe  for  chopping  fire- 
wood and  similar  purposes.  The  tomahawk 
is  used  both  in  close  combat  and  as  a missile, 
in  which  latter  capacity  it  is  hurled  with 
wonderful  force  and  accuracy  of  aim. 

Beside  these  weapons,  every  warrior 
carries  the  scaFping  knife,  which,  with  the 
poniard  of  early  English  times,  is  equally 
useful  for  war  and  domestic  purposes.  Al- 
most without  an  exception  every  scalping 
knife  used  in  Korth  America  is  nothing 
more  than  a common  butcher’s  knife,  made 
in  Sheffield  for  sixpence,  and  sold  to  the 
Indians  at  the  price  of  a horse.  After  all, 
it  is  perhaps  the  very  best  instrument  that 
they  could  use.  One  of  my  friends,  an  ex- 
perienced hunter,  said  that  he  discarded  all 
his  elaborate  and  costly  hunting  knives,  and 
preferred  the  Sheffield  butcher’s  knife,  which 
combines  the  advantages  of  strength,  light- 
ness, and  the  capability  of  taking  an  edge 
like  a razor. 

Every  one  has  heard  of  the  custom  of 
scalping  as  practised  by  these  tribes,  a cus- 
tom which  takes  the  place  of  the  preserved 
heads  of  the  Dyak,  and  Mundurucu.  When 
an  American  Indian  slays  an  enemy,  he  re- 
moves the  scalp  as  a proof  of  his  victory. 
The  scalp  is  a piece  of  skin,  with  the  hair 
attached  to  it,  taken  from  the  very  crown  of 
the  head,  so  as  to  exhibit  that  portion  of  the 
skin  where  the  hair  radiates  from  a centre. 
The  size  of  the  scalp  is  of  no  importance, 
provided  that  it  only  contain  this  indispen- 
sable mark. 

Generally,  the  piece  of  skin  secured  is  al- 
most as  large  as  the  palm  of  the  hand,  and 
it  is  taken  in  the  following  manner.  The 


128a 


THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


enemy  being  fallen,  the  victor  sits  behind 
him  on  the  ground,  seizes  the  scalp-lock 
with  his  left  hand,  and  with  the  knife  makes 
two  semicircular  incisions  in  the  skin,  cut- 
ting it  completely  down  to  the  bone.  He 
then  twists  the  scalp-lock  round  both  his 
hands,  puts  his  feet  on  the  victim’s  shoul- 
ders, and  with  a violent  pull  drags  olf  the 
circular  piece  of  skin  with  the  hair  adher- 
ing to  it. 

This  whole  scene  (illustrated  on  page 
1284)  is  enacted  in  much  less  time  than  it 
has  taken  to  write,  the  Indians  being  well 
practised  in  their  sham  fights  before  they 
come  to  taking  scalps  in  actual  battle. 
Brandishing  the  scalp  in  one  hand  and  the 
knife  in  the  other,  the  exultant  conqueror 
utters  the  terrible  “ scalping  yell,”  which 
even  when  giVen  in  a mock  battle  seems  as  if 
it  were  uttered  by  a demon  rather  than  a man. 

The  scalped  man  is  always  supposed  to  be 
dead  or  dying,  and,  as  the  scalp  is  always 
accepted  as  a proof  of  death,  the  native 
warrior  would  never  scalp  a man  whom  he 
thought  likely  to  recover.  There  have, 
however,  been  many  instances,  where  in  the 
heat  of  battle  a man  has  been  scalped  while 
stunned,  though  without  a mortal  wound, 
and  has  afterward  recovered  and  lived  for 
many  years. 

When  the  battle  is  over  and  the  warrior 
returns  to  his  home,  he  dresses  the  scalp 
for  preservation.  This  is  usuahy  done  by 
stretching  it  in  a sort  of  battledore,  made 
by  bending  a flexible  stick  and  lashing  the 
ends  together,  and  it  is  then  solemnly 
“ danced  ” before  it  takes  its  place  with  the 
other  valuables  of  the  owner.  Some  of  the 
scalps  are  quite  small,  not  larger  than  a 
penny,  and  are  hung  on  the  bridles  of  the 
horses,  or  the  handles  of  clubs. 

Generally,  however,  they  are,  when  quite 
dry,  painted  on  the  inside  so  as  to  resemble 
a human  face,  and  hung  to  the  end  of  a 
long,  slight  pole.  On  a fine  day,  the  head 
chief  of  an  encampment  mostly  orders  that 
the  scalps  should  be  hung  out,  and  sets  the  ex- 
ample, % protruding  from  the  top  of  his  own 
hut  the  pole  on  which  are  hung  the  scalps 
which  he  has  taken.  All  the  warriors  at  once 
follow  his  example,  so  that  by  walking  round 
the  village  and  counting  the  scalps,  a stran- 
ger can^  learn  the  standing  of  every  war- 
rior. 

It  has  been  mentioned  that  many  of  the 
scalps  are  very  small.  Their  limited  size  is 
thus  accounted  for.  If  a warrior  be  hur- 
ried, as  is  mostly  the  case  when  scalping  a 
fallen  man  in  the  heat  of  battle,  he  contents 
himself  with  the  scalp  alone.  But,  if  he 
should  have  leisure,  he  removes  the  whole 
of  the  hair-bearing  portion  of  the  skin,  and 
treats  it  as  follows.  He  first  cuts  out  a 
small  circular  piece  containing  the  crown  of 
the  head,  this  being  the  actual  scalp.  The 
remainder  of  the  hair  he  divides  into  little 
locks,  and  with  them  he  fringes  the  seams 


of  his  leggings,  the  arms  and  edges  of  his 
coat,  the  shaft  of  his  spear,  the  handle  of 
his  club,  etc.,  etc.  The  whole  of  Mah-to- 
toh-pa’s  dress  was  covered  with  fringes 
made  from  the  hair  of  those  whom  he  slew 
in  battle. 

A dress  thus  ornamented  is  valued  be- 
yond all  price,  and  there  is  scarcely  any 
price  sufficiently  high  to  tempt  a warrior  to 
part  with  these  trophies  of  his  valor. 

The  “scalp  dance  ” is  a ceremony  quite 
in  keeping  v/ith  the  custom  of  securing  the 
trophy.  A scalp  dance  of  the  Sioux  is  thus 
described  by  Mr.  Gatlin  : — “ Among  this 
tribe,  as  I learned  whilst  residing  with 
them,  it  is  daneed  in  the  night  by  the  fight  of 
their  torches,  just  before  going  to  bed. 
When  a war  party  returns  from  a war  ex- 
cursion, bringing  home  with  them  the  scalps 
of  their  enemies,  they  generally  dance  them 
for  fifteen  nights  in  succession,  vaunting 
forth  the  most  extravagant  boasts  of  their 
wonderful  prowess  in  war,  whilst  they 
brandish  their  war  weapons  in  their  hands. 

“ A number  of  young  women  are  selected 
to  aid  (though  they  do  not  actually  join  in) 
the  dance,  by  stepping  into  the  centre  of 
the  ring  and  holding  up  the  scalps  that  have 
been  recently  taken,  while  the  warriors 
dance,  or  rather  jump,  around  in  a circle, 
brandishing  their  weapons,  and  barking  and 
yelping  in  the  most  frightful  manner,  all 
jumping  on  both  feet  at  a time,  with  a si- 
multaneous stamp,  and  blow,  and  thrust  of 
their  weapons,  with  which  it  would  seem  as 
if  they  were  actually  cutting  and  carving 
each  other  to  pieces.  During  these  frantic 
leaps  and  yells,  every  man  distorts  his  face 
to  the  utmost  power  of  his  muscles,  darting 
about  his  glaring  eyeballs,  and  snapping  his 
teeth  as  if  he  were  in  the  heat  — and  actu- 
ally breathing  through  his  nostrils  the  very 
hissing  death  — of  battle. 

“No  description  that  can  be  written  could 
ever  convey  more  than  a feeble  outline  of  the 
frightful  eftects  of  these  scenes  enacted  in  the 
dead  and  darkness  of  night,  under  the  glaring 
light  of  their  blazing  flamtjeaux;  nor  could 
all  the  years  allotted  to  mortal  man  in  the 
least  obliterate  or  deface  the  vivid  impres- 
sion that  one  scene  of  this  kind  would  leave 
upon  his  memory.” 

Mr.  Gatlin  suggests,  with  much  reason, 
that  these  dances  are  propitiatory  of  the 
spirits  of  the  slain  men,  showing  how  highly 
their  valor  was  prized  by  the  conquerors, 
and  the  great  respect  and  estimation  in 
which  they  were  held,  though  the  fortune  of 
war  had  gone  against  them. 

A good  example  of  the  w^ar  career  of  an 
American  Indian  chief  may  be  gained  by 
the  exploits  of  Mah-to-toh-pa,  as  displayed 
on  his  robe,  and  explained  by  him  to  Mr. 
Gatlin.  It  was  covered  with  twelve  groups 
of  figures,  which  will  be  briefly  described. 

His  first  exploit  was  killing  a Sioux  chief, 
who  had  already  killed  three  Riccarees. 


EXPLOITS  OF  MAII-TO-TOII-PA. 


1287 


This  feat  entitled  him  to  wear  eagles’  quills 
on  his  lance,  and  in  the  second  group  he  is 
shown  as  killing  with  this  lance  a Sliienne 
chief,  who  challenged  him  to  single  combat. 
The  third  scene  represents  a combat  in  which 
Mah-to-toh-pa  was  forsaken  by  his  party,  and 
yet,  though  badly  wounded,  killed  a Sliienne 
warrior  in  the  presence  of  some  thirty  of 
his  fellows. 

The  fourth  scene  shows  a great  chief  of 
the  Shiennes  killed  by  this  warrior,  whose 
splendid  headdress  was  assumed  b}^  his 
slayer.  The  fifth  picture  represents  a strange 
episode  in  a battle.  Mah-to-toh-pa  was 
travelling  with  a party  of  Kiccarees,  when 
they  were  fired  upon  by  a war  party  of  Sioux. 
The  Riccarees  fled,  leaving  Mah-to-toh-pa, 
v/ho  sprang  from  his  horse,  faced  the  Sioux  on 
foot,  killed  one  of  them,  and  secured  his  scalp. 

The  sixth  drawing  illustrates  a most  re- 
markable piece  of  personal  history.  A Ric- 
caree  brave,  named  Won-ga-tap,  shot  the 
brother  of  Mah-to-toh-pa  with  an  arrow, 
drove  his  well-known  spear  into  the  body  of 
the  fallen  man,  and  left  it  there,  as  a chal- 
lenge to  the  surviving  brother.  The  chal- 
lenge was  accepted.  Mah-to-toh-pa  found 
the  body,  recognized  the  spear,  and  vowed 
that  he  would  slay  the  murderer  of  his 
brother  v/ith  the  same  weapon.  Four  years 
passed  without  an  opportunity  to  fulfil  the 
vow,  when  he  could  no  longer  brook  de- 
lay, but  dashed  out  of  his  house  with  the 
fatal  spear  in  his  hand,  and  a small  wallet  of 
parched  corn  at  his  belt.  He  told  the  Man- 
dans  to  mention  his  name  no  more  unless 
he  returned  victorious  with  the  scalp  of 
Won-ga-tap. 

Amid  the  awe-struck  silence  of  his  people 
he  left  the  village,  and  disappeared  over  the 
grassy  bluffs.  For  two  hundred  miles  he 
travelled  alone  and  by  night,  always  conceal- 
ing himself  by  day,  until  he  reached  the 
Riccaree  village,  which  he  boldly  entered, 
mixing  with  the  inhabitants  as  if  he  were  a 
friendly  stranger.  He  knew  the  position  of 
Won-ga- tap’s  hut,  and  after  having  seen  that 
the  intended  victim  and  his  wife  had  smoked 
the  evening  pipe  and  were  in  bed,  he  walked 
gently  into  the  hut,  sat  down  by  the  fire, 
took  some  meat  out  of  the  cooking-pot,  and 
began  to  eat  in  order  to  strengthen  himself 
for  the  fulfilment  of  his  task.  This  was 
according  to  the  hospitable  custom  of  the 
American  Indians.  If  a man  be  hungry, 
he  need  not  ask  for  food,  but  has  only  to 
go  to  the  nearest  hut  and  help  himself. 

The  repast  being  ended,  Mah-to-toh-pa 
took  the  still  warm  pipe,  filled  it  with  to- 
bacco, and  began  to  smoke  it,  breathing, 
with  every  curl  of  smoke,  a prayer  for  suc- 
cess in  his  undertaking.  Once  or  twice  the 
wife  of  W on-ga-tap  asked  her  husband  who 
was  eating  in  their  hut,  but  he  replied  that 
some  one  must  be  hungry,  and  was  helping 
himself. 

When  the  last  smoke-wreath  had  as- 


cended, Mah-to-toh-pa  turned  toward  the 
bed,  and  with  his  foot  pushed  an  ember  on 
the  fire,  so  as  to  make  a blaze  by  which  he 
might  see  the  exact  position  of  his  victim. 
In  an  instant  he  leaped  toward  the  bed, 
drove  the  spear  through  the  heart  of  Won- 
ga-tap,  tore  oftTiis  scalp,  snatched  the  spear 
h’om  his  heart,  and  darted  out  of  the  hut 
with  the  scalp  of  his  victim  in  one  hand,  and 
in  the  other  the  fatal  spear,  with  the  blood 
of  Won-ga-tap  already  drying  over  that  of 
the  man  he  had  killed  four  years  before. 
The  whole  village  was  in  an  uproar,  but 
Mah-to-toh-pa  succeeded  in  making  his  es- 
cape, and  on  the  sixth  day  after  leaving  the 
Mandan  village,  he  re-entered  it  with  the 
scalp  of  his  enemy.  A portrait  of  this  cele- 
brated chief  is  given  on  the  1277th  page. 

Another  of  these  pictures  records  a single 
combat  fought  with  a Sliienne  chief  in  pres- 
ence of  both  war  parties.  They  fought 
on  horseback,  until  Mah-to-toh-pa’s  pow- 
der-horn was  shattered  by  a bullet.  The 
Sliienne  chief  flung  away  his  gun,  horn, 
and  bullet  pouch,  and  challenged  the  foe 
with  bow  and  arrow.  Both  parties  were 
wounded  in  the  limbs,  but  kept  their  bodies 
covered  with  their  shields. 

Presently  Mah-to-toli-pa’s  horse  fell  with 
an  arrow  in  its  heart.  The  Sliienne  chief 
immediately  dismounted,  and  proceeded 
with  the  fight  until  he  had  exhausted  his 
arrows,  when  he  flung  the  empty  quiver  on 
the  ground,  Challenging  with  his  knife,  the 
only  weapon  which  he  had  left.  The  chal- 
lenge was  accepted,  and  they  rushed  on  each 
other,  but  Mah-to-toh-pa  had  left  his  knife 
at  home,  and  was  unarmed.  He  closed  with 
his  antagonist,  and  a struggle  ensued  for 
the  knife.  Mah-to-toh-pa  was  dreadfully 
wounded  in  the  hands,  but  at  last  wrested 
the  knife  from  his  adversary,  drove  it  into 
his  heart,  and  in  silence  claimed  the  scalp  of 
his  fallen  foe. 

On  another  occasion  he  alone  faced  sixty 
Assineboins,  drove  them  back,  and  killed 
one  of  them.  It  was  in  this  battle  that  he 
earned  the  name  of  “ Four  Bears,”  by  which 
must  be  understood  the  grizzly  bear,  the 
most  terrible  quadruped  of  Xorth  America. 
This  is  a sample  of  the  mode  in  which  warfare 
is  conducted  by  the  North  American  Indians 
— a strange  mixture  of  lofty  and  chivalrous 
nobility  with  cunning  and  deceit.  In  fact, 
in  contemplating  these  interesting  tribes, 
we  are  thrown  back  to  the  time  of  Ulysses, 
whose  great  fame  was  equally  derived  from 
his  prowess  in  battle  and  his  skill  in  deceiv- 
ing his  foes,  or,  in  other  words,  of  being  a 
most  accomplished  liar. 

The  men  are  taught  the  operations  of  war 
from  a very  early  age.  Every  morning,  all 
the  lads  who  are  above  seven  years  old  and 
upward,  and  have  not  been  admitted  among 
the  men,  are  taken  to  some  distance  from 
the  village,  where  they  are  divided  into  two 
opposing  bodies,  each  under  the  command 


1288 


THE  NOETH  AMEEICAH  INDIANS. 


of  an  experienced  warrior.  They  are  armed 
with  little  bows,  arrows  made  of  grass  stems, 
and  wooden  knives  stuck  in  their  belts.  In 
their  heads  they  slightly  weave  a plaited 
tuft  of  grass  to  represent  the  scalp-lock. 

The  two  parties  then  join  in  sham  combat, 
which  is  made  to  resemble  a real  fight  as 
much  as  possible.  When  any  of  the  com- 
batants is  struck  in  a vital  part,  he  is  obliged 
to  fall  as  if  dead,  when  his  antagonist  goes 
through  the  operation  of  scalping  with  his 
wooden  knife,  places  the  scalp  in  his  belt, 
utters  the  wild  yell,  and  again  joins  in  the 
battle.  As  no  one  may  fight  without  a scalp- 
lock,  the  fallen  adversary  is  obliged  to  with- 
draw from  the  fight.  This  goes  on  for  an 
hour  or  so,  when  the  mock  fight  is  stopped, 
and  the  lads  are  praised  or  rebuked  accord- 
ing to  the  skill  and  courage  which  they  have 
shown,  the  number  of  scalps  at  the  belt 
being  the  surest  criterion  of  merit. 

It  is  well  known  that  after  a battle  the 
American  Indians  torture  their  prisoners, 
and  that  they  display  the  most  diabolical 
ingenuity  in  devising  the  most  excruciating 
torments.  Still,  there  has  been  much  exag- 
geration in  the  accounts  of  this  custom. 
They  do  not  torture  all  their  prisoners,  se- 
lecting only  a few  for  this  purpose,  the 
others  being  absorbed  into  the  tribe  by 
marriage  with  the  widows  whose  husbands 
have  been  killed  in  battle,  and  enjoying 
equal  rights  with  the  original  members  of 
the  tribe. 

Neither  is  the  torture  practised  with  the 
idea  of  revenge,  though  it  is  likely  that 
vengeful  feelings  will  arise  when  the  victim 
is  bound  to  the  stake.  Superstition  seems 
to  be  at  the  root  of  the  torture,  which  is  in- 
tended to  propitiate  the  spirit  of  those  mem- 
bers of  their  own  tribe  who  have  suffered 
the  like  treatment  at  the  hands  of  their 
adversaries.  The  doomed  warrior  accepts 
his  fate  with  the  imperturbable  demeanor 
which  is  an  essential  part  of  a North  Ameri- 
can Indian’s  character,  and,  for  the  honor 
of  his  tribe,  matches  his  endurance  against 
the  pain  which  his  enemies  can  inflict. 

Tortures  too  terrible  even  to  be  men- 
tioned are  tried  in  succession ; for  when  the 
victim  is  once  bound  to  the  stake,  the  Indian 
never  has  been  known  to  relent  in  his  pur- 
pose, which  is  to  extort  acknowledgments  of 
suffering  from  the  captured  warrior,  and 
thereby  to  disgrace  not  only  himself  but  the 
tribe  to  which  he  belongs.  He,  in  the  mean- 
while, prides  himself  on  showing  his  enemies 
how  a warrior  can  die.  He  chants  the  praises 
of  his  tribe  and  their  deeds,  boasts  of  all  the 
harm  that  he  has  done  to  the  tribe  into 
whose  power  he  has  fallen,  ridicules  their 
best  warriors,  and  endeavors  to  anger  them 
to  such  an  extent  that  they  may  dash  out 
his  brains,  and  so  spare  him  further  torture. 
He  will  even  laugh  at  their  attempts  to  ex- 
tort cries  of  pain  from  a warrior,  and  tell 
them  that  they  do  not  know  how  to  torture. 


One  remarkable  instance  of  endurance  in 
a captured  Creek  warrior  is  told  by  Mr. 
Adair.  The  man  had  been  captured  by  the 
Shawnees,  and  forced  to  run  the  gauntlet 
naked  through  all  the  tribe;  he  had  been 
tied  to  the  stake,  and  was  horribly  tortured 
with  gun-barrels  heated  redhot.  All  the 
efforts  of  his  enemies  only  drew  from  him 
taunts  and  jeers,  to  the  eftect  that  the  Shaw- 
nees were  so  ignorant  that  they  did  not 
even  know  how  to  torture  a bound  prisoner. 
Great  warrior  though  he  was,  he  had  fallen 
into  their  hands  through  some  fault  in  ad- 
dressing the  Great  Spirit,  but  that  he  had 
enough  virtue  left  to  show  them  the  differ- 
ence between  a Creek  and  a Shawnee.  Let 
them  only  unbind  him,  and  allow  him  to 
take  a redhot  gun-barrel  out  of  the  fire,  and 
he  would  show  them  a much  better  way  of 
torturing  than  any  which  they  knew. 

His  demeanor  had  excited  the  respect  of 
the  Shawnees,  and  they  unbound  him  and 
took  him  to  the  fire,  in  which  were  lying 
the  redhot  tubes.  Unhesitatingly,  he  picked 
up  one  of  them  with  his  bare  hands,  sprang 
at  the  surrounding  crowd,  striking  right  and 
left  with  this  fearful  weapon,  cleared  a pas- 
sage through  the  astonished  warriors,  and 
leaped  down  a precipice  into  the  river.  He 
swam  the  river  amid  a shower  of  bullets, 
gained  a little  island  in  its  midst,  and,  though 
instantly  followed  by  numbers  of  his  discon- 
certed enemies,  actually  succeeded  in  get- 
ting away.  In  spite  of  the  injuries  which 
he  had  suffered,  and  which  would  have  killed 
an  ordinary  European,  he  recovered,  and 
lived  for  many  years,  the  implacable  foe  of 
the  Shawnees. 

A somewhat  similar  adventure  occurred 
to  a Katahba  warrior,  who  was  pursued  by 
a band  of  Senecas,  and  at  last  captured, 
though  not  until  he  had  contrived  to  kill 
seven  of  them.  A warrior  of  such  prowess 
was  guarded  with  double  vigilance,  and  he 
was  brought  to  the  Seneca  village  for  the 
torture,  after  having  been  beaten  at  every 
encampment  through  which  the  party  had 
passed. 

As  the  torturers  were  taking  him  to  the 
stake,  he,  like  the  Creek  warrior,  burst  from 
his  captors,  and  flung  himself  into  the 
river,  swimming  across  in  safety.  He 
paused  for  a moment  on  the  opposite  bank 
to  express  emphatically  his  contempt  for  the 
pursuers  who  were  crowding  down  the  bank 
and  into  the  river,  and  then  dashed  forward 
so  fast  that  he  gained  nearly  a day’s  journey 
upon  the  foremost  of  the  pursuers.  . 

Five  of  the  enemy  pressed  upon  him,  and, 
though  naked  and  unarmed,  he  deliber- 
ately waited  for  them.  At  night,  when  they 
were  all  asleep,  not  having  thought  a sentry 
needful,  he  crept  up  to  the  party,  snatched 
one  of  their  tomahawks,  and  killed  them  all 
before  they  could  wake.  He  scalped  them, 
clothed  and  armed  himself,  invigorated  his 
wasted  frame  with  food,  and  set  off  to  the 


HOESEMANSIIir  OF  CAMANCIIEES. 


1289 


where  he  had  slain  the  seven  foes  as  he 
was  first  pursued.  They  had  been  buried 
for  the  sake  of  preserving  their  scalps,  but  he 
found  the  place  of  burial,  scalped  them  all, 
and  not  until  then  did  he  make  for  his  home, 
which  he  reached  in  safety. 

When  the  rest  of  the  pursuers  came  to  the 

Elace  where  the  five  had  been  killed,  they 
eld  a council,  and  determined  that  a man 
who  could  do  such  deeds  unarmed  must  be  a 
wizard  whom  they  could  not  hope  to  resist, 
and  that  the  best  course  that  they  could  pur- 
sue was  to  go  home  again. 

The  reader  will  not  fail  to  notice  the  great 
stress  that  is  here  laid  on  the  possession  of 
the  scalp.  A w\ar  party  of  Indians  care 
comparatively  little  for  the  loss  of  one  of 
their  number,  provided  that  they  conceal  his 
body  so  that  the  enemy  shall  not  take  his 
scalp.  Here  we  have  an  instance  of  a man 
pursued  by  numbers  of  infuriated  and  re- 
lentless foes  deliberately  going  back  to  the 
spot  where  he  thought  his  slain  enemies 
might  be  buried,  and  a second  time  risking 
his  life  in  order  to  secure  the  trophies  of  vic- 
tory. He  knew  that  his  intention  would 
be  foreseen,  and  yet  the  value  set  upon  the 
scalp  was  so  incalculable  that  even  the  risk 
of  undergoing  the  torture  was  as  nothing  in 
comparison. 

On  more  than  one  occasion,  a warrior  who 
has  been  struck  down,  and  felt  himself  un- 
able to  rise,  has  saved  his  life  by  feigning 
death,  and  permitting  his  victorious  foe  to 
tear  off  his  scalp  without  giving  the  least 
sign  of  suffering.  He  must  lose  his  scalp  at 
any  rate,  and  he  might  possibly  contrive  to 
save  his  life. 

Several  of  the  tribes  are  remarkable  for 
the  use  which  they  make  of  the  horse  in  war, 
and  their  marvellous  skill  in  riding.  The 
most  celebrated  tribe  in  this  respect  are  the 
Camanchees,  the  greater  part  of  whose  life 
is  spent  on  horseback.  As  is  often  the  case 
with  those  who  spend  much  of  their  time  on 
horseback,  the  Camanchees  are  but  poor 
walkers,  and  have  a slouching  and  awkward 
gait.  No  sooner,  however,  is  a Camanchee  on 
the  back  of  a horse,  than  his  whole  demeanor 
alters,  and  he  and  the  animal  which  he  be- 
strides seem  one  and  the  same  being,  actu- 
ated with  the  same  spirit.  “ A Camanchee 
on  his  feet,”  writes  Mr.  Catlin,  “ is  out  of  his 
element,  and  comparatively  almost  as  awk- 
ward as  a monkey  on  the  ground  without  a 
limb  or  branch  to  cling  to.  But  the  moment 
he  lays  his  hand  upon  his  horse,  his  face  be- 
comes handsome,  and  he  gracefully  flies 
away  like  a different  being.” 

There  is  one  feat  in  which  all  the  Caman- 
chee warriors  are  trained  from  their  in- 
fancy. As  the  man  is  dashing  along  at  full 
gallop,  he  will  suddenly  drop  over  the  side 
of  his  horse,  leaving  no  part  of  him  visible 
except  the  sole  of  one  foot,  which  is  hitched 
over  the  horse’s  ba(;k  as  a purchase  by 
which  he  can  pull  himself  to  an  upright 

62 


position.  In  this  attitude  he  can  ride  for 
any  distance,  and  moreover  can  use  with 
deadly  effect  cither  his  bow  or  his  fourteen- 
foot  lance. 

One  of  their  favorite  modes  of  attack  is  to 
gallop  toward  the  enemy  at  full  speed,  and 
then,  just  before  they  come  within  range, 
they  drop  upon  the  opposite  side  of  their 
horses,  dash  past  the  foe,  and  pour  upon 
him  a shower  of  arrows  directed  under  their 
horses’  necks,  and  sometimes  even  thrown 
under  their  bellies.  All  the  time  it  is 
nearl}'^  useless  for  the  enemy  to  return  the 
shots,  as  the  whole  body  of  the  Camanchee 
is  hidden  behind  the  horse,  and  there  is  noth- 
ing to  aim  at  save  the  foot  just  projecting 
over  the  animal’s  back. 

To  enable  them  to  perform  this  curi- 
ous manoeuvre,  (illustrated  on  the  1291st 
page)  the  Camanchees  plait  a short  and 
strong  halter  of  horse  hair.  This  halter  is 
passed  under  the  horse’s  neck,  and  the  ends 
are  firmly  plaited  into  the  mane,  just  above 
the  withers,  so  as  to  leave  a loop  hanging 
under  the  animars  neck.  Into  this  loop  the 
warrior  drops  with  accurate  precision,  sus- 
taining the  weight  of  his  body  on  the  upper 
part  of  the  bent  arm,  and  allowing  the  spear 
to  fall  into  the  bend  of  the  elbow.  Thus 
both  his  arms  are  at  liberty  to  draw  the  bow 
or  wield  the  spear;  and  as  in  such  cases  he 
always  grasps  a dozen  arrows  in  his  left 
hand,  together  with  the  bow,  he  can  dis- 
charge them  without  having  recourse  to  his 
quiver. 

Sometimes  the  Camanchees  try  to  steal 
upon  their  enemies  by  leaving  their  lances 
behind  them,  slinging  themselves  along  the 
sides  of  £lieir  steeds,  and  approaching  care- 
lessly, as  though  they  were  nothing  but  a 
troop  of  wild  horses  without  riders.  A very 
quick  eye  is  needed  to  detect  this  guise, 
which  is  generally  betrayed  by  the  fact  that 
the  horses  always  keep  the  same  side  toward 
the  spectator,  which  would  very  seldom  be 
the  case  were  they  wild  and  unrestrained  in 
their  movements. 

Every  Camanchee  has  one  favorite  horse, 
which  he  never  mounts  except  for  war  or 
the  chase,  using  an  inferior  animal  on  or- 
dinary occasions.  Swiftness  is  the  chief 
quality  for  which  the  charger  is  selected,  and 
for  no  price  would  the  owner  part  with  his 
steed.  Like  all  uncivilized  people,  he  treats 
his  horse  with  a strange  mixture  of  cruelty 
and  kindness.  While  engaged  in  the  chase, 
for  example,  he  spurs  and  whips  the  animal 
most  ruthlessly;  but  as  soon  as  he  returns, 
he  carefully  hands  over  his  valued  animal  to 
his  women,  who  are  waiting  to  receive  it,  and 
who  treat  it  as  if  it  were  a cherished  member 
of  the  family. 

It  need  scarcely  be  added  that  the  Ca- 
manchees are  most  accomplished  horse 
stealers,  and  that  they  seize  every  oppor- 
tunity of  robbing  other  tribes  of  their  ani- 
mals. When  a band  of  Camanchees  sets 


1290 


THE  KORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


out  ou  a horse  stealing  expedition,  the  war- 
riors who  compose  it  are  bound  in  honor  not 
to  return  until  they  have  achieved  their  ob- 
ject. Sometimes  they  are  absent  for  more 
than  two  years  before  they  can  succeed  in 
surprising  the  settlement  which  contains 
the  horses  on  which  they  have  set  their 
hearts,  and  they  will  lie  in  ambush  for 
months,  awaiting  a favorable  opportunity. 

The  value  set  upon  horses  by  the  eques- 
trian tribes  cannot  be  better  illustrated  than 
by  the  singular  custom  of  “ smoking  horses,” 
which  prevails  in  some  parts  of  the  coun- 
try. The  reader  will  find  this  illustrated  on 
the  following  page. 

VV'hen  one  of  these  tribes  determine  on 
making  war,  and  find  on  mustering  their 
forces  that  they  have  not  sufficient  horses, 
they  send  a messenger  to  a friendly  tribe  to 
say  that  on  a certain  day  they  will  come  to 
“ smoke  ” a certain  number  of  horses,  and 
expect  the  animals  to  be  ready  for  them. 
This  is  a challenge  which  is  never  refused, 
involving  as  it  does  the  honor  of  the  tribe. 

On  the  appointed  day,  the  young  warriors 
who  have  no  horses  go  to  the  friendly  vil- 
lage, stripped  and  painted  as  if  for  war,  and 
seat  themselves  in  a circle,  all  facing  inward. 
They  light  their  pipes  and  smoke  in  silence, 
the  people  of  the  village  forming  a large  circle 
around  them,  leaving  a wide  space  between 
themselves  and  their  visitors. 

Presently  in  the  distance  there  appears 
an  equal  number  of  young  warriors  on 
horseback,  dashing  along  at  full  gallop,  and 
in  “ Indian  file,”  according  to  their  custom. 
They  gallop  round  the  ring,  and  the  fore- 
most rider,  selecting  one  of  the  seated 
young  men,  stoops  from  his  saddle  as  he 
passes,  and  delivers  a terrible  blow  at  his 
naked  shoulders  with  his  cruel  whip.  Each 
of  his  followers  does  the  same,  and  they 
gallop  round  and  round  the  smokers,  at 
each  circuit  repeating  the  blow  until  the 
shoulders  of  the  men  are  covered  with 
blood.  It  is  incumbent  upon  the  sufferers 
to  smoke  on  in  perfect  calmness,  and  not  to 
give  the  slightest  intimation  that  they  are 
aware  of  the  blows  which  are  inflicted  on 
them.  When  the  requisite  number  of  cir- 
cuits have  been  made,  the  leader  springs  off’ 
his  horse,  and  places  the  bridle  and  whip  in 
the  hands  of  the  young  man  whom  he  has 
selected,  saying  at  the  same  time,  “ You  are 
a beggar;  I present  you  with  a horse:  but 
you  will  always  carry  my  mark  on  your 
back.”  The  rest  follow  his  example. 

Every  one  is  pleased  with  this  remark- 
able custom.  The  young  men  are  pleased 
because  they  get  a horse  apiece;  and  as  to 
the  flogging,  in  the  first  place  they  really 
care  very  little  for  pain,  and  in  the  next  place 
they  have  enjoyed  an  opportunity  of  show- 
ing publicly  their  capability  of  endurance. 

Those  who  give  the  horses  are  pleased 
because  they  have  been  able  to  show  their 
liberality,  a trait  which  is  held  in  great  esti- 


mation by  these  people,  and  they  have  also 
the  peculiar  satisfaction  of  flogging  a war- 
rior with  impunity.  Both  tribes  are  also 
pleased,  the  one  because  they  have  gained 
the  horses  without  which  they  could  not 
have  made  up  their  forces,  and  the  other 
because  they  have  shown  themselves  pos- 
sessed of  superior  w'ealth. 


FLINT-HEADED  ABRO'W’. 

(See  page  1285.) 


(1291) 


ilBP'W 

Of  ms 


CHAPTEE  CXXXYII. 


THE  NOETH  AMEEICAi^  mTHA'NS  — Continued. 


HUNTING  — AMUSEMENTS. 


NOHTH  AMERICAN  HUNTERS  — BISON  OR  BUFFALO  HUNTING  — THE  CHASE  ON  HORSEBACK  — USE  OF 
THE  GUN  — BISON  DRIVING  — THE  SNOW  SHOE,  AND  ITS  USB  IN  BISON  HUNTING  — THE  DISGUISE 
IN  WOLF  SKINS  — HORSE  CATCHING  — MODES  OF  USING  THE  LASSO  — HOW  HORSES  ARB  TAMED  — 
“creasing”  horses — THE  BUFFALO  DANCE  — CREDIT  OF  THE  BUFFALO  DANCE  RESTORED  — A 
SINGULAR  MASK  — INVARIABLE  SUCCESS  OF  THE  DANCE  — HOW  THE  DANCERS  ARE  RELIEVED  — 
AN  INGENI?)US  DECEPTION. 


As  might  be  expected  from  a migratory 
people  like  the  ISTorth  American  Indians,  all 
the  tribes  excel  in  hunting,  though  some 
are  notable  above  the  others.  hText  to  Af- 
rica, this  country  presents  the  finest  hunt- 
ing grounds  in  the  world,  the  game  varying 
according  to  the  locality,  and  giving  the 
hunter  an  almost  unrivalled  scope  of  ac- 
tion. 

First  and  most  important  of  the  North 
American  game  is  the  bison,  popularly  but 
erroneously  called  the  buffalo.  This  animal 
exists  in  countless  myriads,  and  in  spite  of 
the  continual  persecutions  to  which  it  has 
been  subjected,  and  the  utterly  reckless 
manner  in  which  it  has  been  destroyed, 
it  still  blackens  the  plains  with  its  multi- 
tudes. • 

Before  the  horse  came  into  use,  the  North 
American  Indians  were  obliged  to  chase 
the  bison  on  foot,  and  even  at  the  present 
day  there  are  many  celebrated  hunters  who 
are  able  to  run  down  a bison  on  foot  and  kill 
it  with  the  lance.  The  mode,  however,  which 
is  generally  adopted  is  the  chase  by  mounted 
hunters,  a chase  which  offers  the  greatest  re- 
sults, and  exhibits  the  wildest  enthusiasm 
and  excitement.  Armed  merely  with  his 
tiny  bow  and  flint-headed  arrow's,  the  native 
hunter  mounts  his  horse,  and  goes  off  in 
chase  of  the  bison. 

When  he  comes  up  with  the  animals,  he 
selects  one,  usually  a fat  and  well-condi- 
tioned cow,  presses  his  horse  to  her  and  pre- 
pares his  bow  and  arrow.  The  well-trained 


horsQ  needs  no  guiding,  but  keeps  close  to 
the  right  shoulder  of  the  bison,  and  a little 
behind  it,  so  that  it  may  not  run  upon  the 
horns  of  the  animal  if  it  should  happen  to 
stop  suddenly  and  turn  its  head.  This  plan, 
moreover,  just  brings  the  rider  into  the 
proper  position  to  deliver  his  arrow  in  the 
most  deadly  manner,  i.  e.  directing  it  just 
behind  the  shoulder.  When  an  arrow  is  dis- 
charged by  a practised  hand,  the  bison  falls 
mortally  wounded,  and,  tenacious  of  life  as 
the  animal  is,  soon  breathes  its  last.  Leaving 
the  arrow  in  the  wound  in  order  to  mark  the 
owner  of  the  dead  animal,  the  successful 
archer  dashes  on  in  pursuit  of  another  ani- 
mal, and  does  not  cease  until  he  has  ex- 
pended all  his  store  of  arrows.  An  illustra- 
tion on  page  1299  shows  a herd  of  bisons, 
and  the  Indians  on  horseback  engaged  in 
the  exciting  sport. 

It  is  the  pride  of  the  native  hunter  to 
kill  a bison  with  every  arrow,  and  not  to 
shoot  twice  at  the  same  animal.  The 
younger  hunters  are  fierce  and  anxious  ri- 
vals in  this  sport,  knowing  that  the  result 
of  the  day’s  hunt  will  be  the  talk  of  the 
whole  village,  and  that  on  their  success  or 
failure  will  much  depend  the  estimation  in 
which  they  are  held.  So  each  successive 
hunt  produces  its  eager  competitors  for 
honor,  some  being  desirous  of  wiping  off 
past  disgrace  by  present  success,  and  others 
equally  anxious  to  maintain  the  reputation 
which  they  have  gained  on  former  occa- 
sions. 


(1293) 


1294 


THE  KOKTH  AMEKICAN  INDIANS. 


Even  in  those  parts  of  the  country  where 
the  bow  has  been  almost  entirely  superseded 
by  fire-arms,  it  is  equally  a point  of  honor 
to  kill  the  bison  with  a single  shot,  and  to 
claim  a slain  bison  for  every  bullet.  In 
such  cases,  the  hunter  takes  little  pains 
in  loading  his  gun.  He  carries  the  powder 
loose  in  his  pocket  or  bag,  scoops  hastily  a 
random  quantity  into  the  gun,  drops  upon 
it,  without  any  wadding,  a bullet  wetted 
in  the  mouth,  and  the  loading  is  complete. 
The  muzzle  of  the  gun  is  kept  uppermost 
until  the  moment  for  firing,  when  the  gun 
is  dropped,  aimed,  and  fired  simultaneously, 
without  being  brought  to  the  shoulder. 

The  skill  displayed  in  managing  the  horse 
is  the  more  remarkable,  as  these  Indians 
use  no  bit  by  which  the  animal  can  be 
guided.  They  have  nothing  but  a slight 
hide  halter  tied  round  the  lower  jaw  of  the 
horse,  the  only  use  of  which  is  to  cause  it  to 
halt  when  required.  This  is  popularly 
called  the  “ lariat,”  a corruption  from  the 
Erench  word,  VarU. 

The  excitement  caused  by  this  chase  is 
indescribable,  though  Mr.  Catlin  gives  a ver}^ 
graphic  idea  in  a few  words  : — “I  have  al- 
ways counted  myself  a prudent  man,  yet  I 
have  often  waked,  as  it  were,  out  of  the  de- 
lirium of  the  chase,  into  which  I had  fallen 
as  into  an  agitated  sleep,  and  through  which 
I had  passed  as  through  a delightful  dream 
— where  to  havO  died  would  have  been  to 
have  remained,  riding  on,  without  a strug- 
gle or  a pang.” 

Sometimes  the  bison  is  destroyed  in  a 
much  less  sporting  manner,  the  precipice 
and  the  pound  being  the  two  modes  which 
are  usually  followed.  The  reader  may  prob- 
ably be  aware  that,  in  those  parts  of  North 
America  inhabited  l)y  the  bison,  the  surface 
of  the  plain  is  frequently  interrupted  by  ra- 
vines with  precipitous  sides  and  of  tremen- 
dous depth.  When  a hunting  party  see  a 
herd  of  bisons  within  several  miles  of  one  of 
these  ravines,  they  quietly  separate,  and  steal 
round  the  herd,  so  as  to  place  the  bisons  be- 
tween themselves  and  the  ravine. 

They  then  gently  move  forward,  and  the 
bisons,  retreating  from  them,  draw  nearer 
and  nearer  to  the  ravine,  at  the  same  time 
becoming  packed  closer  and  closer  together. 
Suddenly  the  hunters  raise  a shout,  and 
dash  forward  at  the  bisons.  The  aflfrighted 
animals  take  to  flight  at  their  best  speed, 
and  run  on  until  they  reach  the  edge  of  the 
ravine.  Here  the  foremost  bisons  try  to 
check  themselves,  but  to  no  avail,  as  they 
are  pressed  forward  by  their  companions 
behind,  and  thus  almost  the  whole  of  the 
herd  are  forced  over  the  precipice,  and 
killed  by  the  fall.  Even  those  in  the  rear, 
which  at  last  see  their  danger,  and  try  to 
escape,  have  to  run  the  gauntlet  of  their 
enemies,  who  allow  but  very  few  of  them  to 
escape. 

A somewhat  similar  plan  is  adopted  with 


the  pound,  into  which  the  bisons  are  driven 
by  the  hunters.  The  pound  is  an  enclosure 
made  of  felled  trees  and  branches,  with  an 
opening  which  gradually  widens.  The  bi- 
sons are  driven  toward  the  enclosure,  a task 
which  often  occupies  several  weeks,  and, 
when  they  arrive  within  the  fatal  arms  of 
the  -entrance,  are  urged  forward  by  means 
of  little  fires,  which  are  lighted  on  either 
side.  Instinct  urges  the  animals  to  escape 
from  an  element  which  sweeps  over  vast 
districts  of  country,  and  kills  every  living 
thing  in  it,  and  in  their  haste  they  run 
toward  the  pound,  in  which  they  are  at 
once  shut  up.  It  is  fortunate  for  the  hunt- 
ers that  the  bisons  do  not  know  their  own 
strength.  They  could  easily  break  through 
the  walls  of  the  pound,  but  they  mostly  con- 
tent themselves  with  turning  round  and 
round,  and  passively  await  the  arrival  of  the 
destroyer.  So  foolish  are  they  in  this  re- 
spect, and  in  such  numbers  are  they  killed, 
that  pounds  have  been  built  of  the  bones  of 
slaughtered  bisons. 

In  the  winter  another  plan  of  hunting  the 
bison  is  followed.  At  this  time  of  the  year 
the  fur  or  “ pelt  ” of  the  bison  is  the  thickest 
and  warmest,  and  the  skin  is  of  the  most 
value.  It  is  from  these  skins  that  the 
“ buffalo  ” rugs  and  robes  are  made,  with- 
out wlpch  out-of-door  life  would  be  scarcely 
endurable  in  the  more  northern  parts  of  this 
vast  continent. 

During  the  winter  months  the  prairies 
assume  a new  aspect.  They  are  not  only 
covered  with  snow,  so  that  the  ordinary 
landmarks  are  obliterated,  but  the  snow  is 
blown  by  the  wind  into  the  most  fantastic 
shapes,  raised  in  some  places  into  long  and 
sharply  scarped  hills  where  no  hills  were, 
forming  level  plains  where  the  ground  is 
really  cut  up  by  hollows,  and  leaving  only 
the  tops  of  eminences  bare,  whence  the 
snow  is  blown  away  by  the  tempestuous 
winds  that  sweep  across  the  vast  expanse. 
On  these  hills  the  bison  congregate  for  the 
purpose  of  grazing,  shovelling  away  with 
their  broad  noses  the  snow  which  still  clings 
to  the  herbage^ 

The  animals  instinctively  keep  clear  of 
the  small  but  treacherous  plains  and  valleys, 
knowing  that  the  hidden  crevices  may  at 
any  time  swallow  them  up.  Into  these  val- 
leys the  hunters  try  to  drive  them,  so  that 
they  may  be  helplessly  entangled  in  the 
snow,  and  fall  easy  victims  to  the  spear. 
Were  it  not  for  some  invention  whereby  the 
hunters  are  enabled  to  skim  over  the  surface 
of  the  snow,  the  bisons  would  be  in  perfect 
safety,  but  the  snow  shoe  lays  the  poor  ani- 
mals at  the  mercy  of  their  pursuers.  It  is 
necessary  first  to  describe  this  ingenious 
implement. 

The  best  form  of  snow  shoe  is  seen  on  the 
next  page.  The  shape  is  that  of  a fish,  and 
its  framework  is  made  of  ash-wood,  kept  , in 
form  by  two  cross-bars,  one  in  front  and  one 


BISON  HUNTING. 


1295 


behind.  It  is  slightly  turned  up  in  front. 
The  whole  of  the  space  within  the  frame- 
work is  tilled  in  with  a close  and  strongly 
made  netting  of  hide  thongs,  much  like  tliose 
of  a racquet  — indeed,  the  French  Canadians 
use  the  word  ‘‘  raquef'^  to  represent  the  snow 
shoe.  As  the  snow  shoe  is  about  five  feet 
in  length  and  eighteen  inches  or  more  in 
breadth,  it  is  evident  that  the  weight  of  the 
wearer  is  distributed  over  a large  surface, 
and  that  a heavy  man  wearing  these  shoes 
can  pass  with  impunity  over  snow  in  which 
a child  would  sink  if  only  supported  on  its 
feet. 


The  most  ingenious  part  of  the  snow  shoe 
is  the  mode  by  which  it  is  fitted  to  the  foot. 
It  is  evident  that  if  it  were  fastened  firmly  to 
the  foot,  like  the  sole  of  a shoe,  the  wearer 
would  be  unable  to  stir  a step.  The  move- 
ment of  a snow-shoe  wearer  is  somewhat 
analogous  to  that  of  a skater,  the  shoe  being 
slid  over  the  snow,  and  not  raised  and  de- 
pi;essed  like  shoes  in  ordinary  walking.  If 
the  reader  will  refer  to  the  illustration,  he 
will  see  that  in  the  middle  and  toward  the 
forepart  of  the  shoe  there  is  a square  open- 
ing, edged  by  thongs,  very  much  stronger 
than  the  others. 


SNOW  SHOE. 
(From  my  collection.) 


Just  behind  the  opening  is  a triangular 
space  crossed  by  parallel  thongs.  When  the 
shoe  is  to  be  worn,  the  foot  is  placed  on  it  so 
that  the  heel  rests  on  the  parallel  thongs, 
and  the  centre  of  the  foot  is  supported  by 
the  thick  cross-thong,  call  the  ‘‘  bimikibi- 
son,”  the  toes  passing  into  the  square  open- 
ing, which  is  called  the  eye  of  the  shoe.  In 
order  to  keep  the  foot  in  its  place,  two 
leathern  loops  (not  shown  in  the  figure)  are 
attached  to  the  bimikibison,  one  of  which 
passes  over  the  instep  and  the  other  comes 
round  the  heel. 

As,  therefore,  the  wearer  moves  along, 
the  feet  play  freely  on  the  bimikibison,  the 
heels  coming  down  at  each  step  on  the 
parallel  thongs,  while  the  toes  move  up  and 
down  through  the  “ eye  ” of  the  shoe,  which 
is  dragged  over  the  snow  by  the  instep 
thong,  the  heel  strap  being  only  useful 
in  keeping  the  foot  from  slipping  out  back- 
M^ard. 

After  some  practice,  the  wearer  is  able  to 
skim  over  the  snow  with  astonishing  speed, 
but  to  a novice  the  first  attempt  is  not  only 
awkward,  but  causes  excruciating  pain.  The 
unaccustomed  movement  of  the  foot,  to- 
gether with  the  pressure  of  the  instep  strap, 
produces  a pain  peculiar  to  the  snow  shoe, 
called  by  the  Canadians  “maZ  du  raqueV’ 
Not  only  does  blood  stain  the  snow  as 
the  excoriated  foot  drags  the  heavy  shoe 
over  the  surface,  but  a pain  pervades  the 
whole  foot,  as  if  all  the  little  bones  were 
dislocated,  and  rubbing  against  each  other. 
Perseverance  is  the  only  cure  for  the  “ mal 
du  raquet^’’’’  and  after  a few  days  the  wearer 
is  able  to  proceed  with  perfect  comfort. 


It  often  happens  that  heavy  snow  storms 
fall  before  the  people  are  able  to  replace  the 
shoes,  wdiich  are  generally  damaged  in  the 
course  of  the  summer  months,  and  in  tliis 
case  they  are  obliged  to  extemporize  snow 
shoes  out  of  flat  boards.  These  are  shorter 
and  wider  than  the  regular  snow  shoes,  but 
are  used  in  much  the  same  manner,  the 
“eye”  being  cut  out  of  the  board,  and 
the  necessary  thongs  being  fixed  across  the 
opening.  These  simple  instruments  are 
called  "by  a name  which  signifies  “ bear’s- 
paw  ” shoes.  Some  of  the  prairie  tribes  use 
very  long  and  comparatively  narrow  skates, 
turned  up  in  front,  and  precisely  resem- 
bling the  “skidor”  of  Northern  Europe. 

Upborne  on  the  snow  shoe,  the  American 
Indian  has  the  bison  at  his  mercy.  He 
drives  the  herd  from  the  eminences  into  the 
valleys,  and  while  the  poor  animals  are  floun- 
dering about  in  the  deep  snow,  he  deliber- 
ately selects  those  which  have  the  largest 
and  softest  “ robes,  ” and  kills  them  with  his 
spears.  Thousands  are  annually  slain  in  this 
manner,  their  skin  removed,  and  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  tongue  and  the  hump,  which 
are  the  best  parts  of  the  bison,  the  whole  of 
the  carcass  is  left  to  the  prairie  wolves  and 
birds  of  prey. 

On  these  shoes  the  native  hunters  capture 
the  huge  moose.  They  select  a time  when 
there  has  been  a partial  thaw  followed  by  a 
frost,  so  as  to  leave  a thin  crust  of  ice  upon 
a substratum  of  soft  snow.  As  the  moose 
plunges  through  the  snow,  it  breaks  through 
this  icy  crust  at  every  step,  cutting  its  legs 
frightfully  with  the  broken  edges,  and  so  falls 
an  easy  victim. 


1296 


THE  NOKTH  AMEKICAN  INDIANS. 


Another  mode  of  bison  hunting  presents  a 
curious  analogy  with  the  ingenious  method 
of  ostrich  hunting  which  is  practised  by  the 
Bosjesmans  of  Southern  Africa. 

Upon  the  vast  plains  of  North  America 
the  so-called  wolves  prowl  in  numbers. 
They  will  folloAV  the  hunter  for  weeks  to- 
gether for  the  sake  of  the  offal  of  the  beasts 
which  he  kills.  They  will  not  venture  to 
harm  him,  but  follow  him  by  day  at  a distance 
of  half  a mile  or  so,  and  at  night,  when  he 
lies  down  to  sleep,  they  will  couch  also  at  a 
respectful  distance. 

Should  he  wound  a bison  and  not  be  able 
to  secure  it,  the  wolves  are  sure  to  have  that 
animal  sooner  or  later,  and  if  they  manage 
to  detach  a single  bison  from  the  herd,  they 
will  lairly  persecute  the  wretched  animal  to 
death.  But  they  will  never  venture  to  attack 
a herd  of  bisons,  and,  being  instinctively 
aware  of  the  protection  afforded  by  mutual 
support,  the  bisons  allow  the  wolves  to  ap- 
proach quite  close  to  them,  and,  indeed,  to 
wander  freely  among  the  herd.  Of  this  fact 
the  hunters  take  advantage  in  the  following 
manner.  They  remove  the  skin  of  a large 
wolf,  and  put  it  upon  themselves,  so  that 
when  they  go  on  all  fours  the  head  of  the 
wolf  projects  just  above  their  own  head, 
and  their  arms  and  legs  are  partly  covered 
by  the  skin  belonging  to  the  corresponding 
members  of  the  wolf. 

Thus  disguised,  the}"  creep  slowly  and 
cautiously  toward  the  herd,  bearing  their 
bow  and  arrows  in  their  left  hands.  The 
bisons,  whose  eyes  are  none  of  the  best, 
being  overshadowed  by  the  masses  of  black 
hair  that  overlap  them,  think  nothing  of  the 
supposed  wolves,  and  allow  them  to  come 
quite  close.  Even  if  an  animal  more  wary 
than  his  comrades  does  suspect  the  ruse,  the 
disguised  hunter  has  merely  to  turn  in 
another  direction,  as  if  the  creature  he  rep- 
resents has  no  business  with  the  herd.  By 
degrees,  he  contrives  to  creep  close  to  the 
bison  which  he  prefers,  and  drives  the  flint- 
headed arrow  to  its  heart.  No  report  at- 
tending the  discharge  of  the  arrow,  the 
wounded  bison  runs  for  a few  paces,  and 
sinks  on  the  ground,  mostly  without 
alarming  any  of  its  companions.  The  hun- 
ter leaves  his  dying  prey,  goes  off  after 
another  victim,  and  slays  it  in  a similar 
fashion.  Thus  a skilful  hunter  will  manage 
to  exhaust  the  whole  of  his  stock  of  arrows, 
killing  a bison  with  each  arrow,  and  yet  not 
alarm  the  rest  of  the  herd. 

Both  in  hunting  and  in  warfare  the  eques- 
trian warriors  always  carry  the  lasso  attached 
to  the  saddles  of  their  horses.  It  is  not, 
however,  kept  coiled,  as  is  the  case  in  Mexico, 
but  is  allowed  to  trail  on  the  ground  behind 
their  horse.  The  object  of  this  custom  is 
easily  understood.  It  often  happens  that, 
whether  in  the  hunt  or  warfare,  the  rider  is 
thrown  from  his  horse.  In  such  a case,  as 
soon  as  he  touches  the  ground,  he  seizes  the 


lasso,  stops  his  well-trained  horse  with  a 
jerk,  leaps  on  its  back,  and  is  at  once  ready 
to  renew  the  combat  or  the  chase. 

The  mode  in  which  the  natives  supply 
themselves  with  horses  is  worth  a brief  de- 
scription. In  various  parts  of  the  country 
the  horses  have  completely  acclimatized 
themselves,  and  have  run  free  for  many 
years,  so  that  they  have  lost  all  traces  ol 
domestication,  and  have  become  as  truly 
wild  as  the  bison  and  the  antelope,  assem- 
bling in  large  herds,  headed  by  the  strongest 
and  swiftest  animals.  It  is  from  these  herds 
that  the  natives  supply  themselves  with  the 
horses  which  of  late  years  have  become  ab- 
solutely necessary  to  them;  and  in  most  cases 
the  animals  are  captured  in  fair  chase  after 
the  following  manner: — 

"When  an  American  Indian  — say  a Ca- 
manchee  — wishes  to  catch  a fresh  horse, 
he  mounts  his  best  steed,  and  goes  in  search 
of  the  nearest  herd.  When  he  has  come  as 
near  as  he  can  without  being  discovered, 
he  dashes  at  the  herd  at  full  speed,  and, 
singling  out  one  of  the  horses,  as  it  gallops 
along,  hampered  by  the  multitude  of  its 
companions,  flings  his  lasso  over  its  neck. 

As  soon  as  the  noose  has  firmly  settled, 
the  hunter  leaps  off  his  own  steed  (which  is 
trained  to  remain  standing  on  the  same 
spot  until  it  is  wanted),  and  allows  himself 
to  be  dragged  along  by  the  affrighted  ani- 
mal, which  soon  falls,  in  consequence  of 
being  choked  by  the  leathern  cord. 

When’ the  horse  has  fallen,  the  hunter 
comes  cautiously  up,  keeping  the  lasso  tight 
enough  to  prevent  the  animal  from  fairly 
recovering  its  breath,  and  loose  enough  to 
guard  against  its  entire  strangulation,  and 
at  last  is  able  to  place  one  hand  over  its 
eyes  and  the  other  on  its  nostrils. 

The  animal  is  now  at  his  mercy.  lie 
breathes  strongly  into  its  nostrils,  and 
from  that  moment  the  hitherto  wild  horse 
is  his  slave.  In  order  to  impress  upon 
the  animal  the  fact  of  his  servitude,  he 
hobbles  together  its  fore-feet  for  a time,  and 
casts  a noose  over  its  lower  jaw;  but  within 
a wonderfully  short  period  he  is  able  to  re- 
move the  hobbles,  and  to  ride  the  conquered 
animal  into  camp.  During  the  time  occu- 
pied in  taming  the  horse,  it  plunges  and 
struggles  in  the  wildest  manner;  but  after 
this  one  struggle  it  yields  the  point,  and  be- 
comes the  willing  slave  of  its  conqueror. 
Those  who  have  seen  the  late  Mr.  Earey 
operate  on  a savage  horse  can  easily  imagine 
the  scene  that  takes  place  on  the  prairie. 

The  rapidity  with  which  this  operation  is 
completed  is  really  wonderful.  An  experi- 
enced hunter  is  able  to  chase,  capture,  and 
break  a wild  horse  within  an  hour,  and  to 
do  his  work  so  effectually  that  almost  before 
its  companions  are  out  of  sight  the  hitherto 
wild  animal  is  being  ridden  as  if  it  had  been 
born  in  servitude. 

The  native  hunter,  cruel  master  though 


“CREASING”  HORSES. 


1297 


he  generally  is,  takes  special  care  not  to 
damp  the  spirit  of  his  horse,  and  prides  him- 
self on  the  bounds  and  curvets  which  the 
creature  makes  when  it  receives  its  master 
upon  its  back. 

There  is  only  one  drawback  to  this  mode 
of  hunting.  It  is  impossible  to  capture  with 
the  lasso  the  best  and  swiftest  specimens. 
These  animals  always  take  command  of  the 
herd,  and  place  themselves  at  its  head. 
They  seem  to  assume  the  responsibility  as 
well  as  the  position  of  leaders,  and,  as  soon 
as  they  fear  danger,  dart  off  at  full  speed, 
knowing  that  the  herd  will  follow  them. 
Consequently,  they  are  often  half  a mile  or 
more  in  advance  of  their  followers,  so  that 
the  hunter  has  no  chance  of  overtaking  them 
on  a horse  impeded  by  the  weight  of  a rider. 

A rather  strange  method  of  horse  taking 
has  been  invented  since  the  introduction  of 
fire-arms.  This  is  technically  named  “creas- 
ing,” and  is  done  in  the  following  manner. 
Taking  his  rifle  with  him,  the  hunter  creeps 
as  near  the  herd  as  he  can,  and  watches 
until  he  fixes  on  a horse  that  he  thinks  will 
suit  him.  W aiting  till  the  animal  is  stand- 
ing with  its  side  toward  him,  he  aims  care- 
fully at  the  top  of  the  neck,  and  fires.  If  the 
aim  be  correct,  the  bullet  just  grazes  the 
neck,  and  the  horse  falls  as  if  dead,  stunned 
for  the  moment  by  the  shock.  It  recovers 
within  a very  short  time;  but  before  it  has 
regained  its  feet  the  hunter  is  able  to  come 
up  to  the  prostrate  animal,  place  his  hands 
over  its  eyes,  breathe  into  its  nostrils,  and 
thus  to  sul3due  it. 

This  is  a very  effectual  mode  of  horse 
catching;  but  it  is  not  in  favor  with  those 
who  want  horses  for  their  own  riding, 
because  it  always  breaks  the  spirit  of  the 
animal,  and  deprives  it  of  that  fire  and  an- 
imation which  the  native  warrior  prizes  so 
highly.  Indeed,  so  careful  is  the  Camanchee 
of  his  steed,  that  he  will  not  mount  his 
favorite  war  horse  except  in  actual  warfare, 
or  in  the  hunt.  When  he  is  summoned  by 
his  chief,  he  attends  muster,  mounted  on  a 
second  horse,  or  hack,  and  leading  his  war 
horse  by  the  bridle. 

The  wild  horses  of  North  America  are  a 
small  and  neat-limbed,  though  powerful, 
breed  of  animal.  Mr.  Gatlin  says  that  their 
value  has  been  much  overrated,  as  even  those 
which  belong  to  the  Camanchees,  and  are 
thought  to  be  equal  to  the  best  Arab  horses, 
are  on  the  average  worth  some  twenty  pounds 
each.  The  chiefs  have  generally  one  or  two 
horses  of  very  superior  quality;  but  as  far  as 
the  average  goes,  the  Camanchee  horse  is  not 
worth  more  than  the  above  mentioned  sum. 

The  horses  that  are  generally  brought 
into  the  market  are  those  that  are  obtained 
by  “ creasing.”  Experienced  purchasers, 
however,  do  not  care  much  about  such  an- 
imals. Creasing  is,  moreover,  liable  to  two 
disadvantages.  The  hunter  is  equally  in 
danger  of  missing  his  mark  altogether,  in 


which  case  the  whole  herd  dashes  off,  and 
gives  no  more  chances  to  the  hunter;  or  of 
striking  too  low,  in  which  case  the  horse  is 
killed  on  the  spot. 

In  accordance  with  their  usual  custom, 
some  of  the  tribes  perform  a sacred  dance  as 
a means  of  bringing  the  bison  within  their 
reach.  The  most  characteristic  of  these  per- 
formances is  the  Buffalo  Dance  as  practised 
by  the  Mandans. 

Sometimes  it  happens  that  the  supplies  of 
fresh  meat  fail.  During  the  greater  part  of 
the  year  the  bisons  are  scattered  with  tol- 
erable evenness  throughout  the  land,  so  that 
the  hunters  are  able  to  find  a sufficiency  of 
game  within  a few  miles  of  their  village,  to 
supply  them  with  food.  Indeed,  large  herds 
of  bisons  can  often  be  seen  from  the  village 
itself,  their  black  masses  being  conspicuous 
against  the  verdure  of  the  ground  over  which 
they  range. 

At  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  however, 
the  animals  are  sure  to  withdraw  themselves 
further  and  further  from  the  villages,  so  that 
the  hunters,  in  order  to  procure  meat,  are 
obliged  to  venture  so  far  from  their  own 
ground  that  they  are  in  danger  of  meeting 
with  war  parties  of  an  inimical  tribe.  At 
last  the  hunters  report  to  the  council  of  chiefs 
and  medicine  men  that  they  can  no  longer 
find  game.  A solemn  conclave  is  at  once  held, 
and  if,  after  a few  days  of  patient  waiting, 
during  which  every  adult  throughout  the 
community  is  reduced  to  a state  of  semi- 
starvation, no  bisons  are  found,  the  buffalo 
dance  is  ordered.  This  remarkable  dance  is 
a sort  of  homage  to  the  Great  Spirit,  acknowl- 
edging that  lie  can  send  the  animals  to  them, 
and  praying  that  He  will  do  so;  and,  as  we 
shall  presently  see,  it  is  a remedy  that  never 
fails. 

Among  the  Mandans  every  man  is  obliged 
by  law  to  have  a buffalo  mask,  i.  e.  the  skin 
of  the  head,  with  the  horns  added  to  it. 
Usually  to  the  head  is  added  a strip  of 
skin  some  four  or  five  inches  wide,  extending 
along  the  whole  length  of  the  animal,  and  in- 
cluding the  tail.  When  the  wearer  puts  on 
his  mask,  the  strip  of  skin  extends  down  his 
back,  and  the  tufted  tail  drags  on  the  ground 
behind  him. 

I have  worn  one  of  these  strange  masks, 
and  found  it  much  less  inconvenient  than 
might  have  been  supposed.  It  is  not  nearly 
so  cumbrous  as  the  chief’s  dress  of  state,  de- 
scribed on  page  1276.  The  buffalo  mask  is 
kept  by  each  man  at  the  head  of  his  bed,  a 
circumstance  which  gives  a strange  wildness 
to  the  interior  of  the  hut,  or  lodge,  as  it  is 
called,  especially  if  several  young  warriors 
sleep  in  the  same  lodge. 

As  soon  as  the  mandate  for  the  buffalo 
dance  is  given,  the  men  repair  to  their 
lodges  and  bring  out  their  masks,  together 
with  the  weapons  which  they  are  accustomed 
to  use  in  the  hunt.  Ten  or  fifteen  of  them 
arrange  themselves  in  a circle,  while  the 


1298 


THE  NOKTH  AMERICAK  IKDIANS. 


medicine  men  seat  themselves  on  the 
ground,  beating  their  sacred  drums  and 
shaking  their  rattles  to  a rhythmical  sort  of 
movement  which  guides  the  steins  of  the 
dancers. 

These  move  continually  in  a circle,  stamp- 
ing, yelping,  grunting,  bellowing,  and  imi- 
tating ill  various  ways  the  movements  of  the 
bison.  The  dance  goes  on  day  and  night 
without  cessation,  and  as  it  never  ceases  until 
bisons  are  seen,  the  reader  will  understand 
that  it  is  absolutely  effective  in  bringing 
them.  A spirited  sketch  of  such  a dance  is 
given  on  the  following  page. 

The  mode  in  whichT  it  is  kept  up  is  rather 
amusing.  The  medicine  men  who  beat  the 
drums  and  encourage  the  dancers  are  re- 
lieved from  time  to  time  by  their  compan- 
ions. But  for  the  dancers  there  is  supposed 
to  be  no  relief  but  death.  This  difficulty, 
however,  is  surmounted  by  a sort  of  legal 
fiction.  When  one  of  the  performers  has 
yelped,  stamped,  bellowed,  and  leaped  until 
he  can  dance  no  longer,  he  stoops  down  and 
places  his  hands  on  the  ground.  Another 
dancer,  who  is  armed  with  a very  weak  bow 
and  arrows  with  large  blunt  heads,  fits  an 
arrow  to  his  boiv,  and  shoots  him.  The 
wounded  dancer  falls  to  the  ground,  and  is 
seized  by  the  bystanders,  who  drag  him  out 
of  the  ring,  go  through  the  movements  of 
skinning  him  and  cutting  him  up,  when  he 
is  allowed  to  retire  and  rest  from  his  labors. 
As  soon  as  he  is  dragged  out  of  the  ring, 
another  dancer  leaps  into  his  place,  and  in 
this  way  the  dance  may  go  on  for  weeks  with- 
out cessation. 

Meanwhile  scouts  are  posted  on  all  the 
hills  within  range,  and  as  soon  as  one  of 
them  sees  the  bisons,  he  gives  the  signal  by 
tossing  his  rope  in  the  air  in  the  direction  of 
the  game.  Mr.  Gatlin  relates  a remarkable 
instance  of  the  buffalo  dance  and  its  sequel. 

Game  had  been  scarce,  the  dance  had  been 
going  on  for  days,  and  the  village  was  in  a 
state  of  increasing  distress,  when  the  wel- 
come signal  was  seen  from  the  hills.  The 
dance  ceased,  the  young  men  flew  to  their 
arms,  sprang  on  their  horses,  and  dashed  off 
into  the  prairie  toward  the  signal. 

“ In  the  village,  where  hunger  reigned 
and  starvation  was  almost  ready  to  look 
them  in  the  face,  all  was  instantly  turned 
to  joy  and  gladness.  The  chief  and  doc- 
tors, who  had  been  for  seven  days  dealing  out 
minimum  rations  to  the  community  from  the 
public  crib,  now  spread  before  their  subjects 
the  contents  of  their  own  private  caches  (i.  e. 


hidden  stores),  and  the  last  of  everything 
that  could  bejnustered,  that  they  might  eat 
a thanksgiving  to  the  Great  Spirit  for  His 
goodness  in  sending  them  a supply  of  buffalo 
meat. 

‘‘  A genera]  carouse  of  banqueting  ensued, 
which  occupied  the  greater  part  of  the  day, 
and  their  hidden  stores,  which  might  have 
fed  them  on  an  emergency  for  several 
weeks,  were  pretty  nearly  used  up  on  the 
occasion.  Bones  w^ere  half  picked,  dishes 
half  emptied,  and  then  handed  to  the  dogs. 
I was  not  forgotten  in  the  general  surfeit. 
Several  large  and  generous  wooden  bowls  of 
pemmican  and  other  palatable  food  were 
sent  to  my  painting  room,  and  I received 
them  in  this  time  of  scarcity  with  great  plea- 
sure.” 

When  the  feast  was  over,  songs  and 
dances  set  in,  and  the  whole  village  was 
filled  with  sounds  of  revelry.  Suddenly,  in 
the  midst  of  their  mirth,  two  or  three  of  the 
hunters  dashed  in  among  the  feasters,  one 
having  in  his  hands  a still  bleeding  scalp, 
another  sitting  wounded  on  his  horse,  whose 
white  coat  was  crimsoned  Avith  the  fast-flow- 
ing blood  of  the  rider,  while  another  was, 
though  un wounded,  totally  unarmed,  having 
flung  away  his  weapons  in  the  hurry  of 
flight. 

Their  fatal  story  Avas  soon  told.  Th^ 
bisons,  after  VAfliom  the  hunters  had  gone 
were  nothing  more  than  empty  skins, 
Avithin  Avhich  a party  of  Sioux  AA'^arriors  had 
hidden  themselves,  and  Avere  imitating  the 
action  of  the  animals  which  they  personated. 
Inveterate  enemies  of  the  Mandans,  they 
had  reconnoitred  their  village  by  ni^lit,  and 
ascertained  that  they  Avere  executing  the 
buffalo  dance.  Several  of  them  procured 
bison  skins,  and  enacted  the  part  of  the  ani- 
mals, while  their  comrades  Avere  concealed 
behind  the  bluffs. 

Fortunately  for  the  Mandans,  their  leader 
became  suspicious  of  the  supposed  bisons, 
and  halted  his  troop  before  they  had  quite 
fallen  into  the  trap,  and,  Avhen-some  eighty 
or  ninety  mounted  Sioux  dashed  at  them 
from  behind  the  bluff,  they  were  just  start- 
ing homeAvard.  As  it  Avas,  hoAvever,  eight 
of  them  fell,  a loss  Avhich  Avas  but  ill  com- 
pensated by  one  or  two  Sioux  scalps  secured 
by  the  Mandans  in  the  hurry  of  flight.  Even 
under  such  untoAvard  circumstances,  the  buf- 
falo dance  did  not  lose  its  reputation,  for 
Avithin  tAAm  days  a large  herd  of  bisons 
passed  near  the  village,  and  afforded  an  abun- 
dant supply  of.  meat. 


(1.)  BISON  HUNTING.  (See  page  1293.) 


(2.)  BUFFALO  DANCE.  (See  page  1298.) 


(1299) 


$ 


■■■ 


. \ .^ 


t.  . '"i. 


'i  ''  ->.  ,r.' 


Ijpn.^y 

, Of  fpc 

^'^msiry  (?,?  ,«* , VO,. 


••V;->iKi.*;>| 


CHAPTEE  CXXXyill. 


THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS  ~ Con<mwe^l. 


RELIGION  — SUPERSTITION. 


THE  TERRIBLE  ORDEAL  OF  THE  MANDANS — LEGEND  OF  THE  FLOOD  — APPROACH  OF  THE  FIRST  MAN— 
THE  GREAT  MEDICINE  LODGE,  AND  ITS  CONTENTS — APPROACH  OF  THE  CANDIDATES,  AND  DE- 
PARTURE OF  THE  FIRST  MAN  — BUFFALO  DANCE,  AND  THE  BIG  CANOE  — APPROACH  OF  THE  EVIL 
SPIRIT  — POWER  OF  THE  MEDICINE  PIPE  — COMMENCEMENT  OF  INITIATION  — TRIAL  BY  SUSPEN- 
SION— SWOON  AND  RECOVERY — THE  LAST  RACE  — TWO  COURAGEOUS  INITIATES  — LOOKING  AT 
THE  SUN  — RAIN  MAKING  — THE  WHITE  BUFFALO  HAIR,  AND  HIS  PROWESS  — THE  MEDICINE 
BAGS  AND  THE  TOTEMS  — THE  MEDICINE  MAN  AT  WORK  — THE  WOUNDED  MAN  AND  SICK  GIRL  — 
INITIATION  OF  THE  MID]^  ORDER  — THE  PIPES  OF  PEACE  AND  WAR  — SACRIFICES. 


We  now  come  to  the  religious  ceremonies 
of  these  remarkable  tribes,  and  will  begin 
with  the  terrible  ordeal  through  which  the 
youths  have  to  pass  before  they  can  be  ac- 
knowledged as  men.  Among  the  Mandans, 
this  ordeal,  for  length  and  for  severity, 
throws  into  the  shade  all  the  various  ordeals 
of  which  we  have  read.  Even  the  terrible 
gloves  of  the  Mun^rucu  are  mild  when 
compared  with  thejjRrrors  of  the  Mandan 
initiation. 

Until  late  years  thB  ceremony  was  quite 
unknown.  Every  one  who  knew  the  people 
was  aware  that  the  Mandan  youths  had  to 
pass  through  some  terrible  scenes  of  torture 
before  they  could  take  their  place,  among  the 
warriors,  but  the  details  of  the  whole  cere- 
mony were  kept  a profound  secret,  and  were 
never  betrayed  until  Mr.  Gatlin,  in  his  char- 
acter of  medicine  man  (which  he  had  gained 
by  his  skill  in  painting),  was  permitted  to  be 
present.  It  is  most  fortunate  that  he  did  so, 
for  the  Mandan  tribe  has  utterly  perished, 
and  thus  the  records  of  a most  extraordinary 
superstition  would  have  vanished.  The  cer- 
emony is  a very  long  and  complicated  one, 
and  the  following  is  a condensed  account 
of  it. 

The  ceremony  has  a religious  aspect,  and 
is,  in  fact,  performed  for  the  sake  of  propiti- 
ating the  Great  Spirit  in  favor  of  the  young 
men  who  undergo  it,  so  that  he  may  make 
them  valiant  warriors  and  successful  hunters. 
It  has  also  another  important  object.  Be- 


ing conducted  in  the  presence  of  the  great 
chief  and  medicine  man,  it  enables  the 
leader  of  the  tribe  to  watch  the  behavior  of 
the  young  men  who  pass  through  the  ordeal, 
and  to  decide  upon  their  ability  to  sustain 
the  various  privations  of  Indian  warfare. 

The  reader  must  first  be  told  that  among 
the  Mandans  there  survived  the  legend  of  a 
fiood  which  covered  the  earth,  and  from 
which  only  one  man  escaped  in  a large  ca- 
noe. In  the  centre  of  the  village  there  is  a 
large  open  space,  in  which  is  a conventional 
representation  of  the  “ big  canoe,”  in  which 
the  Eirst  or  Only  Man  escaped.  It  is  not 
the  least  like  a canoe,  and  in  fact  is  nothing 
more  than  a sort  of  tub  standing  on  one 
end.  It  is  bound  with  wooden  hoops,  and 
is  religiously  preserved  from  injury,  not  the 
least  scratch  being  allowed  to  defile  its 
smooth  surface. 

The  ceremony  only  takes  place  once  in 
the  year,  the  time  being  designated  by  the 
full  expansion  of  the  willow  leaves  under 
the  banks  of  the  river.  The  Mandans  pos- 
sess the  legend  of  the  bird  flying  to  the  big 
canoe  with  a leaf  in  its  mouth,  only  with 
them  the  leaf  is  that  of  the  willow,  and  not 
of  the  olive.  The  bird  itself  is  held  sacred, 
and,  as  it  may  not  be  injured,  it  may  often 
be  seen  feeding  on  the  tops  of  the  Mandan 
huts. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  appointed 
day,  a figure  is  seen  on  a distant  l3luff,  ap- 
proaching with  slow  and  stately  steps.  Aa 


(1301) 


1302 


THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


soon  as  lie  is  seen,  the  whole  village  be- 
comes a scene  of  confusion,  as  if  the  enemy 
were  attacking  it.  The  dogs  are  caught 
and  muzzled,  the  horses  that  are  feeding 
on  the  surrounding  pastures  are  driven  into 
the  village,  the  W'arriors  paint  their  faces  for 
battle,  seize  their  spears,  string  their  bows, 
and  prepare  their  arrows. 

In  the  midst  of  the  confusion  the  Eirst 
Man,  or  Nu-mohk-muck-a-nah,  as  he  is 
called  in  the  Mandan  tongue,  stalks  into  the 
central  space,  where  the  chief  and  principal 
warriors  receive  him  and  shake  hands.  He 
is  a strange  object  to  the  eye.  His  nearly 
naked  body  is  painted  white,  a white  wolf- 
skin mantle  is  thrown  over  his  shoulders, 
his  head  is  decorated  with  plumes  of  ravens’ 
feathers,  and  in  his  left  hand  he  bears  his 
mystery  pipe,  which  he  treats  with  the 
greatest  veneration. 

After  greeting  the  chief,  he  proceeds  to 
the  great  medicine  lodge,  which  is  kept 
closed  during  the  year,  and  has  it  swept  and 
the  floor  strewn  with  fresh  green  boughs 
and  aromatic  herbs.  Several  skulls  of  men 
and  bisons  are  laid  on  the  floor,  a number 
of  new  ropes  are  thrown  over  the  beams,  a 
quantity  of  strong  wooden  skewers  are 
jilaced  under  them,  and  in  the  centre  is 
built  a slight  platform,  on  the  top  of  which 
is  laid  the  chief  medicine  or  mystery  of 
the  tribe.  This  is  so  sacred  that  no  one 
is  allowed  to  approach  it  except  the  con- 
ductor of  the  ceremony,  and  none  but  he 
ever  knows  what  it  is. 

He  next  goes  to  every  hut  in  succession, 
stands  before  the  gate,  and  weeps  loudly. 
When  the  owner  comes  out,  the  First  Man 
narrates  the  circumstances  of  the  flood  and 
of  his  own  escape,  and  demands  an  axe  dr  a 
knife  as  a sacrifice  to  the  Great  Spirit.  Ev- 
ery hut  furnishes  an  edged  tool  of  some 
kind;  and  when  the  tale  is  completed,  they 
are  carried  into  the  medicine  lodge.  There 
they  rest  until  the  last  day  of  the  ceremonies 
when  they  are  thrown  into  a deep  pool  in 
the  river.  No  one  is  allowed  to  touch  them, 
and  there  they  lie  until  at  some  future  day 
they  will  be  discovered,  to  the  great  bewil- 
derment of  antiquarians. 

From  the  moment  that  the  First  Man  en- 
ters the  village  a dead  silence  reigns,  a cir- 
cumstance quite  in  opposition  to  the  usual 
noisy  habits  of  a native  village.  Where  he 
sleeps  no  one  knows,  but  at  dawn  of  the  fol- 
lowing morning  he  again  enters  the  village, 
as  he  had  done  before,  and  walks  to  the 
medicine  lodge,  whither  he  is  followed  by 
the  candidates  for  initiation  walking  in  In- 
dian file,  and  each  painted  fantastically,  and 
carrying  his  bow  and  arrows,  his  shield,  and 
“ medicine  bag.”  Of  this  article  we  shall 
learn  more  in  a future  page.  In  silence  they 
seat  themselves  round  the  lodge,  each  hav- 
ing his  weapons  hung  over  his  head. 

Here  they  have  to  sit  for  four  days,  dur- 
ing which  time  they  may  not  communicate 


with  those  on  the  outside  of  the  hut,  and 
are  not  allowed  to  eat,  drink,  or  sleep.  When 
they  have  taken  their  places,  the  First  Man 
lights  his  pipe  from,  the  fire  that  is  kept  I 
burning  in  the  centre  of  the  lodge,  and  I 
makes  an  oration  to  the  candidates,  .exhort-  | 
ing  them  to  be  courageous  and  enduring, 
and  praying  that  the  Great  Spirit  may  give 
them  strength  to  pass  satisfactorily  through 
the  ordeal. 

He  then  calls  to  him  an  old  medicine 
man,  and  appoints  him  to  be  master  of  the 
ceremonies,  handing  him  the  mystery  pipe 
as  a symbol  of  oflice.  Addressing  the  as- 
sembled company,  he  takes  leave  of  the 
chiefs,  saying  that  he  will  return  in  another 
year  to  re-open  the  lodge,  and  stalks  slowly 
out  of  the  village,  disappearing  over  the 
bluffs  whence  he  came.  The  master  of  the 
ceremonies  then  takes  his  place  in  the  cen- 
tre of  the  lodge,  and  relights  the  pipe,  utter- 
ing with  every  whiif  of  smoke  a petition  to 
the  Great  Spirit  in  behalf  of  the  candidates. 
For  three  full  days  they  sit  silently  round 
the  lodge,  but  outside  it  a strange  series  of 
eeremonies  takes  place. 

Chief  among  them  is  the  buffalo  dance,  in 
which  the  eight  actors  wear  the  entire  skins 
of  bisons,  and  carry  on  their  backs  a large 
bundle  of  slight  twigs.  They  also  carry  a 
mystery  rattle  in  one  hand,  and  a slender 
staff*  in  the  other.  They  arrange  them- 
selves in  four  pairs  round  the  Big  Canoe, 
each  pair  corresponding  with  one  of  the 
cardinal  points  of  the  compass.  Between 
each  group  dances  a young  man,  two  of 
them  painted  black  and  covered  vdth  white 
stars,  so  as  to  represent  the  night,  and  the 
other  two  painted  red,  to  represent  the  day. 

Beside  the  Big  Canoe  sit  two  medicine 
men,  wearing  the  skins  of  grizzly  bears,  and 
threatening  to  devoi^he  whole  village.  In 
order  to  appease  thik  hunger,  the  women 
bring  continual  rel*P  of  meat  in  dishes, 
which  are  at  once  cjIRed  off*  to  the  prairie 
by  men  painted  entirely  black,  except  their 
heads,  which  are  white.  They  are  thus 
colored  in  imitation  of  the  bald-headed  eagle. 
As  they  run  to  the  prairie  they  are  pursued 
by  a host  of  little  boys  painted  yellow,  with 
white  heads,  and  called  antelopes.  After  a _ 
severe  chase  they  catch  the  eagle-men,  seize 
the  food,  and  devour  it. 

These  dances  occur  several  times  daily, 
the  performers  being  summoned  by  the 
master  of  the  ceremonies,  who  comes  out  of 
the  medicine  lodge,  followed  by  his  immedi- 
ate assistants,  and  proceeds  to  the  Big  Canoe, 
against  which  he  leans,  and  weeps  aloud  as  if 
in  dire  distress.  The  dance  takes  place  four 
times  on  the  first  day,  eight  times  on  the 
second,  twelve  times  on  the  third,  and  six- 
teen times  on  the  fourth;  the  sound  of  the 
old  man’s  wailing  cry  being  the  signal  for 
the  dancers  to  issue  from  the  hut  in  which 
they  dress. 

During  each  performance,  the  old  medi- 


cine  men  who  are  beatin"  their  drums  ad- 
dress the  bystanders,  telling  them  that  the 
Great  Spirit  is  pleased  with  their  invoca- 
tions, and  that  he  has  given  them  peace; 
that  even  their  women  and  children  can 
hold  the  mouths  of  grizzly  bears;  and  that 
the  evil  spirit  who  is  challenged  by  these 
rites  has  not  dared  to  make  his  appearance. 
Thirty-two  times  during  the  four  days  this 
vaunt  is  made,  and  no  evil  spirit  appears; 
but  after  the  last  day  he  comes,  and  a horri- 
ble-looking object  he  is. 

On  a distant  bluff  the  evil  spirit  makes  his 
appearance,  rushing  toward  the  village  in  a 
wild  and  devious  course.  Presently  he  en- 
ters the  circle,  perfectly  naked,  with  his  body 
painted  black  and  covered  with  white  rings, 
his  mouth  decorated  with  white  indentations 
like  great  teeth,  and  holding  in  his  hand  a 
long  magic  staff  tipped  with  a red  ball.  As 
he  runs  along,  he  slides  this  ball  before  him 
on  the  ground,  and  suddenly  makes  a rush 
at  the  groups  of  women  who  are  witnessing 
the  ceremony. 

They  fall  back  on  each  other  in  terror, 
and  shriek  for  aid,  which  is  given  by  the 
master  of  the  ceremonies.  As  soon  as  he 
hears  their  cries,  he  runs  from  the  Big 
Canoe,  where  he  has  been  weeping,  and 
holds  his  magic  pipe  in  front  of  the  intruder. 
The  demon  is  instantly  checked  by  its  won- 
drous influence,  and  he  stands  as  if  petrified, 
each  limb  remaining  in  the  attitude  which 
it  had  taken  when  the  pipe  was  held  before 
him. 

This  check  gave  the  females  an  opportu- 
nity to  get  out  of  reach,  and  when  they  were 
free  from  their  danger,  though  all  hearts 
beat  yet  with  the  intensest  excitement,  their 
alarm  was  cooled  down  into  the  most  exor- 
bitant laughter  and  shouts  of  applause  at  his 
sudden  defeat,  and  the  awkward  and  ridicu- 
lous posture  in  which  he  was  stopped  and 
held.  The  old  man  was  braced  stiff  by  his 
side,  with  his  eyeballs  glaring  him  in  the 
face,  whilst  the  medicine  pipe  held  in  its 
mystic  chain  his  Satanic  majesty,  annulling 
all  the  powers  of  his  magical  wand,  and  also 
depriving  him  of  the  power  of  locomotion. 

“ Surely,  no  two  human  beings  ever  pre- 
sented a more  striking  group  than  these  two 
individuals  did  for  a few  moments,  with  their 
eyeballs  set  in  direst  mutual  hatred  upon 
each  other;  both  struggling  for  the  suprem- 
acy, relying  on  the  potency  of  their  medi- 
cine or  mystery;  the  one  held  in  check,  with 
his  body  painted  black,  representing,  or 
rather  assuming  to  be,  0-kee-hee-de  (the 
Evil  Spirit),  frowning  everlasting  vengeance 
on  the  other,  who  sternly  gazed  him  back 
with  a look  of  exultation  and  contempt,  as  he 
held  him  in  check  and  disarmed  under  the 
charm  of  his  sacred  mystery-pipe.” 

This  scene  is  repeatedly  enacted,  until  the 
powers  of  the  magic  pipe  are  proved  against 
the  assaults  of  the  evil  one,  and  the  people 
have  gained  confidence  in  its  projection. 


The  women  then  begin  in  their  turn  to  as- 
sail their  persecutor  with  jeers  and  laughter, 
until  at  last  one  of  them  snatches  up  a hand- 
ful of  mud  and  dashes  it  in  his  face.  lie  is 
at  once  vanquished  by  this  attack,  and  begins 
to  weep  piteously.  Emboldened  by  this  con- 
fession of  weakness,  another  woman  snatches 
away  his  magic  staff,  and  breaks  it  across  her 
knee.  The  fragments  are  seized  by  the  sur- 
rounding women,  who  break  them  to  pieces 
and  fling  them  at  the  head  of  the  demon. 
Being  now  deprived  of  all  his  power,  he  runs 
off  across  the  prairie,  followed  for  half  a mile 
or  so  by  the  women,  who  pelt  him  with 
sticks,  stones,  and  mud,  until  at  last  he  ef- 
fects his  escape,  and  the  village  is  rid  of  the 
evil  spirit  for  another  year. 

Now  the  remainder  of  the  initiation  may 
proceed. 

The  little  scaffold  with  its  mystic  burden 
is  removed  from  the  centre  of  the  great 
medicine  lodge,  the  hide  ropes  are  passed 
through  apertures  in  the  roof  to  men  who 
stand  outside,  and  the  master  of  the  cere- 
monies, and  his  assistants,  together  with  the 
chiefs  and  braves  of  the  tribe,  re-enter  the 
lodge,  and  take  up  their  positions. 

The  first  candidate  is  now  called,  and, 
wasted  by  four  days  of  abstinence  from  food, 
drink,  or  sleep,  places  himself  in  front  of  two 
of  the  operators.  One  of  these,  who  is  armed 
with  a double  edged  knife,  purposely  blunted 
and  notched,  pinches  up  an  inch  or  so  of 
flesh  of  the  shoulder  or  breast,  and  pushes 
the  knife  through  it,  between  his  finger  and 
thumb  and  the  body  of  the  candidate.  The 
knife  is  then  withdmwn,  and  one  of  the 
wooden  skewers  forced  through,  the  aper- 
ture. This  operation  is  repeated  on  the  other- 
shoulder  or  breast,  on  each  arm  just  below 
the  shoulder  and  below  the  elbow,  upon 
each  thigh,  and  upon  each  leg  just  below  the 
knee. 

While  this  operation  is  being  performed, 
the  candidates  do  not  allow  the  slightest 
symptom  of  pain  to  escape  them,  and  they 
even  invite  the  spectators  to  watch  their 
countenances,  so  as  to  ascertain  that  they 
betray  no  signs  of  suffering.  They  may  well 
do  so,  for  upon  the  verdict  of  these  chiefs 
depends  the  consideration  in  which  they 
will  be  held  in  after  life,  and  no  man  has  a 
chance  of  being  appointed  the  leader  of  a 
war  party  if  he  has  been  seen  to  flinch  dur- 
ing the  ordeal. 

As  soon  as  these  preparations  are  com- 
pleted, two  of  the  hide  ropes  are  lowered 
from  the  roof,  and  hitched  round  the  skewers 
on  the  breast  or  shoulders.  To  the  others 
are  hung  the  weapons  of  the  candidate, 
while  to  tUo5e  dCB^e^fts^^rfn  and  leg  are 
suspeji^ied  thp  skt^llg.  A signal  is 

then  given^  and  Ijbe  j^or^vyretch  is  hauled 
up  intp  \yhemi^;SAyi|lgs  suspended 

only  by  tthe  two  skeweri^fand  Sustaining  not 
only  his  own  weight  but  that  of  the  heavy 
skulls,  his  feet  being  some  six  or  eight  feet 


1304 


THE  KORTH  AMERICA5T  INDIANS. 


from  the  ground.  In  this  terrible  position 
he  has  to  remain  until  nature  finally  gives 
way,  and  he  faints.  The  artist  has  repre- 
sented this  stage  of  the  fearful  ordeal  on  the 
’following  page. 

“ Surrounded,”  writes  Mr.  Catlin,  “ by 
imps  and  demons,  as  they  appear,  a dozen 
or  more,  who  seem  to  be  concocting  and  de- 
vising means  for  his  exquisite  agony,  gather 
around  him,  when  one  of  the  number  ad- 
vances toward  him  in  a sneering  manner, 
and  commences  turning  him  round  with  a 
pole  which  he  brings  in  his  hand  for  that 
purpose.  This  is  done  in  a gentle  manner 
at  first,  but  gradually  increased,  until  the 
poor  fellow,  whose  i>i*oud  spirit  can  control 
its  agony  no  longer,  bursts  out  in  the  most 
lamentable  and  heart-rending  cries  that  the 
human  voice  is  capable  of  producing,  crying 
forth  a prayer  to  the  Great  Spirit  to  support 
and  protect  him  in  this  dreadful  trial,  and 
continually  repeating  his  confidence  in  his 
protection. 

“ In  this  condition  he  is  continued  to  be 
turned  faster  and  faster,  and  there  is  no  hope 
of  escape  for  him,  nor  the  chance  for  the 
slightest  relief,  until,  by  fainting,  his  voice 
falters,  and  his  stragglings  cease,  and  he 
hangs  a still  and  apparently  lifeless  corpse. 
When  he  is  by  turning  gradually  brought 
to  this  condition,  which  is  generally  done 
within  ten  or  fifteen  minutes,  there  is  a close 
scrutiny  passed  upon  him  among  his  tor- 
mentors, who  are  checking  and  holding  each 
other  back  as  long  as  the  least  struggling  or 
tremor  can  be  discovered ; lest  he  should  be 
removed  before  he  is,  as  they  term  it,  en- 
tirely dead.” 

When  they  are  satisfied,  a signal  is  given 
to  the  rope-holders,  and  the  senseless  man 
is  low^ered  to  the  ground,  the  skewers  which 
passed  through  his  breast  are  removed,  and 
the  ropes  attached  to  another  candidate. 
Just  as  he  falls,  he  is  allowed  to  lie,  no  one 
daring  to  touch  him,  for  he  has  put  himself 
under  the  protection  of  the  Great  Spirit,  and 
to  help  him  would  be  a sacrilege. 

When  he  recovers  a little  strength,  he 
crawls  to  another  part  of  the  lodge,  where 
sits  a medicine  man  with  a bison  skull  be- 
fore him,  and  an  axe  in  his  hand.  Holding 
up  the  little  finger  of  his  left  hand  as  a sac- 
rifice to  the  Great  Spirit,  the  initiate  lays  it 
upon  the  skull,  when  it  is  severed  b}''  a blow 
from  the  axe.  Sometimes  the  fore-finger  of 
the  same  hand  is  also  offered,  so  that  there 
are  only  left  the  thumb  and  the  two  middle 
fingers,  which  are  all  that  are  needed  to  hold 
the  bow. 

It  is  a point  of  honor  with  the  initiates  to 
recover  as  quickly*  as  possible  -from  their 
swoon,  and  tlie^ief  •^a't^lbTS  albwaf^ft  them 
narrowly  on  this"pbm<l,  fiiasmpch  as  iSkpidity 
of  recovery  is  a'pi%6f''that  the^i^'^^  is 

strong,  and  hard- 

ships which  every  war  party  is  nearly  cer- 
tain to  undergo  before  their  return. 


The  final  scene  of  the  initiation  is  called 
the  Last  Race,  and  is,  if  possible,  even  a 
more  dreadful  trial  than  any  which  the 
candidates  have  yet  undergone.  An  illus- 
tration of  it  is  also  given  the  reader  on  tlie 
next  page. 

The  reader  -will  remember  that,  although 
the  skewers  by  which  the  5mung  men  were 
suspended  are  removed  as  soon  as  they  are 
lowered  to  the  ground,  there  yet  remain 
eight  more,  two  in  each  arm,  and  two  in 
each  leg.  To  each  of  these  is  attached  a 
heavy  weight,  such  as  the  bison  skull,  and 
none*^  of  them  may  be  drawm  out.  They 
must  absolutely  be  torn  out  through  the 
flesh  by  main  force,  and  that  this  object  may 
be  accomplished  the  Last  Race  is  run. 
Hitherto  the  ordeal  has  been  confined  to 
the  interior  of  the  medicine  lodge,  but  the 
Last  Race  is  run  in  the  open  air,  and  the 
whole  of  the  inhabitants  are  spectators. 

The  master  of  the  ceremonies  leaves  the 
medicine  lodge,  goes  to  the  Big  Canoe,  leans 
his  head  against  it,  and  sets  up  his  availing 
cry.  At  the  sound  of  his  voice  twenty 
young  men  issue  from  the  dressing  hut,  all 
of  the  same  height,  and  all  wearing  beauti- 
ful war  dresses  of  eagle  quills.  Each  carries 
in  one  hand  a wreath  of  willow  boughs,  and 
on  reaching  the  Big  Canoe  they  arrange 
themselves  round  it  in  a circle,  holding  the 
wreaths  as  connecting  links.  They  then 
run  round  the  canoe,  from  left  to  right, 
screaming  and  yelping  at  the  top  of  their 
voices,  and  going  as  fast  as  their  legs  can 
carry  them. 

The  candidates  are  now  brought  out  of  the 
medicine  lodge,  each  trailing  the  heavy 
weights  attached  to  his  limbs,  and  are  placed 
at  equal  intervals  outside  the  ring  of  run- 
ners. As  each  takes  his  place,  he  is  given 
into  the  charge  of  two  powerful  young  men, 
who  pass  round  each  of  his  wrists  a broad 
leathern  strap,  which  they  grasp  firmly  with- 
out tying. 

As"  soon  as  all  are  ready,  a signal  is  given, 
and  the  candidates  are  set  running  round 
the  Big  Canoe,  outside  the  inner  circle,  each 
man  being  dragged  along  by  his  supporters, 
until  the  skulls  and  other  weights  tear  out 
the  skew^ers  to  which  they  are  fastened. 
The  bystanders  yell  and  applaud  at  the  tops 
of  their  voices,  so  as  to  drown  the  groans  of 
the  sufferers,  should  the  force  of  nature  ex- 
tract a sound  from  them,  and  to  encourage 
them  to  endure  this  last  trial.  It  often 
happens  that  the  flesh  is  s6  tough  that  the 
skewers  cannot  be  dragged  out,  and  in  such 
cases  the  friends  of  the  sufferers  jump  on 
the  skulls  as  they  trail  along  the  ground  so 
as  to  add  their  weight  to  them. 

The  candidates  mostly  faint  before  they 
have  run  very  far,  but  they  are  still  dragged 
round  the  circle,  and  not  released  until  the 
last  weight  has  been  torn  away.  As  soon 
as  this  occurs,  the  two  men  who  have 
dragged  "their  senseless  charge  loosen  their 


(2.)  THE  LAST  RACE.  (See  page  1304.) 
(1305) 


if 


I 

% I ; ■ - 


1.  ■ ■ , 2'-  '' 

■ ' -u  <• , Ui-*  '-m  --  y^;V''  ■ ■•!  f: 


4^i 


4I 

k«l' 


» 


: t , 


DACOTAII  INITIATION. 


1307 


I 


holds,  and  run  away  as  fast  as  they  can,  leav- 
ing the  body  lying  on  the  ground.  No  one 
may  touch  the  poor  wretch;  and  there  he  lies, 
a second  time  in  the  keeping  of  the  Great 
Spirit.  After  a few  minutes  he  recovers  his 
senses,  rises,  and  staggers  through  the  crowd 
to  his  own  hut,  where  his  friends  meet  him, 
and  do  their  best  to  succor  him. 

The  rule  is  absolute  that  the  man  may 
not  be  released  until  the  skewers  have  been 
fairly  torn  through  the  flesh.  Mr.  Catlin 
relates  two  remarkable  anecdotes  illustra- 
tive of  this  fact.  In  the  one  case  the  skewer 
had  been  unfortunately  passed  under  a 
sinew.  The  poor  lad  was  in  vain  dragged 
round  the  ring,  and  in  vain  did  his  friends 
throw  themselves  on  the  elk  skull  that  was 
hung  to  him.  At  last  the  spectators  set  up 
a cry  of  distress,  and  the  master  of  the 
ceremonies  stopped  the  runners,  leaving 
the  senseless  body  lying  on  the  ground. 
Presently  the  lad  recovered  himself,  looked 
at  the  cause  of  his  torment,  and  with  a 
pleasant  smile  crawled  on  his  hands  and 
knees  to  the  prairie,  where  he  remained  for 
three  days  longer  without  food  or  drink, 
until  suppuration  took  place,  and  enabled 
him  to  release  himself  from  his  encum- 
brance. He  crawled  on  his  hands  and 
knees  to  his  home,  and,  in  spite  of  his  suf- 
ferings, recovered  in  a few  days. 

In  the  other  case,  two  of  the  weights  at- 
tached to  the  arms  could  not  be  removed. 
The  unfortunate  wretch  crawled  to  the  pre- 
cipitous bank  of  the  river,  and  drove  a stake 
into  the  ground.  To  this  stake  he  fastened 
the  weights  by  two  ropes,  and  let  himself 
down  half-way  to  the  water.  In  this  terri- 
ble position  he  hung  for  more  than  two 
days,  until  the  too  stubborn  flesh  at  last 
gave  way,  and  let  him  fall  into  the  water. 
He  swam  to  the  side,  made  his  way  up  the 
steep  bank,  and  recovered. 

Such  instances  as  these,  terrible  as  they 
are  at  the  time,  are  never  regretted  by 
those  to  whom  they  occur,  as  they  offer 
means  of  proving  their  valor  and  endur- 
ance, and  any  one  who  has  overcome  them 
is  held  in  much  consideration  by  the  rest  of 
the  tribe. 

Dreadful  as  is  the  whole  scene  of  suffer- 
ing, and  sufficient  to  kill  an  ordinary  white 
man,  several  of  the  warriors  have  under- 
gone it  more  than  once,  and  Mr.  Catlin  saw 
by  the  scars  left  on  the  body  and  limbs  that 
some  of  the  chief  Mandan  braves  had  sub- 
mitted to  the  torture  no  less  than  five  times. 
Some  part  of  the  estimation  in  which  such 
men  are  held  is  owing  to  the  belief  of  the  Man- 
dans  that  the  annual  supply  of  bisons  depends 
bn  the  proper  fulfilling  of  these  ceremonies, 
aijd  that  the  Great  Spirit  is  gratified  in  pro- 
portion to  the  number  of  times  that  the  rites 
are  performed.  Thus  those  who  have  un- 
dergone them  repeatedly  are  benefactors  to 
the  tribe  in  general,  and  as  such  receive 
their  gratitude. 


A somewhat  similar  system  prevails 
among  the  Dacotah  or  Sioux  Indians,  as 
they  are  generally  called.  This,  however, 
is  a voluntary  proceeding  very  rarely  seen, 
and  one  which  is  intended  simply  to  raise 
the  candidate  to  the  rank  of  medicine  man. 
A tall  and  slender  pole  is  set  firmly  in  the 
ground,  and  to  the  top  of  it  is  fastened  one 
end  of  a rope,  the  other  being  made  into  a 
loop.  The  candidate  for  mystic  honors 
takes  his  place  at  the  pole  before  dawn, 
painted  gaily,  and  holding  his  medicine  bag 
in  his  hand.  Just  before  the  sun  rises,  two 
skewers  are  passed  through  his  breast,  as  is 
done  by  the  Mandans,  and  the  loop  of  the 
rope  is  passed  over  them. 

• The  man  now  stands  opposite  the  spot 
where  the  sun  will  rise,  fixes  his  eyes  upon 
it,  and  leans  backward  so  as  to  throw  the 
whole  weight  of  his  body  on  the  rope,  his 
feet  serving  more  to  balance  than  sustain 
him.  As  the  sun  passes  over  the  heavens, 
he  moves  gradually  round,  never  speaking 
nor  taking  his  eyes  from  it;  and  if  he  can 
endure  this  torture  from  sunrise  to  sunset 
without  fainting,  he  earns  the  rank  to  which 
he  aspires,  together  with  all  the  valuable 
presents  which  are  laid  at  the  foot  of  the 
pole  by  his  admirers. 

There  is  great  risk  attending  this  practice. 
Should  the  man  faint  in  spite  of  the  shouts 
and  cheering  cries  of  his  friends,  and  the 
prayers  and  songs  of  the  medicine  men  who 
sit  around  the  pole,  chanting  and  beating 
their  magic  drums,  his  reputation  is  lost, 
and  he  will  ever  afterward  be  held  up  to 
ridicule  as  one  who  had  the  presumption  to 
set  up  for  a medicine  man,  and  had  no 
power  to  sustain  the  character. 

The  Mandans  have  a curious  mode  of  ob- 
taining the  rank  of  medicine  man,  resem- 
bling in  many  points  the  rain  making  cere- 
monies of  Africa.  As  they  depend  much 
for  their  subsistence  on  the  maize  which 
they  grow,  a drought  is  always  a great 
calamity,  and  must  be  averted  if  possible. 
When  such  an  event  occurs,  the  women, 
whose  business  it  is  to  till  the  ground,  come 
to  the  chiefs  and  doctors,  and  beg  them  to 
make  rain,  lest  the  corn  should  die.  A coun- 
cil is  then  held,  and  the  medicine  men  as- 
semble in  the  council-house,  and  go  through 
their  preliminary  ceremonies.  No  one  is 
allowed  to  enter  the  house  except  the  medi- 
cine men  and  those  candidates  who  aspire 
to  that  rank. 

There  are  generally  ten  or  fifteen  5mung 
men  who  prize  that  rank  so  highly  that  they 
are  willing  to  run  the  risk  of  failure,  and  to 
lose  all  reputation  in  their  tribe  if  they  fail 
in  drawing  down  the  rain  from  the  sky. 
They  are  called  one  by  one  out  of  the  lodge, 
and  take  their  position  on  the  roof,  when 
they  go  through  the  ceremonies  which  they 
think  will  produce  the  desired  rain.  They 
stand  there  from  sunrise  to  sunset,  and  if 
no  ^ain  t^s,  they  go  to  their  houses  dis- 


1308 


THE  NOETH  AMERICA^^T  INDIANS. 


graced,  and  debarred  from  all  hope  of  being 
admitted  into  the  Council  of  the  tribe. 
Should,  however,  the  rain  descend,  the 
reputation  of  the  rain  maker  is  assured, 
and  he  is  at  once  admitted  into  the  council 
among  the  chiefs  and  greatest  braves. 

Mr.  Catlin  relates  a curious  account  of 
rain  making  of  which  he  was  a witness. 
There  had  been  a drought  for  some  time  in 
the  land,  and  the  rain  makers  had  been  at 
work  for  three  days.  On  the  first  day  a 
man  named  W ah-kee,  or  the  Shield,  essayed 
his  fortune,  and  failed.  The  same  fate  befell 
Om-pah,  or  the  Elk,  in  spite  of  his  head- 
dress made  of  the  skin  of  the  raven,  the 
bird  that  soars  amid  the  storm.  Wa-rah-pa, 
or  the  Beaver, 'also  tried  and  failed;  and  on 
the  fourth  day  Wak-a-dah-ha-hee,  the  White 
Buffalo  Hair,  took  his  stand  on  the  lodge. 
He  placed  his  chief  reliance  on  the  red 
lightnings  with  which  he  had  painted  his 
shield,  and  the  single  arrow  which  he  car- 
ried in  his  hand. 

He  made  an  oration  to  the  people,  saying 
that  he  was  willing  to  sacrifice  himself  for 
the  good  of  the  tribe,  and  either  to  bring 
rain  or  live  with  the  dogs  and  old  women  all 
his  life.  He  explained  that  one  candidate 
had  failed  because  the  shield  warded  off  the 
rain  clouds;  that  the  second  failed  because 
the  raven  was  a bird  that  soared  above  the 
storm,  and  so  did  not  care  whether  it  rained 
or  not;  and  the  third  failed  because  the 
beaver  was  always  wet,  and  did  not  require 
rain.  But  as  for  himself,  the  red  lightnings 
on  his  shield  should  bring  the  black  thun- 
der-cloud, and  his  arrow  should  pierce  the 
cloud  and  pour  the  water  on  the  fields. 

Now  it  happened  that  just  at  that  time  a 
steamboat  the  first  that  had  ever  been  up 
the  Missouri  fired  a salute  from  a twelve- 
pounder  gun,  as  she  came  in  sight  of  the 
Mandan  village.  The  sound  of  the  gun  was 
naturally  taken  for  thunder,  and  the  village 
was  filled  with  joy.  Valuable  gifts  were  pre- 
sented on  all  sides  to  the  successful  can- 
didate, mothers  were  bringing  their  daugh- 
ters to  offer  them  as  his  wives,  and  the 
medicine  men  were  issuing  from  their  lodge 
in  order  to  admit  him  formally  among  them- 
selves. 

Suddenly,  from  his  elevated  post,  Wak-a- 
dah-ha-hee  saw  the  steamboat  ploughing 
her  way  up  the  river,  and  emitting  the 
thunder  from  her  sides.  He  turned  to  the 
chiefs  and  the  assembled  multitude,  and 
told  them  that,  though  the  sounds  were 
not  those  of  thunder,  his  medicine  was 
strong,  and  had  brought  a thunder-boat  to 
the  village.  The  whole  population  thronged 
to  the  bank  in  silent  wonder,  and  in  the  ex- 
citement of  the  time  even  the  rain  maker 
was  forgotten.  The  passengers  landed 
among  the  Mandans,  and  for  the  rest  of 
the  day  all  was  turmoil  and  confusion.  Just 
before  sunset  the  White  Buffalo  Hair  spied 
a black  cloud  creeping  up  from  the  horizon, 


unnoticed  by  the  excited^  crowd.  In  a mo- 
ment he  was  on  the  roo*f  of  the  council- 
house  again,  his  bow  strung  and  the  arrow 
brandished  in  his  hand,  ile  renewed  his 
boastings  and  adjurations,  and  as  the  cloud 
came  over  the  village,  he  bent  his  bow  and 
shot  his  arrow  into  the  sky.  Down  came 
the  rain  in  torrents,  drenching  the  fortunate 
rain  maker  as  he  stood  on  the  roof,  still 
brandishing  his  thunder  shield  and  vaunting 
its  power. 

The  storm  continued  during  the  night, 
but  unforiimately  a flash  of  lightning  en- 
tered a lodge,  and  killed  a young  girl.  Con- 
sternation reigned  throughout  the  village, 
and  no  one  was  more  frightened  than  the 
newly-made  medicine  man,  who  feared  that 
the  Council  would  hold  him  responsible  for 
the  girl’s  fate,  and  condemn  him  to  a cruel 
death.  Moreover,  he  really  considered  that 
he  was  in  some  way  responsible,  as  he  had 
left  the  top  of  the  council-house  before  he 
had  brought  rain. 

So,  early  in'  the  morning,  he  sent  his 
friends  to  luring  him  his  three  horses,  and, 
as  the  sun  rose,  he  again  mounted  the  lodge 
and  addressed  the  people.  His  medicine 
was  too  strong,  he  said.  “ I am  young,  and 
I was  too  fast.  I knew  not  where  to  stop. 
The  wigwam  of  Mah-sish  is  laid  low,  and 
many  are  the  eyes  that  weep  for  Ko-ka  (the 
Antelope).  Wak-a-dah-ha-hee  gives  three 
horses  to  gladden  the  hearts  of  those  that 
weep  for  Ko-ka.  His  medicine  is  great. 
His  arrow  pierced  the  black  cloud,  and  the 
lightning  came,  and  the  thunder  boat  also. 
Who  says  that  the  medicine  of  Wak-a-dah-ha- 
hee  is  not  strong?  ” This  ingenious  address 
was  received  with  shouts  of  applause,  and 
from  that  time  to  his  death  Wak-a-dah-ha- 
hee  was  known  by  the  honorable  title  of  the 
“ Big  Double  Medicine.” 

W e will  now  glance  at  the  medicine  bag, 
which  plays  so  important  a part  among  all 
the  tribes  of  North  America. 

When  a boy  is  fourteen  or  fifteen  years 
old,  he  is  sent  into  the  woods  to  find  his 
medicine.  He  makes  a couch  of  boughs,  and 
then  lies  without  food  or  drink  for  several 
days,  the  power  of  his  medicine  being  in 
proportion  to  the  length  of  his  fast.  So 
severe  is  this  discipline  that  instances  have 
been  known  when  the  lad  has  died  from  the 
long  abstinence  to  which  he  subjected  him- 
self. When  he  has  endured  to  the  utmost, 
he  yields  himself  to  sleep,  and  the  first  beast, 
bird,  or  reptile  of  which  he  dreams  becomes 
his  “ medicine.” 

He  then  returns  home,  and  as  soon  as  he 
has  recovered  a little  strength,  he  goes  out 
in  search  of  his  medicine,  and,  having  killed** 
it,  preserves  the  skin  in  any  shape  which  his 
fancy  may  dictate.  It  is  mostly  sewed  up  in 
the  form  of  a bag,  and  contains  one  or  two 
other  charms.  The  reader  will  see  that  the 
size  of  the  medicine  bag  is  exceedingly  vari- 
able, according  to  the  size  of  the  creature 


THE  MEDICINE  BAG. 


1300 


from  whose  skin  it  is  formed.  Sometimes  it 
is  three  feet  or  more  in  length,  and  often  it 
is  so  small  that  it  can  be  concealed  under 
the  garments  of  the  owner. 

From  the  medicine  bag  the  Indian  never 
parts.  He  considers  its  presence  absolutely 
indispensable  to  ensure  success  in  any  un- 
dertaking, and  even  carries  it  into  battle, 
where  lie  trusts  to  it  for  protection.  Should 
he  lose  it  in  battle,  he  is  utterly  disgraced, 
and  there  is  only  one  way  of  restoring  him- 
self to  reputation.  An  Indian  can  only 
“ make  his  medicine  ” once,  so  that  he  may 
not  restore  it  by  another  probation  of  fast- 
ing and  dreaming.  But  if  he  can  slay  an 
enemy  in  open  battle,  and  take  his  medicine 
bag,  his  status  in  the  tribe  is  restored,  and 
he  thenceforth  assumes  the  medicine  of  the 
slain  man  in  exchange  for  his  own.  If  a 
man  who  has  not  lost  his  own  medicine 
succeeds  in  capturing  one  from  an  enemy 
in  fair  battle,  he  is  entitled  to  assume  a 
“ double-medicine,”  and  never  loses  an  op- 
portunity of  displaying  both  the  medicine 
bags  as  trophies  of  his  prowess.  Taking  a 
medicine  bag  is  as  honorable  as  taking  a 
scalp,  and  the  successful  warrior  has  the 
further  advantage  of  being  doubly  protected 
by  the  two  charms. 

Very  few  instances  have  been  known 
where  an  Indian  has  voluntarily  parted  with 
his  medicine  bag,  and  in  such  cases  scarcely 
any  display  of  valor  will  reinstate  him  in 
the  opinion  of  his  tribe.  Sometimes  he  can 
be  induced  by  the  solicitation  of  white  men 
to  bury  it,  but  he  treats  the  grave  as  if  it 
were  that  of  a revered  relation,  hovering 
about  it  as  much  as  possible,  lying  over  the 
sacred  spot,  and  talking  to  the  bag  as  if  it 
were  alive.  Sometimes  he  offers  sacrifices 
to  it;  and,  if  he  be  a wealthy  man,  he  will 
offer  a horse. 

Such  a sacrifice  as  this  takes  rank  as  a pub- 
lic ceremony.  A long  procession  goes  to  the 
prairie,  the  lead  being  taken  ny  the  owner  of 
the  medicine  bag,  driving  before  him  the 
horse,  which  must  always  be  the  best  he  pos- 
sesses. The  animal  is  curiously  painted  and 
branded,  and  is  held  by  a long  lasso.  Wlien 
the  procession  arrives  at  the  appointed  spot, 
the  sacrificer  makes  a long  prayer  to  the 
Great  Spirit,  and  then  slips  the  lasso  from 
the  animal,  which  from  that  time  takes  its 
place  among  the  wild  horses  of  the  prairie, 
and  if  at  any  time  caught  by  the  lasso,  is  at 
once  recognized  by  the  brand,  and  set  free 
again.  Such  a sacrifice  as  this  is  appreciated 
very  highly  by  the  tribe,  and  gives  the  man 
the  privilege  of  recording  the  circumstance 
on  his  mantle  and  tent.  One  Mandan  chief 
sacrificed  in  this  way  no  less  than  seventeen 
horses. 

In  connection  with  the  medicine  bag  may 
be  mentioned  the  “ totem,”  or  mark  by  which 
each  family  is  known.  This  is  mostly  an 
animal,  such  as  a wolf,  a bear,  a dog,  a tor- 
toise, &c.  If  a chief  wishes  to  show  that  he 


and  his  party  have  passed  a given  spot,  he 
strikes  with  his  axe  a chip  oif  a tree  and 
draws  on  the  white  surface  his  totem.  Or, 
if  he  sends  an  order  to  a distance,  he  draws 
his  totem  on  a piece-  of  bark,  and  gives  it  to 
his  messenger  as  a token. 

To  return  to  the  medicine  man.  He  is 
best  seen  to  advantage  when  exercising  his 
art  upon  a sick  person.  He  wears  for  this 
purpose  one  of  the  most  extraordinary 
dresses  which  the  mind  of  man  ever  con- 
ceived. No  two  medicine  men  wear  a simi- 
lar costume,  but  in  all  it  is  absolutely  essen- 
tial that  every  article  shall  be  abnormal. 
Mr.  Gatlin  saw  one  of  these  men  called  in  to 
practise  on  a Blackfoot  Indian,  who  had 
been  shot  through  the  body  with  two  bullets. 
There  was  not  the  least  chance  of  his  re- 
covery, but  still  the  medicine  man  must  be 
summoned.  His  strange,  grotesque  appear- 
ance, and  the  wild  ceremony  over  the  sick 
man  are  vividly  represented  on  page 
1311. 

A ring  was  formed  round  the  dying  man, 
and  a lane  was  preserved  through  them,  by 
which  the  mystery  man  would  make  his  ap- 
pearance. In  a few  minutes  a general  hush- 
h-h  ran  through  the  assembly  as  the  tinkling 
and  rattling  of  his  ornaments  heralded  the 
approach  of  the  wise  man.  As  he  entered 
the  ring,  nothing  could  surpass  the  wild 
grotesqueness  of  his  costume.  By  way  of  a 
coat,  he  wore  the  skin  of  a yellow  bear — an 
article  exceedingly  rare  in  "North  America, 
and  therefore  in  itself  a powerful  medicine. 
The  skin  of  the  head  was  formed  into  a 
mask,  which  entirely  hid  the  features  of  the 
enchanter.  The  skins  of  various  animals 
dangled  from  his  dress,  and  in  one  hand  he 
held  his  magic  wand,  and  in  the  other  the 
mystery  drum,  which  contained  the  arcana 
of  his  order. 

His  actions  were  worthy  of  his  appear- 
ance. He  came  in  with  a series  of  wild 
jumps  and  yells,  accompanied  with  the  rat- 
tling and  beating  of  his  magic  drum  as  he 
approached  the  drying  man.  Having  reached 
his  patient,  he  began  to  dance  round  him  to 
the  accompaniment  of  his  drum,  to  leap  over 
him,  to  roll  him  from  side  to  side,  and  in 
every  imaginable  way  to  render  his  last 
hours  unendurable.  In  fact,  the  man  might 
well  die,  if  only  to  be  rid  of  his  physician. 
In  a short  time  he  did  die;  but  the  man,  not 
in  the  least  disconcerted  at  the  failure  of  his 
efforts,  danced  out  of  the  circle  as  he  had 
entered  it,  and  went  off  to  his  lodge  to  take 
off  and  pack  up  his  official  dress. 

A somewhat  similar  scene  was  witnessed 
by  Mr.  P.  Kane,  in  which  the  mode  of  ma- 
nipulation was  almost  identical,  though  the 
medicine  man,  instead  of  disguising  himself 
in  a strange  dress,  went  just  to  the  opposite 
extreme.  The  story  is  narrated  in  Mr. 
Kane’s  “ W anderings  of  an  Artist,”  being  as 
follows : — 

“ About  ten  o’clock  at  night  I strolled  into 


1310 


THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


the  village,  and  on  hearing  a great  noise  in 
one  of  the  lodges,  I entered  it,  and  found  an 
old  woman  supporting  one  of  the  hand- 
somest Indian  girls  I had  ever  seen.  She 
was  in  a state  of  nudity.  Cross-legged  and 
naked,  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  sat  the 
medicine  man,  with  a wooden  dish  of  water 
before  him;  twelve  or  fifteen  other  men 
were'sitting  round  the  lodge.  The  object  in 
view  was  to  cure  the  girl  of  a disease  affect- 
ing her  side.  As  soon  as  my  presence  was 
noticed,  a space  was  cleared  for  me  to  sit 
down. 

“The  officiating  medicine  man  appeared 
in  a state  of  profuse  perspiration,  from  the 
exertions  he  had  used,  and  soon  took  his 
seat  among  the  rest,  as  if  quite  exhausted;  a 
younger  medicine  man  then  took  his  place 
in  front  of  the  bowl,  and  close  beside  the 
patient.  Throwing  off  his  blanket,  he  com- 
menced singing  and  gesticulating  in  the 
most  violent  manner,  whilst  the  others  kept 
time  by  beating  with  little  sticks  on  hollow 
wooden  bowls  and  drums,  singing  contin- 
ually. After  exercising  himself  in  this  man- 
ner for  about  half  an  hour,  until  the  perspi- 
ration ran  down  his  body,  he  darted  suddenly 
upon  the  young  woman,  catching  hold  of  her 
side  with  his  teeth,  and  shaking  her  for  a 
few  minutes,  while  the  patient  seemed  to 
suffer  great  agony.  He  then  relinquished 
his  hold,  and  cried  out  he  had  got  it,  at  the 
same  time  holding  his  hands  to  his  mouth; 
after  which  he  plunged  them  in  the  water, 
and  pretended  to  hold  down  with  great  diffi- 
culty the  disease  which  he  had  extracted, 
lest  it  might  spring  out  and  return  to  its  vic- 
tim. 

“ At  length,  having  obtained  the  mastery 
over  it,  he  turned  round  to  me  in  an  exult- 
ing manner,  and  held  something  up  between 
the  finger  and  thumb  of  each  hand,  which 
had  the  appearance  of  a piece  of  cartilage; 
whereupon  one  of  the  Indians  sharpened  his 
knife,  and  divided  it  in  two,  leaving  one  in 
each  hand.  One  of  the  pieces  he  threw  into 
the  water  and  the  other  into  the  fire,  accom- 
panying the  action  with  a diabolical  noise, 
which  none  but  a medicine  man  can  make. 
After  which  he  got  up  perfectly  satisfied 
with  himself,  although  the  poor  patient 
seemed  to  me  anything  but  relieved  by  the 
violent  treatment  she  had  undergone.” 

Mr.  Mulhausen  relates  an  amusing  anec- 
dote of  a native  doctor’s  practice  upon  him- 
self. He  had  suffered  so  much  in  a long 
march  that  he  was  at  last  compelled  to  ask 
for  a day’s  rest.  One  of  his  companions,  a 
medicine  man,  immediately  tried  the  effect 
of  his  art.  First  he  kneaded  the  body,  and 
especially  the  stomach,  of  the  prostrated 
traveller  with  all  his  force.  This  was  to 
drive  out  the  evil  spirit;  and,  in  order  to  ef- 
fectually exorcise  him,  he  procured  his 
drum,  and  seated  himself  on  the  ground. 

Placing  the  drum  close  to  the  ear  of  his 
patient,  he  kept  up  a continual  rub-a-dub  for 


two  whole  hours,  singing  the  magic  chant 
the  while,  until,  in  spite  of  his  wounded  feet, 
Mr.  Mulhausen  crawled  out  of  the  tent 
in  sheer  despair.  The  triumphant  doctor 
wiped  his  streaming  brows,  and,  declaring 
that  no  evil  spirit  could  withstand  such  a 
medicine  as  that,  gave  the  signal  for  resum- 
ing the  march. 

Among  the  Ojibbeways  there  is  a remark- 
able ceremony  by  which  an  infant  is  received 
into  the  order  of  the  Mides,  a society  in 
some  degree  resembling  the  Freemasons, 
the  members  of  which  consider  themselves 
as  related  to  each  other,  and  addressing  each 
other  by  the  names  of  uncle,  aunt,  brother, 
sister,  cousin,  &c. 

A temple,  forty  feet  in  length,  was  con- 
structed for  the  express  purpose,  and  built 
of  boughs,  like  the  bowers  of  the  Feast  of 
Tabernacles.  It  was  built  east  and  west, 
and  had  the  entrance  door  at  the  eastern 
end,  and  the  exit  door  at  the  western.  In 
the  middle  sit  the  great  Mides,  each  with  bis 
mystery  bag,  and  opposite  them  sits  tlie 
father  of  the  child,  dressed  in  his  full  para- 
phernalia of  feathers,  furs,  and  scalp-locks, 
and  holding  in  his  arms  the  child,  l}dng  tied 
on  its  board  after  the  manner  of  Indian 
babies.  On  either  side  of  him  are  the  wit- 
nesses of  the  reception,  and  eastward  of  the 
chief  Mides  lies  a large  rough  stone,  which 
prevents  the  evil  spirit. 

The  ceremony  begins  with  an  address  of 
the  principal  Mide,  and  then  the  chiefs  rise, 
and  after  walking  in  procession,  each  of 
them  runs  at  one  of  the  guests,  presenting 
his  medicine  bag  at  him,  and  yelling  in 
quickening  accents,  “Ho!  ho!  hohohoho! 
O!  O!  O!  O!  O!”  As  he  presents  the  bag, 
the  breath  proceeding  from  it  is  supposed  to 
overcome  the  person  to  whom  it  is  pre- 
sented, who  falls  down  and  lies  there  mo- 
tionless. Having  struck  one  person  down, 
the  Mide  runs  round  the  temple,  to  allow 
the  medicine  oag  to  recover  its  strength, 
and  then  presents  it  to  another  victim.  This 
process  is  repeated  until  all  the  inmates  of 
the  hut,  with  the  exception  of  the  officiating 
Mides,  are  lying  prostrate  on  the  ground, 
where  they  lie  until  a touch  from  the  sarne 
bag  restores  them  to  life  and  activity.  This 
ceremony  is  repeated  several  times  during 
the  day,  and  is  intended  to  show  the  virtue 
of  the  medicine  bag. 

The  father  then  presents  his  child  to  the 
Mides,  after  which  there  is  another  speech 
from  the  chief  Mide,  and  then  follows  a curi- 
ous dance,  consisting  of  two  leaps  to  the 
right  and  two  to  the  left  alternately.  After 
this,  every  one  produces  his  medicine  bag, 
and  tries  to  blow  down  everybody  else. 
And,  as  the  bags  are  covered  with  tinkling 
bells,  bits  of  metal,  and  shells,  and  the  prin- 
cipal Mides  are  beating  their  drunis  and 
shaking  their  rattles  with  all  their  might,  it 
may  be  imagined  that  the  noise  is  deafen- 
ing. 


(1.)  THE  INDIAN  BALL  PLAY.  (See  page  1324.) 


(2.)  THE  MEDICINE  MAN  AT  WORK.  (See  page  1309.) 

(1311) 


V 


/'V  • 


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7 .• 


^•^>•v.  v^'  _•. 

■••■--r^VV-  vV  ■ Cf'  • 

■ . i 'r  ■ /■  :.'.  . ’ ':- 


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7"  <K-  . 

• /. 

-=*  '*  ?'t'^-- 

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~r  '- 

■ ■ 7? 

- \ 

■’  r '■  ■ 


.’  ■ r :"  ' 


If.  ,H.- 


f ,'.  ■ 

■-■■cr- 


S 


■^a 


THE  CALUMET. 


1313 


This  completed  the  first  part  of  the  cere- 
mony. In  the  next  act,  a pile  of  boughs 
covered  with  a cloth  lay  in  front  of  the  evil 
stone,  and  the  chiqf  Mide  summoned  all  the 
initiated.  They  formed  a procession  of  men, 
women,  and  children,  and  walked  round  the 
lodge,  each  stooping  over  the  cloth  as  he 
passed,  and  looking  at  it.  The  second  time 
they  stooped  closer,  and  the  third  time  they 
were  seized  with  convulsive  movements  as 
they  approached  the  cloth,  and  each  ejected 
from  the  mouth  a little  yellow  shell  upon  the 
cloth.  By  the  ejection  of  the  shell  (which 
typifies  the  sinful  nature  of  man)  the  convul- 
sions are  healed,  and,  after  going  once  more 
round  the  lodge,  each  performer  takes  one  of 
the  shells  and  places  it  in  the  medicine  bag. 

The  last  scene  was  a general  feast,  and 
gifts  of  amulets  and  charms  presented  by  the 
chief  Hides  to  the  child. 

One  of  the  most  pleasing  traits  in  the 
character  of  these  tribes  is  the  strong  relig- 
ious feeling  which  pervades  the  general 
tenor  of  their  lives,  and  which  has  raised 
them  above  the  rank  of  mere  savages.  How- 
ever imperfect  may  be  their  ideas  on  this 
subject,  they  are  not  idolaters,  and  give  all 
their  worship,  either  directly  or  indirectly, 
to  one  Great  Spirit,  whose  aid  and  protec- 
tion they  continually  invoke. 

They  believe  in  future  existence  and  a 
future  recompense  according  to  their  char- 
acter in  this  life.  Whatever  their  super- 
stitions and  ignorance,  the  mysteries  envel- 
oping their  belief,  there  is  running  clearly 
through  them  all,  these  great  doctrines  ac- 
cepted by  the  civilized  Christian  races. 

To  the  Great  Spirit  they  ascribe  the  pos- 
session of  all  the  necessaries  and  pleasures 
of  life,  and  to  him  they  offer  their  prayers  and 
return  their  thanks  on  almost  every  occasion. 
For  example,  the  bisons,  on  which  many  of 
the  tribes  depend  for  food,  clothing,  and  lodg- 
ing, are  held  to  be  direct  gifts  of  the  Great 
Spirit  to  the  red  men,  and  asked  for  accord- 
ingly. The  same  is  the  case  with  the  maize, 
or  Indian  corn,  and  religious  ceremonies  are 
held  both  at  the  planting  and  at  the  harvest 
time. 

Tobacco  is  placed  in  the  same  category, 
and  the  smoke  of  the  plant  is  considered  to 
be  a sort  of  incense,  which  is  offered  to  the 
Great  Spirit  whenever  a pipe  is  lighted,  one 
wreath  of  smoke  being  blown  silently  to 
each  quarter  of  the  heavens.,  and  to  the  sun, 
as  an  acknowledgment  that  the  tobacco  is  a 
gift  of  the  Great  Spirit.  Indeed,  to  the  In- 
dian mind  there  is  something  peculiarly 
sacred  about  tobacco  smoke,  probably  on  ac- 
count of  the  soothing,  and  at  the  same  time 
exhilarating,  properties  which  have  caused 
its  use  to  extend  to  every  portion  of  the 
globe. 

Every  religious  ceremony  is  begun  and 
ended  with  the  pipe;  war  is  declared,  volun- 
teers enlisted,  negotiations  conducted,  and 
peace  concluded,  by  its  means.  The  char- 


acter of  the  pipe  varies  with  the  occasion, 
the  most  valued  being  the  sacred  calumet,  or 
medicine  pipe,  by  which  are  settled  the  great 
questions  of  war  and  peace. 

Among  the  Cree  Indians  the  calumet  is 
borne  by  a man  who  is  solemnly  elected  to 
the  office,  and  who  has  to  pay  rather  dearly 
for  the  honor,  from  fifteen  to  twenty  horses 
being  the  usual  fee  which  each  pipe  bearer 
presents  to  his  predecessor  on  receiving 
the  insignia  of  office.  These,  however,  ar« 
of  considerable  intrinsic  value.  They  in- 
clude a bear  skin,  on  which  he  lays  the  pipe- 
stem  when  uncovered,  a beautifully  painted 
skin  tent,  in  which  he  is  expected  to  reside, 
a medicine  rattle  of  singular  virtue,  a food 
bowl,  and  other  articles  so  numerous  that 
two  horses  are  needed  to  carry  them. 

During  his  term  of  office,  the  pipe  bearer 
is  as  sacred  as  the  calumet  itself.  He  always 
sits  on  the  right  side  of  the  lodge,  and  no 
one  may  pass  between  him  and  the  fire.  He 
is  not  even  allowed  to  cut  his  own  food-,  but 
this  is  done  by  his  wives,  and  the  food  placed 
in  the  official  bowl  which  has  just  been  men- 
tioned. The  pipe,  with  its  innumerable 
wrappers,  hangs  outside  the  lodge,  and  is 
finally  enclosed  in  a large  bag,  embroidered 
with  the  most  brilliant  colors  which  native 
art  can  furnish. 

When  it  is  uncovered,  great  ceremony  is 
shown.  Ko  matter  how  severe  may  be  the 
weather,  — sometimes  far  below  zero, — the 
bearer  begins  his  operations  by  removing  all 
his  garments  with  the  exception  of  his  cloth, 
and  then  pours  upon  a burning  coal  some 
fragrant  gum,  which  fills  the  place  with 
smoke.  He  then  carefully  removes  the  dif- 
ferent wrappers,  fills  the  bowl  with  tobacco, 
and  blows  the  smoke  to  the  four  points  of  the 
compass,  to  the  sky,  and  to  the  earth,  at  .each 
puff  uttering  a prayer  to  the  Great  Spirit  for 
assistance  in  war  against  all  enemies,  and 
for  bison  and  corn  from  all  quarters.  The 
pipe  is  replaced  with  similar  ceremonies. 
No  woman  is  allowed  to  see  it,  and  if  during 
the  begining  of  the  ceremony  a single  word 
is  spoken,  it  is  looked  upon  as  a very  bad 
omen,  and  all  the  ceremony  has  to  be  begun 
again. 

The  bowl  of  the  calumet  is  made  of  a pe- 
culiar stone,  found,  I believe,  only  in  one 
place  in  the  world,  namely,  in  the  Great 
Pipe-stone  Quarry.  This  is  situated  in  the 
Coteau  des  Prairies,  about  three  hundred 
miles  west  of  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  on 
the  southern  summit  of  the  dividing  ridge 
between  the  Minnesota  and  Missouri  rivers, 
in  the  very  middle  of  the  Sioux  territory. 
On  this  sacred  spot  the  Great  Spirit  is 
said  to  have  stood  in  the  ancient  times, 
and  to  have  called  together  all  the  Indian 
nations.  He  broke  from  the  rock  a piece 
of  stone,  moulded  it  in  his  hands  into  a 
huge  pipe  bowl,  and  smoked  it  toward  the 
four  quarters  of  the  compass.  Then  he  told 
them  that  the  ground  was  sacred,  and  that 


1314 


THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


no  weapon  of  war  should  be  raised  in  it,  for 
the  red  stone  was  their  flesh,  and  belonged 
equally  to  them  all.  At  the  last  whiff  of  the 
pipe  the  Great  Spirit  disappeared  in  the 
cloud,  and  the  whole  ground  was  melted,  and 
became  polished  as  at  the  present  time. 

In  consequence  of  this  legend,  the  Indians 
have  the  greatest  reverence  for  this  place. 
They  will  not  allow  any  white  man  to  touch 
tlie  stone,  or  even  to  approach  the  place,  if 
they  can  keep  him  away,  saying  that  the 
stone  is  their  flesh,  and  that  if  a white  man 
takes  the  red  men’s  flesh,  “ a hole  will  be 
made  in  their  flesh,  and  the  blood  will  never 
stop  running.” 

Even  the  natives  themselves  never  take  a 
piece  without  asking  permission  of  the  Great 
Spirit,  depositing  tobacco  in  the  hole  whence 
they  dug  it,  and  promising  that  it  shall  be 
made  into  a pipe.  When  Mr.  Catlin  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  this  sacred  spot,  one  of 
the  chief  obstacles  lay  in  the  fact  that  a na- 
tive had  once  given  a piece  of  the  red  stone 
to  a white  man  in  order  to  be  made  into  a 
pipe,  and  he  had  made  it  into  a dish,  there- 
by offending  the  Great  Spirit,  and  “ making 
the  heart  of  the  Indians  sick.” 

Mr.  Gatlin’s  opinion  is,  that  the  red  pipes, 
found  among  almost  every  tribe  of  Indians 
on  the  continent,  were  obtained  at  this  place. 
His  reasons  are  that  every  tribe  he  visited 
alleged  this  as  their  source;  and  further- 
more, the  stone  from  whieh  they  are  made 
is  different  from  any  mineral  yet  discovered 
in  America  or  Europe.  He  expresses  the 
conviction  substantiated  by  striking  proof 
that  the  various  tribes  had  for  centuries 
visited  this  quarry,  laying  aside  the  war 
club  and  scalping  knife,  and  smoking  to- 
gether in  amity  upon  this  neutral  ground 
by  command,  as  they  thought,  of  the  Great 
Spirit. 

This  stone  is  of  a soft,  creamy  red  color, 
rather  variable  in  point  of  tint,  and  taking 
a peculiar  polish.  It  has  been  analyzed,  and 
is  said  to  be  a kind  of  steatite.  It  is  cut  into 
various  fanciful  shapes,  those  shown  in  the 
illustration  on  the  next  page  being  ordinary 
examples,  though  in  some  cases  the  bowls 
are  adorned  with  figures  of  men  and  various 
animals.  Some  of  these  pipe  heads  have 
two  bowls,  one  in  front  of  the  other. 

These  bowls  are  fitted  with  stems  worthy 
of  their  sacred  character.  They  are  gener- 
ally made  of  the  stalk  of  the  young  ash,  and 
are  often  adorned  in  the  most  elaborate  man- 
ner. They  are  mostly  flat,  and  sometimes 
are  twisted  spirally  and  perforated  with  open 
patterns  in  such  a way  that  the  observer 
cannot  but  marvel  how  the  aperture  for  the 
smoke  is  made.  After  all,  the  mode  of  bor- 
ing is  simple  enough.  As  every  one  knows 
who  has  cut  a young  ash  sapling,  the  centre 
is  occupied  with  pith.  This  is  easily  burned 
out  with  a hot  wire,  or  bored  out  with  a 
piece  of  hard  wood,  and  the  aperture  is  com- 
pleted. 


Afterward  the  wood  is  cut  away  on  two 
sides,  so  as  to  leave  only  a flat  stem,  with 
the  bore  occupying  the  centre.  The  per- 
forated patterns  are  next  cut  at  either  side 
of  the  bore,  being  carefully  kept  clear  of  it; 
and  if  the  stem  be  then  softened  in  boiling 
water,  it  can  be  made  to  assume  almost  any 
shape.  One  valued  but  rather  rare  form  is  a 
screw,  or  spiral,  and  several  of  the  pipes  in 
Mr.  Gatlin’s  collection  have  this  form. 

The  stems  are  very  seldom  left  bare,  but 
are  almost  invariably  decorated  with  colored 
porcupine  quills,  woven  into  various  patterns, 
sometimes  representing  the  forms  of  men 
and  animals.  The  calumet  is  always  dec- 
orated with  a row  of  eagle  feathers,  some- 
times stained  scarlet,  and  being  tufted  at 
their  ends  with  slight  plumes  of  hair. 
Indeed,  this  portion  of  the  calumet  is  formed 
on  exactly  the  same  principle  as  the  head- 
dress of  the  chief,  of  which  a drawing  is 
given  on  page  1277.  An  example  of  this 
kind  of  pipe  is  shown  in  the  upper  figure,  on 
page  1315.  Many  pipes,  instead  of  feathers, 
have  long  tufts  of  hair  dyed  scarlet.  This 
hair  is  taken  either  from  the  tail  of  a white 
horse  or  that  of  a white  bison,  as  in  the 
lower  figure  of  the  same  illustration.  The 
woodj^ecker  furnishes  many  ornaments  for 
these  pipes,  and  sometimes  the  stem  passes 
through  the  preserved  skin  of  a bird,  or 
through  that  of  a particularly  beautiful  er- 
mine. But  whatever  may  be  the  ornament 
of  a medicine  pipe,  it  is  always  the  very  best 
and  most  valuable  that  can  be  procured. 
The  stem  of  the  pipe  varies  from  two  to  four 
feet. 

The  natives  do  not  restrict  themselves  to 
tobacco,  but  smoke  many  narcotic  vegetables, 
whether  leaves,  roots,  or  bark.  These  are 
generally  mixed  with  tobacco,  and  go  by  the 
general  name  of  k'lieck-lc’neck. 

The  custom  of  sacrifice  obtains  among  all 
Indian  tribes  and  is  performed  in  various 
ways  and  upon  many  occasions.  Gruel  as 
the  Indian  is  reputed  to  ' be,  none  of  the 
tribes,  except  the  Pawnees,  have  ever  made 
human  sacrifices;  and  these  many  years 
since  abandoned  the  inhuman  custom. 

Their  offerings  to  the  Great  Spirit  must 
consist  of  the  best  of  their  possessions:  the 
choicest  piece  of  buffalo  meat,  the  finest 
arrow,  the  most  costly  piece  of  cloth,  the 
favorite  horse  or  dog,  and  sometimes  their 
own  fingers.  Such  "offerings  are  erected 
over  the  great  medicine  lodge  in  the  centre 
of  the  village.  When  Mr.  Gatlin  was  among 
the  Mandans  there  was  placed  there  be- 
side other  gifts  a beautiful  skin  of  a buffalo, 
the  history  of  which  he  gives  as  follows:  — 
“ A few  weeks  since  a party  of  Mandans 
returned  from  the  mouth  of  the  Yellow 
Stone  with  information  that  a party  of 
Blaekfeet  \rere  there  on  business  with  the 
American  Fur  Gompany,  and  that  they  had 
with  them  a white  buffalo  robe.  Such  a 
robe  is  a great  curiosity,  even  in  the  conn- 


THE  CALUMET. 


1315 


try  of  buffaloes,  and  will  always  command 
an  incredible  price.  Being  the  most  costly 
article  in  the  region  it  is  usually  converted 
into  a sacrifice,  being  offered  to  the  Great 
Spirit  as  the  rarest  and  most  acceptable  gift 
that  can  be  procured.  Among  the  vast 
herds  of  buffaloes  there  is  not  one  in  a 
hundred  thousand,  perhaps,  that  is  white; 
and  when  such  is  obtained  it  is  considered 
a great  medicine  or  mystery. 

“Receiving  the  intelligence  above  men- 
tioned the  chiefs  convened  in  council  and 
deliberated  on  the  propriety  of  procuring 
this  valuable  robe.  At  the  close  of  their 
deliberation  eight  men  were  fitted  out  on 
eight  of  their  best  horses,  who  took  from 
the  Eur  Company’s  store,  on  the  credit  of 


the  chief,  goods  exceeding  the  value  of  the 
horses.  They  arrived  in  due  time,  made 
the  purchase,  and  leaving  their  horses  and 
all  the  goods  carried,  returned  on  foot, 
bringing  the  coveted  robe,  which  was  re- 
garded as  vastly  curious  and  containing  (as 
they  express  it)  something  of  the  Great 
Spirit.  This  wonderful  anomaly  lay  several 
days  in  the  chief’s  lodge,  till  public  curiosity 
was  gratified;  then  it  was  taken  by  the  high 
priests,  and  with  a great  deal  of  eeremony 
consecrated  and  raised  on  the  top  of  a long 
pole  over  the  medicine  lodge,  where  it 
stands  and  will  stand  as  an  offering  to  the 
Great  Spirit,  until  it  decays  and  falls  to  the 
ground.” 


n^DiAiT  PIPES.  (From  my  collection.) 
{Seepages  1313, 13M.) 


CHAPTEE  CXXXIX. 


THE  NOETH . AMEEICAH  INDIANS  — ConJinued. 

SOCIAL  LIFE. 

MAEEIAGE — AN  ENTEEPEISING  BRIDEGROOM,  AND  HIS  SUDDEN  ELEVATION  TO  RANK —TREATMENT  OP 
WOMEN  — TREATMENT  OF  CHILDREN  — PORTRAIT  OF  PSHAN-SHAW  — OF  INDIAN  BOY  — THE  CRADLE 
— THE  FLAT-HEADED  TRIBES  — AFFECTION  OF  THE  MOTHERS — THE  COUCH  OF  MOURNING  — 
ABANDONING  THE  SICK  AND  OLD  — DANCES  OF  THE  TRIBES  — GAMES  — THE  SPEAR  AND  RING 
GAME  — PAGESSAN,  OR  THE  BOWL  GAME  — THE  BALL  PLAY  — THE  BALL  DANCE  — STARTING  THE 
GAME,  AND  EXCITING  SCENES  — THE  WOMEN’S  BALL  PLAY  — HORSE-RACING  — CANOE-MAKING  — 
THE  CANOE  RACE  — PRIMITIVE  SAILS  — SWIMMING  — THE  LEAPING  ROCK— QUILL  ORNAMENTS  — 
BARK-BITING — WIGWAMS  — MUSIC — PLEDGE  OF  FIDELITY  — DISPOSAL  OF  THE  DEAD  — BURIAL 
OF  BLACKBIRD  — REFLECTIONS  UPON  CHARACTER  AND  DESTINY  OF  THE  INDIANS. 


The  ordinary  social  life  of  these  interesting 
tribes  now  comes  before  us.  As  to  mar- 
riage, there  is  little  to  distinguish  it  from 
the  same  ceremony  among  other  uncivilized 
tribes,  the  girl  being  in  fact  purchased  from 
her  father,  and  her  affections  not  necessarily, 
though  generally,  considered.  A man  may 
have  as  many  wives  as  he  can  afford  to  keep, 
and  when  he  can  purchase  four  or  five,  their 
labor  in  the  field  is  wmrth  even  more  to  the 
household  than  his  exertions  in  the  hunting 
field. 

Mr.  Gatlin  relates  one  rather  amusing 
wedding. 

There  was  a young  lad,  the  son  of  a chief, 
whom  his  father  started  in  life  with  a hand- 
some wigwam,  or  tent,  nine  horses,  and 
many  other  valuable  presents.  On  receiv- 
ing these  presents,  the  young  man  immedi- 
ately conceived  a plan  by  which  he  could 
perform  an  act  which  would  be  unique.  He 
went  to  one  of  the  chiefs,  and  asked  for  the 
hand  of  his  daughter,  promising  in  return 
two  horses,  a gun,  and  several  pounds  of 
tobacco.  The  marriage  was  fixed  for  a cer- 
tain day,  but  the  transaction  was  to  be  kept 
a profound  secret  until  the  proper  time. 
Having  settled  the  business,  he  went  to 
three  other  chiefs,  and  made  exactly  the 
same  bargain  with  each  of  them,  and  im- 
posed silence  equally  upon  all. 

On  the  appointed  day,  he  announced  to 
the  tribe  that  he  was  to  be  married  at  a cer- 
tain hour.  The  people  assembled,  but  no 


one  knew  who  was  to  be  the  bride,  while 
each  of  the  four  fathers  stood  proudly  by  his 
daughter,  inwardly  exulting  that  he  alone 
was  in  the  secret.  Presently  the  young 
bridegroom  advanced  to  the  chief  to  whom 
he  had  made  the  first  offer,  and  gave  him, 
according  to  his  promise,  the  two  horses, 
the  gun,  and  the  tobacco.  The  other  three 
fathers  immediately  sprang  forward,  each 
denouncing  the  whole  affair,  and  saying  that 
the  offer  was  made  to  his  daughter,  and  to 
his  alone.  In  the  midst  of  great  confusion, 
which  was  partially  quelled  by  the  chiefs 
and  doctors,  the  young  bridegroom  addressed 
the  assembly,  saying  that  he  had  promised 
each  of  the  claimants  two  horses,  a gun,  and 
a certain  amount  of  tobacco  in  exchange  for 
his  daughter,  and  that  he  expected  them  to 
fulfil  their  part  of  the  contract.  There  was 
no  gainsaying  the  argument,  and  in  the  sight 
of  the  admiring  spectators,  he  delivered  the 
stipulated  price  into  the  hands  of  the  pa- 
rents, and  led  off  his  four  brides,  two  ih 
each  hand,  to  his  wigwam. 

The  action  was  so  bold,  and  so  perfectly 
unique,  that  the  doctors  immediately  deter- 
mined that  a lad  of  nineteen  who  could  act 
in  this  manner  must  have  .a  very  strong 
medicine,  and  was  worthy  to  be  ranked 
among  themselves.  So  they  at  once  in- 
stalled him  a member  of  their  mystery, 
thereby  placing  him  on  a level  with  the 
greatest  of  the  tribe,  and  by  that  bold  coup 
the  M raised  himself  from  a mere  untried 


(lahii 


(1318) 


(1.)  EE-A-CHIN-CIIK-A.  (See  page  1285.)  (2.)  A BLACKFOOT  BOY.  (See  page  1319.)  (2.)  PSHAN-SHAW.  (See  page  1319.) 


THE  INDIAN  GIRL  PSHAN-SHAW. 


1319 


warrior  to  the  height  of  native  ambition, 
namely,  a seat  in  the  Council,  and  a voice  in 
the  policy  of  the  tribe. 

The  Indian  women  are  the  slaves  of  their 
Imsbands.  They  have  to  perform  all  the 
domestic  duties  and  drudgeries  of  the  tribe, 
and  are  never  allowed  to  unite  in  their 
religious  ceremonies  or  amusements. 

That  the  reader  may  form  a better  idea  of 
the  appearance  and  dress  of  the  women,  I 
have  given  on  the  preceding  page  the  por- 
trait of  a beautiful  girl  of  the  Riccarees 
(a  part  of  the  Pawnee  tribe),  whose  name 
is  Pshan-shaw  (the  Sweet-scented  Grass). 

“ The  inner  garment,  which  is  like  a frock, 
is  entire  in  one  piece,  and  tastefully  orna- 
mented with  embroidery  and  beads.  A 
row  of  elk’s  teeth  passes  across  the  breast, 
and  a robe  of  young  buffalo’s  skin,  elabo- 
rately embroidered,  is  gracefully  thrown 
over  her  shoulders,  and  hangs  down  to  the 
ground  behind  her.” 

On  the  same  page  the  reader  may  find,  as 
illui^trative  of  Indian  childhood,  a portrait 
of  the  grandson  of  a chief  of  the  Blackfeet,  a 
boy  of  six  years  of  age.  He  is  represented 
at  full  length,  with  bow  and  quiver  slung, 
and  his  robe  of  raccoon  skin  thrown  over 
his  shoulder.  This  young  chief,  his  father 
dying,  was  twice  stolen  by  the  Crows,  and 
twice  recaptured  by  the  Blackfeet,  and  then 
placed  in  the  care  of  a Mr.  M’Kenzie  until 
he  should  be  old  enough  to  assume  the 
chieftainship  of  his  tribe,  or  be  able  to  de- 
fend himself  against  his  foes. 

The  Indian  mothers  do  not  have  many 
children,  possibly  owing  to  the  early  age  at 
which  they  marry.  For  example,  the  ages 
of  the  four  brides  just  mentioned  ranged 
from  twelve  to  fifteen.  Two  or  three  is  the 
average,  and  a family  of  five  is  considered 
quite  a large  one. 

The  children  are  carried  about  much  in 
the  same  way  as  those  of  the  Araucanians. 
A sort  of  cradle  is  _made  by  bandaging  the 
infant  to  a fiat  board,  the  feet  resting  on  a 
broad  hoop  that  passes  over  the  end  of  the 
cradle.  Another  hoop  passes  over  the  face 
of  the  child,  and  to  it  are  hung  sundry  little 
toys  and  charms  ; the  one  for  the  amuse- 
ment of  the  infant,  and  the  other  for  its 
preservation  through  the  many  perils  of 
infantile  life.  When  the  mother  carries  the 
child,  she  hangs  the  cradle  on  her  back  by 
means  of  a broad  strap  that  passes  over  her 
forehead.  Both  the  cradle  and  band  are 
ornamented  with  the  most  brilliant  colors 
which  native  art  can  furnish,  and  are  em- 
broidered in  various  patterns  with  dyed  por- 
cupine quills. 

Among  the  tribes  which  inhabit  the  banks 
of  the  Columbia  River,  and  a considerable 
tract  that  lies  contiguous  to  it,  the  cradle  is 
put  to  a singular  use,  which  has  earned  for 
the  tribes  the  general  title  of  Flat-heads. 
To  the  upper  part  of  the  cradle  is  fastened 
a piece  of  board,  which  lies  on  the  child’s 


forehead.  To  the  other  end  of  the  board  are 
fastened  two  strings,  which  pass  round  the 
foot  or  sides  of  the  cradle.  As  soon  as  the 
infant  is  laid  on  its  back,  the  upper  board  is 
brought  over  its  forehead,  and  fastened  down 
by  tile  strings.  Every  day  the  pressure  is 
increased,  until  at  last  the  head  is  so  fiat- 
tened  that  a straight  line  carr  be  drawn  from 
the  crown  of  the  head  to  the  nose.  One  of 
these  cradles  with  a child  undergoing  this 
process  of  head  flattening,  is  illustrated 
below.  The  mother’s  head  is  a type  of  its 
permanent  effect. 


THE  ELAT-HEADED  WOMAN. 


This  is  perhaps  the  most  extraordinary  of 
all  the  fashionable  distortions  of  the  human 
body,  and  the  wasp  waist  of  an  European 
belle,  the  distorted  leg  of  the  female  Carib, 
and  even  the  cramped  foot  of  the  Chinese 
beauty,  appear  insignificant  when  compared 
with  the  flattened  head  of  a Chinnook  or 
Klick-a-tack  Indian.  Mr.  Catlin  states  that 
this  custom  was  one  far  more  extended  than 
is  the  case  at  present,  and  that  even  the 
Choctaw  and  Chickasaw  tribes  of  Mississippi 
and  Alabama  were  accustomed  to  flatten 
their  heads,  their  burial-places  affording  in- 
controvertible evidence  that  such  must 
have  been  the  case,  and  at  no  very  distant 
date. 

The  reader,  especially  if  he  dabble  in  phre- 
nology, might  well  imagine  that  such  a 
practice  must  act  injuriously  upon  the  men- 
tal capacities  of  those  who  are  subjected  to 
it.  Let  us,  for  example,  fancy  a skull  which 
has  been  so  ruthlessly  compressed  that  it 
only  measures  an  inch  and  a half,  or  at  the 
most  two  inches,  in  depth,  at  the  back  ; that 
it  is  in  consequence  much  elongated,  and 
forced  outward  at  the  sides,  so  that  it  is 


1320 


THE  NOKTH  AMEKICAI^^  INDIANS. 


nearly  half  as  wide  again  as  it  would  have 
been  if  it  had  been  permitted  to  assume  its 
normal  form.  The  hair,  combed  down  in 
one  place,  and  expanding  in  others,  would 
seem  to  have  its  natural  capabilities  much 
altered,  even  if  not  in  many  cases  destroyed. 
■Yet  those  who  have  mixed  with  the  Elat- 
headed  tribes  say  that  the  intellect  is  in  no 
way  disturbed,  much  less  injured,  and  that 
those  members  of  the  tribe  who  have  es- 
caped the  flattening  process  are  in  no  way 
intellectually  superior  to  those  who  have 
undergone  it.  Indeed,  as  Mr.  P.  Kane 
observes,  in  his  “ W anderings  of  an  Artist,” 
the  Chinnooks  despise  those  who  retain  the 
original  shape  of  their  heads.  They  always 
select  their  slaves  from  the  round-headed 
tribes,  the  flattened  head  being  the  sign  of 
freedom. 

There  is  another  point  about  the  head 
flattening  which  deserves  attention.  Seeing 
that  it  is  begun  almost  in  the  same  hour 
that  the  infant  is  born,  and  is  continued  for 
eight  months  to  a year  or  more,  it  might 
naturally  be  imagined  that  it  would  cause 
considerable  pain  to  the  child,  and  in  many 
cases  be  dangerous  to  life.  This,  however, 
is  not  the  case ; and  that  it  should  not  be  so 
is  one  of  the  many  proofs  of  the  extent  to 
which  the  human  frame  may  be  distorted 
without  permanent  injury.  Mr.  Kane’s  re- 
marks are  as  follows  : — 

“It  might  be  supposed,  from  the  extent 
to  which  this  is  carried,  that  the  operation 
Would  be  attended  with  great  sufiering  to 
the  infant,  but  I have  never  heard  the  in- 
fants crying  or  moaning,  although  I have 
seen  the  eyes  seemingly  starting  out  of  the 
sockets  from  the  great  pressure.  But  on  the 
contrary,  when  the  lashings  were  removed, 
I have  noticed  them  cry  until  they  were  re- 
placed. From  the  apparent  dulness  of  the 
children  while  under  pressure,  I should  im- 
agine that  a state  of  torpor  or  insensibility 
is  induced,  and  that  the  return  to  conscious- 
ness occasioned  by  its  removal  must  be  nat- 
urally followed  b}^  the  sense  of  pain.” 

Should  a child  die  before  it  is  old  enough 
to  be  released  from  the  cradle,  the  mother 
is  not  released  from  her  maternal  duties, 
but,  on  the  contrary,  continues  to  perform 
them  as  assiduously  as  if  the  little  creature 
were  living. 

After  the  child  is  buried,  she  makes  a 
“ mourning-cradle,”  i.  e.  in  the  place  which 
the  child  had  formerly  occupied  she  places 
a large  bundle  of  black  feathers,  by  way  of 
representative  of  the  deceased  infant,  and 
treats  it  in  all  respects  as  if  the  little  one 
still  occupied  the  cradle.  She  carries  it  on 
Her  back  wherever  she  goes,  and  when  she 
rests,  stands  it  upright  against  a tree  or  the 
side  of  the  hut,  and  talks  to  it  as  if  to  a liv- 
ing child.  This  custom  is  continued  for  at 
least  a year,  and  in  many  cases  is  extended 
even  beyond  that  period.  And,  though  a 
bereaved  mother  may  be  so  poor  as  scarcely 


to  have  sufficient  clothing  for  herself,  she 
will  contrive  to  decorate  the  cradle  of  her 
lost  child  with  the  appropriate  ornaments. 

As  a rule,  the  North  American  Indians 
are  aftectionate  parents.  Mr.  Catlin  men- 
tions an  instance  where  he  had  painted  a 
portrait  of  a married  woman,  the  daughter 
of  a chief.  Some  time  afterward  she  died, 
and  the  father,  happening  to  see  and  recog- 
nize the  portrait  of  his  lost  daughter,  offered 
ten  horses  — an  enormous  price  for  an 
American  Indian  to  pay.  Of  course  the 
portrait  was  presented  to  him  at  once. 

Parental  affection  is  fully  reciprocated 
by  the  children,  and  the  greatest  respect 
paid  by  the  younger  to  the  elder  men.  Yet 
we  find  even  among  them,  as  among  so 
many  tribes  which  lead  a semi-nomad  ex- 
istence, the  custom  of  abandoning  the  sick 
and  aged  when  they  are  obliged  to  make  a 
forced  march  of  any  distance. 

This  is  generally  done  at  the  instance  of 
the  victims  themselves,  who  say  that  they 
are  old  and  useless,  and  can  be  only  an,  en- 
cumbrance to  the  rest  of  the  tribe.  Accord- 
ingly, a rude  shelter  is  formed  of  a bison 
hide  stretched  over  four  upright  rods,  un- 
der which  the  sick  man  is  laid ; a basin  of 
water  and  some  food  are  placed  by  his  side ; 
and  he  is  left  to  perish,  if  not  by  privation 
or  disease,  by  the  ranging  flocks  of  wolves 
that  roam  the  prairies. 

We  will  now  pass  to  a more  agreeable 
phase  in  the  life  of  these  tribes,  and  take  a 
glance  at  their  dances  and  games. 

It  has  been  the  prevalent  impression  that 
the  Indian  is  taciturn,  unsocial,  and  morose. 
Mr.  Catlin,  whose  testimony  cannot  be  im- 
peached, takes  considerable  pains  to  correct 
this  opinion;  and  states  as  the  result  of  his 
travels  among  the  Indian  tribes,  that  “ they 
are  a far  more  talkative  and  conversational 
race  than  can  easily  be  seen  in  the  civilized 
world.  No  one  can  look  into  the  wigwams  of 
these  people,  or  into  any  little  momentary 
group  of  them,  without  being  at  once  struck 
with  the  conviction  that  small  talk,  garrulity, 
story-telling  and  amusements,  are  leading 
passions  with  them.”  To  watch  their  games, 
and  hear  their  shouts  of  exultation,  in  any 
of  their  villages,  to  sit  down  in  their  lodges 
and  listen  to  their  jokes,  repartee,  anecdote 
and  laughter,  would  effectually  banish  this 
erroneous  opinion  so  generally  held  in  re- 
gard to  the  Ked  Men.  With  no  anxieties  for 
the  future  — no  necessities  goading  them,  it 
is  natural  that  they  should  be  a merry  peo- 
ple, and  most  of  their  life  be  spent  in  sports 
and  games. 

The  Indian  fondness  for  amusement  is 
shown  in  the  great  variety  of  their  dances, 
most  of  which  are  very  fanciful  and  pictu- 
resque, though  some  of  them  have  a relig- 
ious significance.  There  are  the  ball-play 
dance,  pipe  dance,  buffalo  and  scalp  dances 
(already  described),  beggar’s,  bear,  and  dog 


Vt  'trig 

BS'®srr^  cf 


- ■ i 


(1.)  BIRCH  BARK  CANOE.  (See  pag-e  1326.) 


(2.)  DANCE  TO  THE  MEDICINE  OF  THE  BRAVE.  (See  page  1.323.) 


(3.)  THE  SNOW  SHOE  DANCE.  (See  page  1323.) 
(lo22) 


INDIAN  DANCES. 


1323 


dances.  But  the  most  pleasing  of  all  are  the 
eagle  dance,  dance  of  the  braves  which  is 
peculiarly  attractive,  and  the  green  corn  and 
snow-shoe  dances.  The  latter  is  exceedingly 
picturesque,  and  the  artist  has  represented 
it  on  the  preceding  page. 

Before  the  first  snow  shoe  hunt,  the 
Indians  Always  perform  a dance  by  way  of 
thanksgiving  to  the  Great  Spirit  for  sending 
the  snow  which  will  enable  them  to  live  in 
plenty  so  long  as  it  lasts.  Several  spears  are 
stuck  upright  in  the  snow  covered  ground, 
on  one  of  which  are  tied  a pair  of  snow  shoes, 
and  on  the  others  sundry  sacred  feathers  and 
similar  objects.  The  dancers,  clad  in  hunt- 
ing dress,  and  wearing  snow  shoes,  go  round 
and  round  the  spears,  imitating  the  while 
all  the  movements  of  the  chase,  and  singing 
a song  of  thanksgiving. 

Nearly  all  the  tribes,  however  remote 
from  each  other,  have  a season  of  festivity 
annually,  when  the  ears  of  corn  are  large 
enough  for  eating.  Green  corn  is  regarded 
a great  luxury,  and  is  dealt  out  with  most 
improvident  profusion  — the  festivities  last- 
ing eight  or  ten  days.  The  whole  tribe  feast 
and  surfeit  upon  it  so  long  as  it  lasts,  mak- 
ing sacrifices,  singing  songs  of  thanksgiving" 
to  the  Great  Spirit,  and  celebrating  the  green 
corn  dance.  Every  occupation  is  suspended 
during  these  festivities,  and  ail  unite  in  the 
carnival  of  gluttony  and  merriment.  Mr. 
Gatlin  thus  describes  this  dance:  — “ At  the 
time  when  the  corn  is  thought  to  be  nearly 
ready  for  use,  several  of  the  old  women,  who 
have  fields  or  patches  of  corn  (the  men  dis- 
dain such  degrading  occupations  as  cultivat- 
ing the  field  or  garden),  are  appointed  by 
the  medicine  men  to  examine  the  cornfields 
at  sunrise  every  day,  and  bring  to  the  coun- 
cil house  several  ears  of  corn,  which  they 
must  on  no  account  break  open  or  look  into. 
VYhen  the  doctors,  from  their  examination, 
decide  that  the  corn  is  suitable,  they  send 
criers  to  proclaim  to  every  part  of  the  village 
or  tribe  that  the  Great  Spirit  has  been  kind, 
and  they  must  meet  next  day  to  return 
thanks  to  Him.  In  the  midst  of  the  assem- 
bled tribe,  a kettle  filled  with  corn  is  hung 
over  a fire.  While  this  corn  is  being  boiled, 
four  medicine  men,  each  with  a stalk  of  corn 
in  one  hand  and  a rattle  in  the  other,  their 
bodies  painted  with  white  clay,  dance  around 
it  chanting  a thanksgiving  to  the  Great 
Spirit,  to  whom  the  corn  is  to  be  offered.  In 
a more  extended  circle  around  them,  a num- 
ber of  warriors  dance,  joining  in  the  same 
song.  During  this  scene,  wooden  bowls  are 
laid  upon  the  ground,  in  which  the  feast  is 
to  be  dealt  out.” 

When  the  doctors  decide  that  the  corn 
is  sufficiently  boiled,  the  dance  assumes 
a different  form,  and  a new  song  is  sung, 
the  doctors  in  the  meantime  placing  the 
corn  on  a scaffold  of  sticks  built  over  the 
fire,  where  it  is  consumed.  This  fire  is  then 
removed,  the  ashes  are  all  buried,  and  a new 


fire  is  originated  on  the  same  spot,  and  in 
the  same  way  as  by  the  Hottentots;  de- 
scribed on  page  100.  Then  corn  is  boiled 
for  the  feast,  at  which  the  doctors  and  war- 
riors are  seated.  An  unlimited  license  is 
given  to  the  whole  tribe,  who  mingle  excess 
and  amusement  until  the  fields  of  corn  are 
stripped,  or  it  has  become  too  hard  for  eating. 

The  dance  of  the  braves  is  beautiful  and 
exciting  in  the  highest  degree:  — ‘‘At  in- 
tervals the  dancers  stop,  and  one  of  them 
steps  into  the  ring  and  vociferates  as  loudly 
as  possible  the  feats  of  bravery  which  he  has 
performed  during  his  life.  . . . He  boasts  of 
the  scalps  he  has  taken,  and  reproduces  the 
motions  and  actions  of  the  scenes  in  which 
his  exploits  were  performed.  When  his 
boasting  is  concluded,  all  assent  to  the  truth 
of  his  story,  and  express  their  approval  by 
the  guttural  Hvaugh!^  Then  the  dance 
commences  again.  At  the  next  interval 
another  makes  his  boast,  and  so  another 
and  another,  till  all  have  given  a narrative 
of  their  heroic  deeds,  and  proved  their 
right  to  be  associated  with  the  braves  of  the 
nation.” 

The  dog  dance,  though  a favorite  with  the 
Sioux,  is  not  an  attractive  one. 

The  hearts  and  livers  of  two  or  more  slain 
dogs  are  placed  entire  and  uncooked  upon 
two  crotches,  about  as  high  as  a man’s  head, 
and  are  cut  into  strips  so  as  to  hang  down. 
The  dance  then  commences,  which  consists 
in  each  one  proclaiming  his  exploits  in  loud, 
almost  deafening  gutturals  and  yells.  At 
the  same  time  the  dancers,  two  at  a time, 
move  up  to  the  stake,  and  bite  off  a piece  of 
the  heart  and  swallow  it.  All  this  is  done 
without  losing  step  or  interrupting  the  har- 
mony of  their  voices.  The  significance  of 
the  dance  is  that  none  can  share  in  it  but 
the  braves  who  can  boast  that  they  have 
killed  their  foe  in  battle  and  swallowed  a 
piece  of  his  heart. 

Among  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  there  are  sev- 
eral singular  dances,  besides  some  already 
mentioned,  viz : the  slave  dance  (a  very  curi- 
ous one),  dance  to  the  Berdashe,  which  is  an 
amusing  scene,  and  dance  to  the  medicine  of 
the  brave.  There  is  a tender  and  beautiful  les- 
son conveyed  in  this  latter  dance.  In  the 
illustration  of  it  on  page  1322,  a party  of  Sac 
warriors  are  represented  as  returned  victo- 
rious from  battle,  with  the  scalps  they  have 
taken  as  trophies.  Having  lost  one  of  their 
party,  they  appear  and  dance  in  front  of  his 
wigwam  fifteen  days  in  succession,  about  an 
hour  each  day,  the  widow  having  hung  his 
medicine  bag  on  a green  bush,  which  she 
erects  before  her  door,  and  under  which  she 
sits  and  cries  whilst  the  warriors  dance  and 
brandish  the  scalps  they  have  taken.  At 
the  same  time  they  recount  the  heroic  ex- 
ploits of  their  fallen  comrade,  to  solace  the 
grief  of  his  widow,  and  they  throw  her  pres- 
ents as  they  dance  before  her,  that  she  may 
be  kept  from  poverty  and  suffering. 


1324: 


THE  HOETH  AMEEICA^T  mDIANS. 


There  is  little  in  these  dances  that  resem- 1 
hies  the  “ light  fantastic  toe  ” and  giddy  I 
maze  of  the  dance  among  the  civilized.  The 
former  consist  very  much  of  jumps  and 
starts  — oftentimes  the  most  grotesque,  and 
even  violent  exertions  — united  with  songs 
and  yells,  sometimes  deafening  by  their 
sound  or  fearful  by  the  wildness  and  in- 
tense excitement  that  are  manifested. 

To  a looker  on  not  familiar  with  the  pe- 
culiar significance  of  these  displays,  they 
seem  only  a series  of  uncouth  and  meaning- 
less motions  and  distortions,  accompanied 
with  harsh  sounds,  all  forming  a strange, 
almost  frightful  medley.  Yet  Mr.  Catlin 
says  “ every  dance  has  its  peculiar  step  and 
every  step  has  its  meaning.  Every  dance 
has  also  its  peculiar  song,  wdiicli  is  so  intri- 
cate and  mysterious  oftentimes,  that  not 
one  in  ten  of  the  young  men  who  are  sing- 
ing know  the  meaning  of  the  songs.  None 
but  medicine  men  are  allowed  to  under- 
stand them.”  There  are  dances  and  songs, 
however,  not  so  intricate,  which  are  under- 
stood and  participated  in  by  all  the  tribe. 

The  beating  of  drums,  the  yells,  stamp- 
ing, and  bellowing,  the  noisy  demonstra- 
tions forming  so  great  a part  of  Indian' 
amusements,  will  remind  the  reader  of  sim- 
ilar manifestations  among  some  of  the  Afri- 
can tribes,  recorded  in  the  first  part  of  this 
work. 

The  game  which  is  perhaps  the  most  pop- 
ular and  widely  spread  is  almost  unintelli- 
gible to  an  uninstructed  bystander.  Its  title 
is  Tchung-chee,  that  being  the  name  of  the 
spear  which  will  be  presently  described.  It 
is  played  with  a ring  about  three  inches  in 
diameter,  made  of  bone  or  wood  wrapped 
with  cord,  and  a slight  spear,  on  which  are 
several  little  projections  of  leather.  The 
players  roll  the  ring  along  the  ground,  and 
as  it  is  about  to  fall,  project  the  spear  so 
that,  as  the  ring  falls,  it  may  receive  within 
it  one  of  the  pieces  of  leather.  If  it 
does  so,  the  player  scores  one  or  more 
points,  according  to  the  particular  projec- 
tion which  is  caught  in  the  ring,  and  the 
mode  in  which  it  flies. 

Another  variation  of  this  game,  called 
Al-kol-lock,  has  the  spear  without  the  leath- 
ern projections,  but  in  their  stead  six  col- 
ored beads  are  fixed  inside  the  ring.  At 
each  end  of  the  smooth  clay  course,  which 
is  about  fifty  feet  in  length,  a slight  barrier 
is  erected.  The  players  bowl  the  ring  from 
one  end  of  the  course,  run  after  it,  and  as  it 
falls  after  striking  the  barrier,  throw  their 
spear's  as  described  above,  the  points  being 
reckoned  according  to  the  color  of  the  bead 
which  lies  on  them. 

The  absorption  of  the  players  in  this 
game  is  beyond  description.  They  will  play 
at  it  all  day,  gamble  away  their  horses,  their 
tents,  their  clothes,  and,  when  they  have  lost 
all  their  property,  will  stake  themselves,  the 
loser  becoming  the  slave  of  the  winner. 


Another  game,  called  Pagessan,  or  the 
bowl  game,  is  very  popular,  though  it  is  a 
sedentary  one,  and  lacks  the  graceful  action 
that  gives  so  great  a charm  to  the  preced- 
ing game.  It  is  played  with  a wooden  bowl, 
containing  a number  of  pieces  of  wood 
carved  into  various  forms;  some,  which  we 
may  call  the  pieces,  having  round  pedestals 
on  which  to  stand,  and  others,  which  we  will 
term  the  pawns,  being  round,  and  painted 
on  one  side  and  plain  on  the  other.  The 
players  take  the  bowl  alternately,  give  it  a 
shake,  and  set  it  in  a hole  in  the  ground. 
The  contents  are  then  examined,  and  the 
points  are  scored  according  to  the  number 
of  pieces  which  stand  on  their  pedestals.  If 
the  pawn  has  its  colored  side  upward,  the 
player  scores  one  point;  if  it  has  the  plain 
side  uppermost,  he  deducts  a point  from  his 
score.  The  position  of  the  pawns  is  en- 
tirely a question  of  chance,  but  considerable 
skill  is  exerted  in  getting  the  pieces  to  stand 
on  their  pedestals. 

The  game  which  is  most  characteristic  of 
the  American  Indians  is  the  celebrated  ball 
game,  a modification  of  which  has  been  in- 
troduced into  England  under  the  name  of 
La  Crosse.  The  principle  on  which  it  is 
played  is  exactly  that  of  foot-ball  and  hockey, 
namely,  the  driving  of  a ball  through  a goal 
defended  by  the  opposite  party.  We  will 
first  take  the  game  as  it  is  played  by  the 
Choctaws.  The  reader  will  find  it  illus- 
trated on  page  1311. 

A ball  is  carefully  made  of  white  willow 
wood,  and  ornamented  with  curious  designs 
drawn  upon  it  with  a hot  iron.  The  ball- 
sticks,  or  racquets,  are  much  like  our  own 
racquets,  but  with  larger  and  more  slender 
handles,  and  with  a very  much  smaller 
hoop.  Each  player  carries  two  of  these 
sticks,  one  in  each  hand.  The  dress  of  the 
players  is  ver}--  simple,  being  reduced  to 
the  waist-cloth,  a tail  made  of  white  horse- 
hair or  quills,  and  a mane  of  dyed  horsehair 
round  the  neck.  The  belt  by  which  the  tail 
is  sustained  may  be  as  highly  ornamented  as 
possible,  and  the  player  may  paint  himself 
as  brilliantly  as  he  likes,  but  no  other  arti- 
cle of  clothing  is  allowed,  not  even  mocca- 
sins on  the  feet. 

On  the  evening  of  the  appointed  day,  the 
two  parlies  repair  to  the  ground  where  the 
goals  have  been  already  set  up,  some  two 
hundred  yards  apart,  and  there  perform  the 
ball-play  dance  by  torchlight.  Exactly  in 
the  middle  between  the  goals,  where  the 
ball  is  to  be  started,  sit  four  old  medicine 
men,  singing  and  beating  their  drums,  while 
the  players  are  clustered  round  their  re- 
spective goals,  singing  at  the  top  of  their 
voices,  and  rattling  their  ball-sticks  to- 
gether. This  dance  goes  on  during  the 
whole  of  the  night,  so  that  the  players  are 
totally  deprived  of  rest  — a very  bad  prepa- 
ration, as  one  would  think,  for  the  severe 
exertion  of  the  ensuing  day.  All  the  bets 


THE  BALL^PLAY. 


1325 


are  made  on  this  night,  the  article  staked, 
such  as  knives,  blankets,  guns,  cooking 
utensils,  tobacco,  and  even  horses  and  dogs, 
being  placed  in  the  custody  of  the  stake- 
holders, who  sit  by  them  and  watch  them  all 
night. 

About  nine  o’clock  on  the  next  morning 
the  play  begins.  The  four  medicine  men, 
with  the  ball  in  their  custody,  seat  them- 
selves as  before,  midway  between  the  goals, 
while  the  players  arrange  themselves  for  the 
attack  and  defence.  At  a given  signal,  the 
ball  is  flung  high  in  the  air,  and  as  it  falls, 
the  two  opposing  sets  of  players  converge 
upon  it.  As  there  are  often  several  hun- 
dred players  on  each  side,  it  may  be  imag- 
ined that  the  scene  is  a most  animated  one. 

“ In  these  desperate  struggles  for  the  ball,” 
writes  Mr.  Gatlin  “ where  hundreds  are  run- 
ning together,  and  leaping  actually  over  each 
other’s  heads,  and  darting  between  their  ad- 
versaries’ legs,  tripping,  and  throwing,  and 
foiling  each  other  in  every  possible  manner, 
and  every  voice  raised  to  its  highest  key,  in 
shrill  yelps  and  barks,  there  are  rapid  suc- 
cessions of  feats  and  incidents  that  astonish 
and  amuse  far  beyond  the  conception  of  any 
one  who  has  not  had  the  singular  good 
luck  to  witness  them. 

“ In  these  struggles,  every  mode  is  used 
that  can  be  devised  to  oppose  the  progress  of 
the  foremost,  who  is  likely  to  get  the  ball; 
and  these  obstructions  often  meet  desperate 
individual  resistance,  which  terminates  in  a 
violent  scuffle,  and  sometimes  in  dsticuffs. 
Then  their  sticks  are  dropped,  and  the 
parties  are  unmolested,  whilst  they  are  set- 
tling it  between  themselves,  except  by  a 
general  stampedo^  to  which  those  are  subject 
who  are  down,  if  the  ball  happen  to  pass  in 
their  direction.  Every  weapon,  by  a rule  of 
all  ball  players,  is  laid  by  in  the  respective 
encampments,  and  no  man  is  allowed  to  go 
for  one;  so  that  the  sudden  broils  that  take 
place  on  the  ground  are  presumed  to  be  as 
suddenly  settled  without  any  probability  of 
much  personal  injury,  and  no  one  is  allowed 
to  interfere  in  any  way  with  the  contentious 
individuals. 

“ There  are  times  when  the  ball  gets  to 
the  ground,  and  such  a confused  mass  is 
rushing  together  around  it,  and  knocking 
their  sticks  together,  without  a possibility 
of  any  one  getting  or  seeing  it  for  the  dust 
that  they  raise,  that  the  spectator  loses  his 
strength,  and  everything  but  his  senses ; when 
the  condensed  mass  of  ball  sticks  and  shins 
and  bloody  noses  is  carried  around  the  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  ground,  for  a quarter  of  an 
hour  at  a time,  without  any  one  of  the  masses 
being  able  to  see  the  ball,  which  they  are 
often  scuffling  for  several  minutes  after  it  has 
been  thrown  off  and  played  over  another 
part  of  the  ground. 

“ For  each  time  that  the  ball  was  passed 
between  the  goals  of  either  pa»ty,  one  was 
counted  for  their  game,  and  they  halted  for 


about  one  minute;  when  the  ball  was  again 
started  by  the  judges  of  the  play,  and  a 
similar  struggle  ensued;  and  so  on  until 
the  successful  party  arrived  at  100,  which 
was  the  limit  of  the  play,  and  accomplished 
at  an  hour’s  sun,  when  they  took  the 
stakes.” 

In  this  game  the  players  are  not  allowed 
to  strike  the- ball  with  their  slicks,  or  catch 
it  in  their  hands;  though  to  do  so  between 
the  netted  ends  of  the  sticks,  and  then  to  run 
away  with  it,  is  a feat  which  each  player 
tries  his  best  to  accomplish.  Ball-play 
among  the  Sioux  is  exactly  the  same  in 
principle  as  that  of  the  Choctaws,  but  the 
players  only  carry  one  stick,  which  is  wielded 
with  both  hands. 

Sometimes  the  men  are  kind  enough  to 
indulge  the  women  with  a ball-play,  and  to 
present  a quantity  of  goods  as  prizes,  hang- 
ing them  across  a horizontal  pole,  in  order 
to  stimulate  the  players  by  the  sight.  Such 
inferior  beings  as  women  are  not,  however, 
allowed  to  use  the  ball  and  racquet  of  their 
superiors,  the  men,  but  play  with  a couple 
of  small  bags  filled  with  sand,  and  attached 
to  each  other  by  means  of  a string  about 
eighteen  inches  in  length.  Each  of  the 
players  is  furnished  with  two  slight  sticks, 
about  two  feet  in  length,  and  with  these 
sticks  they  dexterously  catch  the  sand  bags, 
and  fling  them  toward  the  goals.  The 
women  play  with  quite  as  much  enthusiasm 
as  the  men,  and  the  game  often  assumes  the 
appearance  of  a general  battle  rather  than  of 
a pastime. 

Since  the  introduction  of  horses,  the 
American  Indians  have  become  very  fond 
of  horse  racing,  and  bet  so  recklessly  on  the 
speed  of  their  animals  that  they  often  lose 
everything  which  they  possess.  In  these 
races  neither  the  horse  nor  the  rider  are 
allowed  to  be  costumed  in  any  way,  not  even 
a saddle  or  a girth  being  allowed.  They 
also  have  boat  races,  in  which  the  spectators 
take  as  much  interest  as  those  who  witness 
the  Oxford  and  Cambridge  races.  The 
canoes  are  mostly  propelled  by  one  man 
only. 

The  canoes  are  of  various  forms  and  ma- 
terials, according  to  the  tribe  to  which  they 
belong.  For  example,  the  Mandans  have 
an  o Id,  circular  vessel,  made  from  a bison 
hide,  stretched  over  a wooden  framework. 
This  is  called  a “ bull  boat,”  and  is  propelled 
in  a very  singular  manner.  A woman  is 
the  usual  paddler,  and  she  stands  or  kneels 
with  her  face  toward  the  direction  in  which 
she  intends  to  proceed,  and,  thrusting  the 
paddle  into  the  water  as  far  forward  as  she 
can  reach,  draws  it  smartly  toward  her, 
and  thus  propels  the  boat  with  considerable 
speed. 

On  one  occasion,  Mr.  Gatlin  and  two  com- 
panions were  desirous  of  crossing  the  river, 
and  were  packed  into  one  of  these  bull  boats 
by  the  wife  of  a chief.  She  then  went  into 


1326 


THE  KOETH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


the  water,  and  swam  across  the  river,  towing 
the  boat  after  her.  As,  however,  she  neared 
the  opposite  bank,  a number  of  young  girls 
surrounded  the  canoe,  took  it  into  their  own 
management,  and  kept  it  in  mid-stream,  until 
the  passengers,  utterly  powerless  in  such  a 
craft,  ransomed  themselves  with  bead  neck- 
laces and  other  decorations.  Then  there  is 
another  kind  of  canoe,  which  is  simply  a 
hollowed  tree-trunk,  and  which  is  graphi- 
cally called  a “ dug-out.”  No  very  particu- 
lar care  is  taken  about  the  shaping  of  this 
simple  boat,  which  is  more  like  a punt  than 
a canoe. 

The  best  and  most  characteristic  form  of 
native  canoe  is  that  which  is  made  of  the 
bark  of  the  birch  tree.  The  mode  of  making 
these  canoes  is  briefly  as  follows.  Canoe 
building  is  a work  in  which  both  sexes  take 
a part.  The  men  first  select  the  largest  and 
finest  birch  trees,  with  the  smoothest  skins, 
and  strip  off  large  pieces  of  the  bark.  . The 
women  then  take  charge  of  the  bark,  and, 
while  it  is  still  fresh  and  moist,  clean  and 
scrape  it  as  if  it  were  leather,  and  then  sew 
the  pieces  together,  so  as  to  make  the  “ cloak  ” 
of  the  future  canoe. 

While  the  women  are  at  this  work,  the 
men  are  busily  preparing  the  skeleton  of 
the  canoe.  This  is  made  of  the  white  cedar, 
the  ribs  being  cut  and  scraped  until  they 
are  quite  thin  and  light,  and  held  in  their 
places  by  smaller  cross-pieces,  and  a long 
thin  piece  of  wood,  which  runs  round  the 
entire  edge  of  the  boat,  and  is,  in  fact,  the 
chief  support  of  the  canoe.  This  is  techni- 
cally called  the  “ maitre.”  No  nails  are 
used',  the  whole  of  the  junctions  being  ef- 
fected by  means  of  thongs  of  bass,  obtained 
from  the  inner  bark  of  the  white  cedar. 

The  skeleton  being  completed,  it  is  laid 
upon  the  cloak,  which  is  brought  over  the 
ribs,  firmly  lashed  to  the  “ maitre,”  and  then 
by  degrees  brought  into  its  proper  shape. 
A strengthening  piece,  called  the  “ faux 
maitre,”  is  next  tied  along  the  whole  of  the 
gunwale  in  order  to  protect  it  from  injury, 
and  the  interior  is* lined  with  cedar  boards, 
scarcely  thicker  than  pasteboard.  When 
the  canoe  is  finished  and  dry,  the  holes 
through  which  the  lashings  have  passed,  as 
well  as  all  the  junctions  of  the  bark,  are 
carefully  stopped  with  pitch  obtained  from 
the  pine  or  fir-tree,  and  the  weaker  parts  of 
the  bark  are  also  strengthened  with  a coat 
of  pitch. 

The  bark  canoe  of  the  Chippeways  is, 
unquestionably,  the  most  beautiful  model  of 
all  the  water  crafts  ever  invented.  It  is 
usually  made  complete,  from  the  rind  of  one 
birch  tree,  and  so  ingeniously  formed  and 
put  together,  that  it  is  water-tight,  and  will 
ride  upon  the  water  with  singular  grace  and 
swiftness. 

These  canoes  are  wonderfully  light,  as  in- 
deed is  necessary  for  the  navigation  of  the 
rivers.  The  many  rapids  would  efiectually 


prevent  a boat  from  passing  up  the  river, 
were  it  not  for  the  plan  called  “ portage.” 
When  the  canoe  arrives  at  the  foot  of  a 
rapid,  it  is  taken  ashore,  the  crew  land,  take 
all  the  goods  out  of  the  canoe,  and  carry 
them  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  rapid.  They 
then  go  back  for  the  canoe  itself,  launch  it 
in  the  smooth  water  above  the  rapid,  and 
load  it,  and  proceed  on  their  jouney.  The 
figure  at  the  head  of  page  1322  will  give  the 
reader  a good  idea  of  the  form  of  the  birch 
bark  canoe. 

These  vessels  can  be  propelled  with  won- 
derful speed,  as  they  sit  on  the  surface  like 
ducks,  and,  when  empty,  scarcely  draw  two 
inches  of  water.  The  number  of  paddlers 
varies  according  to  the  size  of  the  boat,  but 
the  course  is  regulated  by  the  two  who  sit 
respectively  in  the  bow  and  stern,  whom  we 
may  for  convenience  call  the  “ bow  ” and 
“ stroke.”  It  is  the  duty  of  the  “ bow  ” to 
look  carefully  ahead  for  any  rocks  or  any 
other  obstacles,  and,  by  movements  well 
understood,  to  indicate  their  presence  to  the 
“ stroke,”  who,  with  a sweep  of  the  paddle, 
brings  the  canoe  round  in  the  direction  indi- 
cated by  the  “ bow.” 

The  canoes  which  are  used  in  races  are 
made  of  birch  bark,  and  are  almost  always 
of  small  size  — so  small,  indeed,  that  a man 
can  easily  carry  his  canoe  on  his  head  from 
his  house  to  the  water’s  edge,  and  then 
launch  it  .without  assistance.  Mr.  Catlin 
gives  a very  animated  description  of  a canoe 
race,  the  competitors  being  accompanied  by 
large  canoes,  full  of  their  respective  friends, 
who  yell  encouragements  to  the  antagonists, 
fire  guns  in  the  air,  and  render  the  scene  a 
singularly  exciting  one,  even  to  a stranger. 

Toward  the  right  hand  of  the  illustration 
which  depicts  the  canoe  race,  on  the  follow- 
ing page,  the  reader  may  see  a curious  mode 
of  propelling  canoes,  which  is  often  adopted 
when  there  is  no  necessity  for  speed  and  the 
wind  is  favorable.  The  man  who  acts  as 
“ bow  ” stands  up  in  the  front  of  the  canoe, 
extends  a robe  or  a blanket  in  his  two  hands, 
and  then  he  presses  the  two  other  corners 
at  the  bottom  of  the  boat  with  his  feet. 
The  robe  thus  becomes  an  extemporized 
sail,  of  which  the  man  is  the  mast.  In  this 
manner  a canoe  is  often  carried  for  a con- 
siderable distance,  to  the  great  relief  of  the 
paddlers. 

An  European  would  instantly  upset  the 
fragile  canoe  if  he  tried  to  stand  erect  in  it  ; 
but  the  natives  are  absolutely  perfect  mas- 
ters of  their  little  vessels,  and  seem  to  move 
about  in  them  as  easily  and  firmly  as  if  on 
dry  land.  They  will  load  a canoe  within  an 
inch  and  a half  of  the  w^ater’s  edge,  and 
paddle  it  for  a whole  day,  without  dreaming 
of  danger.  And  an  accomplished  canoe  man 
will  take  a fish  spear  in  his  hand,  place  a 
foot  on  each  gunwale  of  the  boat,  and,  pro- 
pelled by  a/riend  in  the  stern  of  the  boat, 
dart  down  rapids,  spearing  fish  as  he  shoots 


(2.)  ESQUIMAUX  DWELLINGS.  (See  page  1335.) 

(1327) 


•;F'h' 


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BARK-BITIKG. 


1329 


along,  hauling  the  struggling  fish  out  of  the 
water,  and  shaking  them  into  the  boat  be- 
hind him. 

Among  most  Indian  tribes,  when  mourn- 
ing for  the  death  of  relatives,  the  women  are 
required  to  cut  their  hair  entirely  off,  and 
the  period  of  mourning  is  until  it  has  grown 
to  its  former  length.  As  long  tresses  are  so 
?iighly  valued  by  most  of  the  tribes  this  is 
no  small  sacrifice.  But  long  hair  being  of 
much  more  importance  to  the  men  they  cut 
off  only  a lock  or  two,  to  indicate  grief  or 
affliction  for  their  departed  kindred. 

There  is  a game  which  has  in  it  somewhat 
of  a religious  aspect.  On  the  border  of  the 
Great  Pipe-stone  Quarry  a solitary  rock 
rises  from  the  plain.  It  resembles  a large 
pillar,  being  only  a few  feet  in  diameter, 
though  more  than  thirty  feet  in  height.  It 
is  situated  within  a short  distance  from  the 
edge  of  the  precipice,  and  the  Indians  who 
come  to  procure  red  stone  for  their  pipes 
often  try  to  leap  upon  it  and  back  again. 
The  mere  leap  to  the  rock  is  comparatively 
easy,  but  there  are  two  terrible  dangers 
which  threaten  the  leaper.  In  the  first 
place,  the  small,  flat  surface  of  the  rock  is  so 
polished  and  smooth,  that  if  the  leaper 
should  exert  too  much  power,  he  must  slip 
off,  and  be  killed  on  the  sharp  rocks  below. 
Should  he  retain  his  foot-hold  he  has  still  a 
difficult  task  in  regaining  the  spot  whence 
he  sprang,  as  he  can  take  no  run,  and  the 
slippery  surface  of  the  rock  affords  but  a 
slight  fulcrum  from  which  he  can  take  his 
spring. 

Before  an  Indian  essays  this  terrible  leap, 
he  offers  up  many  prayers  to  the  Great 
Spirit  for  help  and  protection,  and  he  has  at 
all  events  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that, 
if  he  should  fail,  his  body  will  be  buried  in 
the  sacred  ground  of  the  nation.  Those 
who  succeed  leave  an  arrow  sticking  in  the 
rock,  and  have  a right  to  boast  of  it  at  every 
public  meeting  when  they  are  called  upon 
to  speak.  No  man  would  dare  to  boast  of 
this  feat  without  having  performed  it,  as  he 
would  at  once  be  challenged  to  visit  the 
Leaping  Kock  and  to  point  out  his  arrow. 

If  tha  reader  will  refer  to  the  figure  of 
the  canoe  on  page  1322,  he  will  see  that  its 
sides  are  decorated  with  a pattern.  This  is 
made  by  fastening  dyed  porcupine  quills  to 
the  sides  of  the  little  -vessel.  Porcupine 
quills  are  used  very  largely  for  ornaments, 
and,  even  though  they  have  been  partly 
superseded  by  beads,  are  still  in  use  for  dec- 
orating the  dresses  and  utensils  of  the  na- 
tives. 

These  quills  are  never  so  long  or  thick  as 
those  of  the  porcupine  of  the  Old  World,  and 
are  naturally  white  or  gray,  so  that  they  can 
easily  take  any  desired  dye.  They  are  first 
sorted  very  carefully  into  their  different  sizes, 
the  largest  rarely  exceeding  three  inches  in 
length,  while  the  smaller  are  quite  thread- 
like, and  can  be  passed  through  the  eye  of  an 


ordinary  needle.  Both  ends  are  sharp. 
When  the  native  artist  desires  to  produce  a 
pattern,  the  design  is  first  drawn  on  the  right 
side  of  the  bark  or  leather;  the  two  ends  of 
the  quill  are  then  pushed  through  the  fabric, 
and  fastened  on  the  wrong  side,  the  quill 
acting  both  as  needle  and  thread. 

Perhaps  the  most  ingenious  mode  of  mak- 
ing ornaments  is  that  which  is  practised  by 
the  Ojibbeway  women,  and  called  Bark- 
biting.  The  following  description  of  this 
curious  art  is  given  by  Mr.  Kohl  in  his 
“ Kitchi-Gami : ” — 

“ This  IS  an  art  which  the  squaws  chiefly 
practise  in  spring,  in  their  sugar  plantations. 
Still,  they  do  not  all  understand  it,  and  only 
a few  are  really  talented.  I heard  that  a 
very  celebrated  bark-biter  resided  at  the 
other  side  of  St.  Mary’s  Eiver,  in  Canada, 
and  that  another,  of  the  name  of  Angelique 
Marte,  lived  in  our  cataract  village.  Natu- 
rally, I set  out  at  once  to  visit  the  latter. 

“ Extraordinary  geniuses  must  usually  be 
sought  here,  as  in  Paris,  on  the  fifth  floor,  or 
in  some  remote  faubourg.  Our  road  to  An- 
gelique Marte  led  us  past  the  little  cluster  of 
houses  representing  our  village  far  into  the 
desert.  We  came  to  morasses,  and  had  to 
leap  from  stone  to  stone.  Between  large 
masses  of  scattered  granite  block,  the  re- 
mains of  the  missiles  which  the  Indians  say 
Menaboju  and  his  father  hurled  at  each  other 
in  the  battle  they  fought  here,  we  at  length 
found  the  half-decayed  birch-hut  of  our 
pagan  artiste,  who  herself  was  living  in  it 
like  a hermit. 

“ The  surrounding  landscape  seemed  better 
adapted  for  a renversi  than  for  an  atelier. 
When  we  preferred  our  request  for  soma 
specimen  of  her  tooth  carving,  she  told  us 
that  all  her  hopes  as  regarded  her  art  were 
concentrated  in  one  tooth.  At  least  she  had 
only  one  in  her  upper  jaw  properly  useful 
for  this  operation.  She  began,  however, 
immediately  selecting  proper  pieces  of  bark, 
peeling  off  the  thin  skin,  and  doubling  up 
the  pieces,  which  she  thrust  between  her 
teeth. 

“ As  she  took  up  one  piece  after  the  other, 
and  went  through  the  operation  very  rapidly, 
one  artistic  production  after  the  other  fell 
from  her  lips.  We  unfolded  the  bark,  and 
found  on  one  the  figure  of  a young  girl,  on 
another  a bouquet  of  flowers,  on  a third  a 
tomahawk,  with  all  its  accessories,  very  cor- 
rectly designed,  as  well  as  several  other 
objects.  The  bark  is  not  bitten  into  holes, 
but  only  pressed  with  the  teeth,  so  that,  when 
the  designs  are  held  up,  they  resemble,  to 
some  extent,  those  pretty  porcelain  trans- 
parencies made  as  light-screens.” 

The  mode  of  constructing  the  wigwam  is 
very  much  the  same  among  the  various 
tribes.  Generally  it  is  made  of  dressed  buf- 
falo skins  sewed  together  and  arranged  in 
the  form  of  a tent,  with  a score  or  more  of 
poles  about  twenty-five  feet  m height,  as  a 


1330 


THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


» support,  and  with  an  opening  at  the  apex 
for  the  escape  of  smoke  or  the  admission  of 
light.  The  Crows,  however,  excel  all  others 
in  the  style  of  their  lodge.  They  dress  the 
skins  almost  as  white  as  linen,  embellish 
them  with  porcupine  quills,  and  paint  them 
in  various  ways  so  as  to  make  their  tents 
exceedingly  beautiful  and  picturesque. 

The  Indian  lodges  may  be  removed  in  a 
few  minutes.  The  taking  down  and  the 
transportation  is  the  work  of  the  squaws. 
A tribe  will  generally  remove  six  or  eight 
times  in  a summer  in  order  to  find  good 
hunting  grounds  among  the  herds  of  buffa- 
loes. 

The  Indian  tribes  judging  from  their  mu- 
sical instruments,  have  little  taste  or  skill  in 
music.  These  are  very  rude,  and  consist 
of  rattles,  drums,  the  mystery  whistle,  war 
wdiistle  and  deer  skin  flute.  The  war  whis- 
tle is  from  six  to  nine  inches  in  length,  made 
of  the  bone  of  the  deer’s  or  turkey’s  leg,  with 
porcupine  quills  wound  around  it.  The 
chief  'wears  this  to  battle  under  his  dress. 
It  has  only  two  notes  — one,  produced  by 
blowing  into  one  end  of  it,  is  shrill,  and  is 
the  summons  to  battle;  and  the  other  sounds 
a retreat.  Even  in  the  noise  of  battle  and 
amid  the  cries  and  yells  of  their  fierce  con- 
flicts, this  little  instrument  can  be  distinctly 
heard. 

The  chief  pledge  of  friendship  among 
these  tribes,  is  a dog  feast.  If  we  consider 
that  the  dog  is  an  object  of  special  affection 
with  the  Indians;  that  he  is  more  valued  by 
them  than  anywdiere  else  on  the  globe  ; — 
we  can  understand  the  significance  of  this 
feast.  This  sacrifice  of  what  is  dearest  to 
them  is  therefore  the  very  strongest  evi- 
dence of  friendship.  On  their  coats  of  arms, 
on  the  rocks,  they  carve  the  image  of  the 
dog,  and  everywhere  and  always,  he  is  the 
ernblem  of  fidelity.  Accordingly,  to  ratify 
friendship,  to  give  the  most  unquestionable 
proof  of  honor  and  devotion,  the  Indian  will 
take  his  beloved  companion  of  the  chase  and 
wigwam,  and  offer  it  as  the  sacrifice  to  hos- 
pitality and  affection. 

These  feasts  are  conducted  in  the  most 
solemn  and  impressive  manner,  as  if  with 
the  conviction  that  the  pledge  of  friendship 
is  a sacred  thing.  Those  were  tender  words 
which  Catlin  gives  at  the  conclusion  of  an 
Indian  chiefs  address  to  him  and  other 
white  guests,  to  whom  such  a feast  had  been 
given:  “we  offer  you  to-day  not  the  best  we 
have  got,  for  we  have  plenty  of  good  bufialo 
hump  and  marrow  — but  we  give  you  our 
hearts  in  this  feast  — we  have  killed  our 
faithful  dogs  to  feed  you,  and  the  Great 
Spirit  will  seal  our  friendship.  I have  no 
more  to  say.” 

We  come  now  to  consider  the  customs  of 
the  Indians  in  regard  to  death  and  the  dis- 
posal of  the  dead. 

The  Mandans  take  the  body  of  the  deceased, 


clothe  it  in  his  best  robes  and  ornaments, 
furnish  it  with  food,  pipes,  tobacco,  and  ar- 
rows, and  wrap  it  up  in  skins  previously 
soaked  in  water,  so  as  to  render  them  pliant, 
and  cause  them  to  exclude  the  air  as  much 
as  possible.  The  body  is  then  placed  upon  a 
slight  scaffold,  some  seven  feet  in  height,  and 
left  to  decay.  In  process  of  time,  the  scaffold 
gives  way  and  falls,  when  the  relations  of  the 
deceased  bury  the  whole  of  the  remains, 
with  the  exception  of  the  skull,  w hich  they 
place  on  the  ground,  forming  circles  of  a hun- 
dred or  more,  all  with  the  laces  looking  in- 
ward, and  all  resting  on  fresh  bunches  of 
herbs.  In  the  centre  of  each  circle  is  a little 
mound,  on  w'hich  are  placed  the  skulls  of 
a male  and  female  bison,  and  on  the  mound 
is  planted  a long  pole,  on  which  hang  sundry 
“ medicine  ” articles,  which  are  supposed  to 
aid  in  guarding  the  remains  of  the  dead. 

No  people  are  more  fond  of  swimming 
than  the  Indians,  the  youth  of  both  sexes 
learning  the  art  at  a very  early  age.  Such 
knowdedge  is  indispensable  to  them,  espe- 
cially liable  as  they  are  to  accidents  with  their 
light  canoes,  and  in  their  marches  compelled 
to  cross  the  widest  rivers.  The  squaws 
wdll  fasten  their  children  to  their  hacks,  and 
easily  cross  any  river  that  lies  in  their  way. 

The  Indian  mode  of  swimming,  how'ever, 
is  quite  diflerent  from  ours.  They  do  not 
make  a horizontal  stroke  outw^ard  from  the 
chin,  but  throw  the  body  alternately  from 
one  side  to  the  other,  and  raising  one  arm 
out  of  the  w^ater,  reach  as  far  Ibrw^ard  as 
possible,  while  the  other  arm  having  made 
the  same  motion,  goes  down  and  becomes  a 
propelling  powder.  And  this,  though  an  ap- 
parently aw^kw'ard,  is  yet  a most  effective 
mode  of  swimming,  and  less  likely  to  be 
attended  with  injury  to  the  chest,  or  with 
fatigue. 

The  relatives  constantly  visit  the  skull 
circles,  and  the  women  may  often  be  seen 
sitting  by  the  skulls  of  their  dead  children 
for  hours  together,  going  on  wdth  their  work, 
and  talking  to  the  dead  skull  as  if  it  were  a 
living  child.  And,  when  tired,  they  will  lie 
down  with  their  arms  encircling  the  skull, 
and  sleep  there  as  if  in  company  wdth  the 
child  itself  The  Sioux  and  many  other  tribes 
lodge  their  dead  in  the  branches  or  crotches 
of  trees,  enveloped  in  skins,  and  alw^ayswdth 
a W’^ooden  dish  hanging  near  the  head  of  the 
corpse,  for  the  purpose,  doubtless,  to  enable 
it  to  quench  its  thirsty  on  the  long  journey 
they  suppose  awaits  it  after  death.  The 
Chinnooks  place  them  in  canoes,  which, 
together  wdth  the  warrior’s  utensils  accom- 
panying the  dead,  are  so  shattered  as  to  be 
useless. 

The  most  singular  funeral  of  which  a record 
has  been  preserved  was  that  of  Blackbird,  an 
Omaha  chief  The  artist  has  reproduced 
the  strange  scene  on  page  1341. 

Upon  the  bank  of  the  Missouri,  and  in  the 


rUNERAL  OF  BLACKBIRD. 


1331 


district  over  which  he  ruled,  there  is  a lofty 
bluff,  the  top  of  which  can  be  seen  for  a vast 
distance  on  every  side.  When  the  chief 
found  that  he  was  dying,  he  ordered  that  he 
should  be  placed  on  the  back  of  his  favorite 
war  horse,  and  buried  on  the  top  of  the  bluff.* 

The  request  was  carried  out  to  the  letter. 
On  the  appointed  day,  the  whole  tribe, 
together  with  a vast  concourse  of  spectators, 
repaired  to  the  bluff,  leaving  an  open  space 
in  the  middle,  where  the  chief  was  to  be 
buried. 

Presently,  the  body  of  the  dead  chief  was 
borne  up  the  sides  of  the  bluff,  and  after  him 
was  led  his  war  horse,  a noble  milk-white 
steed  which  he  had  valued  exceedingly. 
When  the  funeral  procession  reached  the  top 
of  the  bluff,  the  dead  chief  was  clothed  in  full 
panoply  of  war,  the  feather  plumes  on  his 
head,  the  strung  bow,  quiver,  arrows,  shield, 
and  medicine  bag  slung  on  his  back,  his 
scalps,  which  no  other  man  might  take,  hung 
to  his  horse’s  bridle  and  to  his  weapons,  and 
his  favorite  spear  in  his  hand.  He  was  also 
furnished  with  food  and  drink,  to  sustain  him 
in  his  passage  to  the  spirit  land,  and  with 
his  pipe  and  filled  tobacco  pouch,  flint,  and 
steel,  so  that  he  might  solace  himself  with 
the  luxury  of  smoking. 

This  done,  he  was  mounted  on  the  back  of 
his  horse,  and  all  the  chiefs  advanced  in 
their  turn  to  make  their  farewell  speeches  to 
their  dead  leader.  Each,  after  delivering 
his  address,  rubbed  his  right  hand  with  ver- 
milion, pressed  it  against  the  white  coat  of 
the  horse,  and  left  there  the  scarlet  imprint 
of  his  hand.  Then  began  the  burial.  The 
warriors  brought  in  their  hands  pieces  of 
turf,  and  with  them  began  to  raise  a huge 
mound,  in  the  middle  of  which  the  chief  and 
his  horse  were  to  be  enclosed.  One  by  one 
they  placed  their  turves  around  the  feet  of 
the  devoted  horse,  and  so,  by  degrees,  they 
built  the  mound  over  the  animal  while  yet 
alive. 

The  mound,  when  completed,  rose  high 
above  the  head  of  the  chief  thus  strangely 
buried  in  its  centre,  and  there  he  and  his 
horse  were  left  to  decay  together.  On  the 
top  of  the  mound  a cedar  post  was  erected; 
and  this  mound  has  been,  ever  since  it  was 
built,  a familiar  landmark  to  all  the  sur- 
rounding country.  This  green,  flower  spot- 
ted mound  is  visited  by  great  numbers  of 
travellers,  both  white  and  red.  The  former 
ascend  the  bluff  partly  out  of  curiosity  to  see 
so  strange  a tomb,  and  partly  for  the  sake  of 
the  magnificent  view  from  its  summit,  while 
the  latter  visit  it  for  the  sake  of  paying  their 
respects  at  the  burial-place  of  one  of  their 
most  renowned  chiefs  and  greatest  medi- 
cine men. 

The  custom  of  burying  wives  and  other 
victims  with  the  deceased  husband  seems 
now  to  be  extinct  among  the  Horth  Ameri- 
can tribes,  but  such  an  event  has  happened 
within  comparatively  late  years.  There  was 


a Hachez  chief,  called  the  Stung  Serpent, 
who  died;  and  as  he  was  the  head  chief  of  the 
tribe,  a considerable  number  of  victims  were 
devoted  for  sacrifice.  The  French,  how- 
ever, remonstrated,  and  induced  the  friends 
of  the  dead  chief  to  limit  the  number  to 
eight  or  ten.  Among  them  was  a beautiful 
girl,  who,  though  not  his  wife,  had  loved  him 
greatly,  and  desired  to  share  his  grave. 

On  the  day  appointed  a procession  was 
formed,  in  which  the  victims  were  led  in 
great  state,  accompanied  by  eight  relatives 
of  the  deceased,  who  were  to  act  as  execu- 
tioners, and  who  bore  the  fatal  cord,  the  deer- 
skin which  was  thrown  over  the  head  of  the 
victim,  the  tobacco  pills  which  were  to  be 
taken  before  the  ceremony,  and  the  other 
implements  required.  When  they  were  all 
placed  at  the  grave,  the  chief  wife  made  a 
speech,  in  which  she  took  leave  of  her  chil- 
dren; and  the  victims,  after  being  strangled, 
were  deposited  in  the  grave. 

As  the  object  of  this  work  is  to  present  the 
manners  and  customs  of  tribes  and  races 
in  their  primitive  state,  and  not  those  semi- 
civilized,  it  will  be  enough  to  merely  intro- 
duce the  names  of  the  Cherokees,  Choctaws, 
Creeks,  Chickasaws,  Senecas,  Delawares,  etc. 
Kor  is  it  necessary  to  consider  those,  now 
extinct,  that  occupied  the  country  when  first 
settled  by  white  men.  For  the  same  general 
characteristics,  now  presented,  pertain  to  all 
the  Korth  American  races.  The  Indian 
tribes  arc  rapidly  retreating  or  vanishing 
before  the  steady,  irresistible  march  of  civili- 
zation, and  the  growing  grandeur  of  the 
great  Republic  in  Horth  America.  The  line, 
where  the  echoes  of  the  Indian’s  yell  blends 
with  the  shout  of  advancing  pioneers  and 
the  sound  of  the  wood-chopper’s  axe,  is  con- 
tinually moving  westward.  In  a few  years 
we  have  seen  it  pass  from  the  Mississippi 
River,  to  the  base  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
The  settler’s  cabin  is  unceasingly  encroach- 
ing upon  the  wigwams  of  the  Red  Men. 
With  sadness,  having  smoothed  the  graves 
of  their  fathers,  and  taken  a last  look  of  their 
hunting  grounds,  they  retreat  before  a power 
which  they  vainly  strive  to  resist.  Pressed 
backward  in  two  centuries  and  a half,  across 
three-quarters  of  the  continent,  from  Massa- 
chusetts Bay  almost  to  the  Pacific,  except 
a few  decaying  remnants  of  tribes,  their  his- 
tory and  doom  cannot  but  awaken  sympathy 
for  an  unfortunate  and  overpowered  race. 

Even  though  we  do  not  form  our  estimate 
of  the  Indian  from  the  romantic  creations 
of  Cooper,  every  right-thinking  person  will 
accord  them  the  tribute  of  many  qualities 
that  constitute  a real  grandeur  of  character. 
Their  marvellous  bravery,  their  ardent  rage, 
their  steadfast,  fiery  enthusiasm  in  the  fight 
or  in  the  chase,  their  manly  sports,  their 
grave,  philbsophic  demeanor  in  the  council, 
their  stern,  stoical  endurance  in  misfortune, 
their  disdain  of  death,  are  traits  that  have 


1332 


THE  KOKTH  AMERICAK  INDIANS. 


given  to  the  Indian  a character  unique  and 
noble,  a character  and  history  that  the 
annalist,  poet,  and  novelist,  have  trans- 
ferred to  their  immortal  pages,  and  over 
which  multitudes  of  old  and  young  alike 
have  bent  with  eager,  breathless  interest. 
As  Mr.  Manginin  his  “ Desert  World  ” says: 
— “ There  was  poetry  in  their  faith,  in  their 
customs,  in  their  language,  at  once  laconic 
and  picturesque — and  even  in  the  names 
they  bestowed  on  each  tribe,  each  chief  and 
warrior,  on  mountain  and  river.  One  can 
hardly  suppress  a feeling  of  regret  that  so 
much  of  wild  romance  and  valor  should 
have  been  swept  from  the  face  of  the  earth, 
unless  we  call  to  mind  the  shadow  of  the 
picture  — the  Indian’s  cruelty,  perfidiousness 
and  savage  lust.  Even  then,  our  humanity 
revolts  from  the  treatment  to  which  he  has 
been  subjected  by  the  white  man.”  Tracked 
and  hunted  like  wild  beasts,  driven  from  their 
hunting  grounds  and  the  territory  of  their 
ancestors,  imbruted  by  drink,  decimated  and 
dying  by  epidemics  and  vices  contracted 
from  white  men,  the  poor  Indians  vainly 
struggling  to  avert  their  doom  of  extermina- 
tion have  elicited  the  sympathy  and  com- 
miseration of  the  civilized  world.  The  theory 
advocated  in  the  preceding  part  of  this  work, 
(see  page  790),  in  regard  to  the  decay  and 
extinction  of  savage  races,  does  not  forbid 
regrets  that  such  a people  should  have  suffered 
so  grievously  at  the  hands  of  the  United 
States  Government,  by  the  greed  of  its 
agents,  the  frauds  of  traders  and  the  fatal 
contagion  of  the  vices  of  a civilized  people. 
What  with  American  rifles  and  American 
whiskey,  their  extinction  has  been  rapid, 
and  their  doom  certain. 

These  tribes,  contending  in  a most  unequal 
strife  with  the  forces  of  modern  civilization, 
more  readily  falling  victims  to  the  vices  of 
white  men  than  accepting  their  virtues,  are 
entitled  to  the  just  consideration  and  pro- 
tection of  the  government,  as  its  wards,  from 
whom,  or  their  ancestors,  have  been  taken 
their  soil  and  their  homes. 

It  is  gratifying  to  know  that  a more  hu- 
mane policy  is  about  being  inaugurated, 
and  though  the  wrongs  of  the  past  may  not  be 
redressed,  that  their  rights  in  future  may  be 


recognized  and  maintained.  Major-General 
Thomas,  of  the  U.  S.  army,  whose  name  and 
history  are  the  guarantee  of  candid  and  wige 
judgment,  says,  in  respect  to  an  instance  of 
cold-blooded,  unprovoked,  unpunished  out- 
rage upon  an  Indian  boy  (it  is  given  only 
as  a representative  fact  of  many  more  and 
bitter  wrongs) “ I see  no  better  way  than  to 
extend  civil  authority  over  the  Indians  and 
enable  them  to  appear  as  witnesses  in  all 
cases  affecting  their  own  status  and  that 
of  the  whites  toward  them.  This  is  a fair 
instance  of  the  cause  of  the  Indian  troubles; 
and  until  white  murderers  and  robbers 
of  the  Indians  are  punished,  a large  force  of 
troops  will  be  necessary  to  protect  peaceful 
white  settlers  from  Indian  avengers.” 
And  Gen.  Sherman,  in  whose  opinion  the 
utmost  confidence  can  be  reposed,  makes  the 
following  indorsement  to  General  Thomas’ 
view: — “This  case  illustrates  the  origin  of 
most  of  the  Indian  wars  on  the  frontier.  A 
citizen  may  murder  an  Indian  with  impunity, 
but  if  the  Indian  retaliate,  war  results,  and 
the  United  States  must  bear  the  expense.” 
Here  we  have  the  secret  of  many  of  the 
barbarities  of  the  Indian  tribes.  Inflamed 
and  imbruted  by  the  whiskey  sold  them,  their 
ignorance  imposed  upon  by  the  greed  of 
traders  and  even  government  agents,  having 
little  or  no  chance  for  securing  justice  in  their 
real  or  imagined  injuries,  there  is  certainly 
some  extenuation  if  this  wild  son  of  the  forest 
go  forth  with  tomahawk  and  scalping  knife, 
as  the  self-appointed  avenger  of  his  own  and 
his  people’s  wrongs.  This  is  not  the  place, 
if  there  were  room,  for  a thorough  discussion 
of  the  wrongs  of  the  Red  Men,  but  I cannot 
forego  the  duty,  in  treating  of  the  manners, 
customs  and  character  of  tribes  so  interesting, 
so  noble  and  superior,  by  many  traits,  to 
most  savage  races,  of  recording  at  the  same 
time,  this  tribute  and  testimony.  It  will 
unquestionably  be  the  verdict  of  the  future, 
as  coming  generations  shall  study  the  me- 
morials and  character  of  the  North  Ameri- 
can Indians.* 


* These  reflections,  with  much  relating  to  the 
customs  of  the  Indians,  have  been  introduced  into 
the  work  by  the  American  editor. 


CHAPTEK  CXL 


THE  ESQUIMAUX. 

APPEARANCE  — DRESS  — DWELLINGS. 

APPEARANCE  OP  THE  PEOPLE  — THEIR  COMPLEXION,  AND  DIFFICULTY  OP  SEEING  IT  — AN  ESQUIMAUX 
CHILD  WASHED  AND  COMBED  — BODILY  STRENGTH  — DRESS  OF  THE  MEN  — THE  TAILED  COAT — 
“milling”  boots — DRESS  OF  THE  WOMEN  — THE  LARGE  HOOD  AND  BOOTS  — THE  TATTOO,  AND 
MODE  OF  PERFORMING  IT  — HAIR-DRESSING  — PREPARING  SKINS— THE  SNOW  HOUSES,  AND  MODE 
OF  BUILDING  THEM  — CAPTAIN  LYON’S  DESCRIPTION  — INTERNAL  ARRANGEMENTS  OF  THE  HUT  — 
ICE  AND  BONE  HOUSES— THE  TUPIC,  OR  SUMMER  DWELLING  — FOOD  OF  THE  ESQUIMAUX  — A 
WISE  TRAVELLER. 


We  now  come  to  those  extraordinary  peo- 
ple, called  by  Europeans  the  Esquimaux 
(their  own  name  being  Innuit),  who,  placed 
amid  perpetual  ice  and  snow,  have  bent 
those  elements  to  their  own  purposes,  and 
pass  as  happy  lives  in  their  inclement  coun- 
try as  do  the  apparently  more  favored  in- 
habitants of  the  tropics  amid  their  perpetual 
verdure.  Indeed,  the  Esquimaux  has  a per- 
fect yearning  for  his  beloved  country, 
should  he  be  aw'ay  from  it.  Captain  Hall 
relates  the  circumstances  attendant  upon  the 
“ death  of  .Kudla^o,  a singularly  intelligent 
man,  who  had  visited  the  United  States,  and 
fully  learned  to  appreciate  the  advantages 
of  the  high  civilization  which  he  saw  there. 
But  all  his  wishes  were  for  home,  and  he 
was  taken  back.  As  the  ship  neared  his  na- 
tive land,  he  fell  ill  and  died,  his  last  words 
being  the  eager  inquiry,  ‘Do  you  see  ice? 
Do  you  see  ice?  ’ ” 

Ix  appearance,  the  Esquimaux  are  a pe- 
culiar people.  Their  stature  is  short,  when 
compared  to  that  of  an  ordinary  European, 
the  average  being  about  five  feet  three 
inches  for  the  men,  and  two  or  three  inches 
less  for  the  women. 

The  complexion  is  in  some  cases  rather 
dark,  but,  as  a rule,  is  not  much  darker  than 
that  of  the  inhabitants  of  Southern  Europe. 

It  looks,  however,  many  shades  darker,  in 
consequence  of  the  habits  of  the  Esquimaux, 
who  never  wash  from  their  birth  to  their 
death.  It  is  not  that  they  neglect  their  ab- 
lutions, but  the  very  idea  of  washing  never  | 

(1333) 


enters  the  mind  of  an  Esquimaux,  who, 
unless  he  has  met  with  white  men,  has  not 
even  heard  of  such  an  operation.  When, 
however,  an  Esquimaux  has  been  induced  to 
allow  his  skin  to  be  cleansed,  he  is  found  to 
lose  many  shades  of  his  original  darkness. 
There  is  an  amusing  passage  in  the  journal 
of  Captain  Hall,  given  in  his  “ Life  with  the 
Esquimaux,”  a work  to  which  frequent  ref- 
erence will  be  made  in  the  next  few  pages. 

“Kimnaloo  has  just  been  Americanized. 

Captain  B ’s  good  wife  had  made  and 

sent  to  her  a pretty  red  dress,  a necktie,  mit- 
tens, belt,  &c. 

“ Mr.  Kogers  and  I,  at  a suggestion  from 
me,  thought  it  best  to  commence  the  change 
of  nationality  with  soap  and  water.  The 

Erocess  was  slow,  that  of  arriving  at  the 
eautiful  little  girl,  whom  we  at  length 
found,  though  deeply  imbedded  layer  after 
layer  in  dirt.  Then  came  the  task  of  mak- 
ing her  toilet.  With  a very  coarse  comb  I 
commenced  to  disentangle  her  hair.  She 
had  but  little,  the  back  part  from  behind  her 
ears  having  been  cut  short  off  on  account  of 
severe  pains  in  her  head.  How  patiently 
she  submitted  to  the  worse  than  curry-comb 
process  I had  to  use!  This  was  the  first 
time  in  her  life  that  a comb  had  been  put  to 
her  head.  Her  hair  was  filled  with  moss, 
seal  and  reindeer  hairs,  and  many  other 
things,  too  numerous  to  call  them  all  by 
name.  Poor  little  thing!  Yet  she  was  fat 
and  beautiful,  the  very  picture  of  heahh. 
Her  cheeks  were  as  red  as  the  blown  rose; 
Nature’s  vermilion  was  upon  them,” 


1334 


THE  ESQUIMAUX. 


Tlie  skin  is  smooth,  soft,  and  yet  wonder- 
fully tough,  with  a sort  of  unctuous  surface, 
probably  occasioned  by  the  enormous  amount 
of  oil  and  fat  which  forms  the  principal 
part  of  their  diet.  The  features  are  ^ not 
very  pleasing,  the  face  being  broad,  and  the 
cheek-bones  so  high  that  in  many  cases,  if  a 
flat  ruler  were  laid  from  cheek  to  cheek,  it 
would  not  touch  the  nose.  As  is  the  case 
with  the  Chinese  section  of  this  vast  race, 
the  eyes  slope  rather  downward,  and  the 
face  is  often  covered  with  wrinkles  to  a won- 
derful extent,  extending  from  the  eyes  down 
each  cheek. 

In  bodily  strength,  the  Esquimaux  present 
a great  contrast  to  the  Anclamaners,  who, 
though  short,  are  possessed  of  gigantic  mus- 
cular powers.  Captain  Lyon  found  that 
the  natives  could  not  raise  burdens  that 
were  easily  lifted  by  his  sailors,  whereas  an 
ordinary  Andamaner  is  often  a match  for 
two  powerful  sailors.  The  neck  is  strangely 
thin  and  feeble,  however  well-proportioned 
the  chest  may  be,  and  it  is  a curious  fact 
that  the  Esquimaux  are  almost  wholly  igno- 
rant of  running  and  jumping.  There  is  but 
little  beard,  and  the  hair  is  Black,  coarse, 
straight,  and  lanky. 

The  general  character  of  the  dress  is  alike 
in  both  sexes,  so  that  at  a little  distance  it 
is  not  easy  to  tell  whether  the  spectator  be 
looking  at  a man  or  a woman,  both  sexes 
wearing  trousers,  and  jackets  with  a large 
hood,  which  can  either  be  drawn  over  the 
head  or  allowed  to  fall  on  the  shoulders. 
The  jacket  of  the  man  is  made  something 
like  a broad-tailed  dress  coat,  hanging  be- 
hind as  far  as  the  middle  cf  the  calf,  and  cut 
away  in  front  just  below  the  waist.  It  is 
mostly  made  of  deer-hide,  and  the  hood  is 
lined  and  turned  up  with  white  fur,  which 
forms  a curious  contrast  to  the  dark,  broad 
face  within  it.  The  edge  of  the  coat  is  gen- 
erally bordered  with  a lighter-colored  fur, 
and  is  often  decorated  with  little  strips  of 
fur  hanging  like  tassels. 

Under  this  coat  is  another  of  similar 
shape,  but  of  lighter  material,  and  having 
the  furry  side  turned  inward.  The  legs  are 
clothed  in  two  pairs  of  trousers,  the  outer 
pair  being  often  made  of  strips  of  differ- 
ently colored  deer-skins  arranged  in  parallel 
stripes,  and  having  the  fur  outward,  while 
the  other  has  the  fur  inward,  as  is  the  case 
with  the  coats.  They  only  come  as  low  as 
the  knee,  so  that  the  joint  is  often  frost-bit- 
ten  ; but  nothing  can  induce  the  Esquimaux 
to  outrage  fashion  by  adding  a couple  of 
inches  to  the  garment. 

The  boots  are  made  of  the  same  materials 
as  the  other  parts  of  the  dress.  In  winter 
time  the  Esquimaux  wear  first  a pair  of 
boots  with  the  fur  inward,  then  slippers  of 
soft  seal-skin  so  prepared  as  to  be  water- 
proof, then  another  pair  of  boots,  and,  lastly, 
strong  seal-skin  shoes.  In  the  summer  time 
one  pair  of  boots  is  suflacient  protection. 


The  soles  are  made  of  thicker  material  than 
the  rest  of  the  garment,  and- it  is  the  duty  of 
the  women  to  keep  the  soles  flexible  by 
chewing  or  “milling”  them,  an  operation 
which  consumes  a considerable  part  of  their 
time. 

Mittens  are  made  of  various  skins,  the 
hairy  side  beiii"  inward  ; and  if  the  wearer 
be  engaged  in  fishing,  he  uses  mittens  made 
of  watertight  seal-skin.  During  the  summer, 
light  dresses  are  worn,  made  of  the  skins  of 
ducks,  with  the  feathers  inward.  Over  all 
there  is  sometimes  a very  thin  and  light 
waterproof  garment  made  of  the  intestines 
of  the  walrus. 

The  jackets  worn  by  the  women  have  a 
much  longer  and  narrower  tail  than  those  of 
the  men,  and  a tolerably  deep  flap  in  front. 
The  hood  is  of  enormous  size,  being  used  as 
a cradle  as  well  as  a hood,  in  which  a child 
of  nearly  three  years  old  is  carried.  The 
trousers,  or  rather  leggings,  are  tied  to  a 
girdle  that  passes  round  the  waist,  and  are 
so  cut  away  at  the  top,  that  they  allow  a 
portion  of  the  skin  to  be  visible  between 
them  and  the  sides  of  the  jacket,  an  exposure 
from  which  the  wearers  do  not  seem  to  suf- 
fer. The  oddest  article  of  the  female  apparel 
is,  however,  the  boots,  which  more  resem- 
ble sacks  or  buckets  than  boots,  and  are 
simply  tied  to  the  girdle  by  a broad  strap 
that  passes  up  the  front  of  the  leg.  The 
boots  are  used  as  receptacles  for  all  kinds  of 
portable  property,  food  included,  and  in  con- 
sequence impart  a most  singular  walk,  or 
rather  waddle,  to  the  wearers,  who  are 
obliged  to  keep  their  feet  widely  apart,  and, 
as  they  walk,  to  swing  one  foot  round  the 
other,  rather  than  to  use  the  ordinary  mode 
of  walking. 

The  Esquimaux  women  use  the  tattoo, 
called  by  them  the  kakeen,  and  in  some 
places  cover  their  limbs  and  a considerable 
portion  of  their  persons  with  various  pat- 
terns. There  are  some  who  mark  the  fore- 
head, cheeks,  and  chin,  these  being  mostly 
proof  that  the  woman  is  married,  though 
they  are  sometimes  worn  by  unmarried 
females.  The  mode  in  which  the  kakeen 
is  performed  is  amusingly  told  by  Captain 
Lyon,  who  courageously  submitted  to  the 
operation. 

“ My  curiosity  determined  me  on  seeing 
how  the  kakeen  was  performed,  and  I ac- 
cordingly put  myself  into  the  hands  of  Mrs. 
Kettle,  whom  I had  adopted  as  my  amama, 
or  mother. 

“ Having  furnished  her  with  a fine  needle, 
she  tore  with  her  teeth  a thread  off  a deer’s 
sinew,  and  thus  prepared  the  sewing  appara- 
tus. She  then,  without  a possibility  of  dark- 
ening her  hands  beyond  their  standard 
color,  passed  her  fingers  under  the  bottom 
of  the  stove  pot,  from  whence  she  collected 
a quantity  of  soot.  With  this,  together  with 
a little  oil  and  much  saliva,  she  soon  made  a 
good  mixture,  and  taking  a small  piece  of 


SNOW  HOUSES. 


1335 


whalebone  well  blackened,  she  then  drew  a 
variety  of  figures  about  my  arm,  differing,  as 
I easily  saw,  from  those  with  which  she  her- 
self was  marked;  and,  calling  her  house- 
mates, they  all  enjoyed  a good  laugh  at  the 
figures,  which  perhaps  conveyed  some  mean- 
ing that  I could  not  fathom. 

“ 1 had,  however,  only  determined  on  a few 
strokes,  so  that  her  trouble  was  in  some 
measure  thrown  away.  She  commenced  her 
work  by  blackening  the  thread  with  soot, 
and  taking  a pretty  deep  but  short  stitch  in 
my  skin,  carefully  pressing  her  thumb  on 
the  wound  as  the  thread  passed  through  it, 
and  beginning  each  stitch  at  the  place 
where  the  last  had  ceased.  My  flesh  being 
tough,  she  got  on  but  slowly,  and,  having 
broken  one  needle  in  trying  to  force  it 
through,  I thought  fit,  when  she  had  com- 
pleted forty  stitches,  or  about  two  inches,  to 
allow  her  to  desist;  then,  rubbing  the  part 
with  oil  in  order  to  stanch  the  little  blood 
which  appeared,  she  finished  the  operation. 
I could  now  form  an  idea  of  the  price  paid 
by  the  Esquimaux  females  for  their  embel- 
lishments, which  for  a time  occasion  a slight 
inflammation  and  some  degree  of  pain.  The 
color  which  the  kakeen  assumes  when  the 
skin  heals  is  of  the  same  light  blue  as  we  see 
on  the  marked  arms  of  seamen.” 

The  dress  of  the  children  is  alike  in  both 
sexes.  None  at  all  is  worn  until  the  infant 
is  nearly  three  years  old,  up  to  which  age  it 
is  kept  naked  in  its  mother’s  hood.  A dress 
is  then  made  of  fawn  skin,  having  the 
jacket,  trousers,  boots,  and  hood  in  one 
piece,  the  only  opening  being  at  the  back. 
Into  this  odd  dress  the  child  is  put,  and  the 
opening  being  tied  up  with  a string,  the 
operation  of  dressing  is  completed.  The 
hood  or  cap  is  generally  made  in  the  shape 
of  the  fawn’s  head,  so  that  the  little  Esqui- 
maux has  the  strangest  appearance  imagi- 
nable, and  scarcely  looks  like  a human  being. 

As  to  the  hair,  the  men  cut  it  short  over 
the  forehead,  and  allow  the  side  locks  to 
grow  to  their  full  length,  tying  them,  when 
very  long,  over  the  top  of  the  head  in  a large 
knot  projecting  over  the  forehead.  The 
women  part  the  hair  in  the  middle,  and 
make  it  into  two  large  tails.  A piece  of 
bone  or  wood  is  introduced  into  each  of 
the  tails  by  way  of  a stiffener,  and  they 
are  then  bound  spirally  with  a narrow  strip 
of  deer-hide,  with  the  fur  outward.  Those 
women  who  can  afford  such  a luxury  pass 
the  hair  through  two  brass  rings,  which  are 
then  pressed  as  closely  as  possible  to  the 
head. 

The  whole  of  the  operations  of  preparing 
the  skin  and  making  the  clothes  are  done  by 
the  women,  the  men  having  completed  their 
task  when  they  have  killed  the  animals. 
The  fat,  blood,  and  oil  are  first  sucked  from 
the  skins,  and  the  women  then  scrape  the 
inner  surface  with  an  ingenious  instrument, 
sometimes  furnished  with  teeth,  and  at 


other  times  plain,  like  blunt  knives.  The 
skins  are  then  rubbed  and  kneaded,  and  are 
dried  by  being  stretched  by  pegs  to  the 
ground  in  summer,  and  laced  over  a hoop  in 
winter  and  exposed  to  the  heat  of  the  lamp, 
which  constitutes  the  only  fire  of  the  Es- 
quimaux. 

Bird  skins  are  prepared  in  a somewhat 
similar  fashion,  and  are  stripped  from  the 
bodies  of  the  birds  in  a marvellously  expe- 
ditious manner.  With  their  knife,  which  ex- 
actly resembles  a cheese  cutter,  they  make 
an  incision  round  the  head  and  round  tlui 
outer  joint  of  each  wing.  The  cut  part  is 
then  seized  between  the  teeth,  and  with  a 
pull  and  a jerk  the  skin  comes  off  in  one 
piece,  and  turned  inside  out.  These  skins 
are  considered  a great  luxury  by  the  Esqui- 
maux, who  bite  and  suck  off  the  fat  which 
adheres  liberally  to  them. 

In  a country  where  the  thermometer  re- 
mains many  degrees  below  zero  for  many 
months  together,  and  in  which  ice  and  snow 
are  the  prevailing  features,  it  is  evident  that 
houses  cannot  be  built  after  the  fashion  of 
those  in  most  countries.  No  trees  can 
grow  there,  so  that  wooden  houses  are  out 
of  the  question,  and  in  a land  where  ice  has 
been  known  to  choke  up  the  iron  flue  of  a 
stove  always  kept  burning  neither  clay 
could  be  made  into  bricks,  nor  stones  ce- 
mented with  mortar.  There  is  only  one 
substance  of  which  houses  can  be  made, 
and  this  is  frozen  water,  either  in  the  form 
of  snow  or  ice,  the  former  being  the  usual 
material.  These  snow  houses,  called  igloos, 
are  made  in  a dome-like  shape,  and  are 
built  with  a rapidity  that  is  perfectly  aston- 
ishing. The  reader  will  find  the  form  and 
mode  of  building  these  houses  illustrated 
on  page  1327. 

The  general  appearance  of  these  strange 
houses  is  thus  described  by  Captain  Lyon, 
in  his  “ Private  Journal.”  “ Our  astonish- 
ment was  unbounded,  when,  after  creeping 
through  some  long  passages  of  snow,  to 
enter  the  different  dwellings,  we  found  our- 
selves in  a cluster  of  dome  shaped  edifices, 
entirely  constructed  of  snow,  which,  from 
their  recent  erection,  had  not  been  sullied 
by  the  smoke  of  the  numerous  lamps  that 
were  burning,  but  admitted  the  light  in 
most  delicate  hues  of  verdigris  green  and 
blue,  according  to  the  thickness  of  the  slab 
through  which  it  passed.  . . . There  were 
five  clusters  of  huts,  some  having  one,  some 
two,  and  others  three  domes,  in  which  thir- 
teen families  lived,  each  occupying  a dome 
or  one  side  of  it,  according  to  their  strength. 
The  whole  number  of  people  were  twenty- 
one  men,  twenty-five  women,  and  eighteen 
children,  making  a total  of  sixty-four. 

“ The  entrance  to  the  building  was  by  a 
hole  about  a yard  in  diameter,  which  led 
through  a low  arched  passage  of  sufficient 
breadth  for  two  to  pass  in  a stooping  pos- 


64 


133G 


THE  ESQUIMAUX. 


ture,  and  about  sixteen  feet  in  length; 
another  hole  then  presented  itself,  and  led 
through  a similarly  shaped  but  shorter  pas- 
sage, having  at  its  termination  a round 
opening  about  two  feet  across.  Up  this 
liole  we  crept  one  step,  and  found  ourselves 
in  a dome  about  seven  feet  in  height,  and  as 
many  in  diameter,  from  whence  the  three 
<hveiling-places  with  arched  roofs  were  en- 
tered. It  must  be  observed  that  this  is  the 
description  of  a large  hut;  the  smaller 
ones,  containing  one  or  two  families,  have 
the  domes  somewhat  differently  arranged. 

“Each  dwelling  might  be  averaged  at 
fourteen  or  sixteen  feet  in  diameter,  by  six 
or  seven  in  height;  but  as  snow  alone  was 
used  in  their  construction,  and  was  always 
at  hand,  it  might  be  supposed  that  there 
was  no  particular  size,  that  being  of  course 
at  the  option  of  the  builder.  The  laying  of 
the  arch  was  performed  in  such  a manner 
as  would  have  satisfied  the  most  regular 
artist,  the  key  piece  on  the  top  being  a large 
square  slab.  The  blocks  of  snow  used  in 
the  buildings  were  from  four  to  six  inches 
in  thickness,  and  about  a couple  of  feet  in 
length,  carefully  pared  with  a large  knife. 
Where  two  families  occupied  a dome,  a seat 
Avas  raised  on  either  side  two  feet  in  height. 
These  raised  places  were  used  as  beds,  and 
covered,  in  the  first  place,  with  whalebone, 
sprigs  of  Andromeda,  or  pieces  of  seal- 
skin; over  these  Avere  spread  deer-pelts  and 
deer-skin  clothes,  which  had  a very  warm 
appearance.  The  pelts  were  used  as  blank- 
ets, and  many  of  them  had  ornamental 
fringes  of  leather  served  round  their  edges. 

“ Each  dwelling-place  was  illuminated  by 
a broad  piece  of  transparent  fresh-Avater 
ice,  of  about  tAVO  feet  in  diameter,  Avhich 
formed  part  of  the  roof,  and  Avas  placed 
over  the  door.  These  AvindoAvs  gave  a most 
pleasing  light,  free  from  glare,  and  some- 
thing like  that  Avhich  is  throAvn  through 
ground  glass.  We  soon  learned  that  the 
building  of  a house  Avas  but  the  Avork  of  an 
hour  or  tAvo,  and  that  a couple  of  men  — 
one  to  cut  the  slabs  and  another  to  lay  them 
— Avere  sufficient  laborers. 

“ For  the  support  of  the  lamps  and  cook- 
ing  apparatus  a mound  of  snow  is  erected 
for  each  family;  and  when  the  master  has 
two  wives  or  a mother,  both  have  an  in- 
dependent place,  one  at  each  end  of  the 
bench.” 

In  the  middle  of  the  hut  is  erected  a 
slight  scaffold,  Avhich  supports  a rudely 
made  net,  and  under  the  net  is  placed  the 
one  essential  piece  of  furniture  of  the  house, 
namely,  the  lamp.  This  is  a very  simple 
contrivance.  It  is  merely  an  OAnl  shaped 
dish  of  stone,  round  the  edge  of  AAffiich  is 
arranged  a long  Avick  made  of  moss.  Oil  is 
poured  into  it,  and  a quantity  of  blubber  is 
heaped  in  the  centre  of  the  lamp,  so  as  to 
keep  up  the  supply.  Over  the  lamp  is  hung 
the  cooking  pot,  the  size  of  each  being  pro- 


portioned to  the  rank  of  the  possessor.  It 
sometimes  happens  that  two  wives  occupy 
the  same  hut.  In  this  case,  the  chief  or 
“ igloo-Avife  ” has  the  large  lamp  and  the 
supporting  scaffold,  Avhile  the  other  has  to 
content  herself  Avith  a little  lamp  and  a 
small  pot,  which  she  must  support  as  she 
can. 

The  value  of  the  lamp  is  simply  incalcu- 
lable, not  so  much  for  its  use  in  cooking,  as 
the  Esquimaux  like«  meat  raAv  quite  as  Avell 
as  cooked,  but  for  its  supply  of  warmth,  for 
the  water  Avhich  is  obtained  by  melting 
snow  over  it,  and  for  its  use  in  drying 
clothes.  All  garments,  the  snoAV  being  first 
beaten  off  them,  are  placed  on  the  “ dry- 
net  ” over  the  lamp,  \Adiere  they  are  gradu- 
ally dried,  and,  after  being  chcAved  by  the 
Avomen,  are  fit  for  wear  again:  otherAvise 
they  become  frozen  quite  hard,  and  are  of 
no  more  use  than  if  they  were  made  of  ice. 
Oil  is  supplied  by  cheAving  blubber,  and  the 
Avomen,  who  ahvays  perform  the  task,  have 
the  curious  knack  of  expressing  the  oil 
Avithout  alloAving  a drop  of  moisture  to  mix 
Avith  it.  In  one  minute  a Avoman  can  ob- 
tain enough  oil  to  fill  a lamp  tAvo  feet  in 
length. 

Sometimes,  Avhen  snow  is  scarce,  the  igloo 
is  made  of  ice.  The  Avails  are  formed  of  this 
material,  and  are  generally  of  an  octagonal 
form,  the  ice  slabs  being  cemented  together 
Avith  snoAA^  The  domed  roof  is  usually  made 
of  snoAv,  but  the  tunnel,  or  passage  to  the  in- 
terior, is  of  ice.  Such  a house  is,  when  first 
made^  so  transparent  that,  even  at  the  dis- 
tanoe  of  some  paces,  those  avIio  are  within  it 
can  be  recognized  through  its  Avails. 

It  may  seem  strange  that  such  materials 
as  snow  and  ice  should  be  employed  in  the 
construction  of  man’s  dAvelling-place,  as 
nothing  seems  more  opposed  to  comfort;  yet 
these  houses,  instead  of  being  cold,  are  so 
Avarm  that  the  inhabitants  throAV  off  the 
greater  part,  and  sometimes  the  Avhole,  of 
their  clothes  Avhen  within  them;  and  the 
bed  of  snoAv  on  Avhich  they  recline  is,  when 
covered  with  the  proper  amount  of  skins, 
even  Avarmer  than  an  European  feather 
bed.  In  the  summer  time  the  Esquimaux 
prefer  the  skin  hut,  or  “ tupic.”  This  is  a 
mere  tent  made  of  deer-skins  throAvn  over 
a feAV  sticks,  though  the  supports  are  some- 
times formed  from  the  bones  of  whales. 

The  food  of  the  Esquimaux  is  almost 
Avholly  of  an  animal  character.  In  the  first 
place,  the  country  supplies  scarcely  any 
vegetation ; and,  in  the  next  place,  an  abun- 
dant suppl}^  of  animal  food  is  required  in  or- 
der to  enable  the  inhabitants  to  Avithstand 
the  intense  cold.  The  seal  and  the  rein- 
deer form  their  favorite  food,  and  in  both 
cases  the  fat  is  the  part  that  is  most  highly 
valued. 

In  the  reindeer,  the  fat  of  the  hinder  quar- 
ters, called  by  the  Esquimaux  “ toodnoo,”  is 


A WISE  TRAVELLER. 


13B7 


the  portion  that  is  most  valued.  Captain 
Hall,  who  very  wisely  lived  as  the  Esqui- 
maux while  staying  with  them,  says  that  it 
is  as  much  superior  to  butter  as  is  the  best 
butter  to  lard;  and  when  the  deer  is  in  good 
condition,  the  meat  is  so  tender  that  a steak 
almost  falls  to  pieces  if  lifted  by  its  edge. 
Another  part  of  the  reindeer  is  almost  as 
Valuable  as  the  fat.  This  is  the  contents  of 
the  deer’s  paunch,  eaten  raw  with  slices  of 
raw  venison.  It  has  a slightly  acid  flavor, 
like  that  of  sorrel,  and  if  the  coitsumer  were 
not  to  know  what  he  was  eating,  he  would 
be  delighted  with  it. 

This  was  the  case  with  Captain  Hall,  while 
partaking  of  a deer  feast  in  an  igloo.  He 
tried  the  deer  flesh,  and  found  it  excellent; 
he  then  took  a morsel  of  the  unknown  sub- 
stance, and  describes  it  as  ambrosial.  After 
eating  the  greater  part  of  it,  he  took  it  to  the 
light,  and  was  horrified  to  find  the  nature  of 
the  feast.  However,  he  soon  came  to  the 
wise  conclusion  that  epicurism  of  any  kind 
was  nothing  but  the  eftect  of  education,  and 
that,  in  consequence,  he  would  ignore  his 
previous  prejudices  on  the  subject,  and  eat 
wdiatcver  the  Esquimaux  ate,  and  as  they  ate 
it.  As  to  the  quantity  consumed,  neither  he 
nor  any  other  white  man  would  be  a match 
for  an  Esquimaux,  who  will  consume  nine 
or  ten  pounds  of  meat  at  a sitting,  and  lie 
leisurely  on  his  back,  being  fed  by  his  wife 
with  pieces  of  blubber  when  he  is  utterly 
unable  to  help  himself.  An  Esquimaux  finds 
a sort  of  intoxicating  effect  in  utter  repletion, 
which  stands  him  in  the  stead  of  fermented 
liquors. 

Putting  aside  the  gourmandizing  propen- 
sity of  the  Esquimaux,  Captain  Hall  found 
that  if  he  were  to  live  with  them,  as  he  in- 
tended to  do,  he  must  sooner  or  later  come 
to  the  same  diet.  He  determined  in  making 
a bold  plunge,  and  eating  whatever  he  saw 
them  eat.  At  first  it  was  rather  repugnant 
to  his  feelings  to  eat  a piece  of  raw  meat 
that  had  been  carefully  licked  by  a woman, 
in  order  to  free  it  from  hairs  and  other  ex- 
traneous matters.  But  he  reflected  that,  if 
he  had  not  known  of  the  licking,  he  would 
not  have  discovered  it  from  the  flavor  of  the 
meat,  and  he  very  wisely  ignored  the  mode 
in  which  it  had  been  cleaned.  Similarly, 
fresh  seal’s  blood  just  drawn  from  the  ani- 
mal seemed  rather  a strange  kind  of  soup, 
and  the  still  warm  entrails  a remarkable 


sort  of  after-dinner  delicacy.  But  finding 
that  the  Esquimaux  considered  them  both 
as  very  great  dainties,  he  tried  them,  and  pro- 
nounced that  the  Esquimaux  were  perfectly 
right,  and  that  his  preconceived  ideas  were 
entirely  wrong. 


4 


tAST 

HARPOON  HEAD.  (From  my  collection.) 
(See  page  1340.) 


rr.’ii  - nf 

. '-.i  .'7/  I'.ijchr 

■ ■ ;■  K.I  in  ' f . 

:';l 

.1  , liliirtn-i 

■ - ' UH-.\U; 


OHAPTEE  CXLL 

THE  ESQUIMAUX— ConfonEC(Z. 


HTOTING  — KELIGION  — BURIAL. 

) 


MODES  OF  HUNTING  — SEAE  HUNTING  IN  THE  SNOW— THE  INFANT  DECO  S’  — THE  SEAL’S  IGLOO  — AN 
IVORY  FLOAT — SEAL  “ TALK  ” — THE  HARPOONS  AND  SPEARS — SPEARING  THE  WALRUS  — THE 
ICE  RAFT  — THE  BOW  AND  ARROWS  AND  WRIST  GUARD  — DEER  HUNTING  — GROUSE  SHOOTING  — 
THE  WOLF  AND  FOX  TRAPS  — THE  BIRD  SLING  — BEAR  HUNTING  — THE  MEN’s  AND  WOMEN’S 
BOATS— CONSTRUCTION  OF  THE  KIA,  AND  MODE  OF  USING  IT  — AQUATIC  FEATS — THE  WOMEN’S 
BOAT  AND  ITS  USES  — THE  SLEDGE  — THE  VARIOUS  RUNNERS — SLEDGE  DOGS  AND  THEIR  TRAIN- 
ING— EXAMPLES  OF  THEIR  CLEVERNESS — BARBEKARK  AND  THE  CAPELINS  — MARRIAGE  AND 
EDUCATION  OF  CHILDREN  — GAMES  AND  DANCING  — RELIGION  — THE  ANGEKO  AND  HIS  MYSTERIES 
— “ IN  VINO  VERITAS  ” — HONESTY  — HOSPITALITY  — DISPOSAL  OF  THE  DEAD. 


Depeistding  wholly  upon  the  products  of  the 
chase  for  their  food,  the  Esquimaux  are  most 
accomplished  hunters,  and  in  their  peculiar 
way  are  simply  unequalled  by  any  other 
people  on  earth.  Take,  for  example,  their 
mode  of  seal  catching.  The  reader  is 
doubtless  aware  that  the  seal,  being  a mam- 
mal, breathes  atmospheric  air,  and  that  in 
consequence  it  cannot  remain  very  long 
under  water,  but  is  obliged  to  come  up  at 
certain  intervals  for  the  purpose  of  breath- 
ing. When  it  dives  under  the  ice,  it  would 
therefore  be  drowned  did  it  not  form  for 
itself  certain  breathing  holes  in  the  ice. 
These  are  very  small,  not  more  than  an 
inch  and  a half,  or  at  the  most  two  inches, 
in  diameter,  and  do  not  penetrate  through 
the  coating  of  snow  that  lies  on  the  ice. 

The  hunter’s  dog,  which  is  specially 
trained  for  this  purpose,  detects  the  breal  h- 
ing  hole,  and  the  master  then  reverses  his 
harpoon,  which  has  a long,  spindle  shaped 
butt,  and  thrusts  it  through  the  snow  in 
search  of  the  concealed  hole,  which  often 
lies  under  some  two  feet  of  snow.  When 
he  has  found  it,  he  seats  himself  by  the  hole, 
with  his  harpoon  ready;  and  there  he  will 
sit  until  he  hears  the  blowing  sound  of  the 
seal,  when  he  drives  the  harpoon  into  the 
hole,  and  invariably  secures  his  prey.  This 
is  the  more  diflBcult,  as,  if  the  stroke  be 
wrong  by  even  a quarter  of  an  inch,  the 

(1338) 


seal  will  not  be  struck,  and  the  man  is  often 
wearied  with  waiting  and  need  of  sleep. 

The  patience  with  which  the  Esquimaux 
hunter  will  watch  a seal  hole  far  surpasses 
that  of  a cat  at  a mouse  hole.  Captain  Hall 
mentions  one  case,  where  an  Esquimaux,  a 
notable  seal  hunter,  actually  sat  watching  a 
seal  hole  for  two  and  a half  days  and  two 
nights  without  either  sleep  or  food.  Con- 
sidering the  nature  of  the  climate,  such  a 
feat  as  this  is  almost  incredible.  The  poor 
man,  after  all  his  trouble,  failed  to  secure 
the  seal,  but  was  not  disheartened,  and,  after 
taking  some  food,  went  off  again  to  the  seal 
hole  to  renew  his  watch. 

Some  of  the  Esquimaux  seal  hunters  use 
a singularly  ingenious  instrument  for  en- 
abling them  to  detect  the  approach  of  the 
animal.  It  consists  of  a very  slender  ivory 
rod,  about  twelve  inches  in  length,  pointed 
at  one  end,  and  having  a round  knob  at  the 
other.  It  is  about  as  thick  as  a crow  quill. 
When  the  hunter  has  found  a seal  hole,  he 
ties  to  the  upper  end  a very  fine  thread 
made  of  sinew,  and  lowers  it  into  the  seal 
hole,  where  it  is  allowed  to  dangle  by  the 
thread.  When  the  seal  comes  to  breathe,  it 
takes  no  notice  of  so  small  an  object,  but 
rises  as  usual  for  air,  pushing  the  little  rod 
before  it.  As  soon  as  the  hunter  sees  the 
rod  rise,  he  knows  that  the  seal  is  there,  and 
drives  his  spear  down  the  hole.  Even  a 


SEAL  HUNTING. 


1339 


larger  float  — if  we  may  so  call  it  — might 
be  unseen  by  the  seal,  but  it  would  interfere 
with  the  passage  of  the  spear. 

There  is  another  mode  of  catching  seals, 
in  which  the  young  acts  as  a decoy  for  its 
mother.  The  seal,  when  she  is  about  to 
produce  her  young,  scratches  away  the  ice 
until  she  comes  to  the  snow,  which  lies  deep 
upon  it.  She  then  scratches  away  a quantity 
of  the  snow  until  she  has  made  a dome-like 
chamber,  in  form  exactly  like  the  snow  hut 
of  the  Esquimaux.  The  tunnel  through  the 
ice  is  just  large  enough  to  allow  the  passage 
of  the  seal,  while  the  chamber  is  about  five 
feet  in  diameter,  so  that  a tolerably  large 
platform  of  ice  is  left,  on  which  the  creature 
can  rest.  Here  its  young  is  produced,  and 
here  it  remains  until  the  sun  melts  away  the 
snow  covering  of  the  chamber,  or  igloo,  as  it 
is  called,  by  which  time  the  young  animal  is 
able  to  take  care  of  itself. 

At  the  proper  season,  the  Esquimaux  set 
olf  in  search  of  these  seal  igloos,  and  when 
they  are  detected  by  the  dogs,  the  hunter 
flings  himself  on  the  snow,  thus  beating 
down  the  roof  of  the  igloo.  He  then  thrusts 
his  sealing  hook  into  the  igloo,  and  drags 
out  the  young  seal.  It  is  remarkable,  by  the 
way,  that  the  polar  bear  acts  in  precisely  the 
same  manner,  crushing  down  the  walls  of 
the  igloo,  and  dragging  out  fhe  young  one 
with  its  paws. 

When  the  Esquimaux  has  secured  the 
young  seal,  he  ties  a long  line  to  one  of  the 
hind  flippers,  and  allows  it  to  slip  into  the 
sea  through  the  tunnel,  while  he  creeps  into 
the  igloo  with  his  hook,  in  hopes  of  catching 
the  mother  as  she  comes  to  help  her  young 
one.  The  Esquimaux  always  kill  young 
seals  by  putting  the  foot  on  their  shoulders, 
and  pressing  firmly  down,  so  as  to  sufibcate 
it.  This  is  done  for  the  purpose  of  preserv- 
ing the  blood. 

Sometimes  the  seal  hunter  actually  stalks 
the  wary  animal  on  the  ice.  The  seal  has  a 
strange  way  of  sleeping  when  lying  on  the 
ice.  It  takes  short  naps  of  only  a few 
seconds’  duration,  and  between  them  raises 
its  head  and  looks  round  to  see  if  any  enemy 
be  approaching.  The  Esquimaux  takes  ad- 
vantage of  this  habit,  and,  lying  down  on  the 
ice,  he  waits  for  these  short  naps,  and  hitches 
himself  along  the  ice  toward  the  animal, 
looking  himself  very  much  like  a seal  as  he 
lies  on  the  ice,  covered  with  seal  skin  gar- 
ments. Whenever  the  seal  raises  its  head, 
the  hunter  stops,  begins  to  paw  with  his 
hands,  and  utters  a curious  droning  mono- 
logue, which  is  called  “ seal  talk,”  and  is 
supposed  to  act  as  a charm.  Certain  it  is, 
that  the  seal  appears  to  be  quite  gratified  by 
the  talk,  is  put  off  its  guard,  and  allows  the 
hunter  to  approach  near  enough  to  make  the 
fatal  stroke. 

The  same  kind  of  “ talk  ” is  used  when 
the  sealer  goes  out  in  his  boat,  and  some  of 
the  hunters  are  celebrated  for  the  magical 


power  of  their  song.  In  seal  hunting  from 
a boat,  a different  kind  of  harpoon  is  em- 
ployed. It  is  longer  and  slighter  than  that 
which  is  used  for  ice  hunting,  and  is  fur- 
nished with  a float  made  of  a leathern  bag 
inflated  with  air.  This  is  fastened  to  the 
shaft,  and  just  below  it  one  end  of  the  har- 
poon line  is  secured,  the  other  end  being 
made  fast  to  the  head  of  the  weapon. 

When  the  seal  is  struck,  the  shaft  is  shaken 
from  the  head,  so  that  there  is  no  danger  of 
its  working  the  weapon  out  of  the  seal  by  its 
leverage,  and  it  acts  as  a drag,  impeding  the 
movements  of  the  animal,  so  that  the  hunter 
is  able  to  overtake  it  in  his  boat,  and  to 
pierce  it  with  another  harpoon.  When  the 
seal  is  dead,  the  float  serves  another  purpose. 
Seals,  when  killed  in  the  water,  almost  inva- 
riably sink  so  rapidly  that  they  cannot  be 
secured.  The  float,  however,  remains  at  the 
surface,  so  that  the  successful  hunter  has 
only  to  paddle  to  it,  take  it  into  the  canoe, 
and  haul  the  seal  on  board.  Perhaps  the 
most  curious  part  of  the  business  lies  in  the 
skill  with  which  the  hunter  carries  the  seal 
home.  The  boat  in  which  he  sits  is  entirely 
covered  with  skin,  except  a small  aperture 
which  admits  his  body,  and  yet  he  lays  the 
body  of  the  seal  upon  this  slight  platform, 
and  manages  to  balance  it  as  he  paddles 
homeward,  regardless  of  the  waves  upon 
which  his  light  little  canoe  trembles  like  a 
cork. 

Of  these  boats  we  shall  presently  see 
something,  and  will  now  merely  look  at  the 
■weapons  which  are  employed  by  the  Esqui- 
maux in  hunting. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  war  is  totally 
unknown  among  the  Esquimaux,  who  arc 
perhaps  the  only  people  in  the  world  who 
possess  no  war  weapons,  and  have  no  desire 
to  do  so.  Generally,  when  a savage  obtains 
for  the  first  time  possession  of  fire-arms,  he 
uses  them  in  warfare,  and  by  the  superiority 
of  his  weapons  raises  himself  to  eminence. 
The  Esquimaux  cares  for  none  of  these 
things.  He  is  essentially  a family  man,  and 
when  he  is  fortunate  enough  to  procure  a 
musket,  he  simply  uses  it  for  hunting  pur- 
poses, never  wasting  the  precious  powder 
and  lead  upon  the  bodies  of  his  fellow-men. 
Of  fame  he  is  totally  ignorant,  except  that 
sort  of  local  fame  which  is  earned  by  skill  in 
hunting.  He  finds  that  all  his  energies  are 
required  to  procure  food  and  clothing  for  his 
household,  and  therefore  he  does  not  expend 
them  upon  any  other  object. 

The  weapon  which  is  to  the  Esquimaux 
what  the  rifle  is  to  the  backwoodsman,  the 
boomerang  to  the  Australian,  the  sword  to 
the  Agageer,  the  lasso  to  the  South  Ameri- 
can, and  the  sumpitan  to  the  Dyak,  is  the 
harpoon,  a weapon  which  undergoes  various 
modifications,  according  to  the  use  to  which 
it  is  put,  but  is  essentially  the  same  in  prin- 
ciple throughout. 

The  first  example  is  the  typical  harpoon. 


1340 


THE  ESQUIMAUX. 


It  consists  of  a long  wooden  shaft,  with  a 
Hoat  attached  to  it,  as  has  already  been  de- 
scribed on  page  1339.  Owing  to  the  great 
scarcity  of  wood  in  Esquimaux  land,  the 
greater  part  being  obtained  from  the  casual 
drift-wood  that  floats  ashore  from  wrecks, 
such  a weapon  is  exceedingly  valuable.  The 
shaft  is  generally  made  of  a number  of  pieces 
of  wood  lashed  together  in  a most  ingenious 
fashion. 

The  barbed  head  is  but  loosely  fitted  to 
the  shaft,  a hole  in  the  base  of  the  head  re- 
ceiving a point  at  the  end  of  the  shaft.  It  is 
held  in  its  place  by  leathern  thongs,  so  ar- 
ranged that,  as  soon  as  the  wounded  animal 
darts  away,  the  shaft  is  shaken  from  the  head. 
The  arrangement  of  the  leathern  thongs 
varies  according  to  the  kind  of  weapon. 
The  illustration  on  page  1337,  shows  the 
head  of  the  harpoon  which  is  used  for  spear- 
ing the  walrus. 

It  is  about  nine  inches  in  length,  and  is 
made  of  ivory,  either  that  of  the  walrus  or 
the  narwhal,  probably  the  former,  as  it  par- 
takes of  the  curve  of  the  walrus  tooth.  It 
consists  of  two  pieces,  which  we  call,  for 
convenience’  sake  the  body  and  the  head. 
The  upper  part  of  the  body  is  slightly 
pointed  and  rounded,  and  is  meant  to  be  fixed 
to  the  shaft  of  the  harpoon.  About  an  inch 
and  a half  from  the  end  two  holes  are  bored, 
through  which  is  passed  a double  thong  of 
leather  about  as  thick  as  a goose  quill.  Xext 
comes  the  head,  which  is  a triangular  and 
deeply  barbed  piece  of  ivory,  armed  with  a 
thin,  flat  plate  of  iron,  almost  exactly  like 
the  armature  of  the  Bosjesman’s  war  arrow. 
Through  this  head  is  bored  a hole,  and 
through  the  hole  passes  the  loop  of  the  double 
thong  already  mentioned.  At  the  butt  of 
the  head  there  is  a hole,  into  which  is  fitted 
the  conical  termination  of  the  body. 

By  reference  to  the  illustration,  the  reader 
will  easily  comprehend  the  arrangement. 
Fig.  1 shows  the  entire  instrument,  the  head 
fitted  on  the  body,  and  held  in  its  place  by 
the  double  thong.  Fig.  2 shows  the  head 
disjointed  from  the  body.  The  reader  will 
now  see  what  a perfect  barb  this  instrument 
forms.  When  the  harpoon  is  hurled  at  the 
walrus,  the  head  penetrates  through  the 
touhh  skin,  and,  becoming  disjointed  from 
the  body,  sets  at  right  angles  across  the  little 
wound  which  it  made  on  entering,  and 
effectually  prevents  the  weapon  from  being 
withdrawn.  Fig.  3 show's  the  upper  view  of 
the  head,  and  fig.  4 show’s  the  hole  at  its 
base,  into  which  the  conical  end  of  the  body 
is  loosely  fitted. 

The  line  attached  to  the  shaft  of  this 
harpoon  is  very  long  and  of  great  strength, 
and,  when  the  hunter  goes  out  to  catch 
walrus,  is  coiled  round  and  round  his  neck  in 
many  folds,  very  slightly  tied  together  so  as 
to  prevent  the  successive  coils  from  being  en- 
tangled with  one  another.  When  the  hun- 
ter launches  his  harpoon  with  the  right  hand, 


he  with  the  left  hand  simultaneously  jerks 
the  coils  of  rope  off  his  neck,  and  throw’s 
them  after  the  harpoon.  The  jerk  snaps  the 
slight  ligatures,  and  the  animal  is  “ played  ” 
like  a salmon  by  an  angler,  until  it  is  utterly 
wearied  with  pain,  loss  of  blood,  and  its 
struggles  to  escape,  and  can  be  brought  near 
enough  to  receive  the  fatal  w’ound  from  a 
spear. 

Casting  off  the  rope  in  exact  time  is  a most 
important  business,  as  several  hunters  who 
have  failed  to  do  so  have  been  caught  in  the 
coils  of  the  rope,  dragged  under  the  ice,  and 
there  drowmed.  On  the  end  of  the  harpoon 
line  is  worked  a loop,  and,  as  soon  as  the 
w’eapon  is  hurled,  the  hunter  drives  a spear 
deeply  into  the  ice,  slips  the  loop  over  it,  and 
allows,  the  walrus  to  struggle  against  the 
elastic  rope  until  it  is  quite  tired.  He  then 
hauls  up  the  line  until  he  has  brought  the 
animal  to  the  ice,  snatches  up  his  spear,  and 
with  it  inflicts  a mortal  wmund.  On  the  next 
page  the  reader  may  find  an  illustration 
showing  the  Esquimaux  in  his  usual  dress, 
and  engaged  in  walrus  hunting. 

One  mode  of  employing  this  harpoon 
against  the  walrus  is  singularly  ingenious. 
When  the  Esquimaux  hunters  see  a number 
of  the  animals  sleeping  on  a sheet  of  ice, 
they  look  out  for  an  ice  fragment  small 
enough  to  be  "moved,  and  yet  large  enough 
to  support  several  men.  Paddling  to  the 
ice,  they  lift  their  canoes  upon  it,  bore  holes 
in  it,  and  make  their  harpoon  lines  fast  to 
the  holes.  They  then  gently  paddle  the  whole 
piece  of  ice,  men,  canoes,  and  all,  to  the  spot 
where  are  lying  the  drowsy  animals,  who  do 
not  suspect  any  danger  from  a piece  of  ice 
floating  by. 

Having  made  their -selection,  the  hunters 
tell  off  two  men  to  each  w’alrus,  and,  at  a 
given  signal,  all  the  harpoons  are  hurled. 
The  whole  herd  instantly  roll  themselves 
into  the  sea,  the  w’ounded  animals  being  at- 
tached to  the  piece  of  ice  by  the  harpoon 
lines.  The  hunters  allow  them  to  tow  their 
ice  craft  about  until  they  are  exhausted,  wdien 
they  launch  their  canoes,  and  kill  the  ani- 
mals with  their  spears.  As  soon  as  the  wal- 
rus is  dead,  the  hunters  plug  up  the  holes  wdth 
little  pegs  of  ivory,  for  the  purpose  of  pre- 
serving Uie  blood,  which  is  so  highly  valued 
by  the  Esquimaux, 

The  Esquimaux  have  another  kind  of 
spear.  The  shaft  is  made  of  w’ood,  but  the 
point  and  the  barbed  projections  are  of  ivory. 
This  spear  is  chiefly  used  for  catching  fish, 
and  is  flung  by  means  of  a throwing  stick, 
almost  in  the  same  manner  as  the  spears  of 
the  Australians.  The  throwing  stick  is  made 
of  wood,  flattish,  and  near  one  end  has  a hole, 
into  which  the  butt  of  the  spear  is  passed. 
This  is  altogether  a much  slighter  and  lighter 
weapon  than  that  wiiich  has  been  described. 

Bow’s  and  arrows  are  also  employed  by 
the  Esquimaux.  The  former  are  made  of 
horn,  bone,  or  wood,  and  are  almost  always 


(1.)  BURIAL  OF  BLACKBIRD.  (See  page  1330.)  (2.)  SPEARING  THE  WALRUS.  (See  page  1310.) 


(1341) 


1 


i i 


WEAPONS. 


1343 


composed  of  several  pieces  lashed  firmly  to- 
gether. As  is  the  case  with  the  bows  of  the 
North  Americaa  tribes,  the  chief  strength 
is  obtained,  not  so  much  from  the  mate- 
rial of  the  bow,  as  from  a vast  number 
of  sinew  strings  which  run  down  its  back. 
There  are  often  a hundred  or  more  of 
these  sinews,  which  are  put  on  sufliciently 
tight  to  give  the  bow  a slight  curvature 
against  the  string.  The  shape  of  the  bow 
is  rather  peculiar.  And  though  the  weapon 
is  so  powerful,  it  is  seldom  used  at  a greater 
distance  than  twelve,  or  at  most  twenty 
yards.  The  length  of  the  bow  is  on  an 
average  three  feet  six  inches. 

The  arrows  are  extremely  variable.  Some 
have  wooden  shafts  tipped  with  bone,  but 
the  shafts  of  the  best  specimens  are  half  bone 
and  half  wood,  and  the  points  are  armed 
with  a little  piece  of  iron.  The  arrows  are 
contained  in  a quiver,  and  the  bow  is  kept 
in  a case.  This  quiver  and  bow-case  are 
generally  made  of  seal  skin,  as  being  im- 
pervious to  wet,  though  they  are  frequently 
made  of  other  materials.  My  own  speci- 
men is  formed  from  the  hide  of  the  reindeer. 
When  the  Esquimaux  shoots,  he  always 
holds  his  bow  horizontally.  The  bow-string 
is  made  of  some  fifteen  or  twenty  sinew 
strings,  which  are  loosely  twisted,  but  not 
made  into  a cord. 

The  bow  and  arrows  are  chiefly  used  in 
the  capture  of  the  reindeer  and  in  shooting 
rabbits,  birds,  and  other  small  game.  The 
mode  of  deer  hunting  is  very  ingenious. 
When  the  hunter  sees  some  deer  feeding  on 
the  level  plain,  he  takes  his  bow  and  arrows, 
draws  his  hood  well  over  his  head,  and 
creeps  as  close  as  he  can  to  the  spot  where 
the  deer  are  reposing.  Here  he  begins  to 
bellow  in  imitation  of  the  ciy  with  which 
the  deer  call  each  other,  and  thus  attracts 
the  animals  within  the  short  distance  at 
which  an  Esquimaux  archer  shoots. 

Even  if  he  should  not  use  the  bellowing 
call,  he  has  only  to  lie  patiently  on  the 
ground  to  be  sure  that,  sooner  or  later, 
some  of  the  deer  will  come  and  look  at  him. 
They  are  most  inquisitive  animals,  and  when 
they  see  any  strange  object,  they  cannot  re- 
sist satisfying  their  curiosity  by  inspecting 
it.  Providing  the  object  of  their  curiosity 
does  not  move  after  them,  they  approach  in  a 
series  of  circles  which  they  gradually  nar- 
row, capering  and  tossing  their  heads  capri- 
ciously, and  at  last  will  come  within  a yard 
or  two  of  the  motionless  hunter,  and  so  fall 
a victim  to  the  arrow  which  he  has  already 
fitted  to  his  bow. 

Sometimes  the  deer  hunters  adopt  an  in- 
genious ruse.  Two  of  them  walk  near  the 
deer,  and  purposely  show  themselves.  When 
the  animals’  attention  is  fixed  upon  them, 
they  walk  slowly  away,  knowing  that  the 
innate  curiosity  of  the  deer  will  induce 
them  to  follow.  They  direct  their  course 
past  some  stone  or  siniilar  object,  when  one 


of  them  quickly  steps  behind  it,  while  the 
other  walks  onward  as  before.  The  deer  do 
not  notice  that  one  of  the  men  has  disaj)- 
peared,  and  so  follow  the  other,  thus  coming 
within  a yard  or  two  of  the  deadly  arrow. 

The  arrow  is  also  used  for  shooting  birds, 
which  are  always  killed  when  sitting,  'j'hc 
arctic  grouse  are  killed  in  great  numbers 
by  the  arrow.  They  pack  closely  together, 
so  that  an  arrow  shot  at  random  among 
them  can  scarcely  avoid  hitting  one  of  them ; 
and  the  birds  are  so  apathetic  that,  when 
the  missile  falls  among  them,  they  only 
fly  a few  yards  further  and  then  settle,  so 
that  the  hunter  can  pick  up  his  arrow  and 
shoot  it  at  them  again,  until  he  has  shot  the 
greater  number  of  the  covey. 

In  order  to  save  the  wrist  from  the  recoil 
of  the  bow-string,  the  Esquimaux  wears  a 
very  ingenious  guard,  composed  of  several 
pieces  of  bone  tied  together  and  fastened  on 
the  wrist  by  a bone  button  and  loop.  The 
pieces  of  bone  are  about  four  inches  in 
length.  Below  the  wrist-guard,  which  is 
shown  on  the  1353d  page,  some  curiously 
formed  hooks  are  represented.  No  bait  is 
required  with  them.  They  are  simply  moved 
up  and  down  in  the  water  so  as  to  attract 
the  attention  of  the  fish,  and  then  are  jerked 
sharply  upward,  so  as  to  catch  the  fish  on 
one  of  the  projecting  points.  There  are 
many  varieties  of  this  curious  hook,  but 
those  which  are  illustrated  are  the  most 
characteristic. 

There  is  also  an  instrument  called  the 
kakeeway,  or  little  nippers,  which  is  used 
in  a similar  manner  by  the  Esquimaux  boys. 
They  take  a model  of  a fish  made  of  ivory, 
tie  a string  to  it,  and  troll  it  about  in  the 
water  in  order  to  attract  the  fish,  when  they 
are  struck  with  the  kakeeway,  and  hauled 
out  of  the  water.  The  artificial  fish  are 
about  three  inches  long,  and  are  very  neatly 
made,  with  eyes  of  iron  pyrites.  This  is  a 
very  slow  process  of  fish  catching,  but  the 
boys,  to  whom  time  is  of  no  object,  are  very 
fond  of  it,  and  will  sit  on  their  heels  all  day 
for  the  chance  of  catching  two  or  three  little 
fish. 

The  foxes  and  wolves  are  generally  taken 
in  traps.  There  are  several  kinds  of  traps, 
but  they  are  mostly  made  on  one  or  the 
other  of  two  principles.  The  usual  trap  is 
very  like  a common  mouse  trap,  except 
that  it  is  made  of  ice  instead  of  wood.  It 
is  so  long  and  narrow  that  a wolf  cannot 
turn  himself  in  it,  but,  if  he  wishes  to  re- 
treat, must  do  so  backward.  The  door  is  a 
heavy  slab  of  ice,  w^hich  moves  up  and  down 
in  two  ‘grooves.  The  door  being  raised,  it 
is  held  in  position  b}'^  a line  which  passes 
over  the  top  of  the  trap,  through  a hole  at 
the  end,  and  is  then  slightly  hitched  over  a 
peg.  A bait  is  then  attached  to  the  end  of 
the  line,  and  when  the  wolf  pulls  it,  the 
door  is  released,  and  effectually  secures  the 
animal  in  the  icy  prison.  A hole  is  then 


1344 


THE  ESQUIMAUX. 


made  in  the  side  of  the  trap,  and  the  wolf 
is  speared  where  he  lies. 

Foxes  are  also  taken  in  these  traps,  but 
the  usual  kind  of  fox  trap  is  made  on  a dif- 
ferent plan.  It  is  built  in  a form  somewhat 
resembling  a lime-kiln,  and  the  aperture  is 
covered  with  a piece  of  whalebone,  along 
which  the  animal  must  walk  to  get  at  the 
bait.  As  it  steps  on  the  whalebone,  the 
elastic  material  gives  way,  lets  the  fox  into 
the  trap,  and  then  resumes  its  former  posi- 
tion, ready  for  another  victim. 

It  has  already  been  mentioned  that  birds 
are  often  shot  with  arrows  as  they  are  sit- 
ting. The  Esquimaux  have  a singular  in- 
strument by  which  they  can  capture  birds  on 
the  wing,  provided  that  they  do  not  fly  at  any 
great  height  from  the  ground.  It  consists 
of  seven  or  eight  pieces  of  bone  or  ivory, 
or  stone,  the  latter  being  preferred  on  ac- 
count of  its  weight.  To  each  of  the  weights 
is  attached  a sinew  cord  about  two  feet  six 
inches  in  length,  and  all  the  ends  of  the  cords 
are  tied  together,  their  junction  being  usually 
ornamented  by  a tuft  of  feathers.  When 
the  Esquimaux  sees  a bird  flying  so  that  it 
will  pass  tolerably  near  him,  he  whirls  the 
sling  round  his  head  and  flings  it  at  the 
bird.  As  it  leaves  his  hand,  all  the  weights 
fly  apart,  on  account  of  the  rotatory  motion 
which  has  been  communicated  to  them,  so 
that  the  weapon  covers  a space  of  five  feet. 
Should  one  of  the  weights  or  strings  strike 
the  bird,  the  whole  of  the  sling  becomes 
wrapped  round  it,  and  the  bird  falls  helpless 
to  the  ground.  The  reader  will  doubtless 
see  that  this  sling  is  in  fact  a modification  of 
the  Patagonian  bolas. 

In  bear  hunting  the  Esquimaux  use  either 
the  walrus  harpoon  or  the  spear,  and  often 
both.  They  set  their  dogs  at  the  bear,  and 
while  he  is  engaged  in  repelling  their  at- 
tacks, which  are  always  made  at  his  back 
and  hind-quarters,  the  hunter  drives  the 
harpoon  at  him,  and  fastens  the  end  of  the 
line  to  the  ice,  so  as  to  prevent  the  bear 
from  escaping.  He  then  attacks  the  animal 
with  another  harpoon  and  with  his  lance, 
and,  avoiding  skilfully  the  repeated  attacks 
which  the  bear  makes  upon  him,  drives  the 
sharp  weapon  into  the  animal’s  heart. 

The  Esquimaux  are  always  very  careful 
not  to  kill  a young  bear  without  previously 
killing  its  mother.  Should  one  of  them, 
pressed  by  hunger,  commit  so  rash  an  act, 
the  whole  party  to  which  he  belongs  are 
obliged  to  take  the  strictest  precautions  lest 
they  should  be  assailed  by  the  mother,  who 
will  assuredly  follow  on  their  track.  They 
therefore  proceed  for  some  five  or  six  miles 
in  a straight  line,  and  then  suddenly  turn 
olf  at  right  angles,  so  that  the  bear  may 
overrun  their  track  as  she  presses  eagerly 
forward.  This  manceuvre«is  several  times 
repeated.  When  the  houses  are  reached, 
the  weapons  are  laid  ready  for  use  by  the 
bedside,  and  the  sledges  are  stuck  upright 


outside  the  house.  This  is  intended  by  way 
of  a warning  to  the  sleepers.  The  bear  is 
suspicious  about  the  erect  sledge,  and  al- 
ways knocks  it  down  before  attacking  the 
house,  so  that  the  noise  of  the  falling  sledge 
awakens  the  sleepers,  and  puts  them  on  their 
guard. 

The  two  means  of  transport  used  by  the 
Esquimaux  are  the  boat  and  the  sledge,  both 
of  which  deserve  description. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  boats,  those  of  the 
men  and  those  used  by  women.  The  man’s 
boat  is  called  kajak  or  kia,  according  to 
the  dialect  of  the  people,  and  is  a very  re- 
markable piece  of  workmanship.  It  is  shut- 
tle shaped,  both  ends  being  sharply  pointed. 
It  is  made  of  a very  slight  framework  of 
wood  and  whalebone,  over  which  is  stretched 
a covering  of  skin.  In  the  middle  there  is  a 
hole  just  large  enough  to  admit  the  body  of 
the  rower,  and  when  he  takes  his  seat,  he 
gathers  his  skin  together  and  ties  it  round 
his  waist,  so  that  the  boat  is  absolutely  im- 
pervious to  water.  The  average  length  is 
twenty-five  feet,  and  so  light  are  the  mate- 
rials of  Avhich  it  is  made,  that  a man  can 
carry  his  kia  on  his  head  from  the  house  to 
the  water. 

These  slight  canoes  have  no  keel,  and  sit 
so  lightly  on  the  water  that  they  can  be  pro- 
pelled over,  rather  than  through,  it  with 
wonderful  speed.  The  paddle  is  a double 
one,  held  in  the  middle,  and  used  in  a man- 
ner which  is  now  rendered  familiar  to  us 
by  the  canoes  which  have  so  largely  taken 
the  place  of  skiffs.  It  is  between  nine  and 
ten  feet  in  length,  small  in  the  middle, 
which  serves  as  a handle,  and  gradually 
widening  to  the  blades,  which  are  about 
four  inches  in  width,  and  edged  with  ivory, 
not  only  for  ornament  but  for  strength. 

The  paddle  acts  much  the  same  part  as 
the  balance  pole  to  the  rope-dancer,  and  by 
its  aid  the  Esquimaux  canoe  man  can  per- 
form really  astonishing  feats.  For  example, 
if  two  kias  are  out  together,  one  of  them 
will  remain  still,  the  canoe  man  keeping  his 
boat  exactly  in  the  same  place,  by  delicate 
management  of  his  paddle.  The  other  goes 
to  a distance  at  right  angles  to  him,  and 
then,  urging  his  kia  to  the  utmost  speed, 
drives  it  fairly  over  that  of  his  friend.  In 
performing  this  remarkable  feat,  the  skill  of 
both  is  equally  tried,  for  it  is  quite  as  difficult 
to  preserve  the  balance  of  the  stationary  kia 
as  to  drive  the  other  over  it. 

There  is  one  feat  which  is  sometimes  per- 
formed in  order  to  show  the  wonderful  com- 
mand which  an  Esquimaux  has  over  his  lit- 
tle vessel.  He  does  not,  however,  attempt 
it  unless  another  kia  is  close  at  hand.  After 
seeing  that  the  skin  cover  is  firmly  tied 
round  his  waist,  and  that  his  neck  and 
wrists  are  well  secured,  the  man  suddenly 
flings  himself  violently  to  one  side,  thus  cap- 
sizing the  kia,  and  burying  himself  under 


KAJAK  AND  OOMIAK. 


1345 


water.  With  a powerful  stroke  of  his  pad- 
dle he  turns  himself  and  canoe  completely 
over,  and  brings  himself  upright  again.  A 
skilful  canoe  man  will  thus  turn  over  and 
over  some  twenty  times  or  so,  almost  as 
fast  as  the  eye  can  follow  him,  and  yet  only 
his  face  will  be  in  the  least  wet. 

In  the  illustration  oh.  page  1347  both  these 
feats  are  shown. 

The  paddler  is  so  tightly  tied  to  the  kia, 
that  he  is  unable  to  change  his  position 
without  assistance,  or  even  to  lift  a heavy 
weight,  such  as  a seal.  In  such  a case,  he 
asks  assistance  from  a companion.  The 
two  kias  are  placed  near  each  other,  and 
paddles  are  laid  from  one  to  the  other,  so 
that  for  the  time  they  are  formed  into  a 
double  canoe,  which  cannot  be  upset.  Small 
lines  of  whalebone  are  stretched  across  the 
end  of  the  kia,  and  under  them  are  thrust 
the  points  of  the  spears  and  harpoons,  so 
that  they  cannot  roll  off  the  boat,  and  yet 
are  always  ready  to  hand.  An  inflated 
seal’s  bladder  is  always  attached  to  the 
canoe.  When  the  kia  is  not  in  use,  it  is 
taken  out  of  the  water,  and  rested  in  a re- 
versed position  upon  the  snow  houses,  as  is 
seen  on  page  1327. 

The  second  kind  of  boat  is  that  which 
is  called  the  oomiak,  and  is  used  by  the 
women.  It  is  evident  that  the  slight  and 
fragile  kia,  useful  as  it  is  for  hunting  pur- 
poses, cannot  be  employed  for  the  convey- 
ance of  baggage,  or  for  the  transport  "of 
more  persons  than  one,  and  that  therefore 
some  other  kind  of  boat  must  be  made. 
This  is  a large,  clumsy,  straight  sided, 
square  ended,  flat  bottomed  vessel,  more 
like  a skin  trough  than  a canoe,  to  which 
it  bears  about  the  same  analogy  as  a punt 
does  to  a racing  skiff.  The  framework  of 
the  oomiak  is  made  of  wood  and  whalebone, 
and  the  covering  is  of  seal  skin,  from  wfliich 
the  hair  has  been  removed.  When  wet, 
these  skins  are  nearly  transparent,  so  that 
the  forms  of  the  persons  sitting  in  the  boat 
can  be  indistinctly  seen. 

The  sides  of  the  boat  are  about  three  feet 
in  height,  and  the  weight  which  a well- 
made  oomiak  will  carry  is  really  wonderful. 
Captain  Lyon  mentions  that  in  one  of  these 
boats,  measuring  twenty-five  feet  in  length 
by  eight  in  width  and  three  in  depth,  more 
than  twenty  human  beings  were  conveyed. 
There  are  two  very  clumsy  paddles  by  which 
the  boat  is  slowly  propelled,  and  it  is  steered 
by  another  paddle  in  the  stern.  The  post 
of  steerer  is  usually  occupied  by  an  old  man, 
who  is  unable  any  more  to  manage  the  kia, 
but  is  still  capable  of  guiding  the  oomiak, 
and  of  flinging  a knife,  a harpoon,  a seal 
hook,  or  anything  that  may  come  to  hand, 
at  the  women,  if  they  neglect  their  pad- 
dling. 

To  each  oomiak  there  can  be  attached  a 
very  primitive  mast,  with  its  sail.  The  mast 
is  but  a short  one,  and  is  stepped  in  the  fore- 


part of  the  boat.  Toward  the  top  it  is 
pierced,  and  in  the  hollow  is  placed  a 
sheave,  or  deeply  grooved  wheel  of  ivory,  on 
which  the  halyards  run.  The  sail  is  that 
simplest  of  all  sails,  the  lug,  and  is  made  of 
the  intestines  of  the  walrus,  split  open  so  as 
to  form  strips  of  some  four  inches  in  width. 
These  strips  are  sewed  together,  and  pro- 
duce a sail  which  is  remarkable  both  for  its 
strength  and  its  extreme  lightness.  The 
reader  will  doubtless  have  noticed  the  sin- 
gular contrast  between  the  canoes  of  the  hot 
and  cold  parts  of  the  world.  In  the  former, 
the  canoe  and  sails  are  entirely  of  vegetable 
materials,  without  a particle  of  hide,  sinew, 
or  any  animal  product;  while,  in  the  latter, 
the  animal  world  furnishes  almost  the  whole 
of  the  materials. 

W e now  come  to  the  sledge,  which  is  quite 
as  important  to  the  Esquimaux  as  the  ca- 
noe. The  materials  and  form  of  the  sledge 
difier  exceedingly,  so  that  in  these  respects 
no  two  sledges  are  alike,  while  the  principle 
is  identical  in  all.  A sledge  is  nothing  more 
than  two  runners,  connected  with  each  other 
by  a number  of  cross-pieces,  on  which  the 
driver  can  sit  and  the  goods  be  packed. 

The  best  sledges  are  those  in  wdiich  the 
runners  are  made  from  the  jaw-bone  of  a 
whale,  sawn  into  narrow  planks  and  cut  into 
the  proper  shape.  They  are  always  shod 
with  a strip  of  the  same  material.  Others 
are  made  of  wood,  shod  with  bone,  and  in 
these  cases  the  wooden  part  is  usually  in 
several  pieces,  which  are  lashed  together 
with  hide  thongs.  In  the  winter,  the  hide  of 
the  walrus  is  often  used  for  runners.  It  is 
fully  an  inch  in  thickness,  and,  when  frozen, 
is  very  much  stronger  than  a board  of  the 
same  thickness. 

When  neither  wood,  bone,  nor  walrus  skin 
can  be  procured,  the  Esquimaux  is  still  at 
no  loss  for  runners.  He  cuts  long  strips  of 
seal  skin,  and  sews  the  edges  of  each  strip 
together,  so  as  to  make  two  long  tubes.  The 
tubes  are  next  filled  with  moss  and  earth, 
and  water  is  then  poured  into  them.  In  a 
minute  or  two  they  are  frozen  as  hard  as 
stone,  and  are  then  ready  to  form  the  run- 
ners of  a sledge.  The  lower  edge  of  the 
runner,  whether  it  be  of  bone,  wood,  or  skin, 
is  always  shod  with  a coating  of  ice,  which 
is  renewed  as  soon  as  it  is  worn  off  by  fric- 
tion, which  not  only  causes  the  sledge  to 
glide  faster  over  the  frozen  surface,  but  pre- 
serves the  valuable  material  of  the  runners 
from  being  rubbed  to  pieces. 

The  cross-bars  of  the  sledge  are  generally 
of  bone.  They  project  a little  beyond  the 
runners  on  either  side,  and  are  so  arranged 
that  the  sledge  is  narrower  in  front  than  be- 
hind. They  are  not  lashed  too  tightly,  as  they 
are  required  to  yield  to  the  jerks  and  contin- 
ual strain  which  the  sledge  undergoes  in  its 
travels. 

The  sledge  is  drawn  by  a team  of  dogs, 
varying  from  seven  to  ten,  or  even  more,  ac- 


1346 


THE  ESQUIMAUX. 


cording  to  the  weight  to  be  carried.  They 
are  very  simply  harnessed  to  it  by  a strong 
cord,  or  trace,  made  of  seal  hide,  the  trace 
of  the  leading  dog  being  considerably  longer 
than  that  of  any  of  the  others.  Being  accus- 
tomed to  the  work  of  the  sledge,  as  soon  as 
they  can  walk,  their  training  is  very  com- 
plete, and  a good  team  will  do  almost  any- 
thing but  speak. 

A team  of  seven  dogs  drew  a heavy  sledge, 
full  of  men,  a mile  in  four  minutes  and  a 
half;  and  Captain  Lyon  mentions  that  three 
dogs  drew  him  the  same  distance  in  six 
minutes,  the  weight  of  the  sledge  being  one 
hundred  pounds.  Several  times,  when  re- 
turning to  the  ships,  the  sagacious  animals 
brought  him  and  his  companions  safely  to 
the  vessels,  though  the  night  was  pitchy 
dark  and  the  snow-drift  blowing  about  in 
clouds.  They  kept  their  noses  to  the  ground, 
and  galloped  on  at  full  speed,  in  absolute 
certainty  of  their  proper  line. 

The  dogs  are  guided,  not  by  reins,  but  by 
a whip,  the  lash  of  which  is  "from  eighteen 
to  thirty  feet  in  length,  and  the  handle  only 
one  foot  in  length,  much  like  the  stock-whip 
of  Australia.  A skilful  driver  makes  but 
little  use  of  the  whip  when  he  has  a good 
team  of  dogs,  but  guides  the  animals  partly 
by  his  voice,  and  partly  by  flinging  the  lash 
of  the  whip  on  one  side  or  other  of  the 
leader,  who  perfectly  understands  the  signal. 
When  they  are  required  to  stop,  the  driver 
gives  a cry  almost  exactly  like  the  “ Woa!”  of 
our  own  country.  He  then  throws  the  lash 
gently  over  their  backs,  when  they  all  lie 
down,  and  will  remain  couched  in  the  snow 
for  hours  even,  daring  their  master’s  absence. 

The  worst  of  these  dogs  is  that  they  are 
very  quarrelsome,  and  are  apt  to  snap  and 
snarl  at  each  other  as  they  gallop  along. 
Sometimes  a dog  will  be  exasperated  -with  a 
bite,  and  turn  furiously  on  his  assailant, 
when  a general  flght  takes  place,  the  whole 
of  the  dogs  tumbling  over  each  other,  and 
entangling  the  traces  in  a manner  that  none 
but  an  Esquimaux  could  hope  to  disentan- 
gle. A plentiful  application  of  whip  is  then 
made,  which  is  always  resented  by  the  dog 
that  receives  the  stroke.  He  chooses  to 
think  that  his  next  neighbor  has  hurt  him, 
and  so  bites  his  ear.  Sometimes  a dog  is  so 
unruly  that  the  driver  is  obliged  to  use  his 
last  argument.  Making  a little  hole  in  the 
snow  with  the  toe  of  his  boot,  he  presses 
the  dog’s  snout  into  it,  and  pounds  away  at 
it  with  the  ivory  handle  of  his  whip.  The 
dog  never  howls,  nor  tries  to  release  him- 
selt^  but  only  utters  a low  whine.  Such  a 
punishment  never  has  to 'be  repeated,  and 
the  dog  always  goes  quietly  for  the  rest  of 
the  day. 

The  endurance  of  these  animals  is  won- 
derful. They  are  kept  in  the  open  air  when 
the  temperature  is  from  thirty  to  forty  de- 
grees below  zero.  They  are  very  ill  fed, 
being  forced  to  content  themselves  with 


the  bones  of  fish  and  seals,  scraps  of  hide, 
and  such  very  few  fragments  as  their  mas- 
ters cannot  devour.  Consequently  they  are 
always  hungry,  and  can  eat  almost  any- 
thing. Captain  Hall  mentions  that  in  one 
night  they  ate  a whiplash  thirty  feet  long, 
and  that  on  one  occasion  a single  dog  ate 
in  seven  seconds  a piece  of  walrus  hide  and 
blubber  six  feet  long  and  an  inch  and  a half 
square. 

Yet,  in  spite  of  all  the  hardships  which 
they  undergo,  they  can  endure  almost  any 
amount  of  fatigue  without  appearing  to  be 
the  worse  for  it,  and  a team  has  been  known 
to  eat  nothing  for  at  least  forty-eight  hours, 
to  traverse  some  seventy  miles  of  ground, 
and  yet  to  return  to  their  homes  apparently 
as  fresh  as  when  they  set  out. 

Many  of  them  are  possessed  of  singu- 
lar intelligence,  especially  those  which  are 
trained  to  chase  the  seal,  the  bear,  or  the 
deer.  One  of  these  dogs,  named  Barbekark, 
belonging  to  Captain  Hall,  actually  killed  a 
deer  himself,  took  one  morsel  from  the  neck, 
and  then  went  home  and  fetched  his  master 
to  the  spot  where  he  had  left  the  dead  deer. 
He  had  a brother  that  e'qually  distinguished 
himself  in  seal  catching.  He  was  the  lead- 
ing dog  in  the  team,  and  once,  while  draw- 
ing a sledge,  he  caught  sight  of  a seal  on  the 
ice.  He  immediately  dashed  forward  at  full 
speed,  and  just  as  the  seal  was  plunging  into 
the  water,  caught  it  by  the  hind  flippers.  The 
seal  struggled  frantically  to  escape,  but  the 
dog  retained  his  hold,  and,  aided  by  his  fel- 
lows, dragged  the  seal  firmly  ori  the  ice, 
when  it  was  secured  by  his  master. 

A very  amusing  example  of  the  intelligence 
of  these  dogs  is  related  by  Captain  Hall. 
He  fed  the  dogs  on  “ capelins,”  a small  dried 
fish,  and  used  to  make  them  stand  in  a cir- 
cle round  him,  so  that  each  received  a cape- 
lin in  turn.  “ Xow  Barbekark,  a young  and 
shrewd  dog,  took  it  into  his  head  that  he 
would  play  a white  man’s  trick.  So  every 
time  he  received  his  fish  he  would  back 
square  out,  move  a distance  of  three  or  four 
dogs,  and  force  himself  in  line  again,  thus  re- 
ceiving double  the  share  of  any  other  dog. 
But  this  joke  of  Barbekark’s  l)espoke  too 
much  of  the  game  many  men  play  upon  their 
fellow-beings,  and,  as  I noticed  it,  I deter- 
mined to  check  his  doggish  propensities. 
Still,  the  amusing  and  the  singular  way  in 
which  he  evidently  watched  me  induced  a 
moment’s  pause  in  my  intention. 

“ Each  dog  thankfully  took  his  capelin  as 
his  turn  came  round,  but  Barbekark,  finding 
his  share  came  twice  as  often  as  his  compan- 
ions, appeared  to  shake  his  tail  twice  as  thank- 
fully as  the  others.  A twinkle  in  his  eyes  as 
they  caught  mine  seemed  to  say,  ‘ Keep  dark; 
these  ignorant  fellows  don’t  know  the  game 
I’m  playing.  I am  confoundedly  hungry.’ 
Seeing  my  face  smiling  at  his  trick,  he  now 
commenced  making  another  change,  thus 
getting  three  portions  to  each  of  the  others’ 


(1.)  THE  KAJAK  AND  ITS  MANAGEMENT.  (See  page  1344.) 


(2.)  ESQUIMAUX  SLEDGE  DRIVING.  (See  pages  1345,  1346.) 
(1347) 


MARRIAGE  AND  RELIGION. 


1349 


one.  This  was  enough,  and  it  was  now  time 
for  me  to  reverse  the  order  of  Barbekark’s 
game  by  playing  a trick  upon  him. 

“ Accordingly,  every  time  I came  to  him 
he  got  no  fish,' and  though  he  changed  his 
position  three  times,  yet  he  got  nothing. 
Now,  if  ever  there  was  a picture  of  disap- 
pointed plans  — of  envy  at  others’  fortunes, 
and  sorrow  at  a sad  misfortune  — it  was  to  be 
found  in  that  dog’s  countenance  as  he 
watched  his  companions  receiving  their  al- 
lowance. Finding  that  he  could  not  succeed 
by  any  change  of  his  position,  he  withdrew 
from  the  circle  to  where  I was,  and  came  to 
me,  crowding  his  way  between  my  legs,  and 
looked  up  in  my  face  as  if  to  say,  ‘ I have 
been  a very  bad  dog.  Forgive  me,  and  Bar- 
bekark  will  cheat  his  brother  dogs  no  more. 
Please,  sir,  give  me  my  share  of  capelins.’ 
I went  the  rounds  three  times  more,  and  let 
him  have  the  fish,  as  he  had  shown  himself 
so  sagacious,  and  so  much  like  a repentant 
prodigal  dog.” 

Marriage  among  the  Esquimaux  is  of 
the  very  simplest  description,  and  is  gener- 
ally arranged  by  the  parents  of  the  bride  and 
bridegroom,  the  latter  having  nothing  to  do 
with  the  afiair.  There  is  no  marriage  cere- 
mony, the  parties  merely  going  to  live  in  the 
same  igloo.  A man  may,  and  often  does,  have 
several  wives,  and  in  this  case  one  of  them 
takes  the  position  of  the  chief,  or  igloo  wife, 
and  is  supreme  under  her  husband.  She  has 
the  largest  lamp,  the  best  bed,  and  the  best 
provision.  But  she  also  has  the  entire  man- 
agement of  the  household,  such  as  cooking  the 
food,  and  drying  the  clothes  on  the  “ dry-net.” 
This  is  by  no  means  a sinecure,  as  it  forces 
her  to  rise  many  times  in  the  night  for  the 
purpose  of  turning  the  clothes  and  drying 
them  equally.  She  also  has  to  see  that  the 
boots  are  properly  “ milled.” 

After  a child  is  born,  the  mother  is  obliged 
to  confine  herself  to  her  own  igloo  for  some 
months,  and  when  the  allotted  time  has  ex- 
pired, she  throws  of  all  the  clothing  which 
she  has  worn,  and  never  wears  it  again. 
She  then  dresses  herself  in  a totally  new  suit 
of  clothes,  and  visits  in  succession  the  in- 
habitants of  every  igloo.  If  a second  or  third 
child  be  born,  a separate  igloo  is  always  built 
for  the  mother,  to  which  she  repairs  before 
the  birth  of  the  child,  -and  in  which  she  re- 
mains until  the  customary  time  has  elapsed 
-and  she  is  able  to  call  upon  her  neighbors. 

The  children  begin  their  education  at  a 
very  early  age ; the  bo}’ s being  taught  to  pad- 
dle the  kia,  to  hunt  and  to  fisli,  and  to  build 
igloos;  while  the  girls  learn  to  row  the 
women’s  boat,  to  dress  skins,  to  manage  the 
lamp,  to  cook,  and  perform  the  multitudinous 
tasks  that  fall  to  their  lot.  The  carving  of  the 
Esquimaux  women  is  wonderfully  good. 
They  make  spirited,  though  conventional, 
imitations  of  fish,  ducks,  dogs,  and  various 
animals,  from  ivory,  using  in  the  manufac- 


ture nothing  but  a knife.  In  the  earlier  days, 
before  white  men  visited  them,  the  Esqui- 
maux were  obliged  to  rely  entirely  upon  Hint 
as  a material  for  their  knives,  which  were 
exactly  like  those  of  the  ancient  and  perished 
races.  In  chopping  the  flakes  off  the  flint, 
the  Esquimaux  employed  a very  simple  in- 
strument, the  use  of  which  showed  an  exact 
knowledge  of  the  fracture-line  of  flint.  It  is 
made  of  bone  and  ivory,  and  is  about  six 
inches  in  length.  Iron,  indeed,  is  of  so  late 
introduction,  that  when  Captain  Lyon  vis- 
ited the  natives,  in  1821,  he  could  purchase  a 
complete  harpoon,  with  its  ivory  head,  float, 
and  line,  for  a nail;  while  a knife  Mmuld  pur- 
chase a kia,  or  indeed  anything  that  was  asked 
in  exchange  for  it. 

As  may  be  inferred  from  the  climate,  the 
games  of  the  Esquimaux  are  but  few.  They 
are  wonderful  experts  at  a sort  of  “ cat’s- 
cradle,”  jDroducing  with  a piece  of  string  imi- 
tations of  seals,  reindeer,  ducFs,  canoes,  and 
other  objects.  The  little  ivory  models  of 
ducks  and  other  animals,  which  have  already 
been  mentioned,  are  used  in  several  of  the 
native  games. 

Their  dances  are  remarkable  for  their 
simplicity,  the  dancer  inventing  the  steps 
according  to  his  own  taste.  There  is  a 
dance  in  which  a number  of  women  stand  in 
a ring,  with  their  hands  under  the  front 
flaps  of  their  jackets,  and  sing,  with  half- 
closed  eyes,  the  inevitable  Amna-aya  song: 
these  are  the  band.  The  dancers  are  reiire- 
sented  by  one  man,  who  takes  his  place  in 
the  middle  of  the  ring,  swings  his  head  and 
arms  from  side  to  side,  his  long,  lank  hair 
flapping  in  the  wind,  while  he  utters  sharp 
yells  at  intervals,  and  occasionally  flings  one 
leg  as  high  as  his  thick  garments  permit. 

'The  women  have  a special  dance  of  their 
own,  which  consists  in  kneeling  on  the 
ground,  leaping  to  their  feet  as  fast  as  they 
can.  This  is  really  a difficult  task  when  the 
heavy  and  clumsy  boots  are  taken  into  con- 
sideration. Sometimes  the  men  challenge 
each  other  to  dance,  and  in  that  case  the 
challenge  is  accepted  by  employing  the 
“ koonik,”  or  national  salutation,  which  is 
given  by  rubbing  the  noses  together,  and 
inhaling  strongly  through  the  nostrils. 

With  regard  to  religion,  the  Esquimaux 
seem  to  have  no  very  definite  idea  of  the 
subject,  except  that  they  believe  in  a future 
existence,  in  a heaven  and  a hell  — the  lat- 
ter being,  according  to  their  ideas,  dark,  full 
of  ice,  with  snow-storms  always  blowing, 
and  no  seals.  They  have  also  a hazy  de- 
scription of  a Supreme  Being,  and  a second- 
ary female  divinity,  the  special  protector  of 
the  Esquimaux. 

By  way  of  worship,  they  have  sundry 
medicine  men,  or  “ angekos,”  as  they  are 
called,  who  go  through  a series  of  strange 
ceremonies  on  various  occasions,  such  as  ill- 
ness, or  when  a party  is  setting  out  on  a 
hunting  expedition.  They  make  the  people 


1350 


THE  ESQUIMAUX. 


pay  heavily  for  their  services,  and  rule  with 
a rod  of  iron,  so  that  no  Esquimaux  is  likely 
to  retain  possession  of  any  valuable  piece  of 
property  if  an  angeko  should  happen  to  be 
in  the  neighborhood.  They  act  upon  a very 
simple  and  intelligent  principle,  namely, 
that  the  amount  of  success  in  “ ankooting,” 
or  divining,  is  in  exact  ratio  with  the  amount 
of  pay. 

Sometimes,  in  order  to  impress  awe  upon 
their  victims,  the  angekos  go  through  a se- 
ries of  imposing  ceremonies,  the  perform- 
ance of  which  infers  a vast  amount  of  prac- 
tice. By  the  present  of  a knife  and  some 
beads,  Captain  Lyon  induced  a celebrated 
angeko,  named  Toolemak,  to  have  an  inter- 
view with  a Tornga,  or  familiar  spirit,  in 
the  cabin  of  the  ship. 

“All  light  excluded,  our  sorcerer  began 
by  chanting  to  his  wife  with  great  vehe- 
mence, and  she,  in  return,  answered  by 
singing  the  Amna-aya  (the  favorite  song  of 
the  Esquimaux),  which  was  not  discontin- 
ued during  the  whole  ceremony.  As  far  as 
I could  learn,  he  afterward  began  turning 
himself  rapidly  round,  and,  in  a loud,  pow- 
erful voice,  vociferated  for  Tornga  with 
great  impatience,  at  the  same  time  blow- 
ing and  snorting  like  a Walrus.  His  noise, 
impatience,  and  agitation  increased  every 
moment,  and  he  at  length  seated  himself  on 
the  deck,  varying  his  tones,  and  making  a 
rustling  with  his  clothes. 

“ Suddenly  the  voice  seemed  smothered, 
and  was  so  managed  as  to  sound  as  if  re- 
treating beneath  the  deck,  each  moment  be- 
coming more  distant,  and  ultimately  giving 
the  idea  of  being  many  feet  below  the  cabin, 
where  it  ceased  entirely.  His  wife,  now,  in 
answer  to  my  queries,  informed  me  very  seri- 
ously that  he  had  dived,  and  that  he  would 
send  up  Tornga. 

“ Accordingly,  in  about  half  a minute,  a 
distant  blowing  was  heard  very  slowly  ap- 
proaching, and  a voice  which  differed  from 
that  which  we  at  first  had  heard  was 
at  times  mixed  with  blowing,  until  at 
length  both  sounds  became  distinct,  and  the 
old  woman  informed  me  that  Tornga  was 
come  to  answer  my  questions.  I accord- 
ingly asked  several  questions  of  the  saga- 
cious spirit,  to  each  of  which  inquiries  I 
received  an  answer  by  two  loud  slaps  on 
the  deck,  which  I was  given  to  understand 
was  favorable. 

“ A very  hollow  yet  powerful  voice,  cer- 
tainly much  different  from  the  tones  of 
Toolemak,  now  chanted  for  some  time,  and 
a strange  jumble  of  hisses,  groans,  shouts, 
and  gabblings  like  a turkey  succeeded  in 
rapid  succession.  The  old  woman  sang  with 
increased  energy,  and,  as  I took  it  for  granted 
that  this  was  all  intended  to  astonish  the 
Kabloona,  I cried  repeatedly  that  I was  very 
much  afraid.  This,  as  I expected,  added 
fuel  to  the  fire,  until  the  form  immortal,  ex- 
hausted by  its  own  might,  asked  leave  to 


retire.  The  voice  gradually  sank  from  our 
hearing,  as  at  first,  and  a very  indistinct  his- 
sing succeeded.  In  its  advance,  it  sounded 
like  the  tone  produced  by  the  wund  upon 
the  bass-cord  of  an  ^olian  harp;  this  was 
soon  changed  to  a rapid  hiss,  like  that  of  a 
rocket,  and  Toolemak,  with  a yell,  announced 
his  return.  I held  my  breath  at  the  first  dis- 
tant hissing,  and  twice  exhausted  myself; 
yet  our  conjuror  did  not  once  respire,  and 
even  his  returning  and  powerful  yell  was 
uttered  without  a previous  stop  or  inspira- 
tion of  air. 

“ Light  being  admitted,  our  wizard,  as 
might  be  expected,  was  in  a profuse  perspi- 
ration, and  certainly  much  exhausted  by  his 
exertions,  which  had  continued  for  at  least 
half  an  hour.  W e now  observed  a couple 
of  bunches,  each  consisting  of  two  strips  of 
white  deer-skin  and  a long  piece  of  sinew, 
attached  to  the  back  of  his  coat.  These  we 
had  not  seen  before,  and  were  informed  that 
they  had  been  sew^ed  on  by  Tornga  while 
he  w^as  below.”  A similar  exhibition  has 
been  seen  by  several  travellers,  and  they 
have  expressed  their  astonishment  at  the 
length  of  time  during  which  an  angeko  can 
howl,  hiss,  and  gabble  without  taking  breath. 

While  he  is  below  the  earth,  the  angeko 
is  supposed  to  visit  the  habitation  of  the 
particular  spirit  whom  he  is  addressing, 
and  sometimes  gives  a detailed  account 
of  the  places  in  which  he  has  been,  and  of 
their  inhabitants.  One  female  spirit,  for 
example,  is  called  Aywilliayoo.  She  com- 
mands all  the  bears,  whales,  seals,  and  wal- 
ruses by  means  of  her  right  hand.  So,  when 
there  is  a scarcety  of  provisions,  the  angeko 
makes  ^ visit  to  Aywilliayoo  and  attacks  her 
hand,  if  he  can  cut  off  her  nails,  the  bears 
immediately  are  set  free,  the  loss  of  one 
finger  joint  liberates  the  small  seals,  the  sec- 
ond joint  sends  the  large  seals,  the  knuckles 
free  the  whole  herds  of  walrus,  while  the 
entire  hand  liberates  the  whale. 

In  figure  this  spirit  is  very  tall,  and  has 
only  one  eye  and  one  pigtail,  but  this  is  as 
large  as  a man’s  leg,  and  descends  to  her 
knee.  Her  house  is  a very  fine  one,  but 
Toolemak  did  not  venture  to  enter  it,  be- 
cause it  was  guarded  by  a huge  dog  with 
black  hind-quarters  and  no  tail.  Her  father 
is  no  larger  than  a boy  of  ten  years  old,  and 
he  has  but  one  arm,  which  is  always  cov- 
ered with  a large  bear’s-skin  mitten.  His 
house  is  also  handsome,  but  its  entrance  is 
guarded  by  troops  of  bears  and  walruses, 
who  keep  up  a continual  growling. 

Unfortunately  for  his  own  credit,  Toole- 
mak got  drunk  one  evening,  as  he  might 
well  be,  having  consumed  in  succession 
nearly  ten  glasses  of  rum,  or  “ hot  water,” 
as  he  was  pleased  to  call  it.  During  his  in- 
toxication he  became  very  good-natured, 
and  betrayed  the  secrets  of  his  magic  art, 
showing  how  he  altered  his  voice  by  cover- 
ing his  face  with  his  hands  and  then  with 


DISPOSAL  OF  THE  DEAD. 


1351 


his  jacket,  so  as  to  make  the  voice  appear 
as  if  it  came  from  a continually  increasing 
depth.  He  finished  this  singular  exhibition 
by  drinking  in  succession  eleven  pints  and 
one  gill  of  water,  and  within  a few  minutes 
became  sober  enough  to  leave  the  ship  and 
walk  to  his  sledge. 

Sometimes  the  Esquimaux  say  that  they 
are  annoyed  by  spirits.  On  one  occasion 
when  a man  nicknamed  Kettle  was  eat- 
ing in  Captain  Lyon’s  cabin,  he  became  un- 
easy, and  frequently  ceased  eating,  a very 
remarkable  circumstance  in  a hungry  Es- 
quimaux. Presently  he  said  that  there  was 
a spirit  sitting  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
cabin,  making  grimaces  at  him,  and  prevent- 
ing him  from  eating.  He  asked  leave  to 
drive  his  tormenter  away,  which  he  did  by 
raising  a long,  bellowing  sound,  and  then 
blowing  sharply  on  the  ends  of  his  fingers. 
He  resumed  his  meal  quietly,  and  nothing 
would  induce  him  to  blow  on  his  fingers  or 
raise  the  exorcising  yell  again,  on  the  ground 
that  the  spirit  was  no  longer  to  be  seen. 

The  Esquimaux  possess  wonderful  powers 
of  drawing.  They  know  scarcely  anything 
of  perspective,  but  they  can  make  their 
sketches  tell  their  own  tale ; while  in  drawing 
from  memory  a chart  of  a coast,  their  skill  is 
really  admirable.  In  Captain  Hall’s  book 
there  are  fac-si miles  of  several  native  charts 
and  sketches,  the  most  curious  of  which  is 
one  which  was  not  only  drawn  but  engraved 
on  wood  by  the  native  draughtsman.  It 
represents  a woman  with  a child  nestling  in 
the  hood  behind  her  back,  and  is  quite  equal 
in  execution  to  wood-cutting  in  the  earlier 
stages  of  the  art.  The  point  about  it  which 
most  strikes  a practised  eye  is  the  force  and 
fidelity  with  which  the  artist  has  marked  the 
texture  of  the  different  parts  of  the  dress; 
the  fur  coat  and  trowsers  edged  with  leather, 
and  the  white-edged,  fur-lined  hood,  are  most 
admirably  managed. 

Of  music  and  musical  instruments  the  Es- 
quimaux know  little.  They  have  the  Amna- 
ayasong,  which  has  already  been  mentioned, 
and  they  possess  one  national  musical  instru- 
ment, called  the  “ keeloun.”  This  is  some- 
thing like  a tambourine,  being  formed  of  a 
very  thin  deer  skin,  or  the  envelope  of  the 
whale’s  liver,  stretched  over  one  side  of  a 
wooden  hoop.  A handle  is  attached  to  the 
hoop,  and  the  instrument  is  struck,  not  upon 
the  membrane,  but  upon  the  hoop. 

As  a nation  they  are  remarkable  for  two 
good  qualities,  honesty  and  hospitality. 
There  are,  of  course,  exceptions  to  every  rule, 
and  such  is  the  case  with  the  Esquimaux. 
But  the  early  voyagers  found  that  they  might 
leave  their  knives  and  axes  on  shore,  and 
that  not  one  of  them  would  be  touched. 
Kow,  to  an  Esquimaux  a steel  knife  or  axe 
is  more  valuable  than  a box  full  of  sovereigns 
would  be  to  us,  and  the  honesty  of  the  Es- 
quimaux was  as  much  tried  by  the  sight  of 
these  articles  as  would  be  that  of  our  London 


poor  if  a heap  of  sovereigns  were  left  lying 
on  the  pavement. 

As  to  hospitality,  their  food  is  considered 
to  be  merely  common  property,  so  that  if  one 
of  the  Esquimaux  should  kill  a seal,  all  his 
friends  and  neighbors  assemble  as  a matter 
of  course  to  assist  in  eating  it;  and  even 
though  the  family  of  the  successful  hunter 
should  be  starving,  he  will  nevertheless  in- 
vite all  his  friends  to  partake  of  the  food.  In 
this  way,  it  often  happens  that  an  entire  seal 
barely  affords  a single  meal  to  all  who  come 
to  share  it. 

Funerals  among  the  Esquimaux  are 
rather  variable  in  their  forms.  Generally, 
when  a sick  person  is  on  the  point  of  death, 
a new  igloo  is  built,  and  carefully  fitted  with 
lamp,  provisions,  and  other  furniture.  The 
dying  person  is  carried  in  — not  through  the 
regular  doorway,  but  through  a breach  in 
the  wall  — placed  on  the  couch,  the  lamp 
lighted,  and  the  provisions  laid  ready  to  hand. 
The  attendants  then  leave  the  igloo,  build 
up  the  openings,  and  never  trouble  them- 
selves again  about  the  sick  person.  The 
principal  reason  why  the  dying  are  left  alone 
is,  that  if  the  relatives  are  in  the  igloo  at  the 
moment  of  death,  they  are  obliged  to  throw 
away  the  dresses  which  they  were  wearing, 
and  never  to  wear  them  again.  Kone  of  them 
can  tell  the  reason  for  this  strange  belief, 
but  it  is  so  strongly  ingrained  that  no  argu- 
ment can  induce  them  to  abandon  it. 

Sometimes  the  body  of  a dead  person  is 
simply  buried  in  a hole  scooped  in  the  snow, 
and  sometimes  it  is  laid  upon  a ledge  of  rock, 
accompanied  by  the  lamp,  kettle,  knives, 
spears,  and  dresses  which  the  deceased  used 
while  in  life.  When  a child  dies,  all  its  toys 
are  placed  with  it  in  the  grave,  that  it  may 
be  supplied  with  them  in  the  next  world. 

The  demeanor  of  the  Esquimaux  with 
regard  to  their  dead  is  a most  extraordinary 
mixture  of  affection  and  unconcern.  After 
having  buried  the  body,  whether  alive  or  dead 
does  not  matter,  they  care  nothing  about  it, 
and  this  strange  insensibility  is  even  dis- 
played before  the  burial.  For  example,  a 
man’s  wife  had  died,  leaving  a child  of  a few 
weeks  old,  which  in  a short  time  followed  its 
mother.  The  father  was  very  sorrowful  for 
his  dying  child,  and  was  seen  in  the  night 
lifting  the  curtains  of  its  bed  as  it  lay  ill  on 
board  ship,  and  sighing  deeply.  But,  on  the 
next  day,  when  he  came  to  the  ship,  he  made 
no  scruple  of  laying  his  meat  on  the  body  of 
the  child,  and  using  it  as  a table  at  breakfast. 

Once,  when  Captain  Lyon  visited  the 
grave  where  an  Esquimaux  named  Pekooya 
had  been  laid,  he  found  that  the  wolves  and 
dogs  had  uncovered  the  body,  and  had  eaten  a 
considerable  portion  of  it.  He  was  naturally 
shocked  at  the  scene,  but  the  natives  treated 
it  with  absolute  indifference,  and  though  the 
father  and  a brother  of  Pekooya  were  wit- 
nesses of  the  desecration,  they  would  not 
cover  up  the  mangled  body,  and  only  laughed 


1352 


THE  ESQUIMAUX. 


when  Captain  Lyon  remonstrated  with 
them.  Moreover,  when  the  body  was  buried, 
it  was  covered  so  slightly  with  snow  that  the 
first  day’s  thaw  would  melt  off  all  the  snow, 
and  leave  it  to  the  mercy  of  the  dogs. 

Judging  from  such  a fact  as  this,  it  might 
be  thought  that  the  Esquimaux  have  but 
little  natural  affection,  and  that  they  are  in- 
different to  the  loss  of  their  nearest  relatives. 
Such,  however,  is  not  the  case.  An  Esqui- 
maux never  passes  the  grave  of  an  acquaint- 
ance without  depositing  a piece  of  meat  as 
an  offering,  and  the  surviving  relatives  often 
visit  the  burying-place  of  their  dead,  and  sit 
there  for  hours,  talking  to  them  as  if  they 
were  still  alive.  On  comparing  all  the  con- 
flicting accounts  respecting  the  Esquimaux 
and  their  dead,  it  seems  likely  that  they 
consider  the  dead  body  as  something  that 
the  deceased  once  possessed,  but  cast  away 
at  death,  and  that,  as  their  departed  friend 
abandoned  the  body,  they  need  take  no 
trouble  about  so  worthless  an  article. 

If  the  reader  will  refer  to  the  illustration 
on  page  1347,  he  will  see  that  the  horizon  is 
illuminated  by  strange  and  Avild-looking 
flashes  of  light.  These  represent  the  Aurora 
Borealis,  as  it  often  appears  in  those  parts, 
— not  pale  and  flickering  as  we  see  it  in  these 
comparatively  southern  regions,  but  blazing 
with  all  imaginable  hues,  and  giving  out  a 
light  that  stands  the  natives  in  stead  of  the 
sun,  which  in  those  latitudes  is  absent  for 
months  at  a time.  The  glory  and  magnifi- 
cence of  these  displays  can  only  be  described 
by  those  wha  have  seen  them,  and  very  in- 
adequately even  by  such. 

There  is  an  account  given  by  Captain  Hall 
of  one  of  these  marvellous  exhibitions: — “ I 
had  gone  on  deck  several  times  to  look  at  the 
beauteous  scene,  and  at  nine  o’clock  was 
below  in  my  cabin,  when  the  captain  hailed 
me  with  these  words',  ‘ Come  above^  Hall, 
come  at  once!  The  world  is  on  fire.’ 

“ I knew  his  meaning,  and  quick  as  thought 
I re-dressed  myself,  scrambled  over  several 
sleeping  Innuits  close  to  my  berth,  and 
rushed  to  the  companion  stairs.  In  another 
moment  I reached  the  deck,  and  as  the  cabin 
door  swung  open,  a dazzling  and -overpower- 
ing light,  as*  if  the  world  were  really  ablaze 
under  the  agency  of  some  gorgeously  colored 
fires,  burst  upon  my  startled  senses.  How 
can  I describe  it?  Again  I say,  Ho  mortal 
hand  can  truthfully  do  so.  Let  me  however, 
in  feeble,  broken  words,  put  down  my 
thoughts  at  the  time,  and  try  to  give  some 
faint  idea  of  what  I saw. 

“ My  first  thought  was,  ‘ Among  the  gods 
there  is  none  like  unto  Thee,  O Lord;  neither 
are  any  works  like  unto  Thy  works!’  Then 
I tried  to  picture  the  scene  before  me.  Piles 
of  golden  light  and  rainbow  light,  scattered 
along  the  azure  vault,  extended  from  behind 
the  western  horizon  to  the  zenith;  thence 
down  to  the  eastern,  within  a belt  of  space, 
20°  in  width,  were  the  fountains  of  beams, 


like  fire-threads,  that  shot  with  the  rapidity 
of  lightning  hither  and  thither,  upward  and 
athwart  the  great  pathway  indicated.  No 
sun,  no  moon,  yet  the  heavens  were  a glorious 
sight,  flooded  w'ith  light.  Even  oi-dinary 
print  could  easily  have  been  read  on  deck. 

“ EZooded  with  rivers  of  light  I Yes,  flooded 
with  light;  and  such  light!  Light  all  but  in- 
conceivable. The  golden  hues  predominated, 
but  in  rapid  succession  prismatic  colors  leaped 
forth.  We  looked,  we  saw,  and  trembled; 
for  as  we  gazed,  the  whole  belt  of  aurora 
began  to  be  alive  with  flashes.  Then  each 
pile  or  bank  of  light  became  myriads;  some 
were  dropping  down  the  great  pathway  or 
belt;  others  springing  up,  others  leaping 
with  lightning  flash  from  one  side,  while 
more  as  quickly  passed  into  the  vacated  space ; 
some  twisting  themselves  into  folds,  en- 
twining with  others  like  enormous  serpents, 
and  all  these  movements  as  quick  as  the  eye 
could  follow. 

“ It  seemed  as  if  there  were  a struggle 
with  these  blazing  lights  to  reach  and  oc- 
cupy the  dome  above  our  heads.  Then  the 
whole  arch  above  became  crowded.  Down, 
doAvn  it  came;  nearer  and  nearer  it  ap- 
proached us.  Sheets  of  golden  flame,  corus- 
cating while  leaping  from  the  auroral  belt, 
seemed  as  if  met  in  their  course  by  some 
mighty  agency  that  turned  them  into  the 
colors  of  the  rainbow,  each  of  the  seven  pri- 
mary colors  3°  in  width,  sheeted  out  to  21°. 

“ While  the  auroral  fires  seemed  to  be 
descending  upon  us,  one  of  our  number 
could  not  help  exclaiming,  — 

“‘Hark!  hark!  such  a display!  almost  as 
if  a warfare  were  going  on  among  the 
beauteous  lights  above  — so  palpable  — so 
near  — it  seems  impossible  without  noise.’ 

“ But  no  noise  accompanied  this  won- 
drous display.  All  was  silence 

“ I would  here  make  the  remark  that  the 
finest  displays  of  the  aurora  only  last  a few 
moments.  Though  it  may  be  playing  all 
night,  yet  it  is  only  now  and  then  that  its 
grandest  displays  are  made.  As  if  mar- 
shalling forces,  gaining  strength,  compound- 
ing material,  it  continues  on  its  silent  work- 
ings. At  length  it  begins  its  trembling 
throes;  beauty  anon  shoots  out  here  and 
there,  when  all  at  once  the  aurora  flashes 
into  living  hosts  of  powdered  coruscating 
rainbows,  belting  to  the  heavenly  dome 
with  such  gorgeous  grandeur  that  mortals 
sometimes  tremble  to  behold.” 

These  fv^onderful  aerial  phenomena  are 
characteristie  of  the  Arctic  regions.  One  of 
the  most  extraordinary  appearances  in  the 
sky  is  called  the  Parhelion,  or  Mock  Sun. 
It  assumes  various  and  most  astounding 
forms,  the  sun  appearing  in  the  middle,  and 
being  surrounded  with  dimmer  imitations  of 
itself,  round  which  run  circular  bands  of 
light.  There  seems,  indeed,  to  be  no  end 
to  the  extraordinary  modifications  of  aerial 
effects  which  take  place  in  these  regions. 


WONDERFUL  AERIAL  RIIENOMENA. 


1353 


Captain  Hall  described  many  of  them, 
among  wliich  may  be  mentioned  a moon 
distorted  beyond  all  recognition,  its  lower 
limb  all  crushed  and  shapeless,  and  the 
whole  appearance  of  the  planet  like  that  of 
a man  under  the  influence  of  liquor. 

Then  the  refractive  powers  of  the  atmos- 
phere produce  most  wonderful  effects,  de- 
stroying all  perspective,  and  bringing  into 
sight  ail  kinds  of  objects  which,  by  the  ordi- 
nary laws  of  optics,  are  far  out  of  sight.  All 
sailors  are  familiar  with  the  appearance  of  a 
vessel  high  in  the  air,  sailing,  as  it  were, 
through  the  sky  with  her  keel  in  the  clouds, 
and  the  tops  of  her  masts  pointing  down- 
ward. In  these  regions  the  refractive  pow- 
ers are  even  terrible  to  accustomed  eyes,  so 
wonderful  are  the  sights  presented  to  them. 

In  one  of  these  strange  exhibitions,  wit- 
nessed by  Captain  Hall,  a vast  white  in- 
verted pyramid  seemed  to  form  in  the  sky, 
and  at  every  roll  of  the  vessel  to  dip  into 
the  sea.  Presently  “ some  land  that  v^as 
seventy-five  miles  distant,  and  the  top 
of  it  only  barely  seen  in 
an  ordinary  wa}^,  had  its 
rocky  base  brought  full 
in  view.  The  whole 
length  of  this  land  in- 
sight was  the  very  symbol 
of  distortion. 

“ Pendant  from  an  even 
line  that  stretched  across 
the  heavens  was  a ridge  of 
mountains.  Life  hangs 
upon  a little  thread,  but 
what  think  you  of  moun- 
tains hanging  upon  a 
thread?  In  my  fancy  I 
said,  ‘ If  Fate  had  decreed 
one  of  the  Sisters  to  cut 
that  thread  while  I wit- 
nessed the  singular  spec- 
tacle, what  convulsions 
upon  the  land  and  sea 
about  us  might  not  have 
followed!’  But  Nature 
had  an  admirable  way  of 
taking  down  these  rock- 
giants,  hanging  between 
the  heavens  and  the 
earth.  Arch  after  arch 
was  at  length  made  in 
wondrous  grandeur  from 
the  rugged  and  distorted 
atmospheric  land;  and,  if 
ever  man’s  eye  rested 
upon  the  sublime,  in  an 
act  of  God’s  creative 
power,  it  was  when  He 
arcuated  the  heavens 
with  such  a line  of  stu- 
pendous mountains. 

“ Between  those  several 
mountain  arches  in  the 
sky  were  hung  icebergs, 
also  inverted,  moving 


silently  and  majestically  about  as  the  sea- 
currents  shifted  those  along  of  which  they 
were  the  images.  In  addition  to  all  this 
there  was  a wall  of  water,  so  it  a])peared, 
far  beyond  the  apparent  horizon.  This  wall 
seemed  alive  with  merry  dancers  of  the 
most  fantastic  figures  that  the  imagination 
could  conceive,  and  its  perpendicular  col- 
umns were  ever  playfully  changing.  Oh, 
how  exquisitely  beautiful  was  this  God- 
made,  living  wall!  A thousand  youthful 
forms  of  the  fairest  outline  seemed  to  be 
dancing  to  and  fro,  their  white  arms  inter- 
twined, bodies  incessantly  varying,  inter- 
mixing, falling,  rising,  jumping,  skipping, 
hopping,  whirling,  waltzing,  resting,  and 
again  rushing  to  the  mazy  dance  — never 
tired  — ever  playful  — ever  light  and  airy, 
graceful,  and  soft  to  the  eye.” 

Such,  then,  is  a brief  account  of  the  re- 
markable and  interesting  Innuit  people  — 
a people  which,  according  to  the  observation 
of  Captain  Hall,  are  gradually  dying  out, 
and  in  a few  more  years  will  cease  to  exist. 


Wrist-guard  Am>  Hooks.  (See  page  1343.) 


CHAPTEE  CXLK 


VAlSrCOUYEK’S  ISLAND. 


THE  AHTS  AND  NEIGHBORING  TRIBES. 

DEFINITION  OF  THE  AHT  TRIBES — APPEARANCI?  OF  THE  NATIVES  — STRENGTH  OP  GRASP  — PECUXIAR- 
ITV  OF  THE  LEGS  — GAIT  OF  THE  WOMEN — SPEED  OF  THE  MEN  — DANCE — THE  LIP  ORNAMENT 
OF  THE  WOMEN  — CLOTHING  — THE  BOAT  CLOAK  AND  HAT — WEAPONS  — THE  BOW  AND  ARROW 
— INGENIOUS  CONSTRUCTION  OF  THE  BOW  — ITS  BACKING  OF  ELASTIC  STRINGS  — THE  ARROWS 
AND  THEIR  SPIRAL  FEATHERING  — THE  FISH  SPEAR  AND  HARPOON  ARROWS — THE  HALIBUT 
HOOK — VARIOUS  MODES  OF  HUNTING  — SALMON  SPEARING  BY  TORCHLIGHT — THE  HERRING 
RAKE — HOW  TO  KEEP  THE  BQAT  FROM  SINKING — THE  WHALE  FISHERY. 


Before  leaving  this  part  of  the  world,  we 
will  cast  a brief  glance  at  the  tribes  which 
inhabit  Vancouver’s  Island.  They  are  sin- 
gularly interesting,  inasmuch  as  they  com- 
bine some  of  the  habits  which  distinguish 
the  Esquimaux  with  others  of  the  North 
American  tribes,  and  add  to  them  several  of 
the  customs  which  have  been  already  no- 
ticed among  the  Polynesians,  their  insular 
position  and  peculiar  climate  no  doubt 
affording  the  cause  for  this  curious  mixture. 

As  a type  of  these  tribes,  we  will  take  the 
Ahts,  though  other  tribes  will  be  casually 
mentioned.  The  Ahts  may  rather  be  called 
a nation  than  a tribe,  being  divided  into 
some  twenty  tribes,  the  names  of  which  all 
end  in  “aht,”  as,  for  example,  Ohyaht, 
Muchlaht,  Ayhuttisaht,  Toquaht,  etc.  Al- 
together they  number  about  seventeen  hun- 
dred. They  do  not,  however,  act  together 
as  a nation,  and  each  tribe  is  perfectly  dis- 
tinct, and  often  at  war  with  another. 

They  are  not  a tall  people,  the  men  aver- 
aging a little  less  than  five  feet  six  inches, 
and  the  women  being  just  above  five  feet. 
Possibly,  from  the  continual  paddling  which 
they  practise  almost  from  childhood,  the  up- 
per limbs  of  an  Aht  are  exceedingly  strong, 
so  strong,  indeed,  that  a slight-looking  na- 
tive can  carry  with  ease  on  his  extended 
fingers  a weight  which  a white  man  can 
scarcely  lift.  Their  power  of  grasp,  prob- 
ably from  the  same  cause,  is  more  like  the 
grip  of  a machine  than  the  grasp  of  a man ; 
and  those  who  have  had  to  fight  with  them 

C1354) 


have  found  that  if  once  an  Aht  be  allowed 
to  seize  either  the  clothing  or  the  hair,  the 
only  way  to  loosen  his  grasp  is  to  knock 
him  down  with  a blow  in  the  throat  or  in 
the  ribs  — he  cares  nothing  for  a blow  on 
the  head. 

When  he  comes  to  such  close  quarters  in 
a quarrel,  he  has  an  awkward  habit  of 
grasping  the  enemy  with  one  hand,  and 
using  with  the  other  a knife  which  he  has 
kept  concealed  in  his  long  hair.  Fortu- 
nately for  his  white  opponent,  so  extraordi- 
nary a proceeding  as  a blow  from  the  fist, 
which  deprives  him  for  a time  of  breath, 
bewilders  and  alarms  him  to  such  an  ex- 
tent that  he  seldom  risks  its  repetition. 

The  legs  of  the  Aht  tribes  are,  as  a rule, 
short,  ill-made,  bowed,  and  apparently  de- 
ficient in  power.  This  peculiarity  is  espe- 
cially noticeable  in  the  women,  whose  legs 
are  so  bowed,  and  whose  toes  are  so  turned 
inward,  that  they  waddle  rather  than  walk, 
and  at  every  step  they  are  obliged  to  cross 
their  feet  as  a parrot  does.  The  legs  of  the 
inland  tribes  are,  as  a rule,  better  developed 
than  those  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  coast. 
Yet  these  unsightly  limbs  are  by  no  means 
deficient  in  power.  An  Aht,  powerfully 
built  above,  will  step  out  of  his  canoe,  and 
exhibit  a pair  of  legs  scarcely  as  thick  as  his 
arms,  and  yet  he  will  walk  in  the  woods  for 
a whole  da}^  without  showing  any  signs  of 
fatigue. 

Owing  to  this  form  of  limb,  the  natives, 
though  enduring  enough,  are  not  swift  of 
foot,  and  can  be  easily  overtaken  by  a white 


LIP  ORKAMENT. 


1355 


man  on  the  open  ground,  notwithstanding 
the  impediments  of  clothing,  and  especially 
of  shoes,  which  hinder  the  progress  of  the 
pursuer,  the  pursued  usually  throwing  off 
the  only  garment  that  he  wears.  Should 
he  once  reach  the  woods,  pursuit  is  useless, 
as  no  white  man  can  follow  a naked  native 
in  them. 

The  color  of  the  Ahts  is  a dull,  but  not 
dark,  brown.  Their  face  is  broad  and  flat, 
the  nose  tolerably  well  formed  when  it  is 
not  dragged  out  of  shape  by  rings  and  other 
ornaments,  and  the  cheek-bones  are  strongly 
marked  and  broad,  but  not  high.  There  is 
very  little  hair  on  the  faces  of  the  men,  but 
that  of  the  head  is  long,  straight,  and  is  gen- 
erally allowed  to  hang  loosely  over  the 
shoulders,  though  it  is  sometimes  gathered 
into  a knot  at  the  back  of  the  head,  merely 
covered  by  a cap  or  a wreath  of  grass.  They 
are  very  proud  of  their  hair,  so  that  when 
an  Aht  has  been  guilty  of  some  otfence 
which  is  not  very  serious,  the  best  punish- 
ment is  to  cut  off  his  hair,  inasmuch  as  he 
will  be  an  object  of  constant  ridicule  until  it 
has  grown  again.  The  women  divide  their 
hair  in  the  middle,  and  tie  it  in  two  plaits, 
one  of  which  hangs  at  each  side  of  the  face, 
and  often  has  a piece  of  lead  suspended  to 
the  end  to  keep  it  straight.  Mr.  Sproat 
thinks  that  the  physical  characteristics  oi 
the  Ahts  have  been  modified  b}’-  means  of  a 
large  importation  of  Chinese,  which  took 
place  about  the  end  of  the  last  century,  and 
remarks  that  the  peculiar  Chinese  eye  is 
sometimes  seen  among  these  natives.  Still, 
even  if  this  be  the  fact,  the  modification  can 
be  but  slight,  as  both  people  are  undoubt- 
edly members  of  the  same  great  race,  though 
altered  by  the  conditions  in  which  they 
have  respectively  been  placed. 

Some  of  the  women  have  a hideously  ugly 
ornament  which  they  wear  in  their  under 
lip,  just  as  do  the  Botocudos  of  Tropical 
America.  This  practice  exists  only  among 
the  northern  tribes,  where  it  is  carried  out 
to  an  enormous  extent.  As  the  size  of  the 
ornament  is  gradually  increased  from  child- 
hood, the  lip  of  an  old  woman  wilT  contain 
an  oval  ornament  three  inches  long  by  two 
wide.  There  is  a shallow  groove  round  the 
edge  so  as  to  keep  it  in  its  place,  and  both 
sides  are  slightly  concave.  Sometimes  it  is 
used  as  a spoon,  the  woman  putting  on  it  a 
piece  of  meat  that  is  too  hot,  and,  when  it 
is  cool,  turning  it  into  her  mouth  by  a con- 
traction of  the  lip. 

The  value  that  is  set  upon  this  horrible 
disfigurement  is  almost  ludicrous,  a woman’s 
rank  being  due  to  the  size  of  her  lip  orna- 
ment. Possibly,  on  account  of  the  long  time 
which  must  be  occupied  in  stretching  the 
orifice  in  the  lip  to  the  required  size,  the 
opinion  of  a woman  with  a large  lip  is  always 
held  in  respect  ; and,  if  she  should  be  op- 
posed by  a younger  person  of  her  own  sex, 
she  will  contemptuously  decline  to  enter 
65 


into  argument  with  a woman  who  has  so 
small  a lip.  Some  of  them  wear  a shell  or- 
nament, like  the  stem  of  a clay  tobacco-pipe, 
one  or  two  inches  long,  stuck  through  the 
lip  and  projecting  forward  at  a considerable 
angle  with  the  chin.  This  ornament  is 
called  the  hai-qua. 

As  for  clothing,  the  men  wear  a sort  of 
robe  made  by  themselves,  for  which  they 
have  in  later  days  substituted  an  European 
blanket.  They  arc  not  at  all  particular  as 
to  the  disposal  of  this  robe,  and  even  if  it 
should  fall  off  do  not  trouble  themselves. 
The  women  also  wear  the  blanket,  but  al- 
ways have  a small  apron  in  addition  to  it. 
In  their  canoes  they  wear  a cape.  It  is 
made  of  cedar-bark  string,  and  is  woven  in 
nearly  the  same  manner  as  the  mat  of  the 
New  Zealander,  which  has  already  been 
described;  namely,  by  stretching  the  warp 
threads  parallel  to  each  other  on  a frame, 
and  tying  them  together  at  intervals  with  a 
cross-thread  which  represents  the  woof.  A 
specimen  in  my  collection  has  the  cross- 
threads at  intervals  of  half  an  inch. 

It  is  shaped  exactly  like  the  cross  section 
of  a boat,  straight  above,  and  rounded  below. 
It  measures  five  feet  three  inches  in  width, 
and  three  feet  six  inches  in  depth  in  the 
centre.  As  is  usual  with  such  robes,  the 
upper  edge  is  adorned  with  a strip  of  marten 
fur  a quarter  of  an  inch  wide,  wound  spirally 
round  the  selvage  so  as  to  form  quite  a thick 
rope  of  fur.  These  capes  are  the  work  of 
the  women,  who  have  the  manufacture  of  all 
the  clothing.  Fur  bags  are  made  by  the 
simple  process  of  skinning  the  marten,  the 
body  being  then  extricated  through  a cut 
made  across  the  abdomen  just  below  the  tail. 
As  the  skin  comes  off  it  is  reversed,  and  when 
dry  and  properly  dressed  it  is  turned  with  the 
fur  outward,  and  the  bag  is  complete,  the  tail 
serving  as  a handle.  One  of  these  bags  in 
my  collection  was  presented  to  me  by  Lieut. 
Puscy. 

The  woof  thread  is  also  made  of  the  white 
pine  bark,  and  the  needle  is  nothing  more 
than  a sharpened  twig.  The  same  useful 
materials  are  also  employed  for  the  curious 
hats  which  the  natives  wear  in  their  canoes. 
These  hats  are  made  on  the  principle  of  the 
sailors’  “ sou’-westers,”  and  are  fashioned  so 
as  to  shoot  rain  off  the  shoulders.  The  outside 
of  the  hat  is  made  of  cedar  bark,  and  the  in- 
side of  white  pine  bark. 

Dependi]^g  largely  upon  animal  food  for 
their  nourishment,  the  Aht  tribes  arc  expert 
hunters,  and  make  very  ingenious  weapons, 
some  of  which  are  shown  in  the  illustrations 
on  page  1357,  drawn  from  my  own  specimens. 

The  bow  and  arrows  used  by  these  people 
are  worthy  of  a brief  description.  The  bow 
is  an  admirable  specimen  of  savage  art,  and 
must  be  the  result  of  long  experience.  It  is 
four  feet  three  inches  in  length,  and  made  of 
one  piece  of  wood.  In  general  shape  it  re- 


1356 


THE  AHTS  AND  NEIGHBORING  TRIBES. 


sembles  the  how  of  the  Andamans,  though 
it  is  not  of  such  gigantic  dimensions.  In  the 
middle  the  wood  is  rounded,  so  as  to  form  a 
handle  which  is  nearly  four  inches  in  cir- 
cumference. From  the  handle  to  the  tips, 
the  wood  is  gradually  flattened  and  widened 
tor  about  fourteen  inches,  where  it  is  just 
two  inches  wide.  From  this  point  it  grad- 
ually lessens  again  to  the  tip,  which  is 
rounded  and  thickened,  so  as  to  receive  the 
notch  for  the  string. 

W ere  no  addition  made  to  the  bow  it  would 
still  be  a very  powerful  weapon,  but  the 
maker  has  not  been  satisfied  with  the  simple 
wood,  and  has  strengthened  it  with  a wonder- 
fully complex  arrangement  of  strings  made 
of  twisted  sinews.  In  my  specimen  there 
are  rather  more  than  fifty  of  these  strings, 
which  are  laid  on  the  bow  and  interwoven 
with  each  other  in  a manner  so  strong  and 
neat,  that  the  most  skilful  sailor  miglit  be 
envious  of  such  a piece  of  handiwork.  Each 
of  these  strings  is  double,  the  two  strands 
being  about  as  large  as  thin  whipcord,  and 
when  seen  against  the  light  they  are  quite 
translucent. 

They  are  put  on  in  the  following  manner. 
Two  deep  notches,  parallel  to  the  line  of  the 
bow,  are  made  at  each  tip,  these  notches 
serving  two  purposes  : first,  the  reception  of 
the  bow-strings,  and  next  the  support  of  the 
strengthening  strings.  Eight  of  the  strings, 
measuring  about  eleven  feet  in  length,  have 
been  doubled,  the  loop  passed  over  the  tip  of 
the  bow,  and  the  strings  led  along  the  back 
over  the  corresponding  notch  at  the  other 
tip,  and  brought  back  to  the  middle.  These 
strings  lie  parallel  to  each  other,  and  form 
a flat  belt  from  one  end  of  the  bow  to  the 
other.  About  an  inch  below  the  tip,  three 
other  sets  of  strings  are  fastened  in  a some- 
what similar  manner,  so  that  four  distinct 
layers  of  strings  run  throughout  the  length 
of  the  weapon. 


Even  these  have  not  sufficed  the  maker, 
who  has  added  six  more  layers  starting  from, 
the  widest  and  flattest  part  of  the  bow,  so  that 
nearly  three  feet  of  the  centre  of  the  weapon 
are  strengthened  by  no  less  than  twelve 
layers  of  sinew  strings.  By  referring  to  the 
illustration,  the  reader  will  perceive  the  ex- 
treme ingenuity  with  which  the  strings  are 
laid  on  the  bow,  so  that  whether  the  weapon 
be  bent  or  unstrung,  they  all  keep  their 
places.  So  firmly  are  they  lashed  to  the  bow, 
that  even  when  it  is  unstrung  they  are  all  as 
tight  as  harp  strings. 

The  string  of  the  bow  is  made  of  the  same 
material  as  those  which  strengthen  the  back, 
and  in  consequence  of  the  very  great  strength 
of  the  material,  it  is  much  thinner  than  the 
string  of  an  ordinary  archer’s  bow.  It  is 
made  of  two  strands,  each  strand  being  about 
as  large  as  the  back  strings. 

By  referring  to  illustration  No.  3,  on  the 
next  page,  a good  idea  can  be  gained  of  this 
singulai-xy  ingenious  weapon.  At  first  the 
bow  is  seen  as  it  appears  when  strung,  fig.  3 
giving  a section  of  the  wood.  At  fig.  2 is  an 
enlarged  representation  of  one  end  of  the  bow, 
so  as  to  show  the  manner  in  wdiich  the  vari- 
ous sets  of  strings  are  fastened.  At  the  up- 
per part  are  seen  the  strings  which  form 
the  first  layer,  passing  over  the  end  of  the 
bow,  and  filling  up  the  notch  in  which  they 
lie.  Just  below  the  tip  come  the  second  and 
third  sets,  which  pass  down  the  bow,  where 
they  are  met  by,  and  interwoven  with,  the 
remainder  of  the  strings,  the  whole  of  them 
being  gathered  in  the  rope  with  its  spiral 
building.  This  beautiful  weapon  was  added 
to  my  collection  by  Lieut.  Pusey,  R.  N. 

The  arrows  are  of  various  kinds,  according 
to  the  object  for  which  they  are  intended. 
That  which  is  used  for  ordinary  occasions  is 
shown  in  the  uppermost  figure  of  the  illus- 
1 tration.  It  is  two  feet  three  inches  in  length, 
1 and  is  headed  with  bone. 


ARROWS. 


There  is  a peculiarity  about  these  arrows 
which  is  worthy  of  notice.  Some  time  ago 
an  arrow  was  patented  in  England,  which 
had  the  feathers  placed  spirally  upon  the  end 
of  the  shaft,  so  as  to  give  it  a rapidly  revolv- 
ing movement  when  discharged  from  the 
how.  The  principle  was  exactly  that  of  the 
screw  which  is  applied  to  steam  vessels;  and 
those  who  used  the  arrow  acknowledged  that 
the  spiral  setting  of  the  feathers  not  only 
increased  the  power  of  flight,  but  enabled 
the  archer  to  drive  his  arrow  through  the 


wind  with  greater  ease  and  certainty  than 
could  be  obtained  with  the  ordinarily  feath- 
ered arrow.  There  is  a very  old  saying  that 
there  is  nothing  new  under  the  sun,  and  this 
is  the  case  with  the  arrow  in  question,  the 
savages  of  Northern  America  having  adopted 
the  same  principle  long  ago.  In  their  arrows 
the  feathers  are  set  spirally,  with  a bold  curve, 
and  there  is  really  no  difference  between  the 
weapon  of  the  savage  and  the  toy  of  civiliza- 
tion, than  the  greater  neatness  and  higher 
finish  of  the  latter. 


(3.)  BOW  OF  THE  AHTS. 
(See  pag-e  1356.) 


(5.)  HEADDRESS. 
(See  page  1365.) 


(C.)  PADDLES. 
(See  page  1.363.) 


(1867) 


UBO'fliy 
Of  THE 


l”?5”E^S)Ty 


INGENIOUS  FISH  ARROW. 


1359 


The  lower  figure  represents  the  arrow 
which  is  used  for  killing  fish.  In  this  weap- 
on the  point  is  also  of  bone,  but  is  very 
much  longer,  and  is  double,  the  two  halves 
diverging  considerably  from  each  other,  and 
being  barbed  on  the  inner  surface.  It  is 
firmly  lashed  to  the  shaft,  and  their  diver- 
gence is  given  by  means  of  two  pegs,  which 
are  driven  between  the  shaft  and  the  two 
portions  of  the  point.  If  a fish  be  struck  by 
this  ingenious  weapon,  it  cannot  possibly 
escape,  the  elastic  points  contracting  vio- 
lently and  holding  the  fish  between  them. 

It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  a police  spear 
made  exactly  on  the  same  principle  is  used 
by  the  Malays.  It  consists  of  a handle  some 
seven  feet  long,  from  the  end  of  which  pro- 
ject two  diverging  points.  The  inner  side 
of  each  point  is  armed  with  a row  of  very 
sharp  barbs,  all  directed  backward.  Thorns 
are  often  used  for  this  purpose.  Should  a 
criminal  try  to  escape,  the  police  officer  has 
only  to  thrust  his  spear  against  the  back  of 
the  man’s  neck,  when  he  is  at  once  a pris- 
oner, the  barbed  points  effectually  prevent- 
ing him  from  escaping,  even  should  the  offi- 
cer drop  his  weapon.  The  zoological  reader 
will  remember  that  the  teeth  of  the  snake 
and  of  many  fish  — the  pike,  for  example  — 
are  set  on  exactly  the  same  principle. 

In  some  specimens  the  head  is  fitted 
loosely  on  the  shaft,  and  connected  with  it 
by  means  of  a string,  which  is  wound  spi- 
rally round  it,  and  when  the  fish  is  struck 
the  head  is  shaken  off  the  shaft,  which 
serves  both  as  a drag  to  aid  in  tiring  the 
fish,  and  as  a float  by  which  its  presence 
may  be  indicated. 

The  most  ingenious  of  these  arrows  is 
used  for  shooting  seals  and  the  larger  fish, 
and  is  very  elaborately  constructed.  It  meas- 
ures about  four  feet  in  length,  and  is  almost 
deserving  of  the  name  of  harpoon  rather  than 
arrow. 

The  shaft  is  made  of  very  light  wood,  and 
is  about  as  thick  as  a man’s  finger.  At  the 
butt-end  it  is  feathered  in  the  usual  manner, 
and  at  the  other  it  is  terminated  by  a pear- 
shaped  piece  of  bone  an  inch  in  diameter  at 
the  thickest  part.  Into  the  end  of  this  bone 
is  bored  a small  conical  hole,  which  receives 
the  head.  This  is  also  made  of  bone,  and 
is  very  small  in  comparison  with  the  arrow, 
and  is  furnished  with  two  deeply  cut  barbs. 
As  is  the  case  with  all  harpoon  weapons, 
the  head  is  connected  with  the  shaft  by  a 
line,  but  in  this  case  there  is  a peculiarity 
about  the  line  and  its  mode  of  attachment. 

Instead  of  being  a mere  double-strand 
string,  it  is  made  of  a number  of  fibres  ar- 
ranged in  three  strands,  and  plaited,  not 
twisted  together,  so  as  to  form  a flat  line, 
which  possesses  enormous  strength  com- 
bined with  great  elasticity  and  small  size. 
The  mode  of  attachment  is  as  ingenious  as 
the  method  of  manufacture.  The  line  is  a 
double  one,  measuring  twelve  feet  in  length. 


The  line  is  first  doubled,  the  loop  is  put 
through  a hole  in  the  point  and  over  the 
head,  so  as  to  secure  it,  and  the  two  halves 
of  the  line  are  then  lashed  together  about 
eighteen  inches  from  the  point.  One  end  is 
then  fastened  to  the  arrow  just  below  the 
feathers,  and  the  other  to  the  shaft  just 
above  the  bone  tip.  The  object  of  this  ar- 
rangement is  evident.  As  soon  as  a seal  is 
struck,  it  dashes  off,  shaking  the  shaft  from 
the  barbed  head,  which  remains  in  its  body. 
W ere  the  line  simply  tied  to  the  end  of  the 
shaft,  the  wounded  creature  would  easily  drag 
it  through  the  water.  But,  as  the  line  is  fas- 
tened to  each  end  of  the  shaft  and  to  the 
head  besides,  when  the  latter  transfixes 
a seal  it  is  separated  from  the  shaft,  and 
the  shaft  is  drawn  crosswise  through  the 
water,  presenting  so  great  a resistance  that 
the  seal  becomes  exhausted  with  its  una- 
vailing struggles,  and  comes  to  the  surface, 
where  it  is  despatched  with  a second  or  third 
weapon. 

Besides  the  harpoon  and  fish  arrow,  these 
people  also  use  the  hook  (see  page  1357), 
which  is  quite  as  ingenious  in  its  way  as 
the  implements  which  have  been  described. 
The  body  of  the  hook  is  of  wood,  and  is  ex- 
actly in  the  shape  of  the  capital  letter  U. 
The  point  bends  slightly  outward,  and  is 
charred  at  the  tip  to  render  it  harder.  It  is 
also  defended  and  strengthened  by  a band 
of  very  tough  vegetable  fibre,  which  covers 
it  for  about  three  inches.  The  barb  is  a 
piece  of  bone,  about  five  inches  in  length, 
sharpened  like  a needle  at  the  point.  This 
barb  is  not  attached  to  the  point,  as  is  the 
case  with  the  generality  of  hooks,  but  is 
fastened  to  the  shank,  and  is  so  long  that 
its  tip  reaches  to'  the  middle  of  the  hook. 

At  first  sight  this  seems  a very  inadequate 
arrangement  for  securing  fish,  and  looks  as 
if  the  creature  could  easily  slip  off  the  un- 
guarded point.  If,  however,  the  hook,  which 
is  a very  large  one,  be  tested,  it  will  be  found 
astonishingly  efficacious.  If  the  point  be  in- 
serted between  the  fingers,  as  it  would  be 
inserted  into  the  jaws  of  a fish,  and  then 
brought  upward,  it  will  be  found  that  the 
sharp  barb  effectually  prevents  the  hook 
from  being  withdrawn. 

There  is  one  effect  of  this  mode  of  fixing 
the  barb  which  may  or  may  not  have  been 
intended.  Should,  by  any  accident,  the  line 
become  entangled  with  the  hook,  and  re- 
verse it,  the  fish  is  quite  as  secure,  the  long, 
straight  barb  forming  a second  hook,  to  which 
it  is  transferred.  The  body  of  this  hook  is 
made  of  the  Douglas  pine,  and  it  is  brought 
into  shape  by  steaming.  The  hook  is  chiefly 
used  for  catShing  the  halibut,  as,  for  some 
reason,  the  Ahts  will  not  use  a steel  hook  in 
the  capture  of  this  fish. 

There  is  plenty  of  game,  both  large  and 
small,  in  these  regions,  though  the  chase  is 
in  all  cases  a severe  one,  and  tests  not  only 
the  skill  but  the  endurance  of  the  hunter. 


1360 


THE  AIITS  AND  NEIGHBOKING  TKIBES. 


There  is,  for  example,  the  black  bear,  which 
is  a most  valuable  animal,  its  fur  being  used 
for  clothing,  and  its  flesh  for  food.  Bear 
hunting  is  not  carried  on  at  all  times  of  the 
year,  but  is  genei'ally  followed  toward  the 
end  of  autumn,  when  the  bears  are  fat,  and 
about  to  enter  their  winter  quarters.  Some- 
times the  Ahts  wait  until  the  bear  has  gone 
into  retirement,  and  then  spear  it  in  its  win- 
ter home.  Traps  arc  in  great  favor,  because 
they  do  not  spoil  the  skin.  They  are  very 
simple;  the  trap  consisting  of  a tree  trunk 
lieavily  loaded  with  stones,  and  suspended 
at  one  end  over  the  animal’s  track.  It  is 
kept  in  position  by  a trigger,  to  which  is 
attached  a slight  rope  crossing  the  track. 
It  is  always  placed  in  some  spot  where  a 
large  stump  or  the  root  of  a flillen  tree  al- 
lows the  trap  to  be  set  without  disturbing 
the  appearance  of  the  track. 

Then  there  are  one  or  two  deer,  the  lar- 
gest of  which  is  the  wapiti,  commonly  but 
erroneously  called  the  elk.  The  hunter 
generally  takes  it  by  following  its  track,  and 
stalking  it  as  it  feeds,  when  the  powerful 
bow  drives  an  arrow  to  its  heart.  The  skill 
of  the  hunter  is  shown  as  much  after  the 
deer  is  dead  as  during  the  actual  chase. 
Captain  Mayne  mentions  that  he  has  seen  a 
wapiti  killed,  and  in  a quarter  of  an  hour  it 
has  been  skinned,  the  whole  of  the  flesh  re- 
m(/ved  from  the  bones,  and  the  skin  con- 
verted into  moccasins.  The  natives  have 
rather  a strange  way  of  carrying  the  meat. 
At  their  first  halt  after  killing  a deer,  they 
cut  the  meat  into  pieces  two  or  three  inches 
square,  transfix  them  with  a long  stick,  and 
carry  the  stick  upon  their  shoulder,  every 
now  and  then  pulling  off  a piece  and  eating 
it  as  they  go  along.  In  this  manner  the 
flesh  of  a deer  vanishes  in  a wonderfully 
short  time.  Very  little  meat  is  preserved, 
the  Ahts  generally  eating  it  as  soon  as  the 
animal  is  killed. 

As  to  the  fish,  there  are  so  many  that  only 
one  or  two  can  be  mentioned.  The  salmon 
is  the  fish  that  seems  to  be  the  most  valued 
by  these  fish-eating  tribes,  and  it  is  caught, 
as  with  us,  in  a variety  of  ways.  Sometimes 
the  natives  use  a rather  curious  fish  spear, 
about  fifteen  feet  long  in  the  shaft,  and  with 
a double  head,  made  of  wapiti  bone.  The 
head  is  only  slightly  fixed  in  the  shaft,  to 
which  it  is  attached  by  a line,  as  in  the  harpoon 
arrow  already  described.  Should  the  fish  be 
a very  heavy  one,  the  hunter  merely  ties  to 
the  line  a number  of  inflated  bladders,  and 
causes  it  to  tire  itself  by  useless  struggles 
before  he  risks  the  fracture  of  the  line  or  loss 
of  the  barbed  head,  one  or  both  of  which 
events  would  probably  happen  if  he  were  to 
try  to  secure  a fresh  and  powerful  fish. 

Sometimes,  when  the  fish  are  plentiful, 
they  are  caught  by  dropping  among  them  a 
stick  armed  with  barbed  points,  and  jerking 
it  upward  sharply,  until  it  impales  a fish  on 
one  or  other  of  these  points. 


“ Burning  the  water  ” is  employed  in 
catching  salmon,  and  is  carried  on  by  two 
natives,  one  of  whom  paddles  the  canoe,  while 
the  other  stands  in  the  bow,  where  a torch 
is  kept  burning,  and  strikes  the  fish  as  they 
glide  through  the  water.  Mr.  Sproat  men- 
tions that  a single  canoe  has  been  known 
to  bring  back  forty  fine  salmon  as  the  result 
of  a day’s  fishing.  Salmon  traps  are  also 
employed.  These  are  made  after  a fashion 
closely  resembling  that  of  the  eel-traps  used 
in  this  country.  They  are  double  baskets, 
externally  cylindrical,  and  are  set  with  their 
mouths  directed  down  the  stream.  When 
the  fish  try  to  pass  up  the  stream  they  enter 
the  basket,  and,  as  the  inner  basket  is  very 
much  shorter  than  the  other,  shaped  like  a 
sugar-loaf,  the  salmon  finds  itself  imprisoned 
between  them.  Some  of  these  baskets  meas- 
ure as  much  as  twenty  feet  in  length,  and 
five  feet  in  diameter,  so  that  they  will  con- 
tain a considerable  number  of  fish. 

One  of  the  oddest  fishing  instruments  is 
that  by  which  the  herring  is  caught.  This 
is  a pole  about  ten  feet  in  length,  flattened 
at  one  end  like  the  blade  of  an  oar,  and 
armed  along  the  edge  with  projecting  spikes. 
When  the  fisherman  gets  among  a shoal  of 
herrings,  he  plunges  his  pole  into  the  mass 
of  fish,  draws  it  through  them  with  a pecul- 
iar movement  of  the  arms,  so  as  to  transfix 
the  herrings  on  the  spikes,  and  then  shakes 
them  into  his  boat.  By  this  mode  of  fishing, 
which  is  called  “ herring-raking,”  great  num- 
bers of  fish  are  taken,  as  well  as  by  the  net, 
which  is  ingeniously  made  from  fibre  ob- 
tained from  a native  nettle,  which  reaches 
eight  or  ten  feet  in  height. 

The  Ahts  are  such  keen  fishermen  that 
they  will  often  endanger  the  safety  of  their 
canoes  by  the  quantity  of  fish  with  which 
they  will  heap  them,  so  that  the  gunwales  are 
sunk  within  an  inch  or  so  of  the  water's 
edge.  In  calm  weather  they  can  manage 
well  enough,  even  with  such  a burden  as 
this;  but  if  the  wind  should  get  uji  before 
they  can  reach  the  shore,  the  danger  is  very 
great.  Should  such  an  event  happen,  these 
enterprising  fishermen  will  not  throw  their 
cargo  overboard  to  save  the  boat,  but  will 
fasten  all  the  the  spare  floats  round  the  ca- 
noe, so  as  to  keep  it  from  sinking  even  if 
it  be  filled  with  water. 

There  is  scarcely  any  end  to  the  use  which 
is  made  by  the  Ahts  of  these  floats,  and 
with  their  aid  they  will  attack  and  conquer 
even  the  gigantic  whale.  The  following 
account  of  their  mode  of  whale  fishing  is 
written  by  Mr.  G.  M.  Sproat:  — “ A whale- 
chase  is  an  affair  of  some  moment.  The 
kind  of  whale  commonly  seen  on  the  coast 
was  described  by  an  old  whaling  skipper  as 
‘ finner,’  in  which  there  is  not  much  oil.  The 
season  for  fishing  whales  commences  about 
the  end  of  May  or  in  June.  Many  whales 
are  killed  every  season  by  the  Nitinahts, 
who  live  principally  on  the  seaboard  near 


WHALE  FISHING. 


1361 


Barclay  or  Nitinaht’s  Sound.  This  tribe 
has  a custom,  which  I have  not  observed 
elsewhere,  of  separating  during  spring  and 
summer  into  small  parties,  each  under  a 
separate  head,  but  all  still  continuing  under 
the  chieftaincy  of  the  principal  chief  of  the 
tribe. 

“Months  beforehand  preparations  are 
made  for  the  whale  fishing,  which  is  consid- 
ered almost  a sacred  season.  I particularly 
noticed  this  circumstance  from  having,  in 
my  boyhood,  heard  of  the  Manx  custom,  in 
which  all  the  crews  of  the  herring  fleet  in- 
voke a blessing  before  ‘shooting’  their  her- 
ring-nets. The  honor  of  using  the  harpoon  in 
an  Aht  tribe  is  enjoyed  but  by  few, — about 
a dozen  in  the  tribe,  — who  inherit  the  privi- 
lege. Instances,  however,  are  known  of  the 
privilege  having  been  acquired  by  merit. 

“ Eight  or  nine  men,  selected  by  the  har- 
pooner,  form  the  crew  of  his  canoe.  For 
several  moons  before  the  fishing  begins, 
these  men  are  compelled  to  abstain  from 
their  usual  food;  they  live  away  from  their 
wives,  wash  their  bodies  morning,  noon,  and 
night,  and  rub  their  skins  with  twigs  or  a 
rough  stone.  If  a canoe  is  damaged  or  cap- 
sized by  a whale,  or  any  accident  happens 
during  the  fishing  season,  it  is  assumed  that 
some  of  the  crew  have  failed  in  their  pre- 
paratory offices,  and  a very  strict  inquiry  is 
instituted  by  the  chief  men  of  the  tribe. 
Witnesses  are  examined,  and  an  investigation 
made  into  the  domestic  affairs  of  the  accused 
persons.  Should  any  inculpatory  circum- 
stance appear,  the  delinquent  is  severely 
dealt  with,  and  is  often  deprived  of  his 
rank  and  placed  under  a ban  for  months. 

“ When  the  whales  approach  the  coast, 
the  fishermen  are  out  all  day,  let  the  wind 
blow  high  or  not.  The  canoes  have  dif- 
ferent cruising  grounds,  some  little  dis- 
tance apart.  The  Indian  whaling  gear  con- 
sists of  harpoons,  lines,  inflated  seal-skins, 
and  wooden  or  bone  spears.  The  harpoon 
is  often  made  of  a piece  of  the  iron  hoop  of 
an  ale  cask,  cut  with  a chisel  into  the  shape 
of  a harpoon  blade,  two  barbs  fashioned 
from  the  tips  of  deer-horns  being  affixed  to 
this  blade  with  gum.  Close  to  the  harpoon 
the  line  is  of  deer  sinews.  To  this  the  main 
line  is  attached,  which  is  generally  made  of 
cedar  twigs  laid  together  as  thick  as  a three- 
inch  rope.  Large  inflated  skins  are  fastened 
to  this  line  about  twelve  feet  from  the 


harpoon.  The  weapon  itself  is  then  tied 
slightly  to  a yew  handle  ten  feet  long. 

“ On  getting  close,  the  harpooner,  from 
the  bow  of  his  canoe,  throws  his  harpoon  at 
the  whale  with  full  force.  As  soon  as  the 
barb  enters,  the  fastening  of  the  wooden 
handle,  being  but  slight,  breaks,  and  be- 
comes detached  from  tlie  lino.  The  natives 
raise  a yell,  and  the  whale  dives  quickly,  ljut 
the  seal-skins  impede  his  movements.  Very 
long  lengths  of  line  are  ke})t  in  the  canoes, 
and  sometimes  the  lines  from  several  canoes 
are  joined.  On  the  re-appearance  of  the 
whale  on  the  surface,  he  is  attacked  from 
the  nearest  canoe;  and  thus,  finally,  forty  or 
fifty  large  buoys  are  attached  to  his  body. 
He  struggles  violently  for  a time,  and  beats 
and  lashes  the  water  in  all  directions,  until, 
weakened  by  loss  of  blood,  and  fatigued  by 
his  exertions,  he  ceases  to  struggle,  and  the 
natives  despatch  him  with  their  short  spears. 
The  whale  is  then  taken  in  tow  by  the  whole 
fleet  of  canoes,  the  crews  yelling  and  sing- 
ing, and  keeping  time  with  their  paddles. 

“■  Sometimes,  after  being  harpooned,  the 
whale  escapes,  and  takes  ropes,  harpoons, 
seal-skins,  and  everything  with  him.  Should 
he  die  from  his  wounds,  and  be  found  by 
another  tribe  at  sea,  or  on  shore  within  the 
territorial  limits  of  the  finders,  the  instru- 
ments are  returned  to  the  losers,  with  a large 
piece  of  the  fish  as  a present.  Many  dis- 
putes arise  between  tribes  on  the  finding  of 
dead  whales  near  the  undefined  boundaries 
of  the  tribal  territories.  If  the  quarrel  is 
serious,  all  intercourse  ceases,  trade  is  for- 
bidden, and  war  is  threatened.  Ey  and  by, 
when  the  loss  of  trade  is  felt,  negotiation  is 
tried.  An  envoy  is  selected  who  is  of  high 
rank  in  his  own  tribe,  and,  if  possible,  con- 
nected with  the  other  tribe  by  marriage, 
lie  is  usually  a quiet  man  of  fluent  speech. 
Wearing  white  eagle  feathers  in  his  head- 
dress as  a mark  of  peace,  he  departs  in  a 
small  canoe.  Only  one  female  attendant, 
generally  an  old  slave,  accompanies  him,  to 
assist  in  paddling,  as  the  natives  never  risk 
two  men  on  such  occasions.  The  envoy’s 
return  is  anxiously  awaited.  As  a general 
rule,  the  first  proposition  is  rejected.  Ob- 
jections, references,  counter  proposals,  fre- 
quently make  three  or  four  embassies  neces- 
sary before  the  question  can  be  settled.  By 
that  time  the  blubber  must  be  very  ran- 
cid.” 


Canoe  or  the  Ahts.  (See  page  1362.) 


CHAPTER  CXLIII 


VANCOUVER’S  ISLAND  — Conimu«<2. 

THE  AHTS  AND  NEIGHBORING  TRIBES — Continued, 


MANUFACTURE  OF  CANOES —CORRECT  EYE  OF  THE  NATIVE  BUILDERS  — MATERIAL  AND  SHAPE  OF  THE 
PADDLE — MODE  OF  USING  IT — PATTERN  WITH  WHICH  IT  IS  DECORATED  — “CUTTING”  THE 
WAVES  — SKILL  AND  ENDURANCE  OF  THE  PADDLERS  — ESCAPE  OF  A NATIVE  — FEASTS  AMONG 
THE  AHT  TRIBES — METHOD  OF  COOKING — THE  WOODEN  POTS  AND  HEATED  STONES  — HOW  “ THE 
INDIANS  died” — DISTRIBUTION  OF  PROPERTY,  AND  ITS  CONSEQUENT  DESTRUCTION — SACRED 
CHARACTER  OF  A FEAST  — THE  SACRED  MARKS — THE  ARTIFICIAL  SNOW-STORM  — THE  DOCTOR’S 
DANCE — ADMIRABLE  ACTING  — SIMULATED  MURDER  AND  RECOVERY  OF  THE  CORPSE  — THE 
ROOF  DANCE. 


The  canoes  in  which  the  Aht  tribes  make 
their  expeditions  are  carved  out  of  solid 
.wood.  The  tree  which  is  employed  for  this 
purpose  is  a kind  of  cedar  {Thuja  gigantea), 
which  flourishes  by  the  sea.  "When  a native 
wishes  to  make  a canoe,  he  looks  out  for  a 
good  tree  as  near  as  possible  to  the  water, 
and,  with  the  assistance  of  a comrade,  cuts 
it  down.  ISTow  that  he  has  European  tools, 
he  can  fell  a tree  with  some  rapidity,  but  in 
the  olden  times,  when  his  sole  tool  was  a 
sort  of  chisel  made  of  wapiti  horn,  it  was  a 
very  slow  process  indeed.  The  only  way  of 
using  this  primitive  instrument  was  by  plac- 
ing the  edge  of  the  chisel  against  the  tree, 
and  striking  the  butt  with  a heavy  stone, 
shaped  something  like  a dumb-bell. 

The  tree  being  felled,  the  bark  is  stripped 
off,  and  the  trunk  split  lengthwise  by  wedges. 
The  next  process  is  to  hollow  out  the  inside, 
which  is  done  entirely  by  hand,  fire  not 
being  employed,  as  is  the  case  with  m luy 
savage  tribes.  The  outside  is  then  dubbed 
down  to  the  proper  thickness  by  means  of 
an  adze  formed  of  a large  mussel-shell  fixed 
in  a handle.  In  this  work  the  natives  use 
no  measuring  tools,  but  trust  entirely  to  the 
eye;  yet  their  work  is  so  true  that,  when  the 
boat  is  completed,  it  sits  lightly  on  the  water, 
and  is  well  balanced.  Any  of  my  readers 
who  have  made  even  a toy" boat  will  appre- 
ciate the  difficulty  of  this  task. 

In  about  three  weeks  or  so  the  canoe  is 
roughly  hewn  and  hollowed,  and  then  comes 

(1362) 


a more  difficult  business,  namely,  the  bring- 
ing it  into  the  peculiar  shape  which  the 
Ahts  think  to  be  the  best.  This  is  done  by 
filling  the  canoe  with  water,  and  throwing 
redhot  stones  into  it  till  the  water  boils. 
This  part  of  the  process  is  continued  for  a 
considerable  time,  until  the  wood  is  quite 
soft,  and  then  a number  of  crosspieces  are 
driven  into  the  interior,  so  as  to  force  the 
canoe  into  its  proper  shape,  which  it  retains 
ever  afterward. 

While  the  canoe  is  still  soft  and  compara- 
tively pliant,  several  slight  crosspieces  are 
inserted,  so  as  to  counteract  any  tendency 
toward  warping.  The  outside  of  the  vessel 
is  next  hardened  by  fire,  so  as  to  enable  it  to 
resist  the  attacks  of  insects,  and  also  to  pre- 
vent it  from  cracking  when  exposed  to  the 
sun.  Lastly,  the  bow  and  stem  pieces  are 
fixed  to  the  canoe,  and  the  interior  is  painted 
of  some  brilliant  color,  usually  red.  The 
outside  is  generally  quite  black  and  highly 
polished,  this  effect  being  produced  by  rub- 
bing it  plentifully  with  oil  after  the  fire  has 
done  its  work.  Lastly,  a pattern  of  some 
kind  is  generally  painted  on  the  bow  and 
stern. 

The  figure  on  page  1361  will  give  the  reader 
a good  idea  of  the  form  of  this  canoe.  It  is 
drawn  from  a large  model  brought  from 
Vancouver’s  Island  by  Lieut.  Pusey,  and 
added  by  him  to  my  collection.  In  this 
specimen  the  patterns  at  the  bow  and  stem 
are  red  and  blue.  As  is  mostly  the  case  with 


SKILL  OF  THE  PADDLEKS. 


1363 


canoes  made  by  savages,  there  is  no  keel  to 
the  boat. 

The  paddle  by  which  the  canoe  is  pro- 
pelled is  a singularly  ingenious  one,  combin- 
ing the  three  qualities  of  lightness,  elastic- 
ity, and  strength  to  a really  remarkable 
extent.  The  paddle  represented  in  fig.  1 of 
illustration  Ko.  C,  on  page  1357,  is  one  of  the 
specimens  in  my  collection.  It  is  four  feet 
six  inches  in  length,  and  the  blade  is  about 
six  inches  wide  at  the  broadest  part.  It  is 
shaped  with  the  greatest  accuracy,  the  part 
where  it  is  grasped  by  the  left  hand  being 
nearly  cylindrical,  and  then  widening  grad- 
ually until  it.  forms  the  blade.  At  this  part 
it  is  very  thin  — so  thin,  in  fact,  that  it 
seems  scarcely  able  to  bear  the  strain  that 
is  put  upon  it  when  the  paddler  urges  his 
canoe  swiftly  over  the  water. 

The  lightness  of  such  a paddle  is  wonder- 
ful. The  specimen  which  is  figured  in  the 
illustration  only  weighs  eighteen  ounces, 
being  hardly  half  the  weight  of  a similarly 
sized  New  Zealand  paddle.  The  reader  will 
notice  the  peculiar  handle.  This  is  made  in 
order  to  suit  the  mode  of  paddling.  When 
the  Aht  gets  into  his  canoe,  he  grasps  the 
paddle  with  his  left  hand  about  eighteen 
inches  from  the  end,  and  places  his  right 
hand  upon  the  crosspiece  that  serves  as  a 
handle.  The  left  hand  thus  acts  as  a ful- 
crum ; upon  the  right  hand  works  the  lev- 
erage of  the  paddle.  Beside  this  paddle  is 
figured  another  from  the  Solomon  Islands, 
in  order  to  show  how  two  totally  distinct 
races  of  mankind  have  hit  upon  the  same 
invention.  There  is  even  a similarity  in 
the  form  of  their  canoes,  as  well  as  in  the 
shape  of  their  paddles. 

The  reader  will  observe  that  the  blade  of 
the  paddle  is  covered  with  a pattern  which 
extends  some  way  up  the  handle..  This  is 
the  work  of  the  women,  who  take  upon 
themselves  the,  decoration  of  the  paddles 
after  their  husbands  have  shaped  them. 
The  colors  employed  are  generally  black  and 
red,  the  latter  hue  being  obtained  by  a prep- 
aration of  annatto.  In  this  particular  spec- 
imen, red  is  the  chief  color,  the  large  oval 
marks  on  the  side  of  the  blade  and  on  the 
handle  being  red,  while  the  more  intricate 
pattern  on  the  blade  is  drawn  in  black. 

No  matter  what  may  be  the  color  of  the 
paddle,  the  pattern  is"  always  of  the  same 
character.  I have  no  doubt  in  my  mind 
that  it  is  really  a conventional  mode  of  de- 
picting the  human  face,  such  as  is  seen  upon 
the  work  of  many  extinct  races  of  mankind  ; 
and  although  at  a first  glance  the  semblance 
may  not  be  seen,  it  is  evident  to  a practised 
observer,  and  is,  moreover,  quite  in  charac- 
ter with  other  works  of  art  found  of  these 
people. 

The  broad,  flat,  sharp-edged  blade  of  the 
paddle  is  often  used  for  other  purposes  be- 
sides propelling  the  canoe.  It  has  already 
been  mentioned  that  the  Ahts  will  not  throw 


overboard  their  cargo  of  fish,  no  matter  how 
high  the  waves  may  roll,  or  how  deeply  the 
canoe  may  be  loaded.  They  watch  carefully 
for  the  waves,  and  if  one  of  them  comes  in 
such  a manner  that  it  would  dash  inboard, 
they  have  the  art  of  cutting  it  in  two  with  a 
blow  from  the  edge  of  the  paddle,  and  caus- 
ing it  to  fly  harmlessly  over  the  little  vessel. 

Both  in  making  canoes  and  in  other  work 
where  holes  have  to  be  bored,  the  Ahts 
make  use  of  a simple  drill,  formed  from  the 
bone  of  a bird,  fixed  in  a wooden  handle. 
When  it  is  used,  the  shaft  is  taken  between 
the  two  hands,  the  point  placed  on  the  ob- 
ject to  be  bored,  and  the  hands  moved  swift- 
ly backward  and  forward  until  the  hole  is 
made.  In  the  same  manner,  by  using  a 
stick  instead  of  a drill,  fire  is  produced,  pre- 
cisely as  is  done  by  the  Kaffirs. 

The  skill  of  the  paddlers  is  wonderful.  Mr. 
Sproat  mentions  the  escape  of  an  Aht  In- 
dian who  had  committed  several  murders, 
and  had  contrived  to  escape  from  custody. 
Finding  the  place  where  he  had  concealed 
himself,  a party  set  out  to  recapture  him, 
and  discovered  him  running  across  the  snow 
to  gain  the  shelter  of  a wood.  Had  he 
reached  it  he  would  have  been  safe,  so  one 
of  the  pursuers  chased  him,  and,  notwith- 
standing the  disadvantage  of  wearing  shoes, 
which  soon  became  clogged  by  the  snow, 
succeeded  in  gaining  on  him,  the  Ahts  be- 
ing, as  has  already  been  remarked,  very  poor 
runners. 

The  man  soon  perceived  that  he  was  no 
match  for  his  pursuer  in  running,  and  so, 
abandoning  his  intention  of  reaching  the 
wood,  he  turned  sharply  off  toward  the  river, 
flung  off  his  blanket,  and  leaped  into  the 
stream.  Presently  he  was  seen  making  his 
way  toward  a canoe  which  was  made  fast  to 
a drift  tree  in  the  river,  and  in  a short  time 
he  reached  it,  looked  eagerly  into  it  to  see 
if  there  were  a paddle,  scrambled  into  the 
boat,  cast  it  off,  and  paddled  away.  Mean- 
while two  of  his  pursuers  had  got  into  a 
canoe,  and  were  paddling  after  him,  so  that 
when  he  cast  the  boat  loose  they  were  not 
more  than  twenty  yards  from  him.  It  w^as, 
however,  quite  enough  for  the  fugitive,  wdio 
forced  his  canoe  up  the  stream  with  a power 
and  rapidity  wdiich  soon  increased  the  dis- 
tance bePveen  the  twm  boats,  and,  in  spite 
of  all  the  efforts  of  his  pursuers,  he  made 
his  way  to  the  bank  nearly  fifty  yards  ahead 
of  them.  A s soon  as  he  reached  the  shore, 
he  jumped  out  of  the  canoe,  and  dashed  into 
the  wood,  where  it  was  useless  to  follow 
him. 

Several  times  during  the  struggle  Mr. 
Sproat  had  the  man  covered  with  his  revol- 
ver, but  the  skill,  grace,  and  strength  of  the 
fugitive  were  so  admirable,  that,  much  to  the 
discontent  of  his  companions,  he  would  not 
fire.  He  remarks  that  in  such  a chase  as 
this  a white  man  has  no  chance  wdth  an  Aht, 
but  that  in  a long  race  on  the  sea  the  white 


1364 


THE  AHTS  AKD  KEIGHBORIKH  TRIBES. 


man  will  win,  his  powers  of  endurance  ex- 
ceeding those  of  the  savage. 

The  possession  of  a canoe  is  an  object  of 
much  ambition  among  the  Ahts,  as  it  con- 
fers upon  them  a sort  of  distinction,  and  is 
1 )oked  upon  much  as  is  the  possession  of  a 
carriage  among  ourselves.  Each  canoe  is 
furnished  with  a baling  instrument,  which 
is  always  made  of  wood.  It  is,  in  fact,  a 
lirge  spoon,  the  bowl  being  angular,  and 
shaped  something  like  the  gable  of  a house. 

The  domestic  manners  of  the  Ahts  are, 
from  Mr.  Sproat’s  account,  very  interesting, 
and,  as  he  remarks,  if  any  one  only  knew 
their  strange  language  well,  and  had  the 
stomach  and  the  nose  to  live  among  them 
during  the  winter  months,  he  would  obtain 
copious  information  respecting  them. 

Winter  is  the  time  mentioned,  because 
during  the  summer  the  men  are  generally 
dispersed  in  their  pursuit  of  game,  especially 
of  salmon,  which  they  dry  and  preserve  for 
Avinter  use.  But  about  November  they  re- 
turn to  their  homes,  and  a time  of  general 
feasting  and  enjo3’'ment  sets  in.  Cooking 
goes  on  all  day,  and  the  revellers  are  perpet- 
ually feasting,  while  during  times  of  work 
they  only  eat  twice  in  the  day,  namely,  in  the 
morning  and  evening,  and  even  then  do  not 
eat  much  at  each  meal.  Fish  is  the  princi- 
pal article  of  their  diet,  and  dried  salmon  is 
the  food  which  is  most  plentiful,  though  they 
also  eat  the  flesh  of  the  seal  and  the  whale 
Avhen  they  can  get  it.  Of  late  years  the 
Ahts  have  obtained  rice  and  molasses,  and 
apparently  with  a bad  effect  upon  their 
health. 

The  pots  in  which  the  food  is  cooked  are 
made  of  Avood,  the  Avater  being  boiled,  not 
by  placing  the  pots  on  the  Are,  but  by  heat- 
ing stones  red  hot  and  throAving  them  into 
it.  Rude  as  this  mode  of  boiling  Avater  may 
seem,  it  is  much  more  rapid  and  effectual 
than  might  be  imagined,  which  Avill  account 
for  the  wide  spreading  of  the  custom.  In 
more  than  one  place,  Avhen  the  Avhite 
man  visited  the  natives  for  the  first  time, 
nothing  impressed  them  so  strongly  as  the 
fact  that,  Avhen  he  boiled  water,  he  put  the 
vessel  on  the  Are.  The  capability  of  making 
a vessel  that  would  endure  such  treatment 
had,  in  their  eyes,  something  of  the  super- 
natural. 

An  old  native  illustrated  Avell  the  astonish- 
ment Avhich  they  themselves  felt  when  they 
saw  a kettle  placed  on  the  fire  for  the  first 
time.  He  narrated  the  story  to  Mr.  Duncan 
in  the  following  quaint  but  forcible  lan- 
guage: — “ The  strangers  landed,  and  beck- 
oned the  Indians  to  come  to  them  and  bring 
them  some  fish.  One  of  them  had  over  his 
shoulder  Avhat  Avas  supposed  to  be  only  a 
stick.  Presently  he  pointed  it  at  a bird  that 
was  flying  past  — a violent  ‘ poo’  went  forth 
— down  came  the  bird  to  the  ground.  The 
Indians  died!  As  they  revived,  they  ques- 


tioned each  other  as  to  their  state,  whether 
any  were  dead,  and  what  each  had  felt. 

“ The  whites  then  made  signs  for  a fire 
to  be  lighted.  The  Indians  proceeded  at 
once  according  to  their  tedious  practice  of 
rubbing  two  sticks  together.  The  strangers 
laughed,  and  one  of  them,  snatching  up  a 
handful  of  dry  grass,  struck  a spark  into  a 
little  powder  placed  under  it.  Instantly, 
another  ‘poo’  and  a blaze!  The  Indians 
died!  After  this,  the  noAv-comers  wanted 
some  fish  boiled.  The  Indians  therefore  put 
the  fish  and  some  Avater  into  one  of  their 
square  wooden  buckets,  and  set  some  stones 
in  the  fire,  intending,  when  they  were  hot, 
to  cast  them  into  the  vessel,  and  thus  boil 
tho  food.  The  whites  Avere  not  satisfied 
with  this  way.  One  of  them  fetched  a tin 
kettle  out  of  the  boat,  put  the  fish  and  some 
water  into  it,  and  then,  strange  to  say,  set  it 
on  the  fire.  The  Indians  looked  on  Avith 
astonishment.  HoAvever,  the  kettle  did  not 
consume,  the  Avater  did  notrunip*^^©  the  fire. 
Then  again  the  Indians  died!  ” 

Sometimes  a man  of  consequence  issues 
invitations  for  a solemn  feast,  and  on  such 
an  occasion  he  seizes  the  opportunity  of 
showing  his  Avealth  by  the  liberal  distribution 
of  presents,  every  individual  present  receiv- 
ing a share  of  the  property.  Consequently, 
a feast  always  affords  a scene  of  destruction. 
For  example,  Captain  Mayne  mentions  that 
at  one  feast  Avhich  he  witnessed,  he  recog- 
nized three  sea-otter  skins,  for  one  of  Avhich 
thirty  blankets  had  been  offered  and  refused. 
Yet,  Amluable  as  they  were,  they  were  cut 
up  into  little  pieces  about  three  inches  by  one, 
so  that  every  guest  might  have  a piece.  As 
each  blanket  is  to  the  Aht  the  equivalent 
of  a sovereign  among  ourselves,  the  amount 
of  waste  may  be  imagined.  Mr.  Duncan,  the 
successful  missionary  among  these  people, 
relates  several  instances  of  the  Avaste  of  prop- 
erty Avhich  takes  place  both  on  these  and 
other  occasions.  For  example,  a chief  had 
just  built  a house,  and  issued  inAutations  for 
a great  feast.  “ After  feasting,  I heard  he 
Avas  to  give  aAvay  property  to  the  amount  of 
four  hundred  and  eighty  blankets,  of  Avhich 
one  hundred  and  eighty  Avere  his  own  prop- 
erty, and  the  three  hundred  Avere  to  be  sub- 
scribed by  his  people. 

“ On  the  first  day  of  the  feast,  as  much  as 
possible  of  the  property  to  be  given  to  him 
Avas  exhibited  in  the  camp.  Hundreds  of 
yards  of  cotton  were  flapping  in  the  breeze, 
hung  from  house  to  house,  or  on  lines  put 
up  for  the  occasion.  Furs,  too,  Avere  nailed 
up  on  the  fronts  of  houses.  Those  aaAio 
were  going  to  giAm  aAvay  blankets  or  elk- 
skins  managed  to  get  a bearer  for  every  one, 
and  exhibited  them  by  making  the  persons 
walk  in  single  file  to  the  house  of  the  chief. 
On  the  next  day,  the  cotton  Avhich  had  been 
hung  out  Avas  noAv  brought  on  the  beach,  at 
a good  distance  from  the  chiefs  house,  and 
there  run  out  at  full  length,  and  a number 


REMARKABLE  HEAD-DRESSES  OF  THE  CHIEFS. 


13G5 


of  bearers,  about  three  yards  apart,  bore  it 
triumphantly  away  from  the  giver  to  tlic 
receivers.  I suppose  that  about  six  to  eight 
hundred  yards  were  thus  disposed  of. 

“■After  all  the  property  the  chief  is  to  re- 
ceive has  been  thus  openly  handed  to  him, 
a day  or  two  is  taken  up  in  apportioning  it 
for  fresh  owners.  When  this  is  done,  all  the 
chiefs  and  their  families  are  called  together, 
and  each  receives  according  to  his  or  her 
position.  If,  however,  a chief’s  wife  is  not 
descended  from  a chief,  she  has  no  share  in 
this  distribution,  nor  is  she  ever  invited  to 
the  same  feasts  as  her  husband.  Thus  do  the 
chiefs  and  theirpeople  go  on  reducing  them- 
selves to  poverty.  In  the  case  of  the  chiefs, 
however,  this  poverty  lasts  but  a short  time; 
they  are  soon  replenished  from  the  next 
giving  away,  but  the  people  only  grow  rich 
again  according  to  their  industry.  One  can- 
not but  pity  them,  while  one  laments  their 
folly. 

“ All  the  pleasure  these  poor  Indians  seem 
to  have  in  their  property  is  in  hoarding  it 
up  for  such  an  occasion  as  I have  described. 
They  never  think  of  appropriating  what 
they  can  gather  to  enhance  their  comforts, 
but  are  satisfied  if  they  can  make  a display 
like  this  now  and  then;  so  that  the  man  pos- 
sessing but  one  blanket  seems  to  be  as  well 
otf  as  the  one  who  possesses  twenty;  and 
thus  it  is  that  there  is  avast  amount  of  dead 
stock  accumulated  in  the  camp,  doomed 
never  to  be  used,  but  only  now  and  then  to 
be  transferred  from  hand  to  hand  for  the 
mere  vanity  of  the  thing. 

“ There  is  another  way,  however,  in  which 
property  is  disposed  of  even  more  fool- 
ishly. If  a person  be  insulted,  or  meet 
with  an  accident,  or  in  any  way  sutfers  an  in- 
jury, real  or  supposed,  either  of  mind  or  body, 
property  must  at  once  be  sacrificed  to  avoid 
disgrace.  A number  of  blankets,  shirts,  or 
cotton,  according  to  the  rank  of  the  person, 
is  torn  into  small  pieces,  and  carried  off.” 

Sometimes  a feast  assumes  a sacred  char- 
acter, and  such  festivals  are  held  during  the 
latter  half  of  the  last  month  in  the  year,  their 
object  being  to  induce  the  demons  who  have 
charge  of  the  weather  to  give  them  rain 
instead  of  snow.  In  one  of  these  feasts, 
witnessed  by  Mr.  Garrett,  the  principal  part 
was  performed  by  a female  chief,  who  lay  on 
her  back  in  the  middle  of  the  house  as  if 
dead,  while  all  the  people  assembled  were 
making  a hideous  noise,  howling,  wailing, 
and  beating  with  sticks  the  bench  on  which 
they  sat,  while  a young  man  added  to  the 
hubbub  by  drumming  upon  a wooden  box. 
After  a while  the  prostrate  woman  began  to 
show  signs  of  life,  and  gradually  assumed  a 
sitting  posture.  In  this  attitude  she  con- 
trived to  jump  round  the  room,  and  exhibited 
some  extraordinary  vagaries,  the  other  occu- 
pants of  the  room  alternating  dead  silence 
with  deafening  uproar  at  signals  from  her 
hand. 


The  costumes  that  are  worn  at  such  feasts 
are  very  remarkable  articles,  especially  the 
head-dresses  that  are  worn  by  the  chiefs. 
They  take  the  form  of  masks,  and  are  cut  out 
of  solid  wood,  generally  imitating  the  heads 
of  various  birds  and  beasts,  though  they 
sometimes  are  carved  in  the  semblance  of  a 
grotesque  human  face.  The  specimens  which 
are  shown  in  the  illustrations  on  page  1357 
will  give  a good  idea  of  these  strange  head- 
dresses. One  of  them,  which  was  presented 
to  me  by  Lieut.  Pusey,  is  carved  in  imitation 
of  a beaver’s  head,  and  is  tied  on  the  wearer’s 
head  with  strings.  There  are  holes  bored 
through  the  eyes,  by  means  of  which  the 
wearer  is  enabled  to  see,  and  these  holes 
are  cleverly  bored  in  a slanting  direction,  so 
as  to  coincide  with  the  pupil  of  the  eye. 
Some  of  these  masks  are  made  with  great 
goggle  eyes  and  large  jaws.  Both  the  eyes 
and  the  jaws  are  movable,  and  are  worked 
by  strings  that  pass  down  the  back,  so  that 
the  wearer  can  make  the  eyes  roll  and  the 
jaws  open  and  close  without  any  apparent 
cause. 

Sometimes  the  masks  are  made  in  the 
form  of  birds,  and  by  a similar  arrangement 
of  cords,  the  birds  can  be  made  to  turn  their 
heads  from  side  to  side,  and  to  flap  their 
wings  while  the  wearer  speaks.  There  is  a 
very  remarkable  specimen  of  these  masks  in 
the  museum  at  Maidstone.  It  is  double,  one 
mask  within  another.  The  outer  mask  is 
divided  by  lines  drawn  from  forehead  to  chin, 
down  the  centre  of  the  nose,  and  across 
the  face,  so  that  it  is  in  four  distinct  pieces. 
The  pieces  all  work  on  hinges,  and  are  so 
well  fitted  to  each  other  that  a spectator 
could  not  suspect  that  they  were  not  one 
solid  piece.  Suddenly,  while  the  wearer  is 
dancing,  he  will  fling  all  the  pieces  open,  and 
discover  a second  and  more  hideous  mask 
beneath. 

When  the  chief  wishes  to  pay  an  extraor- 
dinary compliment  to  a visitor,  he  puts  on  a 
mask  that  is  fitted  with  a number  of  porcu- 
pine quills.  Upon  this  head-dress  he  heaps 
a vast  quantity  of  swan’s  down,  which  is  re- 
tained in  its  positioiTby  the  quills.  lie  then 
dances  up  to  the  visitor,  and,  as  he  retreats 
backward  in  the  dance,  gives  a jerk  with  his 
head,  and  sends  the  down  flying  over  him. 
It  is  a point  of  honor  that  the  visitor  should 
be  kept  enveloped  in  a shower  of  down,  as 
if  he  were  in  a snow-storm,  and  this  can  only 
be  done  by -perpetually  dancing  and  nod- 
ding the  head,  which  is  kept  well  supplied 
with  down  by  attendants. 

White  feathers  and  down  always  signify 
peace,  and  hence,  when  a man  sets  off  on  a 
mission  of  peace  to  a neighboring  tribe  with 
whom  there  has  been  a quarrel,  he  puts 
white  down  on  his  head,  and  knows  that 
his  person  will  be  as  sacred  as  that  of  the 
bearer  of  a flag  of  truce  in  civilized  war- 
fare. 

1 One  of  the  dances  practised  by  the  Ahts 


13G6 


THE  AHTS  AND  NEIGHBORING  TRIBES. 


displays  a really  wonderful  amount  of  inge- 
nuity,  and  must  take  no  little  time  to  prac- 
tise. It  was  witnessed  by  Mr.  Sproat,  who 
describes  it  in  the  following  terms.  The 
different  dances  are  called  Nooks  in  Aht 
language.  This  might  be  called  the  “ Doc- 
tor’s (Ooshtukyu)  Nook.”  A fine  represen- 
tation of  it  by  the  artist  is  given  on  the 
following  page. 

“During  the  song  and  dance,  which  at 
first  seemed  to  present  nothing  peculiar,  a 
well-known  slave  (one,  however,  who  was  in 
a comparatively  independent  position,  being 
employed  as  a sailor  on  board  the  steamer 
Thames)^  suddenly  ceased  dancing,  and  fell 
down  on  the  ground  apparently  in  a dying 
state,  and  having  his  face  covered  with 
blood.  He  did  not  move  or  speak,  his  head 
fell  on  one  side,  his  limbs  were  drawn  up, 
and  he  certainly  presented  a ghastly  spec- 
tacle. While  the  dance  raged  furiously 
around  the  fallen  man,  the  doctor,  with  some 
others,  seized  and  dragged  him  to  the  other 
side  of  the  fire  round  which  they  were  dan- 
ciiig,  placing  his  naked  feet  very  near  the 
flames. 

“After  this  a pail  of  water  was  brought 
in,  and  the  doctor,  who  supported  the  dying 
man  on  his  arm,  washed  the  blood  from  his 
face;  the  people  beat  drums,  danced,  and 
sang,  and  suddenly  the  patient  sprang  to  his 
feet  and  joined  in  the  dance,  none  the  worse 
for  the  apparently  hopeless  condition  of  the 
moment  before.  While  all  this  was  going 
on,  I asked  the  giver  of  the  feast  whether  it 
was  real  blood  upon  the  man’s  face,  and  if 
he  Avere  really  wounded.  He  told  me  so 
seriously  that  it  was,  that  I was  at  first  in- 
clined to  believe  him,  until  he  began  to  ex- 
plain that  the  blood  which  came  from  the 
nose  and^  mouth  was  owing  to  the  incanta- 
tions of  the  medicine  man,  and  that  all  the 
people  would  be  very  angry  if  he  did  not 
afterward  restore  him. 

“ I then  recalled  to  mind  that  in  the  early 
part  of  the  day,  before  the  feast,  I had  seen 
the  doctor  and  the  slave  holding  very  friendlv 
conferences;  and  the  former  had  used  his 
influence  to  get  a pass  for  the  latter  to  be 
present  at  the  entertainment,  to  which,  prob- 
ably, he  had  no  right  to  come.  I feel  sure 
that  many  of  the  Indians  really  believed  in 
tills  exhibition  of  the  doctor’s  power.  When 
the  affair  was  over,  many  of  the  natives 
asked  me  what  I thought  of  it,  and  referred 
to  it  as  if  it  must  set  at  rest  for  ever  any 
possible  doub{;s  with  regard  to  the  abilities 
of  their  native  doctors.  The  Indian,  who 
explained  this  and  other  performances  to 
me,  said  that  the  cure  was  not  entirely  ow- 
ing to  the  doctor,  but  to  the  large  body  of 
dancers  and  singers,  who  all  ‘ exerted  their 
hearts  ’ to  desire  the  recovery  of  the  sick ' 
man,  and  so  procured  the  desired  effect.” 


This  simulated  production  of  blood  forms 
an  element  in  several  of  the  Aht  dances.  In 
one  of  them  a man,  stripped  even  of  his 
blanket,  is  bound  with  his  hands  behind 
him,  and  driven  about  at  the  end  of  long 
cords,  while  the  spectators  yell,  shout,  and 
hammer  with  sticks  upon  wooden  dishes 
and  drums  made  of  bear-skin. 

Suddenly  the  chief  dashes  among  the  peo- 
ple, brandishing  a knife,  and,  on  seeing  the 
bound  man,  gives  chase  to  him,  and  to  all 
appearance  drives  the  knife  deeply  into  his 
back.  Blood  pours  abundantly  from  the 
wound,  and  the  man  rushes  wildly  about  in 
search  of  shelter,  followed  by  the  chief,  who 
plunges  his  bloody  weapon  repeatedly  into 
the  man’s  back.  Exhausted  by  his  wounds 
and  loss  of  blood,  the  victim  staggers,  fails, 
and  dies.  His  friends  gather  round  the  dead 
body,  and  carry  it  outside  the  house,  when 
it  washes  itself,  and  puts  on  its  blanket. 

Mr.  Sproat  remarks  of  this  dance  that  the 
illusion  is  absolutely  perfect,  and  the  acting 
so  lifelike,  that  the  performers  would  make 
the  fortune  of  a minor  theatre  in  London. 
The  red  liquid  which  simulates  blood  is  a 
mixture  of  red  gum,  resin,  oil,  and  water; 
and  is,  indeed,  the  material  which  is  used  for 
painting  the  inside  of  the  canoes. 

Another  of  these  “ nooks  ” is  called  the 
seal  dance.  The  performers  take  off  their 
blankets,  and,  though  in  the  depth  of  winter, 
go  into  the  sea,  and  crawl  upon  the  shore, 
imitating  the  movements  of  the  seals  as  they 
flounder  along  the  ground.  They  proceed  in 
the  same  manner  until  they  reach  the  houses, 
which  they  enter,  and  crawl  about  the  fires, 
which  are  purposely  kept  brightly  blazing 
by  being  fed  with  oil.  The  dance  is  finished 
by  jumping  up  and  dancing  round  the  house 
until  the  performers  are  tired. 

There  is  one  dance  which  belongs  specially 
to  the  Sesaht  tribe,  and,  absurd  as  it  may 
seein,  appears  to  have  in  it  something  of  a 
religious  nature.  It  is  peculiar  to  that  tribe, 
and  may  not  be  omitted.  While  the  people 
are  singing  and  dancing  within  the  house,  a 
number  of  the  performers  clamber  up  the 
posts,  push  some  of  the  roof-boards  aside, 
get  on  the  roof,  and  dance  there,  makins: 
a noise  like  thunder.  As  the  dancers  be- 
come fatigued,  they  descend  from  the  roof 
and  others  take  their  places,  so  that  there  is 
a constant  stream  of  men  ascending  and  de- 
scending the  roof. 

After  the  dance  is  over,  an  old  man  makes 
a speech  to  the  owner  of  the  house,  saying 
that  he  is  aware  that  the  roof-boards  are  dam- 
aged by  the  dance,  but  at  the  same  time  the 
ceremony  may  not  be  omitted.  A number  of 
men  then  come  forward,  and  each  presents 
the  owner  of  the  house  with  a small  stick, 
which  is  a token  that  the  owner  will  redeem 
it  with  a new  roof-board  as  soon  as  possible. 


(1.)  AN  AHT  DANCE.  (See  page  1366.) 


(2.)  INITIATION  OF  A DOG  EATER.  (See  page  1371.) 
(1367) 


DF!f*W 
OF  TH5 

p<7  »*  * 


CHAPTER  CXLIY. 


VAKCOUYEE’S  ISLAND  — ConcZide^. 

THE  AHTS  AND  NEIGHBORING  TRIBES ConcZlW^eci 


AKCHTTECTUIIE  OF  THE  AHTS  — SEMI-NOMADIC  CHARACTER  OF  THE  FEOPLE  — THE  PERMANENT  FRAME- 
WORK, AND  MOVABLE  WALLS  AND  ROOF  — DIVISION  OF  THE  HOUSE  — RANK  OF  THE  OCCUPANTS  — 
OBJECT  AND  MODE  OF  MIGRATION — PIPES  OF  THE  AHT  TRIBES  — LABOR  EXPENDED  IN  THEIR 
MANUFACTUEE  — RELIGIOUS  SYSTEM  OF  THE  TRIBES  — AN  AHT  PROMETHEUS  — SOCIETY  OF  THE 
“allied”  — THE  MEDICINE  MEN  AND  THEIR  EDUCATION — THE  CANNIBALS  AND  DOG-EATERS  — 
REVOLTING  SCENES  — THE  TWO  CANNIBALS  — SACRED  RATTLES  — TERROR  INSPIRED  BY  THE 
MEDICINE  MEN— DISPOSAL  OF  THE  DEAD  — RESPECT  FOR  THE  CEMETERY. 


From  the  account  of  the  Roof-dance  in  the 
preceding  chapter,  it  is  evident  that  the 
houses  are  built  very  strongly,  or  they  w^ould 
not  be  able  to  endure  the  violent  stamping 
and  jumping  which  constitute  the  principal 
cliarms  of  the  dance.  The  houses  of  the 
Ahts  are  constructed  after  a very  peculiar 
manner,  the  posts  and  framework  being  sta- 
tionary, and  the  roof  and  sides  movable. 
The  effect  of  this  arrangement  is  to  enable 
the  people  to  shift  from  one  place  to  another. 
At  each  of  the  spots  to  which  they  migrate 
they  find  the  framework  of  their  houses  ready 
for  them,  and  all  that  they  have  to  do  is  to 
carry  with  them  the  roofs  and  walls.  The 
mode  of  migrating  will  be  presently  de- 
scribed. 

The  franiework  of  the  houses  consists  of 
stout  posts  about  twelve  feet  in  diameter,  and 
twelve  feet  or  so  in  height,  placed  at  dis- 
tances of  twenty  feet  from  each  other.  The 
top  of  the  post  is  hollowed  so  as  to  receive 
the  cross  pieces  which  connect  them.  A 
house  is  some  eighty  feet  in  length,  and  the 
ridgepole  which  supports  the  roof  is  made  of 
a single  tree  trunk.  The  roof,  which  is 
gabled-shaped,  but  slopes  gently  from  the 
back  to  the  front  of  the  house,  so  as  to  throw 
off  the  rain,  is  made  of  cedar  boards,  about 
five  feet  long  and  nearly  two  inches  thick. 
The  walls  are  made  of  similar  boards  lashed 
to  small  upright  posts  driven  into  the  ground. 

Just  below  the  roof  a rude  framework  is 
extended,  on  which  the  inhabitants  keep 
their  stores  of  food,  their  weapons,  and  sim- 


ilar articles.  About  six  feet  from  the  walls, 
a strong  stockade  is  erected,  so  that  each 
house  becomes  a sort  of  fortress.  There  are 
no  windows,  and  the  only  chimney  is  formed 
by  removing  one  of  the  roof-boards  above 
the  fireplace.  In  many  of  these  houses,  the 
large  inside  posts  are  ornamented  by  having 
great  faces  carved  upon  them,  face-carving 
being  an  art  in  which  these  tribes  excel,  just 
as  is  the  case  with  the  New  Zealanders.  Mr. 
Sproat  mentions,  that  he  has  seen  a row  of 
such  houses  extending  for  the  third  of  a mile 
along  a river’s  bank,  and  that  the  depth  of 
the  houses  varied  from  twenty-five  to  forty 
feet. 

Inside  the  house,  the  earth  is  dug  away 
for  a foot  or  so  in  depth,  in  order  to  give 
additional  height  to  the  interior.  Every 
house  is  partitioned  off  into  several  divisions, 
each  of  which  is  occupied  by  a family,  which 
is  thus  separated  from  the  other  inhabitants 
by  a sort  of  bulkhead  about  four  feet  high. 
These  partitions  are  movable,  so  that  on  occa- 
sion of  a great  festival  they  can  be  taken 
away,  and  the  whole  of  the  space  kept  clear. 
There  is  a fire  in  the  middle  of  each  division, 
and  around  it  are  placed  wooden  couches, 
about  nine  inches  from  the  floor,  and  covered 
with  a whole  series  of  mats  by  way  of  bed- 
ding. 

There  is  to  each  building  one  main  en- 
trance, and  other  small  doors,  which  are  al- 
ways in  a corner  of  one  of  the  divisions.  The 
rank  of  the  different  occupants  is  marked  by 
the  position  which  they  occupy  in  the  house. 


1370 


THE  AHTS  AHD  NEIGHBOEIKG  TBIBES. 


For  example,  the  chief  of  the  house  oc- 
cupies the  extreme  end  on  the  left  of  the 
building,  the  next  in  rank  lives  in  the  cor- 
responding place  at  the  other  end,  while-the 
common  people  occupy  the  space  between 
the  two  great  men. 

These  houses  are  much  more  agreeable  to 
the  eye  than  to  the  nostrils.  Having  no 
windows,  and  all  the  stores  of  salt  fish  and 
other  provisions  being  kept  in  them,  the 
interior  atmosphere  is  close,  fishy,  rank,  and 
pungent,  the  last  quality  being  due  to  the 
wood  smoke  of  the  several  fires.  Neither  is 
the  exterior  air  better  than  that  of  the  in- 
terior, for  the  ground  is  covered  with  heaps 
of  putrefving  heads,  tails,  and  bones  of  fish, 
decaying  mollusks,  and  refuse  of  all  kinds, 
which  is  simply  flung  into  heaps  and  never 
removed,  the  nostrils  of  the  natives  being 
incapable  of  feeling  any  annoyance  from  the 
horrible  odor  that  arises  from  the  decompos- 
ing heaps. 

The  ownership  of  these  houses  is  rather  a 
complicated  question.  The  framework  of 
the  house  is  generally  considered  as  being 
in  several  divisions,  each  division  being 
called  after  the  name  of  the  owner,  while 
the  planks  are  the  common  property  of  the 
inhabitants. 

When  the  Ahts  wish  to  move  to  another 
spot,  which  is  done  for  the  purpose  of  chan- 
ging to  better  fishing,  hunting,  and  fruit 
grounds,  according  to  the  time  of  year,  they 
always  migrate  by  water.  They  place  two 
large  canoes  about  five  or  six  feet  apart,  and 
connect  them  together  with  the  planks  of 
the  roof  and  walls,  which  thus  form  a plat- 
form on  which  can  be  placed  the  stores  and 
household  goods.  Mr.  Sproat  remarks  that 
lie  has  seen  this  platform  heaped  to  a height 
of  fourteen  feet,  only  just  enough  space  be- 
ing left  for  the  passengers.  As  soon  as  they 
arrive  at  their  destination,  the  travellers 
unpack  the  boats,  and,  assisted  by  the  slaves 
who  have  been  sent  forward  in  readiness, 
fix  the  boards  on  the  already  existing  frame- 
work, so  that  in  a very  short  time  the  house 
is  ready  for  the  occupants. 

These  migrations  have  one  beneficial  effect. 
While  the  people  have  deserted  their  vil- 
lages, the  birds,  aided  by  the  elements,  the 
only  scavengers  of  Yancouver’s  Island,  clear 
away  a considerable  portion  of  the  heaps  of 
putrefying  rubbish,  which  would  otherwise 
liecome  too  much  even  for  native  endur- 
ance. 

In  the  meetings  Avhich  are  held  within 
these  houses  the  pipe  naturally  plays  an  im- 
])ortant  part ; and,  as  the  pipes  made  by 
these  tribes  differ  from  those  of  any  other 
part  of  the  world,  a short  description  is  here 
given  of  them.  I3oth  in  shape  and  material 
these  pipes  are  most  remarkable.  They 
seem  to  have  been  made  for  the  express  ob- 
ject of  expending  the  greatest  possible 
amount  of  labor  upon  the  clumsiest  possible 
pipe.  I have  seen  and  tried  many  of  these 


pipes,  and,  except  that  they  draw  the  smoke 
very  well,  there  is  not  a redeeming  point 
about  them. 

In  the  first  place,  they  are  carved  — stem 
and  bowl  — out  of  solid  stone,  a sort  of  very 
dark  slate.  The  upper  figure  in  illustra- 
tion No  2,  on  page  1357,  which  represents 
one  of  these  pipes  in  my  collection,  shows 
the  lightest  and  least  cumbrous  form  of  pipe. 
Although  only  eight  inches  in  length,  it 
weighs  six  ounces,  no  trifle  for  a pipe  of  that 
description.  As  is  usually  the  case  with 
these  pipes,  it  is  adorned  with  a human  flg- 
ure  and  a human  head.  The  figure  evidently 
represents  a man  seated  in  a canoe.  On 
account  of  the  details  of  dress,  it  seems 
likely  that  it  is  intended  to  represent  a 
native  — possibly  the  carver  himself — in 
European  costume,  the  features  being  of  a 
strongly-marked  Indian  type,  while  the  dress 
is  European.  This  pipe  was  presented  to  me 
by  Lieut.  Pusey. 

Sometimes  the  natives  absolutely  run  riot 
in  pipe  making,  and  expend  infinite  labor 
in  making  pipes  which  look  utterly  unlike 
pipes,  and  which  cannot  be  smoked  without 
the  very  greatest  inconvenience.  The  lower 
specimens  represent  two  views  of  a pipe  of 
this  kind,  belonging  to-  T.  W.  Wood,  Esq., 
which  has  apparently  been  made  for  the  pur- 
pose of  trying  how  many  heads  of  men  and 
birds  could  be  compressed  into  a certain 
space.  As  the  reader  may  observe,  the 
whole  character  of  this  carving  bears  a very 
strong  resemblance  to  the  art  of  the  ancient 
Mexicans,  so  strong,  indeed,  that  it  might 
almost  be  passed  off  as  a specimen  of  that 
art. 

In  total  length  it  is  a very  little  more 
than  eight  inches,  but  from  bowl  to  the 
mouth-piece  it  only  measures  five  inches, 
the  remaining  three  inches  being  simply 
superabundant  material.  The  number  of 
heads  that  the  carver  has  contrived  to  intro- 
duce into  this  pipe  is  really  wonderful,  the 
ingenuity  of  combination,  together  with 
force  of  effect,  being  worthy  of  all  praise, 
especially  when  the  rudeness  of  the  work- 
manship is  considered.  Taken  as  a work  of 
art,  it  is  admirable;  taken  as  a pipe,  it  is 
detestable.  It  is  so  heavy  that  the  mere  ex- 
ertion of  holding  it  is  fatiguing,  and  it  is  so 
thick  and  clumsy  that  it  does  not  at  all 
adapt  itself  to  the  lips.  And,  in  so  cold  a 
climate,  to  grasp  or  to  put  to  the  lips  such  a 
piece  of  hard,  cold  stone,  must  involve  very 
great  inconvenience. 

The  religious  ideas  of  the  Aht  tribes  are, 
as  may  be  expected,  exceedingly  vague,  and 
are  rendered  still  more  so  by  the  reticence 
which  a savage  alwa}’'S  exhibits  on  such  sub- 
jects. Mr.  Sproat  remarks  that  he  lived  for 
two  years  among  the  Ahts,  with  his  mind 
constantly  directed  toward  this  subject,  be- 
fore he  could  discover  whether  the  people 
believed  in  any  overruling  power,  or  had  any 


MEDICINE  MEN. 


1371 


idea  of  a future  existence.  He  then  pro- 
ceeds to  say  that  “ a traveller  must  have 
lived  for  many  years  among  savages,  really 
as  one  of  themselves,  before  his  opinion  as 
to  their  mental  and  spiritual  condition  is  of 
any  value  at  all.”  IIow  true  this  statement 
is,  none  know  better  than  the  missionaries, 
who  find  that  even  their  most  promising 
converts  are  almost  as  unwilling  to  give  in- 
formation on  such  subjects  as  they  were  dur- 
ing their  state  of  heathenism. 

It  is,  however,  ascertained  that  the  Ahts 
really  have  a belief  in  a deity  and  in  a future 
state,  and  that  they  possess  several  legends 
on  these  subjects.  Some  of  these  legends 
treat  of  a certain  Quawteaht,  who  made  the 
earth  and  the  animals,  but  would  not  give 
them  fire,  this  being  concealed  in  the  body 
of  the  cuttle-fish.  In  those  days  they  needed 
fire,  because  the  Indians,  who  were  after- 
ward to  people  the  earth,  were  hidden  in 
their  bodies.  At  last  the  deer  succeeded  in 
discovering  the  fire,  and  carried  away  some 
of  it  in  the  joint  of  his  hind  leg.  The  reader 
will  doubtless  perceive  the  similarity  of  this 
legend  to  the  old  myth  of  Prometheus. 

As  far  as  can  be  understood,  this  Quaw- 
teaht is  the  chief  of  their  deities,  but  they 
have  a whole  host  of  minor  divinities,  who 
preside  over  the  sea,  the  woods,  and  their 
inmates,  as  well  as  rule  the  elements.  So, 
if  a native  sees  a sudden  breeze  curl  the  sur- 
face of  the  sea,  he  thinks  it  signifies  the 
approval  of  some  spirit;  and  if  he  should 
hear  a rustling  in  the  woods  for  which  he 
cannot  account,  or  a sound  which  he  does 
not  recognize,  he  immediately  puts  it  down 
to  the  presence  of  some  demon  or  other. 

As  might  be  expected,  there  are  plenty 
of  medicine  men,  who  have  great  power  over 
the  people,  and  are  implicitly  trusted  by 
them.  They  have  to  go  through  a long  and 
unpleasant  ordeal  before  they  can  be  admit- 
ted into  the  order  of  the  “Allied.”  as  the 
medicine  men  call  themselves.  When  their 
education  is  nearly  finished,  they  go  into 
the  bush  alone,  and  remain  there  for  several 
days,  fasting  until  they  have  received  the 
spiritual  gifts.  The  society  of  the  Allied  is 
encouraged  by  the  chiefs,  not  from  religious 
motives,  but  because  they  become  enriched 
by  it.  No  one  can  become  an  Allied  unless 
he  possesses  considerable  wealth,  the  whole 
of  which  he  must  give  away  before  he  can 
be  admitted  into  the  society.  The  act  of 
giving  away  his  property  is  done  as  osten- 
tatiously as  possible,  the  candidate  being  es- 
corted by  a large  body  of  men,  who  shout 
and  make  as  great  a noise  as  they  can.  In 
front  of  them  goes  the  candidate,  with  one 
end  of  a large  rope  round  his  waist,  the  oth- 
er end  being  held  by  fifteen  or  twenty  men, 
who  pretend  that  all  their  strength  is  re- 
quired in  order  to  hold  him  back. 

Captain  Mayne  relates  a curious  anecdote 
respecting  the  doings  of  these  medicine 
men.  He  was  called  one  evening  to  see  a 


moon  on  the  beach.  On  arriving  at  the 
spot  he  found  that  the  men  had  made  a fiat 
disk  of  wax  to  represent  the  moon,  and  had 
painted  a man  upon  it,  — they  having  the 
belief,  which  is  still  prevalent  among  the 
illiterate  of  our  own  country,  respecting 
a man  who  lives  in  the  moon.  They  had 
lighted  a torch  and  placed  it  behind  the  ar- 
tificial moon,  so  as  to  illuminate  it,  and 
were  supposed  to  be  holding  converse  with 
its  inhabitant,  much  to  the  awe  of  the  sur- 
rounding crowd. 

These  medicine  men  seem  to  be  divided 
into  three  parties,  or  sects.  One  of  them 
does  not  appear  to  be  particularly  distin- 
guished, but  the  other  two  gradually  rise  in 
circumstances  of  horror.  The  former  sect 
is  called  the  Dog-eaters,  a portion  of  whose 
initiation  is  described  by  Mr.  Duncan,  and 
is  illustrated  on  page  13G7. 

“ Early  in  the  morning  the  pupils  would 
be  out  on  the  beach  or  on  the  rocks,  in  a 
state  of  nudity.  Each  had  a place  in  front 
of  his  own  tribe,  nor  did  intense  cold  inter- 
fere in  the  slightest  degree.  After  the  poor 
creature  had  crept  about,  jerking  his  head 
and  screaming  for  some  time,  a party  of 
men  would  rush  out,  and,  after  surrounding 
him,  would  commence  singing.  The  dog- 
eating party  occasionally  carried  a dead  dog 
to  their  pupil,  w'ho  forthwith  commenced  to 
tear  it  in  the  most  dog-like  manner.  The 
party  of  attendants  kept  up  a low,  growling 
noise,  or  a whoop,  which  was  seconded  by  a 
screeching  noise  made  from  an  instrument 
which  they  believe  to  be  the  abode  of  a 
spirit. 

“ In  a little  time  the  naked  youth  would 
start  up  again,  and  proceed  a few  more 
yards  in  a crouching  posture,  with  his  arms 
pushed  out  behind  him,  and  tossing  his  flow- 
ing black  hair.  All  the  while  he  is  ear- 
nestly watched  by  the  group  about  him, 
and  when  he  pleases  to  sit  down,  they  again 
surround  him  and  commence  singing,  lliis 
kind  of  thing  goes  on,  with  several  little 
additions,  for  a time. 

“ Before  the  prodigy  finally  retires,  he 
takes  a run  into  every  house  belonging  to 
his  tribe,  and  is  followed  by  his  train. 
When  this  is  done,  in  some  cases  he  has  a 
ramble  on  the  tops  of  the  same  houses,  dur- 
ing which  he  is  anxiously  watched  by  his 
attendants,  as  if  they  expected  his  flight. 
By  and  by  he  condescends  to  come  down, 
and  they  then  follow  him  to  his  den,  which 
is  signified  by  a rope  made  of  red  bark 
being  hung  over  the  doorway,  so  as  to  pre- 
vent any  person  from  ignorantly  violating 
its  precincts.  None  are  allowed  to  enter 
that  house  but  those  connected  with  the  art: 
all  I know,  therefore,  of  their  further  pro- 
ceedings is,  that  they  keep  up  a furious 
hammering,  singing,  and  screeching,  for 
hours  during  the  day. 

Even  this  mode  of  initiation  cannot  be 
Ivery  pleasant,  involving,  as  it  does,  the 


1372 


THE  AHTS  AND  NEIGHBORING  TRIBES. 


devouring  of  raw  dog-flesh ; but  it  is  nothing 
in  comparison  to  that  of  the  most  powerful 
and  dreaded  of  the  three  sects,  namely,  the 
cannibals.  Mr.  Duncan  was  also  a witness 
to  part  of  the  initiation  of  a cannibal  Al- 
lied. 

In  order  to  give  his  assistance  to  the  cer- 
emony, a chief  ordered  one  of  his  slaves, 
an  old  woman,  to  be  killed,  and  her  body 
flung  into  the  sea.  As  soon  as  this  was 
done,  the  whole  of  the  uninitiated  popula- 
tion left  their  houses  and  formed  them- 
selves into  groups  at  a distance  from  the 
fatal  spot,  lest  they  should  also  become  vic- 
tims, a fear  for  which  there  was  very  good 
reason.  Presently  two  bands  of  Allied  men 
came  rushing  along,  producing  the  most 
hideous  sounds,  each  being  headed  by  a 
candidate  for  membership. 

The  two  candidates  advanced  with  a long 
creeping  step,  waving  their  arms,  and  jerk- 
ing their  heads  backward  and  forward,  so  as 
to^make  their  long  hair  wave  in  the  breeze. 
They  pretended  for  some  time  to  be  seeking 
for  the  body,  and  at  last  they  discovered  it, 
and  made  a simultaneous  rush  at  it.  In  a 
moment  they  were  closely  surrounded  by 
their  respective  bands,  but  in  a few  minutes 
the  crovvd  opened,  and  out  passed  the  two 
men,  each  bearing  half  the  body  of  the 
murdered  woman,  which  they  had  actually 
torn  in  two  with  their  hands  and  teeth  alone. 
They  then  began  devouring  the  body,  when 
the  spectator  was  unable  to  endure  the  sight 
any  longer,  and  left  the  spot. 

These  cannibal  medicine  men  are  the 
dread  of  their  country.  At  the  cost  of  such 
revolting  practices,  as  have  been  but  very 
lightly  touched,  they  gain  such  a complete 
influence  over  the  people,  that  they  can  do 
exactly  as  they  choose,  no  man  daring  to 
contradict  them.  Sometimes  at  a feast  one 
of  them  will  be  taken  with  a fit  of  inspira- 
tion, and  dash  among  the  people,  biting  like 
a mad  dog  at  every  one  whom  he  meets.  On 
such  occasions  it  is  thought  very  manly  and 
praiseworthy  of  the  guests  to  welcome  in- 
stead of  repelling  his  attacks,  and  to  offer 
their  arms  or  shoulders  for  him  to  bite.  The 
Allied  cannibal  responds  to  the  invitation 
by  biting  at  and  swallowing  a piece  of  the 
flesh,  and  the  man  who  offers  it  thinks  him- 
self honored  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the 
piece  that  is  removed.  The  wound  thus 
made  is  not  only  productive  of  excruciating 
pain,  but  is  also  dangerous,  many  men  hav- 
ing died  from  the  effects  of  it.  Yet  they  are 
willing  to  have  both  the  pain  and  the  dan- 
ger for  the  sake  of  the  honor  which  is  con- 
ferred upon  them. 

The  general  public  have  very  good  reason 
for  getting  out  of  the  way  when  one  of  these 
cannibals  chooses  to  make  an  excursion  in 
search  of  a human  body.  Should  not  one 
be  found,  the  cannibal  Allied  who  escort  their 
companions  would  think  themselves  bound 
to  provide  a corpse  for  his  eating,  and  would 


seize  and  kill  the  first  person  whom  they 
might  meet.  Therefore,  when  the  sound  of 
the  horrid  cannibal  songs  is  heard  in  the  dis- 
tance, the  whole  population  of  a village  will 
desert  their  houses,  take  to  their  canoes,  and 
remain  at  a distance  from  the  shore  until 
the  danger  is  over  for  the  time. 

These  medicine  men  are  considered  all- 
powerful  in  the  cure  of  the  sick,  and  are 
always  called  in  when  any  one  is  ill.  They 
almost  invariably  say  that  the  malady  is 
local,  and  that  it  is  due  to  some  object  oi 
other,  which  they  can  extract  by  their  in- 
cantations. In  tile  ceremonies  which  they 
employ,  they  make  much  use  of  a rattle,  the 
material  of  which  does  not  seem  to  be  of 
much  consequence,  pro^dded  that  it  can 
only  make  a noise.  For  example,  a favorite 
form  is  a hollow  wooden  case,  carved  like  a 
bird  or  a frog,  and  containing  a few  stones. 
Some  rattles,  however,  are  made  on  totally 
different  principles,  and  resemble  the  beetle- 
shell  rattle  of  Guiana  that  is  figured  on 
page  1265.  Captain  Mayne  saw  one  which 
was  made  of  three  or  four  dozen  puffin- 
beaks  strung  loosely  together. 

Incisions  are  often  made  over  the  part 
affected,  or  the  doctor  uses  the  actual  cautery 
by  means  of  a moxa,  made  of  a pledget  of 
dried  flax.  These  remedies  often  do  have 
the  effect  of  relieving  pain,  and  ivhen  that 
is  the  case,  the  patient  and  his  friends  pre- 
sent the  doctor  with  liberal  gifts,  all  which, 
however,  he  is  bound  to  return  should  a 
relapse  come  on  and  the  patient  die.  They 
even  say  that,  when  they  are  violently  ex- 
cited by  their  incantations,  they  can  see  the 
soul  of  the  patient,  which  they  say  is  in  the 
shape  of  a fly,  with  a long  curved  proboscis. 
One  man,  who  had  recovered  from  a dan- 
gerous illness,  said  that  he  had  seen  his  own 
soul,  which  the  medicine  man  had  caught  as 
it  was  escaping  from  the  body,  and  had  put 
back  again. 

The  noise  which  these  medicine  men 
make  at  their  incantations  is  almost  inde- 
scribable. Mr.  Sproat  describes  their  howl- 
ing as  being  perfectly  demoniacal,  and  says 
that  no  wild  beast  could  utter  sounds  so  cal- 
culated to  strike  sudden  horror  into  the 
heart.  Even  himself,  though  a white  man, 
and  in  perfect  security,  has  often  shuddered 
at  the  savage  yells  of  the  mystery  men. 
Indeed,  their  object  is  to  keep  up  the  dread 
in  which  they  are  held,  and,  in  order  to  do 
this,  they  must  ever  be  doing  something  to 
keep  themselves  before  the  eyes  of  the  peo- 
ple. 

Sometimes  they  will  assemble  together  on 
the  outskirts  of  the  village,  set  up  a furious 
howling,  and  then  rush  like  a pack  of  wolves 
through  the  village,  the  cannibals  and  dog- 
eaters  tearing  to  pieces  with  their  teeth  any 
corpses  or  dogs  that  they  may  find.  Some- 
times a single  man  will  leave  the  place  and 
bury  himself  in  the  woods,  whence  he  will 
suddenly  rush,  quite  naked,  reduced  to  a 


DISPOSAL  OF  THE  DEAD. 


1373 


skeleton  through  his  long  fast,  with  his  body 
and  limbs  covered  with  wounds  inflicted  by 
himself  in  his  mad  violence,  and  with  foam 
flying  from  his  lips,  while  he  utters  wild 
yells  and  beats  furiously  his  drum  or  shakes 
his  magic  rattle.  As  is  the  case  in  Africa, 
women  as  well  as  men  can  enter  this  sacred 
order,  and  exercise  quite  as  powerful  an  in- 
fliuence  over  the  people  as  do  their  male  col- 
leagues. 

Sometimes  a man  will  leap  up  in  the  night 
terrified,  and  crying  that  he  sees  a spirit. 
All  within  the  house  are  at  once  in  motion. 
The  women  begin  to  sing,  while  the  vision- 
ary tears  his  blanket  to  pieces,  snatches 
feathers  from  his  pillow,  eating  some  of 
them,  and  scattering  the  others  over  his 
head.  His  nearest  relation  then  makes  in- 
cisions in  his  legs  and  arms,  receives  the 
blood  in  a dish,  and  scatters  it  over  the  place 
where  the  spirit  is  supposed  to  be  standing. 
Should  the  spirit  withstand  this  exorcism,  it 
is  evident  that  he  wants  property.  Accord- 
ingly the  friends  of  the  visionary  throw  his 
property  on  the  fire;  his  clothes,  his  mats, 
and  even  the  very  boxes  in  which  they  were 
kept,  go  to  make  up  the  demands  of  the 
spirit,  which  will  not  take  its  leave  until  all 
the  property  has  been  destroyed. 

The  mode  of  disposal  of  the  dead  varies 
extremely  among  the  different  tribes,  and 
even  in  the  same  tribe  is  not  always  uni- 
form. The  bodies  of  slaves' and  people  of  no 
consequence  are  simply  taken  to  the  burial- 
ground — which  is  usually  a small  island  — 
wrapped  in  mats,  and  merely  laid  on  the 
ground,  covered  with  sticks  and  stones.  The 
bodies-  of  chiefs  and  young  girls  of  rank 
are  placed  in  boxes,  and  hoisted  into  the 
branches  of  trees,  where  they  are  allowed  to 
remain.  The  rank  of  the  person  is  indicated 
by  the  height  to  which  the  body  is  raised, 
that  of  a great  chief  or  of  his  daughter  being 
nearly  at  the  top  of  the  tree,  while  that  of 
an  inferior  chief  will  be  on  one  of  the  lowest 
branches. 

Over  the  coffin  are  thrown  blankets  and 
mats,  and  similar  articles  are  hung  on  the 
boughs  of  neighboring  trees.  They  are 


always  torn  into  strips,  partly  perhaps  as  a 
sign  of  mourning,  and  partly  to  guard  them 
from  being  stolen.  With  the  dead  man  is 
deposited  all  the  property  which  he  has  not 
given  away  before  his  death,  except  his  best 
canoe,  his  share  of  Ihc  roof  and  wall  boards, 
his  weapons,  and  his  slaves,  all  of  which  be- 
long by  right  to  his  eldest  son.  In  some 
cases  even  his  house  is  burned,  and  in  others 
the  posts  are  dug  up,  and  the  whole  house 
transported  to  another  position. 

Near  the  bodies  of  chiefs  are  placed  large 
wooden  images  intended  to  represent  the 
dead  man.  One  of  them,  seen  by  Mr.  Sproat, 
held  a skull  in  its  hand,  which  it  was  grimly 
contemplating;  another,  which  represented 
a deceased  orator,  had  its  hand  outstretched 
as  in  the  act  of  speaking;  and  a third  was 
shown  as  if  grasping  a wolf.  The  relatives 
often  visit  their  burial-places.  They  come 
about  dark,  light  a great  fire,  and  feed  it  with 
oil  and  other  inflammable  materials,  while 
they  wail  loudly  at  intervals. 

To  the  honor  of  these  tribes,  it  may  be 
said  that  they  never  disturb  the  relics  of  the 
departed,  even  if  they  occupy  the  burial- 
ground  of  a hostile  tribe.  In  consequence 
of  the  mode  of  burial,  nothing  can  have 
a more  dreary  or  forlorn  look  than  an  isl- 
and which  has  been  selected  as  a burial- 
ground.  On  the  branches  of  the  trees  are 
the  mouldering  bodies  of  the  dead,  and  on 
their  boughs  flutter  the  tattered  remains 
of  their  clothing.  And  on  the  ground  the 
scene  is  no  better,  for  it  is  occupied  with 
decaying  boards,  broken  boxes,  shattered 
canoes,  rotten  paddles,  and  other  emblems 
of  decay. 

When  the  dead  chief  has  been  a man  of 
very  great  importance,  his  emblem  or  crest 
is  either  painted  or  carved.  In  the  former 
case  it  is  painted  on  the  coffin,  but  in  the 
latter  it  is  generally  placed  on  a post  or  a 
tree  near  the  body.  According  to  Mr.  Dun- 
can, if  the  crest  should  happen  to  be  an 
eagle  or  a raven,  it  is  carved  as  if  in  the  act 
of  flying,  and  fixed  to  the  edge  of  the  coffin 
with  its  wings  spread,  as  if  it  were  typical 
of  the  escaping  and  aspiring  spirit  of  the 
dead  chief. 


CHAPTEE  CXLV. 


ALASKA. 


MALEMUTES  — INGELETES  — CO-YUKONS. 

LARGE  STATURE — THE  TO-TOOK  — ORNAMENTS  — BAIDARRES  — UNDERGROUND  HOUSES  — MALEMUTE 
DANCE  — CHIEF  ALEUYANUK  — INGELETES  — HOUSES  — HONESTY  — CO-YUKONS  — DRESS  — MOURN- 
- ING  FOR  THE  DEAD  — WAKE  — DISPOSAL  OF  THE  DEAD  — APPEARANCE  OF  THE  WOMEN  — AFFEC- 
TION FOR  CHILDREN  — COMMUNITY  OF  GOODS  — CHARACTER. 


The  United  States  Government  having 
recently  purchased  the  territory  of  Alaska, 
this  work  will  be  increased  in  value  to  the 
American  public,  by  including  some  account 
of  the  uncivilized  tribes  which  are  its  most 
numerous  inhabitants. 

At  the  moufh  of  the  Unalachleet  River  is 
the  most  northern  settlement  on  the  coast, 
a Russian  trading  post.  To  the  northwest 
of  this  post  Mr.  Whymper  found  a large 
village  of  Malemute  and  Kaveak  Indians. 
They  resemble  the  Esquimaux,  except  that 
they  are  a tall  and  stout  race.  It  is  not 
unusual  to  find  men  among  them  six  feet  in 
height,  and  some  even  taller  than  this.  The 
men  shave  the  crown  of  the  head,  and 
are  fond  of  an  ornament  called  the  To-took. 
It  is  made  by  pieces  of  bone  run  through 
holes  oil  either  side  of  the  face  just  below 
the  mouth.  The  ornaments  of  the  women, 
who  are  stout  and  good-humored,  are  a 
tattoo  on  the  chin,  beads . hanging  from 
their  hair,  and  also  leaden  or  iron  bracelets. 
Both  sexes  wear  skin  clothing.  The  coat 
has  a hood  almost  always,  which  is  gener- 
ally of  wolf  skin.  Men  and  women  alike 
wear  pantaloons  of  seal  or  reindeer  skin, 
the  women  having  the  socks  attached  and  in 
one  piece.  The  “baidarres”  of  these  na- 
tives, similar  to  the  Esquimaux  kajak,  are 
admirably  made.  The  frames  are  light 
and  strong,  the  skin  covering  being  sewed 
with  sinew,  and  the  seams  made  water- 
tight by  fat  rubbed  into  them. 

Their  houses  are  usually  underground, 
and  have  a tunnel,  through  which  one  must 
crawl  to  enter  them.  A hole  in  the  roof 
— which  is  just  above  the  surface  of  the 
ground  — lets  out  the  smoke.  When  there 
is  no  fire,  this  aperture  is  closely  covered 
with  a skin. 


Mr.  Whymper  gives  the  following  account 
of  a dance  to  which  he  and  his  party  were 
invited: — * 

“ On  arriving  at  the  doorway,  we  found  a 
subterranean  passage,  two  and  a half  feet 
high,  crawling  through  which  we  at  last 
reached  the  room,  — dimly  lighted  by  blub- 
ber lamps.  The  Indians  who  were  to  take 
part  in  the  dance,  chiefly  young  men,  were 
nude  to  the  waist,  and  wore  seal,  deerskin 
or  cotton  pantaloons,  with  tails  of  wolves 
or  dogs  hanging  behind,  and  feathers  round 
their  heads.  The  elders  sat  on  a bench  or 
shelf,  running  round  the  entire  building,  and 
looked  on  approvingly,  while  they  consumed 
their  own  smoke,  like  the  Tchuktchis,  by 
swallowing  it,  and  getting  partially  intoxi- 
cated thereby.  The  women  brought  in  ber- 
ries and  .fish  in  large  ‘ contogs,’  or  wooden 
bowls. 

“The  performance  commenced  by  the 
actors  ranging  themselves  in  a square,  and 
raising  these  dishes  of  provisions  to  the  four 
cardinal  points  successively,  and  once  to  the 
skies,  with  a sudden  noise  like  ‘ swish  ! ’ or 
the  flight  of  a rocket. 

“ Then  came  the  feast ; and  that  over,  a 
monotonous  chorus,  with  an  accompaniment 
of  gongs,  was  started.  The  words  of  the  song 
commenced,  ‘ Yung  i ya,  i ya,  i ya ! ’ and  con- 
tinued throughout,  ‘Yung  i ya ! ’ Then  a boy 
sprang  out  on  the  floor  ; he  was  joined  by  a 
second,  then  a third,  till  a circle  of  twenty 
was  formed.  Kow  they  appeared  violently 
attracted  together,  and  now  as  much  re- 
pelled ; now  they  were  horrified  at  one  an- 
other’s conduct,  and  held  up  their  arms  in 
warning  gestures,  and  again  all  were  friends 
and  made  pantomime  of  their  happiness.  In 
this  performance  there  was  nearly  as  much 
done  by  arms  and  bodies,  as  with  feet.  When 


(1374) 


THE  CO-YUKONS. 


1375 


there  was  a Aill  in  the  entertainment,  small 
presents  were  given  to  all  the  strangers  in- 
vited.” 

The  Malemiites  and  Kaveaks,  though 
intermingling,  and  having  similar  habits, 
manners,  and  customs,  yet  speak  different 
dialects  and  inhabit  different  parts  of  the 


territory.  They  are  considered  as  superior 
to  the  other  Indian  tribes  of  that  region. 
The  Malemutc  chief  “ Aleuyanuk,”  whom 
Mr.  Wliyrnper  saw,  “ was  a line-looking  old 
man,  erect  and  soldierly,  and,  wearing  a 
mustache  and  imperial,  his  manners  would 
not  have  disgraced  a civilized  assembly.” 


INGELETES. 


The  Ingeletes  speak  a dialect  entirely  dif- 
ferent from  that  of  the  Malemutes,  — one 
nearly  allied  to  the  Co-yukon.  They  are  a 
stout,  noble-looking  race,  good-natured,  and 
having  considerable  intelligence. 

Polygamy,  though  allowed,  is  not  very 
common,  and  marriage  is  a permanent  rela- 
tion, except  occasionally,  when  the  wife  is 
barren  or  has  too  many  daughters.  Female 
children  not  being  prized  so  highly  as  sons, 
in  such  instances  the  wife  is  sometimes  dis- 
missed. They  live  in  underground  houses, 
such  as  have  been  described,  and  in  mild, 


wet  weather,  the  passage-way  is  nothing 
but  a sewer.  The  entrance  being  covered 
with  a skin,  the  mixture  of  foul  smells  in- 
side, arising  from  stale  fish  and  meat,  old 
skins,  dogs,  dirt  and  smoke,  is  sickening  and 
unendurable  by  any  but  an  Indian.  Mr. 
Whymper  testifies  to  the  good  temper  of 
the  children  and  the  honesty  of  the  people. 
"‘At  their  villages  our  goods  lay  unguarded 
in  our  absence,  and  I cannot  recall  a single 
case  of  proved  dishonesty  among  them, 
although  we  found  them  becoming  more 
greedy  in  their  demands  for  payment.” 


THE  CO-Y^UKOXS. 


The  Co-yukons  are  an  interior  tribe,  and 
the  largest  on  the  Yukon,  which  is  the  great 
river  of  the  north,  being  2,000  miles  long, 
and  navigable  1,000  miles.  They  may  be 
found  on  the  banks  of  the  Co-yukuk,  and 
other  interior  rivers.  These  Indians  resem- 
ble the  Ingeletes,  already  mentioned,  but 
have  a more  ferocious  countenance.  Their 
dress  is  a double-tailed  coat,  one  tail  before, 
the  other  behind,  and  this  style,  with  some 
modifications,  prevails  for  a thousand  miles 
on  the  Y^'iikon. 

The  dress  of  the  women  is  cut  more 
squarely,  and  they  wear  an  ornament  of 
Hy-a-qua  shells  on  the  nose,  which  runs 
through  a hole  made  in  the  cartilage  be- 
tween the  nostrils.  It  is  a singular  fact  that 
higher  up  the  river  it  is  the  men  only  who 
wear  this  ornament. 

Among  these  tribes  the  period  of  mourn- 
ing for  the  dead  is  one  year,  the  women  dur- 
ing this  time  often  gathering  to  talk  and 
cry  over  the  deceased.  At  the  end  of  the 
year,  they  have  a feast  or  “ wake,”  which  is 
generally  a queer  compound  of  jollity  and 
grief.  One  such  scene,  to  commemorate  the 
death  of  a child,  was  witnessed  by  Mr.  Whym- 
per at  Hulato.  “The  poor  old  mother  and 
some  of  her  friends  wept  bitterly,  while  the 
guests  were  gayly  dancing  round  a painted 
pole,  on  which  strings  of  beads  and  some 
magnificent  wmlf  skins  were  hung.  They 
kept  up  singing  and  dancing  to  a fashionable 
hour  of  the  morning,  and  one  little  savage, 
who  had  been  shouting  at  the  top  of  his 
lungs  for  hours,  got  up  the  next  day  without 
any  voice  at  all,  a case  of  righteous  retribu- 
66 


lion.  The  decorations  of  the  pole  were  di- 
vided among  those  who  took  part  in  the 
‘ wake.’  ” 

Their  method  of  disposing  of  the  dead  is 
not  interment,  but  enclosure  in  oblong  boxes, 
raised  on  posts.  These  are  sometimes  orna- 
mented with  strips  of  skin,  and  the  possessions 
of  the  deceased,  as  the  canoe,  paddles,  &c.,  are 
placed  on  the  top  of  the  box.  Smaller  arti- 
cles are  placed  within  the  box.  This  four- 
post  coffin  is  a custom  also  among  the  coast 
tribes  already  described.  The  women  are 
quite  prepossessing  in  appearance,  are  affec- 
tionate toward  their  children,  and  especially 
fond  of  their  first-born.  They  are  good-natured 
and  playful,  snowballing  and  rolling  each 
other  in  the  snow,  sliding  down  hill  on  sled- 
ges or  snow-shoes,  with  the  enthusiasm  of 
children. 

There  are  other  tribes,  the  names  of  which 
need  only  be  mentioned,  viz:  the  Kotch-a- 
Kutchins  (or  lowland  people),  the  Au  Kut- 
chins,  the  Tatauchok  Kutchins,  Birch  Kiver 
and  Rat  River  Indians.  _The  Zanana  In- 
dians (or  knoll  people),  Mr.  Whymper  thinks 
are  the  most  unsophisticated  of  all  the  In- 
dian tribes  of  the  present  day.  Those  he 
saw  “ were  gay  with  painted  faces,  feathers 
in  their  long  hair,  patches  of  red  clay  at  the 
back  of  their  heads,  covered  with  small  fluffy 
feathers,  double-tailed  coats  and  pantaloons 
of  buckskin,  much  adorned  with  fringes  and 
beads,  and  elaborately  worked  fire- bags  and 
belts.”  Many  of  them,  as  in  other  Indian 
tribes,  wore  through  the  nose  the  Hy-a-qua 
shell  as  an  ornament.  The  women  of  the 
upper  tribes  wear  less  ornament  than  the 


1376 


ALASKA. 


men,  and  are  compelled  to  do  more  drudgery 
than  those  of  the  lower  Yukon  and  coast  of 
Alaska. 

Among  the  coast  tribes,  and  especially 
on  the  Yukon,  there  is,  to  some  extent,  a 
community  of  goods,  the  industrious  hunter 
supplying  the  village  crowd.  This  is  a cus- 
tom so  much  practised  that  the  hunter  gets 
no  praise  for  his  service.  Some  of  the  chiefs 
maintain  their  position  by  frequent  distribu- 
tions of  their  effects,  and  the  game  which 
they,  being  good  hunters,  have  been  able 
to  take.  “ These  chiefs  are  often  the  worst 
clothed  and  worst  fed  of  all  the  tribe.  Such 
generosity  is  expected  as  a matter  of  course. 
ISTo  man,  woman,  or  child  among  them  goes 
unfed,  unhoused,  or  unwarmed,  if  there  be 
food,  dwelling,  or  fire  in  the  settlement.” 

Among  the  tribes  of  Alaska,  a system  of 
slavery  exists  that  can  hardly  be  surpassed 
for  barbarism.  They  all  buy  and  sell  slaves. 
“ Parents  will  sell  their  children  for  three  or 
four  blankets  or  a few  dollars,  and  have  no 
compunction  of  conscience  for  the  use  they 
may  be  put  to  in  the  future.  When  one 
tribe  goes  to  war  with  another,  all  the  pris- 
oners taken  by  either  tribe  are  called  and 
used  as  slaves.  When  a chief  or  any 
of  his  family  dies,  it  is  the  custom  to  kill 
one  or  more  of  these  slaves,  so  that  the  chief 
or  his  deceased  relative  may  hove  a servant 
in  the  other  world  to  wait  on  him.  In  1868 
an  old  chief  of  the  Sitka  tribe  died,  and  a 
few  days  before  his  death,  when  his  relatives 
were  satisfied  that  he  could  live  but  a short 
time,  they  selected  as  a victim  for  sacrifice 
a young,  healthy,  good-looking  warrior, 
whom  the  Sitka  tribe  had  taken  prisoner 
while  at  war  with  one  of  the  tribes  down 
near  Queen  Charlotte’s  Sound.  The  slave 
had  been  tied  up  two  days  about  the  time 
the  old  chief  died,  and  by  some  means  some 
of  his  friends  were  apprised  of  his  condition, 
and  immediately  notified  Gen.  Davis  that 
the  Indian  slave  was  liable  to  be  killed  at 
any  moment.  Gen.  Davis  had  one  of  the 
chiefs  brought  before  him,  and  after  a long 
conversation  about  the  foolishness  of  such 
sacrifices,  he  agreed  to  let  the  slave  go  free; 
and  lest  they  might  attempt  to  put  into  ex- 
ecution their  original  idea  of  killing  him,  the 
General  permitted  the  Indian  to  remain  in 
the  city,  where  he  wmuld  be  protected. 

“ Kecently  one  of  the  chiefs  tried  hard  to 


get  hold  of  a half-breed,  named  Evanoff,  to 
sacrifice  him.  For  the  two  preceding  weeks 
this  chief  would  go  up  every  day  to  Gen. 
Davis,  stating  that  he  had  a slave  in  the 
city,  and  wanting  to  know  if  he  could  not  get 
him  into  Indiantown.  The  General,  sup- 
posing the  chief  wanted  one  of  his  Indians, 
told  him  to  go  and  get  him,  but  it  was  not 
until  the  day  in  question  that  the  efibrt  was 
made  to  get  this  man.  It  seems  that  Evan- 
off’s  mother  was  an  Indian  vmman,  but  his 
father  was  a Eussian,  and  when  he  was  but 
three  years  of  age  a lad}"  named  Benge- 
man  adopted  and  brought  him  up.  The 
chief  who  claimed  him  had  a child  that  was 
expected  to  die,  and  afterward  did  die.  Hav- 
ing no  slave  but  his  claim  on  Evanoff,  he  made 
this  effort  to  sacrifice  him  that  he  might  be 
a servant  for  his  child  in  the  spirit  world. 
When  the  general  saw  whom  the  chief 
claimed,  in  a very  few  well-timed  words  he 
taught  him  and  several  of  his  warriors  more 
about  civilization  than  ever  they  knew  before. 
He  asked  the  chief  what  he  wanted  with  this 
man.  Pointing  to  Evanoft’,  the  Indian  told 
him  his  child  was  sick,  and  he  only  wanted 
him  for  three  hours,  and  then  he  would  let 
him  go  free.  The  General  told  him  that  the 
best  thing  he  could  do  was  to  look  on  Evanoff 
as  a free  man  already,  and  warned  the  Indian 
if  in  the  fixture  he  should  ever  attempt  to 
trouble  Evanoff  again,  he  would  put  him  in 
the  guard-house  and  keep  him  there.  The 
Indian  went  off  well  pleased,  and  stated  that 
he  would  be  a good  Indian  thereafter. 

The  slaves  are  put  to  death  as  follows; 
As  soon  as  a chief  dies,  the  slave  is  com- 
pelled to  wash  the  body  of  the  corpse;  and 
is  then  taken  out  and  thrown  flat  on  his 
back  and  held  there,  when  a stick  of  wood  is 
placed  across  his  throat,  and  two  Indians  sit 
down  on  each  end  of  it,  and  in  this  way 
strangle  him  to  death.  His  body  is  then 
placed  inside  a,  large  pile  of  wood  and  burned 
to  ashes.  It  is  customary  when  a big  chief 
dies  to  put  to  death  two  or  more  slaves.  All 
slaves  taken  in  war  have  to  act  as  servants 
for  the  chiefs  who  own  them.”  — (^Sitha  Times 
of  Nov.  27, 1869.) 

The  Indian  population  of  the  whole  terri- 
tory of  Alaska  is  estimated  at  about  30,000. 
They  are  peaceful  and  quite  capable,  learn- 
ing quickly,  and  exhibiting  considerable 
skill  in  their  utensils  and  weapons. 


CHAPTEE  CXLVI. 


SIBEKIA. 

THE  TCHUKTCHI  — JAKHTS  — TUNGTJSI. 


HOM»  OF  THE  TCHUKTCHI  — INDEPENDENCE  — DISTRICT  OF  THE  RUSSIANS  — CARAVANS  — INTOXI- 
CATION BY  TOBACCO  — FAIR  OF  OSTROWNOJE  — GRAVITY  OF  THE  TCHUKTCHI — THEIR  TENT 
— MADAME  BEUTT  — HOSPITALITY  — SHAMANISM  — HUMAN  SACRIFICE  — POLYGAMY  — MURDER 
OF  THE  AGED  — JAKUTS  — THEIR  ENDURANCE  — RESERVE  — SUPERSTITION  — THE  TUNGUSI  — 
DIFFERENT  TRIBES  — CANNIBALISM  — ORNAMENTS  — BRAVERY  — DIET  — SHAMANISM  — DISPOSAL 
OF  THE  DEAD  — A NIGHT’S  HALT  WITH  THE  TUNGUSI  IN  THE  FOREST  — SPORTS  — FAIRS. 


Crossing  Behring’s  Straits  into  Asia,  we 
find  in  Korthern  Siberia  several  peoples 
whose  condition  and  character  bring  them 
wdthin  the  scope  of  this  work. 

The  home  of  the  Tchuktchi  is  at  the  ex- 
treme north-eastern  point  of  Asia;  bounded 
by  the  Polar  Ocean  on  one  side,  and  by 
Behring  Sea  on  the  other.  It  is,  as  the  few 
travellers  who  have  visited  it  say,  one  of  the 
dreariest  regions  of  the  earth.  There  is  no 
indication  of  summer  before  July  20th,  and 
winter  begins  about  the  20th  of  August. 
The  sea  coasts  abound  with  seals,  sea-lions, 
and  walruses;  while  the  wolf,  reindeer,  and 
Arctic  fox  abound  in  the  interior.  In  this 
cold,  desolate  region  dwell  the  only  aborigi- 
nal race  of  Northern  Asia  that  has  resisted 
all  attempts  of  the  Kussian  government  to 
take  away  its  independence.  Dr.  Hartwig, 
in  his  sketch  of  this  tribe,  says:  “ The 
rulers  of  Siberia  have  confined  them  within 
narrower  limits,  but  they  obey  no  foreign 
leader,  and  wander  unmolested,  with  their 
numerous  reindeer  herds,  over  the  naked 
tundras. 

A natural  distrust  of  their  powerful  neigh- 
bors has  rendered  them  long  unwilling  to 
enter  into  any  commercial  intercourse  with 
the  Russians,  and  to  meet  them  at  the  fair 
of  Ostrownoje,  a small  town,  situated  not 
far  from  their  frontiers,  on  a small  island  of 
the  Aninj,  in  68°  N.  lat. 

Prom  the  East  Cape  of  Asia,  where,  cross- 
ing Behring’s  Strait  in  boats  covered  with 

(1377) 


skins,  they  barter  furs  and  walrus  teeth 
with  the  natives  of  America,  the  Tchuktchi 
come  with  their  goods  and  tents  drawn  on 
sledges  to  the  fair  of  Ostrownoje.  One  of 
these  caravans  generally  consists  of  fifty  or 
sixty  families,  and  one  fair  is  scarcely  at  an 
end  when  they  set  otf  to  make  their  arrange- 
ments for  the  next. 

Tobacco  is  the  primum  mobile  of  the  trade 
which  centres  in  Ostrownoje.  Their  pipes 
are  of  a peculiar  character,  larger  at  the 
stem  than  the  bowl,  which  holds  a very  small 
quantity  of  tobacco.  In  smoking,  they  swal- 
low the  fumes  of  the  tobacco,  and  often,  after 
six  or  eight  whiffs,  fall  back,  completely  in- 
toxicated for  the  time. 

But  Ostrownoje  attracts  not  only  Tchuk- 
tchi and  Russians;  a great  number  of  the 
Siberian  tribes,  from  a vast  circuit  of  1,000 
or  1,500  versts,  — Jukahiri,  Lamutes,  Tun- 
gusi,  Tschuwanzi,  Koriacks,  — also  come 
flocking  in  their  sledges,  drawn  partly  by 
dogs,  partly  by  horses,  for  the  purpose  of 
bartering  their  commodities  against  the 
goods  of  the  Tchuktchi.  Fancy  this  bar- 
barous assembly  meeting  every  year  during 
the  intense  cold  and  short  days  of  the  be- 
ginning of  March.  Picture  to  yourself  the 
fantastic  illumination  of  their  red  watch- 
fires  blazing  under  the  starry  firmament,  or 
mingling  their  ruddy  glare  with  the  aurora 
flickering  through  the  skies,  and  add  to  the 
strange  sight  the  hollow  sound  of  the  Sha- 
man’s drum,  and  the  howling  of  several 


1378 


SIBERIA. 


hundreds  of  hungry  dogs,  and  you  will  surely 
confess  that  no  fair  has  a more  original  char- 
acter than  that  of  Ostrownoje. 

The  imperturbable  gravity  of  the  Tchukteh 
forms  a remarkable  contrast  with  the  greedy 
eagerness  of  the  Russian  trader.  Although 
the  Tchukfcchi  have  no  scales  with  them,  it 
is  not  easy  to  deceive  them  in  the  weight, 
for  they  know  exactly  by  the  feeling  of  the 
hand  whether  a quarter  of  a pound  is  want- 
Kig  to  the  pound.  The  whole  fair  seldom 
lasts  longer  than  three  days,  and  Ostrow- 
noje, which  must  have  but  very  few  station- 
ary inhabitants  indeed  (as  it  is  not  even 
mentioned  in  statistical  accounts,  which  cite 
towns  of  seventeen  souls),  is  soon  after  aban- 
doned for  many  months  to  its  ultra- Siberian 
solitude. 

But  before  we  allow  the  Tchuktchi  to 
retire  to  their  deserts,  we  may  learn  some- 
thing more  of  their  habits  by  accompanying 
Mr.  "Matiuschkiri  Wrangell’s  companion  on 
a visit  to  the  ladies  of  one  of  their  first 
chiefs.  “We  enter  the  outer  tent,  or 
‘ wamet,’  consisting  of  tanned  reindeer 
skins  supported  on  a slender  framework. 
An  opening  at  the  top  to  let  out  the  smoke, 
and  a kettle  in  the  centre,  announce  that 
antechamber  and  kitchen  are  here  harmo- 
niously blended  into  one.  But  v/here  are 
the  inmates?  Most  probably  in  that  large 
sack  made  of  the  finest  skins  of  reindeer 
calves,  which  occupies,  near  the  kettle,  the 
centre  of  the  ‘waniet.’  To  penetrate  into 
this  sanctum  sanctorum  of  the  Tchukteh 
household,  we  raise  the  loose  flap  which 
serves  as  a door,  creep  on  all-fours  through 
the  opening,  cautiously  re-fasten  the  flap  by 
tucking  it  under  the  floor-skin,  and  find 
ourselves  in  the  reception  or  withdrawing- 
room, — the  ‘ polog.’  A snug  box,  no  doubt, 
for  a cold  climate,  but  rather  low,  as  we  can- 
not stand  upright  in  it,  and  not  quite  so 
well  ventilated  as  a sanitary  commissioner 
would  approve  of,  as  it  has  positively  no 
opening  for  light  or  air.  A sufibcating 
smoke  meets  us  on  entering.  We  rub  our 
eyes,  and  when  they  have  at  length  got 
accustomed  to  the  biting  atmosphere,  we 
perceive,  by  the  gloomy  light  of  a train-oil 
lamp,  the  worthy  family  squatting  on  the 
floor  in  a state  of  almost  complete  nudity. 
Without  being  in  the  least  embarrassed, 
Madame  Leiitt  and  her  daughter  receive  us 
in  their  primitive  costume.  But,  to  show  us 
that  the  Tchuktchi  know  hov/  to  receive 
company,  and  to  do  honor  to  their  guests, 
they  immediately  insert  strings  of  glass 
beads  in  their  greasy  hair.  Their  hospital- 
ity equals  their  politeness;  for,  instead  of  a 


cold  reception,  a hot  dish  of  boiled  reindeer 
flesh,  copiously  irrigated  with  rancid  train- 
oil  by  the  experienced  hand  of  the  mistress 
of  the-  household,  is  soon  after  smoking 
before  us.  Unfortunately,  our  effeminate 
taste  is  not  up  to  the  haut  gout  of  her  culi- 
nary art,  and  while  Mr.  Leiitt  does  ample 
justice  to  the  artistic  talent  of  his  spouse, 
by  rapidly  bolting  down  pieces  as  large  as  a 
fist,  we  are  hardly  able  to  swallow  a morsel.” 

Though  most  of  the  Reindeer  or  nomadic 
Tchuktchi  have  been  baptized,  yet  Wrangell 
supposes  the  ceremony  to  have  been  a mere 
financial  speculation  on  their  part,  and  is 
convinced  that  the  pov/er  of  the  vShamans  is 
still  as  great  as  ever.  An  epidemic  had  car- 
ried off  a great  number  of  persons,  and  also 
whole  herds  of  reindeer.  In  vain  the  Sham- 
ans had  recourse  to  their  usual  conjurations. 
The  plague  continued.  They  consulted  to- 
gether, and  directed  that  one  of  their  most 
respected  chiefs,  named  Kotschen,  must  be 
sacrificed,  to  appease  the  irritated  spirits. 
Kotschen  was  willing  to  submit  to  the  sen- 
tence, but  none  could  be  found  to  execute  it, 
until  his  own  son,  prevailed  on  by  his  father’s 
exhortations,  and  terrified  by  his  threatened 
curse,  plunged  a knife  into  his  heart,  and 
gave  his  body  to  the  Shamans. 

Polygamy  is  general  among  the  Tchuk- 
tchi, and  they  change  their  wives  as  often  as 
they  please.  Still,  though  the  vromen  are 
certainly  slaves,  tlniy  are  allowed  more  in- 
fluence, and  are  subjected  to  less  labor,  than 
among  many  savages.  Among  other  heath- 
enish and  detestable  customs,  is  that  of 
killing  all  deformed  children,  and  all  old  peo- 
ple as  soon  as  they  become  unfit  for  the 
hardships  and  fatigues  of  a nomad  life. 
They  do  not  indulge  in  any  needless  cru- 
elty, but  stupefy  the  aged  victim,  by  putting 
some  substance  up  the  nostrils  before  open- 
ing a vein.  Two  years  before  Wrangell’s 
arrival  at  Kolyma  there  was  an  instance 
of  this  in  the  case  of  one  of  their  richest 
chiefs.  Waletka’s  father  became  infirm  and 
tired  of  life,  and  was  put  to  death  at  his  own 
express  desire,  by  some  of  his  nearest  rela- 
tions. 

The  number  of  the  Tchuktchi  is  greater 
than  one  might  expect  to  find  in  so  sterile  a 
country.  According^  to  the  Russian  mis- 
sionaries, there  were,  some  years  back,  52 
ulusses  or  villages  of  the  Onkilon  (or  sta- 
tionary Tchuktchi),  with  1,568  tents,  and 
10,000  inhabitants,  and  ¥7rangell  tells  us 
that  the  Tennygk  (or  Reindeer  Tchuktchi), 
are  at  least  twice  as  numerous,  so  that  the 
entire  population  of  the  land  of  the  Tchuk- 
tchi may  possibly  amount  to  30,000. 


THE  TUKGUSI. 


1379 


JAKUTS. 


The  Jakxjts  are  the  most  energetic  of 
these  races,  having  reached  a higher  civiliza- 
tion than  the  others  in  the  same  latitude, 
with  the  exception  of  Iceland,  Finland,  and 
Norway.  They  are  a pastoral  people,  hospi- 
tiible,  possess  considerable  mechanical  skill, 
and  are  so  shrewd  and  cunning  that  no 
Kussian  can  compete  with  them. 

“Even  in  Siberia,”  Wrangell  says,  “they 
are  called  ‘men  of  iron.’  Often  have  I seen 
them  sleeping  at  a temperature  of  4°  in 
the  open  air,  and  with  a thick  ice  rind  cover- 
ing their  almost  unprotected  bodies.” 


Though  reserved  and  unsocial,  they  are 
kind  to  strangers  that  need  assistance. 
They  are  the  universal  carriers  to  the  east 
of  the  Lena.  Bidding  deliance  to  the  cold 
and  the  storm,  fearing  neither  the  gloom 
of  the  forest  nor  the  dangers  of  the  icy 
stream,  yet  they  are  not  emancipated  fi-om 
the  old  belief  in  Sehamanism — the  dread 
of  evil  spirits.  They  number  about  200,- 
000,  and  form  the  principal  part  of  the 
population  of  the  vast  and  dreary  province 
of  Jakutsk. 


THE  TUNGUSI. 


This  race  having  spread  over  East  Siberia, 
driving  before  them  the  Jakuts,  Jukahiri, 
Tchuktchi,  and  other  aboriginal  tribes,  were 
conquered  by  the  liussians,  and  are  now  as 
ignorant  and  uncivilized  as  they  were  two 
hundred  and  fifty  years  ago.  Dr.  Hartwig, 
deriving  his  information  from  Wrangell, 
the  Arctic  explorer,  thus  sketches  the  traits 
of  this  people:  — 

“ According  to  their  occupations,  and  the 
various  domestic  animals  emplo3md  by  them, 
they  are  distinguished  by  the  names  of  Rein- 
deer, Horse,  Dog,  Forest,  and  River  Tun- 
gusi;  but,  although  they  are  found  from  the 
basins  of  the  Tipper,  Middle,  and  Lower 
Tunguska,  to  the  western  shore  of  the  sea  of 
Ochotsk,  and  from  the  Chinese  frontiers  and 
the  Baikal  to  the  Polar  Ocean,  their  whole 
number  does  not  amount  to  more  than  30,000, 
and  diminishes  from  year  to  j^ear,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  ravages  of  the  small-pox  and 
other  epidemic  disorders  transmitted  to  them 
by  the  Russians.  Only  a few  rear  horses  and 
cattle,  the  reindeer  being  generally  their  do- 
mestic animal;  and  the  impoverished  Tun- 
guse,  who  has  been  deprived  of  his  herd  by 
some  contagious  disorder,  or  the  ravages  of 
the  wolves, lives  as  a fisherman  on  the  borders 
of  a river,  assisted  by  his  dog,  or  retires  into 
the  forests  as  a promyschlenik,  or  hunter.” 

Of  the  miseries  which  here  await  him, 
Wrangell  relates  a melancholy'  instance.  In 

solitary  hut,  in  one  of  the  dreariest  wilder- 
* nesses  imaginable,  he  found  a Tunguse  and 
his  daughter.  While  the  father,  with  his 
long  snow-shoes,  was  pursuing  a reindeer 
for  several  days  together,  this  unfortunate 
girl  remained  alone  and  helpless  in  the  hut, 

— which  even  in  summer  afforded  but  an 
imperfect  shelter  against  the  rain  and  wind, 

— exposed  to  the  cold,  and  frequently  to 
hunger,  and  without  the  least  occupation. 
No  wonder  that  the  impoverished  Tungusi 
not  seldom  sink  into  cannibalism.  Neither 
the  reindeer  nor  the  dogs,  nor  the  wives 
and  children  of  their  more  fortunate  coun- 


trymen, are  secure  from  the  attacks  and 
voracity  of  these  outcasts,  who,  in  their  turn, 
are  treated  like  wild  beasts,  and  destroyed 
without  mercy.  A bartering  trade  is,  how- 
ever, carried  on  with  them,  but  only  at  a 
distance,  and  by  signs ; each  party  deposit- 
ing its  goods,  and  following  every  motion  of 
the  other  with  a suspicious  eye. 

The  Russian  government,  anxious  to  re- 
lieve the  misery  of  the  impoverished  nom- 
ads, has  given  orders  to  settle  them  along 
the  river  banks,  and  to  provide  them  with 
the  necessary  fishing  implements;  but  only 
extreme  wretchedness  can  induce  the  Tun- 
guse to  relinquish  his  free  life  of  the  forest. 
His  careless  temper,  his  'ready  wit,  and 
sprightly  manner,  distinguish  him  from  the 
other  Siberian  tribes, — the  gloomy  Samoiede, 
the  uncouth  Ostiak,  the  reserved  Jakut,  — 
but  he  is  said  to  be  full  of  deceit  and  malice. 
His  vanity  shows  itself  in  the  quantity  of 
lass  beads  with  which  he  decorates  his 
ress  of  reindeer  leather,  from  his  small 
Tartar  cap  to  the  tips  of  his  shoes.  When 
chasing  or  travelling  on  his  reindeer  through 
the  woods,  he  of  course  lay's  aside  most  of 
his  finery,  and  puts  on  large  water-tight 
boots,  or  sari,  well  greased  with  fat,  to  keep 
off*  the  wet  of  the  morass.  His  hunting  ap- 
paratus is  extremely  simple.  A small  axe, 
a kettle,  a leathern  bag  containing  some 
dried  fish,  a dog,  a short  gun,  or  merely  a 
bow  and  a sling,  is  all  he  requires  for  Iii.s 
expeditions  into  the  forest.  With  the  as- 
sistance of  his  long  and  narrow  snow-shoes, 
he  flies  over  the  dazzling  plains,  and  pro- 
tects his  ey^es,  like  the  Jakut,  with  a net 
made  of  black  horse-hair.  He  never  hesi- 
tates to  attack  the  bear  single-handed,  and 
generally  masters  him.  The  nomad  Tun- 
guse naturally  requires  a movable  dwelling. 
His  tent  is  covered  with  leather,  or  large 
pieces  of  pliable  bark,  which  are  easily  rolled 
up  and  transported  from  place  to  place.  The 
yourt  of  the  sedentary  Tunguse  resembles 
that  of  the  Jakut,  and  is  so  small  that  it  can 


i 


1380 


SIBEEIA. 


be  very  quickly  and  thoroughly  warmed  by 
a fire  kindled  on  the  stone  hearth  in  the 
centre.  In  his  food  the  Tunguse  is  by  no 
means  dainty.  One  of  his  favorite  dishes 
consists  of  the  contents  of  a reindeer’s 
stomach  mixed  with  wild  berries,  and 
spread  out  in  thin  cakes  on  the  rind  of 
trees,  to  be  dried  in  the  air  or  in  the  sun. 
Those  who  have  settled  on  the  Wiluj  and  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Nertschinsk  likewise 
consume  large  quantities  of  brick  tea,  which 
they  boil  with  fat  and  berries  into  a thick 
porridge,  and  this  unwholesome  food  adds, 
no  doubt,  to  the  yellowness  of  their  com- 
plexion. 

But  few  of  the  Tungusi  have  been  con- 
verted to  Christianity,  the  majority  being 
still  addicted  to  Shamanism.  They  do  not 
like  to  bury  their  dead,  but  place  them,  in 
their  holiday  dresses,  in  large  chests,  which 
they  hang  up  between  two  trees.  The 
hunting  apparatus  of  the  deceased  is  buried 
beneath  the  chest.  No  ceremonies  are  used 
on  the  occasion,  except  when  a Shaman 
happens  to  be  in  the  neighborhood,  when  a 
reindeer  is  sacrificed,  on  whose  flesh  the  sor- 
cerer and  the  relatives  regale  themselves, 
while  the  spirits  to  whom  the  animal  is  sup- 
posed to  be  offered  are  obliged  to  content 
themselves  with  the  smell  of  the  burnt  fat. 
As  among  the  Saino'iedes  or  the  Ostiaks, 
woman  is  a marketable  ware  among  the 
Tungusi.  The  father  gives  his  daughter  in 
marriage  for  twenty  or  a hundred  reindeer, 
or  the  bridegroom  is  obliged,  to  earn  her 
hand  by  a long  period  of  service. 

In  East  Siberia  the  Tungusi  divide  with 


the  Jakuts  the  task  of  conveying  goods  or 
travellers  through  the  forests,  and  attbrd  the 
stranger  frequent  opportunities  for  admiring 
their  agility  and  good  humor.  On  halting 
after  a day’s  journey,  the  reindeer  are  un- 
packed in  an  instant,  the  saddles  and  the 
goods  ranged  orderly  on  the  ground,  and  the 
bridles  collected  are  hung  on  branches  of 
trees. 

Comfortably  seated  on  his  reindeer  saddle, 
the  traveller  may  now  amuse  himself  with 
the  dances,  which  the  Tungusi  accompany 
with  an  agreeable  song;  or,  if  he  choose  to 
witness  their  agility  in  athletic  exercises,  it 
only  costs  him  a word  of  encouragement 
and  a small  donation  of  brandy.  Two  of  the 
Tungusi  hold  a rope,  and  swing  it  with  all 
their  might,  so  that  it  does  not  touch  the 
ground.  Meanwhile  a third  Tunguse  skips 
over  the  rope,  picks  up  a bow  and  arrow, 
spans  the  bow  and  shoots  the  arrow,  with- 
out once  touching  the  rope.  Some  partic- 
ularly bold  and  expert  Tungusi  will  dance 
over  a sword  which  a person  lying  on  his 
back  on  the  ground  is  swinging  about  with 
the  greatest  rapidity.  Should  our  traveller 
be  a friend  of  chess,  the  Tungusi  are  equally 
at  his  service,  as  they  are  passionately  fond 
of  this  noblest  of  games,  especially  in  the 
Kolyrask  district. 

Like  all  other  Siberian  nomads,  they  visit, 
at  least  once  a year,  the  various  fairs  which 
are  held  in  the  small  towns  scattered  here 
and  there  over  their  immense  territory,  such 
as  Kirensk,  Olekminsk,  Bargusin  and  Och- 
otsk,  which,  before  the  opening  of  Amoor  to 
trade,  was  the  chief  port  of  East  Siberia. 


CHAPTER  CXLVII 


SIBERIA  — Concluded, 


THE  SAMOIEDES  AND  OSTIAKS. 


'I'HEIR  BARBARISM  — Nt>M,  OR  JILIBEAMBAERT JE  — SHAMANISM  — SAMOIEDE  IDOLS  — S JAD^I  — HAHE 
— THE  TADEBTSIOS,  OR  SPIRITS — THE  TADIBES,  OR  SORCERERS  — THEIR  DRESS— THEIR  INVO- 
CATIONS— THEIR  CONJURING  TRICKS  — REVERENCE  PAID  TO  THE  DEAD  — A SAMOIEDE  OATH  — 
APPEARANCE  OF  THE  SAMOIEDES — THEIR  DRESS — A SAMOIEDE  BELLE  — CHARACTER  OF  THE 
SAMOIEDES  — THEIR  DECREASING  NUMBERS  — TRADITIONS  OF  ANCIENT  HEROES  — OSTIAKS  — WHAT 
IS  THE  OBI?  — A SUMMER  YOURT  — POVERTY  OF  OSTIAK  FISHERMEN — A WINTER  YOURT  — AT- 
TACHMENT OF  OSTIAKS  TO  THEIR  ANCIENT  CUSTOMS  — ARCHERY — APPEARANCE  AND  CHARACTER 
OF  THE  OSTIAKS. 


The  Samoiedes,  the  neighbors  of  the  Lap- 
landers, are  still  farther  removed  from 
civilized  society,  and  plunged  in  even 
deeper  barbarism.  The  wildest  tundras 
and  woods  of  Northern  Russia  and  West- 
ern Siberia  are  the  home  of  the  Samoiede. 
With  his  reindeer  herds  he  wanders  over 
the  naked  wastes,  from  the  eastern  coasts 
of  the  White  Sea  to  the  banks  of  the 
Chatanga,  or  hunts  in  the  boundless  forests 
between  the  Obi  and  the  Jenissei.  His 
intercourse  with  the  Russians  is  confined  to 
his  annual  visit  at  the  fairs  of  such  miserable 
settlements  as  Obdorsk  and  Pustosersk, 
where,  far  from  improving  by  their  com- 
pany, he  but  too  often  becomes  the  prey  of 
their  avarice,  and  learns  to  know  them 
merely  as  cheats  and  oppressors.  Prot- 
estant missionaries  have  long  since  brought 
instruction  to  the  Laplander’s  hut,  but  the 
majority  of  the  less  fortunate  Samoiedes 
still  adhere  to  the  gross  superstitions  of 
their  fathers.  They  believe  in  a Supreme 
Being,  — Num,  or  Jilibeambaertje,  — who 
resides  in  the  air,  and,  like  the  Jupiter  of 
old,  sends  down  thunder  and  lightning,  rain 
and  snow;  and  as  a proof  that  something  of 
a poetic  fancy  is  to  be  found  even  among 
the  most  savage  nations,  they  call  the  rain- 
bow “ the  hem  of  his  garment.”  As  this 
deity,  however,  is  too  far  removed  from 
them  to  leave  them  any  hope  of  gaining  his 
favor,  they  never  think  of  offering  him 
either  prayer  or  sacrifice.  But,  besides 
Num,  there  are  a great  many  inferior 
spirits,  or  idols,  who  directly  interfere  in 


human  concerns,  — capricious  beings,  who 
allow  themselves  to  be  influenced  by  offer- 
ings, or  yield  to  magical  incantations;  and 
to  these,  therefore,  the  Samoiede  has 
recourse  when  he  feels  the  necessity  of 
invoking  the  aid  or  averting  the  wrath  of  a 
higher  power. 

The  chief  of  all  Samoiede  idols  is  in  the 
island  of  Waygatz,  — a cold  and  melancholy 
Delos,  — where  it  w^as  already  found  by  old 
Barentz.  This  idol  is  a mere  block  of  stone, 
with  its  head  tapering  to  a point.  It  has 
thus  been  fashioned,  not  by  a mortal  artist, 
but  by  a play  of  nature.  After  this  original 
the  Samoiedes  have  formed  many  idols  of 
stone  or  wood  of  various  sizes,  which  they 
call  ‘‘  Sjadaei,”  from  their  possessing  a human 
physiognomy  (sja).  These  idols  they  dress 
in  reindeer  skins,  and  ornament  them  with 
all  sorts  of  colored  rags.  But  a resemblance 
to  the  human  form  is  not  the  necessary  attri- 
bute of  a Sanioiede  idol;  any  irregularly 
shaped  stone  or  tree  may  be  thus  distin- 
guished. 

If  the  object  is  small,  the  savage  carries 
it  everywhere  about  with  him,  carefully 
wrapped  up;  if  too  cumbersome  to  be  trans- 
ported, it  is  reserved  as  a kind  of  national 
deity.  As  with  the  Ostiaks,  each  Samoiede 
tribe  has  in  its  train  a peculiar  sledge,— -the 
Hahengan,  — in  which  the  household  idols 
(or  Hahe)  are  placed.  One  of  these  Penates 
protects  the  reindeer,  another  watches  over 
the  health  of  his  worshippers,  a third  is  the 
guardian  of  their  connubial  happiness,  a 
fourth  takes  care  to  fill  their  nets  with  fish. 


^(13811 


1382 


SIBERIA. 


Whenever  his  services  arc  required,  the 
llahe  is  taken  from  his  repository,  and 
erected  in  the  tent  or  on  the  pasture  ground, 
in  the  wood  or  on  the  river’s  bank. 

Ilis  mouth  is  then  smeared  with  oil  or 
blooJ,  and  a dish  with  fish  or  flesh  is  set 
before  him,  in  the  full  expectation  that  his 
good  oflices  will  amply  repay  the  savory  re- 
l>ast.  Wlien  his  aid  is  no  longer  necessary, 
he  is  put  aside  without  any  further  cere- 
mony, and  as  little  noticed  as  the  Madonna 
of  the  Neapolitan  fisherman  after  the  storm 
has  ceased. 

The  Hahe,  or  idols,  are  very  convenient 
objects  of  reverence  to  the  Samoiede,  as  he 
can  consult  them,  or  ask  their  assistance, 
without  being  initiated  in  the  secrets  of 
magic;  while  the  Tadebtsios,  or  invisible 
spirits,  which  everywhere  hover  about  in 
the  air,  and  are  more  inclined  to  injure  than 
to  benefit  man,  can  only  be  invoked  by  a 
Tadibe,  or  sorcerer,  who,  like  the  Cumsean 
sibyl,  works  himself'  into  a state  of  ecstatic 
frenzy.  When  his  services  are  required, 
the  first  care  of  the  Tadibe  is  to  invest  him- 
self v/ith  his  magical  mantle,  — a kind  of 
shirt  made  of  reindeer  leather,  and  hemmed 
with  red  cloth.  The  seams  are  covered  in 
a similar  manner,  and  the  shoulders  are  dec- 
orated with  epaulettes  of  the  same  gaudy 
material.  A piece  of  red  cloth  veils  the  eyes 
and  face,  — for  the  Tadibe  requires  no  ex- 
ternal organs  of  sight  to  penetrate  into  the 
world  of  spirits,  — and  a plate  of  polished 
metal  shines  upon  his  breast. 

Thus  accoutred,  the  Tadibe  seizes  his 
magical  drum,  whose  sounds  summon  the 
spirits  to  his  will.  Its  form  is  round,  it  has 
but  one  bottom,  made  of  reindeer  skin,  and 
is  more  or  less  decorated  with  brass  rings, 
and  other  ornaments,  according  to  the  wealth 
or  poverty  of  its  possessor.  During  the  cere- 
mony of  invocation,  the  Tadibe  is  generally 
assisted  by  a disciple,  more  or  less  initiated 
in  the  magic  art.  They  either  sit  down,  or 
walk  about  in  a circle.  The  chief  sorcerer 
beats  the  drum,  at  first  slowly,  then  with 
increasing  violence,  singing  at  the  same 
time  a few  words  to  a mystic  melody.  The 
disciple  immediately  falls  in,  and  both  re- 
|)eat  the  same  monotonous  chant. 

At  length  the  spirits  appear,  and  the  con- 
sultation is  supposed  to  begin;  the  Tadibe 
from  time  to  time  remaining  silent,  as  if 
listening  to  their  answers,  and  but  gently 
beating  his  drum,  while  the  assistant  con- 
tinues to  sing.  Finally,  this  mute  conversa- 
tion ceases,  the  song  changes  into  a wild 
howling,  the  drum  is  violently  struck,  the 
eye  of  the  Tadibe  glows  with  a strange  fire, 
foam  issues  from  his  lips,  when  suddenly  the 
uproar  ceases,  and  the  oracular  sentence  is 
pronounced.  The  Tadibes  are  consulted,  not 
only  for  the  purpose  of  recovering  a strange 
reindeer,  or  to  preserve  the  herd  from  a con- 
tagious disorder,  or  to  obtain  success  in  fish- 
ing. The  Samoiede,  when  a prey  to  illness, 


seeks  no  other  medical  advice;  and  tlie  sor- 
cerer’s drum  either  scares  away  the  malevo- 
lent spirits  that  cause  the  malady,  or  sum- 
mons other  to  the  assistance  of  his  patient. 

Besides  dealing  with  the  invisible  world, 
the  Tadibe  does  not  neglect  the  usual  arts  of 
an  expert  conjurer,  and  knows  b}'’  this  means 
how  to  increase  his  influence  over  his  simple- 
minded  countrymen.  One  of  his  commonest 
tricks  is  similar  to  that  which  has  been  prac- 
tised with  so  much  success  by  the  brothers 
Davenport.  He  sits  down,  with  his  hands 
and  feet  bound,  on  a reindeer  skin  stretched 
out  upon  the  floor,  and,  the  light  being  re- 
moved, begins  to  summon  the  ministering 
spirits  to  his  aid.  Strange,  unearthly  noises 
now  begin  to  be  heard;  bears  growl,  snakes 
hiss,  squirrels  rustle  about  the  hut.  At 
length  the  tumult  ceases,  the  audience  anx- 
iously awaits  the  end  of  the  spectacle,  when 
suddenly  the  Tadibe,  freed  from  his  bonds, 
steps  into  the  hut,  no  one  doubting  that  the 
spirits  have  set  him  free. 

As  barbarous  as  the  poor  wretches  who 
submit  to  his  guidance,  the  Tadibe  is  inca- 
pable of  improving  their  moral  condition, 
and  has  no  Avish  to  do  so.  Under  various 
names,  — Schamans  among  the  Tungusi, 
Angekoks  among  the  Esquimaux,  medicine- 
men among  the  North  American  Indians, — 
we  find  similar  magicians  or  impostors 
assuming  a spiritual  dictatorship  over  all 
the  Arctic  nations  of  the  Old  and  the  New 
World,  Avherever  their  authority  has  not 
been  broken  by  Christianity  or  Buddhism. 
This  dreary  faith  still  extends  its  influence 
over  at  least  half  a million  of  souls,  from 
the  White  Sea  to  the  extremity  of  Asia,  and 
from  the  Pacific,  to  Hudson’s  Bay. 

Like  the  Ostiaks  and  other  Siberian 
tribes,  the  Samoiedes  honor  the  memory  of 
the  dead  by  sacrifices  and  other  ceremonies. 
They  believe  that  their  deceased  friends 
have  still  the  same  Avants  and  pursue  the 
same  occupations  as  Avhen  in  the  land  of  the 
living;  and  thus  they  place  in  or  about  their 
graves  a sledge,  a spear,  a cooking-pot,  a 
knife,  an  axe,  etc.,  to  assist  them  in  procur- 
ing and  preparing  their  food.  At  the 
funeral,  and  for  several  years  afterAvard, 
the  relations  sacrifice  reindeer  over  the 
grave.  When  a person  of  note,  a prince, 
a Starschina,  the  proprietor  of  numerous 
herds  of  reindeer,  dies  (for  eA^’en  among  the 
miserable  Samoiedes  Ave  find  the  social 
distinctions  of  rich  and  poor),  the  nearest 
relations  make  an  image,  AAdiich  is  placed  in 
the  tent  of  the  deceased,  and  enjoys  the 
respect  paid  to  him  during  his  lifetime.  At 
every  meal  the  image  is  placed  in  his  former 
seat,  and  every  evening  it  is  undressed  and 
laid  doAvn  in  his  bed.  During  three  years 
the  image  is  thus  honored,  and  then  buried; 
for  by  this  time  the  body  is  supposed  to  bo 
decayed,  and  to  have  lost  all  sensation  of 
the  past.  The  souls  of  the  Tadibes,  and  of 
those  Avho  have  died  a violent  death,  alone 


THE  SAMOiEDES. 


1383 


enjoy  the  privilege  of  immortality,  and  after 
their  terrestrial  life  hover  about  in  the  air 
as  unsubstantial  spirits. 

Like  the  Ostiaks,  the  Samoiedes  consider 
the  taking  of  an  oath  as  an  action  of  the 
highest  religious  importance.  When  a crime 
has  been  secretly  committed  against  a Sam- 
oiedc,  he  has  the  right  to  demand  an  oath 
from  the  suspected  person. 

If  no  wooden  or  stone  Ilalie  is  at  hand,  he 
manufactures  one  of  earth  or  snow,  leads 
his  opponent  to  the  image,  sacrifices  a dog, 
breaks  the  image,  and  then  addresses  him 
with  the  following  words:  “ If  thou  hast  com- 
mitted this  crime,  then  must  thou  perish 
like  this  dog.”  The  ill  consequences  of  per- 
jury are  so  much  dreaded  by  the  Samoiedes, 
— who,  though  they  have  but  very  faint  ideas 
of  a future  state,  firmly  believe  that  crime 
will  be  punished  in  this  life:  murder  with 
violent  death,  or  robbery  by  losses  of  rein- 
deer, — that  the  true  criminal,  when  called 
upon  to  swear,  hardly  ever  submits  to  the 
ceremony,  but  rather  at  once  confesses  his 
guilt,  and  pays  the  penalty. 

The  most  effectual  security  for  an  oath  is 
that  it  should  be  solemnized  over  the  snout 
of  a bear,  — an  animal  which  is  highly  re- 
vered by  all  the  Siberian  tribes,  from  the 
Ivamschatkans  to  the  Samoiedes,  as  well  as 
by  the  Laplanders.  Like  the  Laplanders, 
they  believe  that  the  bear  conceals  under 
his  shaggy  coat  a human  shape  with  more 
than  human  wisdom,  and  speak  of  him  in 
terms  of  the  highest  reverence.  Like  the 
Lapps,  also,  they  will  drive  an  arrow  or  a 
bullet  througli  his  skin;  but  they  preface 
the  attack  with  so  many  compliments  that 
they  feel  sure  of  disarming  his  anger. 

The  appearance  of  the  Samoiedes  is  as 
wild  as  the  country  which  they  inhabit.  The 
dwarfish  stature  of  the  Ostiak  or  the  Lapp, 
thick  lips,  small  eyes,  a low  forehead,  a broad 
nose,  so  much  flattened  that  the  end  is 
nearly  upon  a level  with  the  bone  of  the  upper 
jaw  (which  is  strong  and  greatly  elevated), 
raven-black,  shaggy  hair,  a thin  beard,  and 
a yellow-brown  complexion,  are  their  char- 
acteristic features,  and  in  general  they  do 
nothing  to  improve  a form  which  has  but 
little  natural  beauty  to  boast  of.  The  Sam- 
oiede  is  satisfied  if  his  heavy  reindeer  dress 
affords  him  protection  against  the  cold  and 
rain,  and  cares  little  if  it  be  dirty  or  ill-cut; 
some  dandies,  however,  wear  furs  trimmed 
^ with  cloth  of  a gaudy  color.  The  women,  as 
long  as  they  are  unmarried,  take  some  pains 
with  their  persons;  and  when  a Samoiede 
girl,  with  her  small  and  lively  black  eyes, 
appears  in  her  reindeer  jacket  tightly  fitting 
round  the  waist,  and  trimmed  with  dog-skin, 
in  her  scarlet  moccasins,  and  her  long,  black 
tresses,  ornamented  with  pieces  of  brass  or 
tin,  she  may  well  tempt  some  rich  admirer 
to  offer  a whole  herd  of  reindeer  for  her 
hand.  For  among  the  Samoiedes  no  father 
ever  thinks  of  bestowing  a portion  on  his 


daughter;  on  the  contrary,  he  expects  from 
tile  bridegroom  an  equivalent  for  the  ser- 
vices which  he  is  about  to  lose  by  her  mar- 
riage. The  consequence  of  this  degrading 
custom  is  that  the  husband  treats  his  consort 
like  a slave,  or  as  an  inferior  being.  A 
Samoiede,  who  had  murdered  his  wile,  was 
quite  surprised  at  being  summoned  before 
a court  of  justice,  for  what  he  considered  a 
trifling  ofience;  “he  had  honestly  paid  for 
her,”  he  said,  “ and  could  surely  do  wliat  he 
liked  with  his  own.” 

The  senses  and  faculties  of  the  Samoiedes 
correspond  to  their  mode  of  life  as  nomads 
and  hunters.  They  have  a piercing  eye,  del- 
icate hearing,  and  a steady  hand;  they  shoot 
an  arrow  with  great  accuracy,  and  are  swift 
runners. 

The  Samoiede  is  good-natured,  melan- 
choly, and  phlegmatic.  He  has,  indeed,  but 
indistinct  notions  of  right  and  wrong,  of 
good  and  evil;  but  he  possesses  a grateful 
heart,  and  is  ready  to  divide  his  last  morsel 
with  his  friend.  Cruelty,  revenge,  the 
darker  crimes  that  pollute  so  many  of  the 
savage  tribes  of  the  tropical  zone,  are  for- 
eign to  his  character.  Constantly  at  war 
with  a dreadful  climate,  a prey  to  ignorance 
and  poverty,  he  regards  most  of  the  things 
of  this  life  with  supreme  indiflerence. 

A common  trait  in  the  character  of  all 
Samoiedes  is  the  gloomy  view  which  they 
take  of  life  audits  concerns;  their  internal 
world  is  as  cheerless  as  that  which  surrounds 
them.  True  men  of  ice  and  snow,  they  re- 
linquish, without  a murmur,  a life  which 
they  can  hardly  love,  as  it  imposes  upon 
them  many  privations,  and  affords  them  but 
few  pleasures  in  return. 

The  entire  number  of  the  European  and 
Asiatic  Samoiedes  is  estimated  at  no  more 
than  about  10,000,  and  this  number,  small  as 
it  is  when  compared  to  the  vast  territory 
over  which  they  roam,  is  still  decreasing 
from  year  to  year.  Before  their  subjugation 
by  the  Russians,  the  Samoiedes  were  fre- 
quently at  war  with  their  neighbors,  the 
Ostiaks,  the  Woguls,  and  the  Tartars,  and 
the  rude  poems  which  celebrate  the  deeds  of 
the  heroes  of  old  are  still  sung  in  the  tents 
of  their  peaceful  descendants.  The  minstrel^ 
or  troubadour^  • — if  I may  be  allowed  to  use 
these  names  while  speaking  of  the  rudest  of 
mankind,  — is  seated  in  the  centre  of  the  hut, 
while  the  audience  squat  around.  His  ges- 
ticulations endeavor  to  express  his  sympathy 
with  his  hero.  His  body  trembles,  his  voice 
quivers,  and  during  the  more  pathetic  parts 
of  his  story,  tears  start  to  his  eyes,  and  he 
covers  his  face  with  his  left  hand,  while  the 
right,  holding  an  arrow,  directs  its  point  to 
the  ground.  The  audience  generally  keep 
silence,  but  their  groans  accompany  the 
hero’s  death;  or  when  he  soars  upon  an 
eagle  to  the  clouds,  and  thus  escapes  the 
malice  of  his  enemies,  they  express  their 
delight  by  a triutnphant  shout. 


1384 


SIBERIA. 


THE  OSTIAKS. 


What  is  the  Obi  P “One  of  the  most 
melancholy  rivers  on  earth,”  say  the  few 
European  travellers  who  have  ever  seen  it 
roll  its  turbid  waters  through  the  wilder- 
ness; “its  monotonous  banks  a dreary  suc- 
cession of  swamps  and  dismal  pine  forests, 
and  hardly  a living  creature  to  be  seen,  but 
cranes,  wild  ducks,  and  geese.”  If  you 
address  the  same  question  to  one  of  the  few 
Russians  who  have  settled  on  its  banks,  he 
answers,  with  a devout  mien,  “ Obi  is  our 
mother”;  but  if  you  ask  the  Ostiak,  he 
bursts  forth  in  a laconic  but  energetic 
phrase,  “ Obi  is  the  god  whom  we  honor 
above  all  other  gods.” 

To  him  the  Obi  is  a source  of  life.  With 
its  salmon  and  sturgeon  he  pays  his  taxes 
and  debts,  and  buys  his  few  luxuries;  while 
the  fishes  of  inferior  quality  which  get 
entangled  in  his  net  he  keeps  for  his  own 
consumption  and  that  of  his  faithful  dog, 
eating  them  mostly  raw,  so  that  the  perch 
not  seldom  feels  his  teeth  as  soon  as  it  is 
pulled  out  of  the  water.  In  spring,  when 
the  Obi  and  its  tributaries  burst  their  bonds 
of  ice,  and  the  floods  sweep  over  the  plains, 
the  Ostiak  is  frequently  driven  into  the 
woods,  where  he  finds  but  little  to  appease 
his  hunger.  At  length,  however,  the  waters 
subside,  the  flat  banks  of  the  river  appear 
above  their  surface,  and  the  savage  erects 
his  summer  hut  close  to  its  stream.  This 
hovel  has  generally  a quadrangular  form, 
low  walls,  and  a high-iDointed  roof,  made  of 
willow  branches  covered  with  large  pieces 
of  bark.  These,  having  first  been  softened 
by  boiling,  are  sewed  together,  so  as  to  form 
large  mats  or  carpets,  easily  rolled  up  and 
transported.  The  hearth,  a mere  hole  in- 
closed by  a few  stones,  is  in  the  centre,  and 
the  smoke  escapes  through  an  aperture  at  the 
top.  Close  to  the  hut  there  is  also,  generally, 
a small  store-house  erected  on  high  poles,  as 
in  Lapland;  for  the  provisions  must  be 
secured  against  the  attacks  of  the  glutton, 
the  wolf,  or  the  owner’s  dogs. 

At  the  beginning  of  winter  the  Ostiaks 
retire  into  the  woods,  where  they  find,  at 
least,  some  protection  against  the  Arctic 
blasts,  and  are  busy  hunting  the  sable  or 
squirrel;  but  as  fishing  affords  them  at  all 
times  their  chief  food,  they  take  care  to  es- 
tablish their  winter  huts  on  some  eminence 
above  the  reach  of  the  spring  inundations, 
near  some  small  river,  which,  through  holes 
made  in  the  ice,  affords  their  nets  and  ang- 
lers a precarious  supply.  Their  winter  yourt 
is  somewhat  more  solidly  constructed  than 
their  summer  residence,  as  it  is  not  re- 
moved every  year.  It  is  low  and  small,  and 
its  walls  are  plastered  with  clay.  Light  is 
admitted  through  a piece  of  ice  inserted  in 
the  wall  or  on  the  roof. 

Besides  those  who  live  solely  upon  fishes 


and  birds  of  passage,  there  are  other  Ostiaks 
who  possess  reindeer  herds,  and  wander  in 
summer  to  the  border  of  the  Polar  Sea, 
where  they  also  catch  seals  and  fish.  When 
winter  approaches,  they  slowly  return  to  the 
woods.  Finally,  in  the  more  southerly  dis- 
tricts, there  are  some  Ostiaks  who,  having 
entirely  adopted  the  Russian  mode  of  life, 
cultivate  the  soil,  keep  cattle,  or  earn  their 
livelihood  as  carriers. 

In  general,  however,  the  Ostiak,  like  the 
Samoiede,  obstinately  withstands  all  inno- 
vations, and  remains  true  to  the  customs 
of  his  forefathers.  He  has  been  so  often 
deceived  by  the  Russians  that  he  is  loth  to 
receive  the  gifts  of  civilization  from  their 
hands.  He  fears  that  if  his  children  learn 
to  read  and  w^rite,  they  will  no  longer  be 
satisfied  to  live  like  their  parents,  and  that 
the  school  will  deprive  him  of  the  support  of 
his  age.  He  is  no  less  obstinately  attached 
to  the  religion  of  his  fathers,  which  in  all 
essential  points  is  identical  with  that  of  the 
Samoiedes.  In  some'  of  the  southern  dis- 
tricts, along  the  Irtysch,  at  Surgut,  he  has 
indeed  been  baptized,  and  hangs  up  the 
image  of  a saint  in  his  hut,  as  his  Russian 
pope  or  priest  has  instructed  him  to  do ; but 
his  Christianity  extends  no  further.  Along 
the  tributaries  of  the  Obi,  and  below 
Obdorsk,  he  is  still  plunged  in  Schaman- 
ism. 

Like  the  Samoiedes,  the  Ostiaks,  whose 
entire  number  amounts  to  about  25,000,  are 
subdivided  into  tribes,  reminding  one  of  the 
Highland  clans.  Each  tribe  consists  of  a 
number  of  families,  of  a common  descent, 
and  sometimes  comprising  many  hundred 
individuals,  who,  however  distantly  related, 
consider  it  a duty  to  assist  each  other  in  dis- 
tress. 

The  Ostiaks  are  excellent  archers,  and, 
like  all  the  other  hunting  tribes  of  Siberia, 
use  variously  constructed  arrow’^s  for  the  dif- 
ferent objects  of  their  chase. 

They  are  generally  of  a small  stature,  and 
most  of  them  are  dark-complexioned,  with 
raven-black  hair  like  the  Samoiedes;  some 
of  them,  however,  have  a fairer  skin  and 
light-colored  hair.  They  are  a good-natured, 
indolent,  honest  race;  and  though  they  are 
extremely  dirty,  yet  their  smoky  huts  are 
not  more  filthy  than  those  of  the  Norw'egian 
or  Icelandic  fishermen. 

As  among  the  Samoiedes,  the  women  are 
in  a very  degraded  condition,  the  father  al- 
w’^ays  giving  his  daughter  in  marriage  to  the 
highest  bidder.  The  price  is  very  different, 
and  rises  or  falls  according  to  the  circum- 
stances of  the  parent;  for  while  the  rich 
man  asks  fifty  reindeer  for  his  child,  the 
poor  fisherman  is  glad  to  part  with  his 
daughter  for  a few  squirrel-skins  and  dried 
sturgeon. 


CHAPTEK  CXLYm, 


IKDIA. 

THE  SOWRAHS  A2^D  KHONDS. 


LOCALITY  OF  THE  SOWRAH  TRIBE  — GENERAL  APPEARANCE  — THE  TARTAR  CHARACTER  OP  THE  FEA- 
TURES— DRESS  OF  THE  MEN,  THEIR  SCANTY  COSTUME  AND  PLENTIFUL  ORNAMENTS  — CURIOUS 
EAR-RINGS  — DRESS  OF  THE  WOMEN  — MODE  OF  OBTAINING  CLOTHES  FOR  WINTER  USE — WEAPONS 
OF  THE  SOWRAHS  — THEIR  COURAGE,  AND  THE  APPREHENSION  WHICH  THEY  EXCITE  — A SOWRAH 
WEDDING — RELIGIOUS  SYSTEM  OF  THE  SOWRAHS — THEIR  TRUTHFULNESS —THE  KHONDS  — 
DRESS  AND  APPEARANCE — THE  KHOND  POCKET  — FEATURES  OF  THE  WOMEN — THE  MERIAH 
SACRIFICE  AND  ITS  OBJECT  — PROCURING  OF  THE  VICTIM  — VARIOUS  MODES  OF  PERFORMING  THE 
SACRIFICE  — SUBSTITUTE  FOR  THE  MERIAH  — STRANGE  USE  OF  BRACELETS  — THE  MERIAHS’ 
INDIFFERENCE  TO  THEIR  FATE  — INFANTICIDE — WEAPONS  OF  THE  KHONDS — DEATH  OF  A BEAR 
— PRIDE  OF  THE  KHONDS — SUPERSTITION  — BELIEF  IN  THE  POWER  OF  TRANSFORMATION  — A 
KHOND  MARRIAGE. 


The  reader  may  remember  that  the  Anda- 
man Islands  trench  closely  upon  the  shores 
of  India,  thus  bringing  closely  together  the 
two  phases  of  utter  savagery  that  never  has 
advanced  in  the  scale  of  humanity,  and  of  a 
civilization  which  has  advanced  to  the  ut- 
most limits  of  which  it  is  capable.  In  the 
following  pages  I propose  to  give  a brief 
account  of  various  phases  of  Indian  life, 
throwing  most  emphasis  upon  those  which 
trench  least  upon  civilization,  as  being  most 
akin  to  the  objects  of  this  work. 

From  the  figures  which  illustrate  this 
country,  and  which  are  all  taken  from  pho- 
tographs, the  reader  will  notice  the  very 
distinct  type  of  man  which  is  exhibited 
throughout  India ; and  though  in  some  of 
the  tribes  there  is  a facial  resemblance  to  the 
Australian  type,  and  in  others  to  the  Mon- 
golian, it  is  impossible  to  mistake  an  entire 
figure  in  either  instance.  We  will  begin 
with  those  parts  of  India  which  are  the  least 
civilized,  and  in  which  the  inhabitants  retain 
most  of  their  aboriginal  manners  and  cus- 
toms. 

There  is  a remarkable  hill  tribe  of  India 
which  deserves  a short  description,  as  the 
people  seem  to  have  preserved  the  origi- 
nal characteristics  of  their  race  better  than 
any  other  inhabitants  of  the  country.  They 
are  called  Sowrahs,  and  live  in  a tract  of 


country  about  lat.  18°  30'  N.,  and  long.  72° 
30'  E. 

The  Sowrahs  are  a tolerably  good-looking 
tribe,  some  of  the  girls  being  even  hand- 
some, were  not  their  faces  disfigured  by  the 
nose  rings,  of  which  one  woman  will  often 
wear  three.  The  men,  as  is  the  case  with 
all  the  Indian  tribes,  are  slenderly  built,  and 
appear  to  be  devoid  of  muscles,  especially  in 
the  legs.  This  apparent  slightness,  however, 
conceals  great  muscular  power,  as  has  often 
been  shown  in  the  skirmishes  which  their 
predatory  habits  constantly  entail  upon  them. 
In  one  of  these  skirmishes,  a Sowrah  who  had 
been  taken  prisoner  suddenly  snatched  a 
bayonet  out  of  the  hands  of  his  captor,  and 
bent  the  blade  double. 

There  is  about  the  features  of  the  Sow- 
rahs a decidedly  Tartar  look,  which  in- 
creases with  age,  and  is  marked  most 
strongly  in  the  men.  Some  photographs 
of  them  now  before  me  exhibit  this  charac- 
teristic very  distinctly  marked,  and  in  one 
case  so  strongly  that,  but  for  color  and  the 
mode  of  dressing  the  hair,  the  face  might 
easily  be  mistaken  for  those  of  a genuine 
Tartar,  Indeed,  Mr.  Hooper,  from  whose 
paper  this  account  is  condensed,  thinks  that 
they  may  have  a Tartar  origin. 

One  remarkable  point  about  the  Sowrahs 
is,  that  they  have  no  distinction  of  caste, 
though  they  are  divided  into  two  distinct 


1386 


IKDIA. 


classes,  the  Hill  Sowrahs  and  the  Sowrahs 
of  the  Plain.  The'  latter  are  comparatively 
civilized,  and  live  in  villages,  and  it  is  only 
of  the  former  that  this  work  will  treat. 

The  dress  of  the  Sowrahs  is  primitive 
enough.  The  men  wear  nothing  but  the 
“ languti,”  L e.  a narrow  strip  of  cloth  pass- 
ing round  the  waist,  through  the  legs,  and 
tucked  into  the  waistband.  They  are,  how- 
ever, very  fond  of  ornaments,  though  they 
care  so  little  about  dress,  and  have  their 
necks  loaded  with  beads,  and  their  ears  and 
nostrils  filled  with  rings.  A photograph  of 
one  of  these  men  shows  that  lie  is  wearing 
no  less  than  twenty-seven  bead  necklaces,  as 
well  as  a broad  brass  collar.  Besides  the 
ordinary  ear-rings,  he  wears  an  ornament 
which  seems  rather  popular  among  the 
Sowrahs.  A hole  is  bored  in  the  upper 
part  of  the  ear,  and  through  it  is  passed  one 
end  of  a string  almost  four  inches  in  length, 
to  the  other  end  of  which  is  attached  a glit- 
tering bead  about  as  large  as  a walnut. 
Some  of  the  Sowrahs  also  thread  small  beads 
upon  the  string. 

The  hair  of  the  men  is  allowed  to  grow  to 
a considerable  length,  and  on  festival  days 
it  is  gathered  into  a knot  at  the  back  of  the 
head,  and  adorned  with  feathers,  mostly 
those  of  the  peacock.  This  mode  of  dress- 
ing the  hair  gives  a very  effeminate  look  to 
the  ^countenance,  and  on  seeing  a photo- 
graph of  the  face  alone,  especially  if  it  be 
that  of  a 3"Oung  man,  it  is  not  very  easy  at  a 
hasty  glance  to  discover  whether  it  is  the 
portrait  of  a man  or  woman. 

The  dress  of  the  women  consists  of  a cloth 
wrapped  round  the  waist.  Those  women 
who  have  been  photographed  wear  long 
calico  cloths  wrapped  round  them  from 
shoulder  to  knee  after  the  ordinary  Indian 
fashion;  but  it  is  evident  that  they  have 
b'orrowed  these  cloths  for  the  occasion,  and 
so,  after  the  custom  of  all  uncivilized  peo- 
})le,  have  contrived,  through  anxiety  to  look 
their  best,  to  baffle  the  real  object  of  the 
photographer,  i.  e.  to  represent  them  as  they 
really  appear.  Like  the  men,  they  wear  an 
abundance  of  necklaces,  and  also  are  fond  of 
simple  bracelets,  consisting  of  broad  metal 
bands  wound  spirally  round  the  wrists.  The 
hair  is  parted  dov/n  the  middle,  but  no  par- 
ticular care  is  expended  upon  it. 

When  the  colder  weather  comes  on,  and 
the  Sowrahs  want  more  clothing,  they  do 
not  make  it,  but  have  recourse  to  the  simple 
plan  of  waylaying  travellers,  killing  them, 
and  taking  their  garments.  In  these  robber- 
ies, as  well  as  in  the  skirmishes  to  which 
they  often  tend,  the  Sowrahs  chiefly  use  the 
bow  and  arrow.  The  bow  is  a compara- 
tively weak  one,  only  being  a yard  or  so  in 
length,  and  having  a string  made  of  the  outer 
coating  of  the  bamboo.  The  arrows  are  of 
reed,  armed  with  a flat,  many-barbed  iron 
head.  The  Sowrahs  always  lie  in  wait  for 
their  victims,  and  direct  tlaeir  aim  at  the 


stomach  and  legs,  so  that  the  wounds  are 
always  dangerous,  and  generally  mortal. 

They  also  carry  a kind  of  battle-axe.  They 
are  a brave  as  well  as  a warlike  people,  and 
are  the  terror  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
plains.  Even  the  Khonds,  who  will  be  pres- 
ently described,  ready  as  they  are  to  fight 
among  each  other,  and  skilled  as  they  are  in 
the  use  of  the  bow  and  the  battle-axe,  stand  in 
awe  of  the  Sowrahs,  and  do  not  like  to  be 
drawn  into  a quarrel  with  them.  They  are 
especially  afraid  of  these  enemies,  because 
the  favorite  mode  of  attack  with  the  Sowrahs 
is  to  make  a raid  under  cover  of  night,  and, 
after  securing  all  the  plunder  they  can  seize, 
and  doing  all  the  harm  in  their  power,  to  re- 
turn to  their  hill  fastnesses  as-rapidly  as  they 
issued  from  them. 

General  Campbell  thinks  that  their  mode 
of  life  may  have  something  to  do  with  this 
superiority,  and  that  their  more  abstemious 
and  less  dissipated  life  renders  them  stronger 
and  more  enduring  than  their  self-indulgent 
neighbors.  In  some  places,  Sowrahs  and 
Khonds  dwell  together  in  tolerable  amity, 
but  both  of  the  tribes,  although  they  may 
derive  their  origin  from  the  same  source, 
i and  both  assert  themselves  to  be  the  aborig- 
inal inhabitants  of  the  land,  and  to  have  a 
right  to  its  possession,  preserve  their  own 
characteristic  diflerences  so  rigidly  that  there 
is  no  difliculty  in  distinguishing  a Sowrah 
from  a Khond. 

The  ceremony  of  marriage  among  the 
Sowrahs,  illustrated  on  the  following  page, 
is  thus  described  by  Mr.  Hooper : “ A 

young  man,  or  his  friends  for  him,  having 
selected  a bride,  messengers  are  sent  to  her 
parents,  and  finally  the  young  man  goes,  bear- 
ing a pot  of  toddy,  or  other  present.  If  the 
consent  of  the  parents  is  obtained,  the  cere- 
mony is  commenced  by  fixing  three  posts  in 
the  ground,  between  which  the  bride  and 
bridegroom,  with  their  respective  friends, 
assemble,  and  a feast  is  commenced  at  which 
nearly  every  person  gets  drunk  upon  toddy. 

“ The  bride  and  bridegroom  sit  together, 
while  turmeric  water  is  poured  on  their 
heads.  Presents  of  cloth,  beads,  rings,  etc., 
are  exchanged,  fowls,  and  if  possible  sheep, 
are  sacrificed  to  propitiate  the  demons,  and 
the  flesh  is  then  cooked,  made  up  into  balls 
with  some  sort  of  grain,  and  distributed 
among  the  party.  On  these  occasions  they 
all  join  in  a dance,  which  seems  to  consist 
principally  in  hopping  from  one  leg  to  the 
other,  at  each  movement  snapping  their 
fingers  and  uttering  an  ejaculation,  while  at 
intervals  the  whole  of  the  dancers  come 
bumping  together,  and  then  separate. 

“ If  the  parents  of  the  bride  refuse  to  con- 
sent to  the  marriage,  it  frequently  happens 
that  the  friends  of  the  bridegroom  watch 
their  opportunity,  and  if  the  girl  is  found 
alone,  they  seize  and  carry  her  off.  The 
relatives  of  the  girl  then  pursue  and  attack 


(1.)  A SOWRAH  MARRIAGE.  (See  page  1386.) 


(2.)  MERIAH  SACRIFICE.  (See  page  1391.) 

(1387) 


Of  ws 


( iVi  j ‘ 


f ^ 


THE  KIIOXDS. 


1389 


the  opposite  party,  but,  even  though  success- 
ful in  retaking  her,  they  are  prohibited  by 
their  customs  from  giving  her  in  marriage 
to  any  one  else.  Should  such  a thing  be 
attempted,  the  parties  would  have  to  fight  it 
out  in  a more  serious  manner  with  bows 
and  arrows.’’ 

The  reader  will  doubtless  recognize  the 
similarity  of  these  marriage  rites  to  those 
which  are  practised  by  savage  tribes  in  many 
parts  of  the  world. 

In  the  account  of  the  wedding,  the  propi- 
tiation of  the  demons  is  mentioned.  This 
is  the  key  to  their  religious  system,  such  as 
it  is,  and  e.v^  ins  the  reason  for  the  absence 
of  caste.  The  Sowralis  of  the  Plains  seem 
to  have  a rather  better  religious  system,  but 
that  of  the  Hill  Sowrahs  is  simply  demonol- 
atry.  They  seem  to  have  but  little  notion 
of  worship,  the  only  ceremonies  which  have 
been  observed  taking  place  at  harvest  time. 
When  the  crops  reach  maturity,  the  own- 
ers set  small  stones  upright  in  the  earth  as 
emblems  of  the  presiding  demons,  and  lay 
before  them  little  heaps  of  each  crop.  After 
the  offerings  have  remained  there  for  some 
little  time,  they  are  consumed  at  a feast  to 
which  the  proprietor  of  the  crops  invites  his 
relatives  and  friends. 


When  a Sowrah  dies,  his  body  is  burned, 
the  ashes  buried,  and  a small  building 
erected  over  the  spot.  Five  days  after  the 
burial  a ])ot  of  toddy  is  laid  on  the  grave, 
round  which  are  placed  a number  of  leaves 
representing  the  ancestors  of  the  deceased. 
A little  toddy  is  poured  upon  each  leaf,  and 
the  remainder  is  drunk  by  the  people 
who  have  assisted  at  the  ceremony.  A 
somewhat  similar  rite,  but  accompanied  with 
feasting,  is  celebrated  at  the  end  of  the  first 
and  fourth  years  after  burial. 

xVccording  to  General  Camipbcll,  they  do 
not  destroy  their  female  infants,  as  is  done 
by  too  many  of  the  Indian  tribes,  neither  do 
they  practise  human  sacrifice.  Yet  they  will 
sometimes  participate  in  the  remarkable 
Meriali  sacrifice,  which  will  presently  be 
described,  and  will  travel  some  distance  to 
do  so.  They  do  not,  however,  seem  to  attach 
very  great  importance  to  the  rite,  and  when 
General  Campbell  remonstrated  with  them 
on  the  subject,  they  at  once  promised  to 
abandon  it,  and  not  even  to  be  present  as 
spectators. 

Perhaps  the  most  characteristic  trait  of  the 
Sowrahs  is  their  absolute  truthfulness,  which, 
according  to  Mr.  Hooper,  is  the  result  from 
their  want  of  capacity  to  invent  a lie. 


THE  KHOHHS. 

» 


the  now  renowned  district  of  Oris.sa  live 
the  remarkable  tribes  called  Khonds,  who, 
like  the  Sowrahs,  appear  to  be  immediately 
descended  from  the  aboriginal  inhabitants, 
and  to  have  retained,  though  in  a somewhat 
modified  form,  several  of  the  customs  of  their 
savage  forefathers,  the  chief  of  which  will  be 
briefly  described. 

The  Khonds  are  active,  Vv^iry,  and  of  much 
darker  complexion  than  the  inhabitants  of 
the  plains,  and  neither  sex  trouble  them- 
selves much  about  clothing.  The  men  wear 
a few  yards  of  coarse  cotton  round  their 
waists,  a separate  piece  dyed  red  hanging 
down  behind  like  a tail.  Their  hair  is  allowed 
to  grow  to  its  full  length,  and  is  twisted  round 
and  round  the  head,  and  fastened  in  a knot 
in  front,  in  vdiich  the  Khond  always  keeps  a 
few  cigars  made  of  .tobacco  rolled  in  a green 
leaf,  lie  generally  decorates  this  top-knot 
with  a piece  of  red  cloth  and  feathers. 

The  women  wear  a rather  large  cloth  round 
their  loins,  and  decorate  themselves  with 
vast  quantities  of  beads  and  other  ornaments, 
among  which  the  most  conspicuous  are  some 
lieavy  bracelets,  which  are  little  more  than 
thick  brass  bands  twined  round  their  wrists. 
Among  some  of  the  tribes,  these  ornaments 
are  put  to  a very  tragical  use,  as  we  shall 
presently  see.  Slips  of  red  cloth  are  con- 
sidered very  fashionable  ornaments  by  the 
Khond  women,  and  in  some  cases  strings  of 
copper  coins  are  worn  by  way  of  necklaces. 


These,  however,  are  mostly  reserved  for  the 
children.  There  is  some  excuse  for  the 
anxiety  of  the  Khond  women  to  make  the 
best  of  themselves,  as  they  are  very  inferior 
to  the  men  in  appearance,  being  short, 
stumpy,  and  so  plain  in  features,  that  they 
are  pronounced  by  General  Campbell  to  be 
absolutely  repulsive.  Some  photographs, 
however,  which  are  now  before  me,  do  not 
give  this  impression.  Perhaps  these  women 
were  selected  for  their  good  looks. 

They  are  divided  into  many  tribes,  and  as 
a rule  live  in  villages  varying  in  population 
from  forty  to  ten  times  the  number.  We 
will  now  proceed  to  the  manners  and  customs 
of  the  Khond  tribes. 

Throughout  the  whole  of  Khondistan 
there  is  a system  of  human  sacrifice,  varying 
exceedingly  in  detail  according  to  the  locality, 
but  agreeing'in  all  principal  points.  There 
is  one  point  especially  which  seems  to  be  the 
very  essence  of  the  sacrifice,  and  which  is 
common  to  ail  the  tribes.  The  victim,  or 
Meriah,  must  be  bought  with  a price.  Should 
a captive  be  taken  in  war,  he  may  not  be 
offered  as  a Meriah  by  his  captor,  but  he  may 
be  sold  for  that  purpose,  and  will  then  be 
accepted  by  the  priests. 

There  is  no  restriction  of  age,  sex,  or  caste, 
but  adults  are  thought  more  acceptable 
because  they  are  more  costly,  and  the  healthy 
more  likely  to  propitiate  the  gods  than  the 


1390 


sick  or  feeble.  That  the  Meriah  should  be 
sacrificed  is  thought  an  absolutely  necessary 
condition  for  the  prosperity  of  every  under- 
taking, but  especially  for  the  growth  of  the 
crops,  and  the  Khonds  therefore  use  every 
endeavor  to  secure  a succession  of  victims. 
Sometimes  they  purchase  children  from  their 
parents  or  relations  when  they  have  fallen 
into  poverty,  but,  as  a rule,  they  are  stolen 
by  a set  of  robber  tribes  called  Pannoos, 
who  decoy  them  into  the  hills,  seize  them, 
and  sell  them  to  the  Khonds.  It  is  rather 
remarkable  that  although  the  Khonds  avail 
themselves  of  the  services  of  the  Pannoos, 
and  are  very  glad  to  purchase  victims,  they 
bear  an  intense  hatred  and  contempt  toward 
them,  and,  except  in  the  way  of  business, 
will  have  no  dealings  with  them. 

The  Meriah  victims  have  no  reason  to  com- 
plain of  their  lot,  with  the  one  exception 
that  it  must  soon  come  to  an  end.  They  are 
well  fed  and  kindly  treated,  and,  with  the 
ruling  fatalism  of  the  Oriental  character, 
generally  resign  themselves  to  their  fate,  and 
make  no  efforts  to  escape.  Often  a Meriah 
girl  is  married  to  a Khond  man,  and  allowed 
to  live  until  she  has  borne  children.  These, 
as  well  as  herself,  are  liable  to  be  sacrificed, 
but  must  never  be  offered  in  the  village 
wherein  they  were  born.  In  order  to  avoid 
this  difficulty,  the  various  towns  agree  to 
exchange  their  Meriah  children. 

The  mode  of  sacrificing  the  Meriah  is  so 
exceedingly  variable  that  it  will  be  necessary 
to  give  a short  abstract  of  the  various  modes. 

In  the  first  place,  the  Meriah  must  always 
be  sacrificed  openly  in  the  sight  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  this  rule  is  absolute  throughout  all 
the  land. 

In  Goomsur,  the  sacrifice  is  offered  to  the 
Earth-god,  Tado  Pennor,  who  is  represented 
by  the  emblem  of  a peacock.  When  the 
time  is  fixed,  the  victim  is  selected,  and  for  a 
month  there  is  much  rejoicing,  feasting,  and 
dancing  round  the  Meriah,  who  is  abundantly 
supplied  with  food  and  drink,  and  is  in  all  ap- 
pearance as  merry  and  unconcerned  as  any  of 
the  people.  On  the  day  previous  to  the  sacri- 
fice a stout  pole  is  set  up,  having  on  its  top  the 
peacock  emblem  of  Tado  Pennor,  and  to  it 
is  bound  the  Meriah.  The  people  then  dance 
round  him,  saying,  in  their  chants,  that  they 
do  not  murder  the  victim,  but  sacrifice  one 
who  was  bought  with  a price,  and  that  there- 
fore no  sin  rests  with  them.  As  the  Meriah 
is  previously  intoxicated  with  toddy,  he  can 
give  no  answer,  and  his  silence  is  taken  as 
consent  to  his  sacrifice. 

Kext  day  he  is  anointed  with  oil,  and  car- 
ried round  the  village,  after  which  he  is 
brought  to  the  peacock  post,  at  the  foot  of 
which  is  a small  pit.  A hog  is  then  killed, 
and  the  blood  poured  into  the  pit  and  mixed 
with  the  soil,  so  as  to  form  a thick  mud.  The 
Meriah,  who  has  been  previously  made  sense- 
less from  intoxication,  is  thrown  into  the 
pit,  with  his  face  pressed  into  the  mire  until 


he  is  dead.  The  officiating  priest  or  zani 
then  cuts  off  a small  piece  of  the  flesh  of  the 
victim  and  buries  it  near  the  pit,  as  an  offer- 
ing to  the  earth,  and,  as  soon  as  he  has  done 
so,  all  the  spectators  rush  upon  the  body, 
hack  it  to  pieces,  and  carry  off'  the  fragments 
to  bury  them  in  their  fields  as  a propitiation 
to  the  earth  deities  VAdio  produce  the  crops. 
Kevolting  as  this  custom  is,  it  is  mucli  more 
merciful  than  most  modes  of  Meriah  sacrifice, 
inasmuch  as  suffocation  is  not  a death  in- 
volving much  physical  pain,  and  the  victim 
has  been  previously  deprived  of  his  senses. 

In  Boad,  the  Meriah  is  taken  round  the 
village,  when  every  one  tries  to  procure  one 
of  his  hairs,  or  to  touch  his  lips  with  their 
fingers  so  that  they  may  anoint  their  heads 
with  the  sacred  moisture.  After  being 
drugged  into  insensibility,  he  is  taken  to  the 
fatal  spot,  where  he  is  strangled  by  placing 
his  neck  between  the  two  halves  of  a split 
bamboo,  the  ends  of  which  are  thenhrought 
together  by  the  priests.  The  head  priest 
next  breaks  the  bones  of  the  arms  and  legs 
with  his  axe,  and  when  he  has  done  so,  the 
body  is  cut  to  pieces  as  in  Goomsur. 

In  Chinna  Kimeday  a grotesquely  cruel 
mode  of  sacrifice  is  employed.  In  lieu  of 
the  peacock  which  is  used  at  Goomsur,  a 
large  wooden  figure  of  an  elephant  is  placed 
on  the  post,  and  revolves  on  a pivot.^  The 
Meriah  is  tied  to  the  extended  proboscis  of 
the  elephant,  and,  amid  the  yells  of  the  spec- 
tators, is  whirled  round  as  fast  as  the  figure 
can  be  turned.  In  this  case  the  Meriah  is 
not  drugged.  At  a signal  from  the  officiating 
zani,  the  crowd  rush  on  the  Meriah  with 
their  knives,  and  in  a few  moments  hack  him 
to  pieces  as  he  is  tied,  still  living,  on  the 
elephant. 

General  Campbell,  while  executing  his 
mission  of  mercy  in  Khondistan,  saw  as 
many  as  fourteen  of  their  elephant  images, 
all  of  which  he  eaused  to  be  pulled  down 
and  destroyed  by  the  baggage  elephants 
attached  to  his  force,  so  that  the  Khonds 
might  see  that  those  venerated  emblems  of 
a cruel  worship  were  powerless  even  against 
the  animals  which  they  simulated.  His  task 
was  naturally  a difficult  one,  as  it  involved 
the  abolition  of  a rite  which  had  existed 
from  time  immemorial,  and  which  no  amount 
of  reasoning  could  persuade  them  to  be 
wrong,  mucli  less  criminal.  So  deeply  was 
it  ingrained  in  their  nature,  that  their  only 
idea  of  his  object  in  setting  free  so  many 
hundred  Meriahs  was,  that  he  might  sacri- 
fice them  on  his  own  account,  in  order  to 
bring  back  water  into  a large  tank  which  he 
was  "thought  to  have  constructed  for  the  use 
of  his  elephants. 

In  this  very  place,  a most  singular  circum- 
stance occurred.  The  English  officer  was 
told  that  a sacrifice  was  being  actually  per- 
formed, the  victim  being  a young  and  hand- 
some girl,  only  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  old. 
He  instantly  started  off*  with  an  armed  party, 


MERIAII  SACRIFICE. 


1391 


and  found  the  offering  of  the  Meriah  already 
complete,  and  nothing  wanting  but  the  ac- 
tual sacrifice.  The  aged  priest  was  ready 
to  give  the  signal,  and  the  surrounding  peo- 
ple were  mad  with  excitement,  when  the 
armed  party  came  to  the  rescue,  and  de- 
manded the  girl.  The  Khonds,  furious  as 
they  were,  found  that  they  dared  not  risk  a 
collision,  and  so  the  party  retired  with  the 
rescued  victim. 

The  remainder  of  the  story  has  yet  to  be 
told.  Scarcely  were  the  English  soldiers 
out  of  sight  than  the  assembled  Khonds 
broke  out  into  loud  murmurings  at  their  dis- 
appointment. At  last  one  of  them  hit  upon 
a happy  thought,  ^ “ Why,”  said  he,  “ should 
we  be  debarred  from  our  sacrifice?  See  our 
aged  priest.  Seventy  summers  have  passed 
over  his  head — what  further  use  is  he? 
Let  us  sacrifice  Mwi.”  And  forthwith  the 
old  man  was  tied  on  the  elephant,  spun 
round,  and  cut  to  pieces. 

In  Maji  Deso  another  mode  of  sacrifice  is 
employed.  They  do  not  keep  a large  supply 
of  Meriahs,  as  do  most  of  the  tribes,  but  buy 
them  immediately  before  the  sacrifice.  The 
consequence  is,  that  it  is  very  difficult  to 
detect  them,  except  in  the  very  act  of  offer- 
ing the  victim.  Their  mode  of  killing  the 
Meriah  is  as  follows.  The  Khonds  surround 
the  victim,  and  beat  him  on  the  head  with 
the  heavy  metal  bracelets,  which  they  are  in 
the  habit  of  wearing.  Mostly  they  kill  him 
in  this  way,  but  if  they  fail  in  doing  so,  they 
strangle  him  with  a split  bamboo,  as  has  al- 
ready been  described.  The  flesh  of  the  back 
is  then  cut  into  long  and  narrow  strips,  and 
each  person  carries  off  a strip  and  suspends 
it  on  a pole,  which  he  thrusts  into  the  bed 
of  the  stream  which  waters  his  fields. 

In  Patna,  the  mode  of  sacrifice  varies  ex- 
ceedingly. In  some  cases  the  victim  is 
stoned,  in  others  beaten  to  death  with  bam- 
boos, together  with  other  barbarous  modes 
of  putting  to  death.  General  Campbell  re- 
marks, that  in  this  district  there  are  places 
where  sacrificing  and  non-sacrificing  tribes 
inhabit  the  same  village.  They  live  har- 
moniously together  until  the  time  of  sacri- 
fice, when  the  non-sacrificing  tribes  retire  to 
their  houses,  and  never  pass  through  the 
front  door  of  their  dwellings  until  seven 
days  are  over,  and  the  remains  of  the  Meriah 
buried.  After  that  time,  all  goes  on  as  usu- 
al, untif  the  next  sacrifice  takes  place. 

Bundari  appears  to  be  the  place  where 
the  people  adhere  most  firmly  to  the  Meriah 
system.  When  General  Campbell  visited 
this  district,  they  refused  to  give  up  the 
Meriah,  and  on  the  near  approach  of  his 
force,  fled  to  their  hiding-places  in  the  moun- 
tains. As  he  approached  Bundari,  he  found 
that  the  people  had  been  actually  offering  a 
sacrifice,  and  that  they  had  gone  off  in  such 
haste  that  they  had  left  behind  them  the 
sacrificial  post  with  the  head  of  a victim 
hanging  to  it  by  the  hair,  and  the  fatal  knife 


suspended  beside  it.  The  mode  of  sacrifice 
employed  in  this  district  is  thus  described : — 
The  sacrifice  which  had  taken  place,  and 
which  is  called  Juiinah,  is  performed  as  fol- 
lows, and  is  always  succeeded  by  the  sacri- 
fice of  three  other  human  victims,  two  to 
the  sun  to  the  east  and  west,  and  one  in  the 
centre,  with  the  usual  barbarities.  A stout 
wooden  post  is  firmly  fixed  in  the  ground. 
At  the  foot  of  it  a narrow  grave  is  dug,  and 
to  the  top  of  the  post  the  victim  is  firmly 
fastened  by  the  long  hair  of  his  head.  Four 
assistants  hold  his  outstretched  arms  and 
legs,  the  body  being  suspended  horizontally 
over  the  grave,  with  the  face  toward  the 
earth.  The  officiating  zani,  or  priest,  stand- 
ing on  the  right  side,  repeats  the  following 
invocation,  at  intervals  hacking  with  his  sac- 
rificing knife  the  back  part  of  the  shrieking 
victim’s  neck:  — 

“ ‘ O mighty  Manicksoro,  this  is  your  fes- 
tal day  (to  the  Khonds  the  sacrifice  is  Meriah, 
to  the  Rajahs,  Junnah).  On  account  of  this 
sacrifice  you  have  given  to  Rajahs  countries, 
guns,  and  swords.  The  sacrifice  we  now 
offer,  you  must  eat;  and  we  pray  that  our 
battle-axes  may  be  turned  into  swords,  and 
our  bows  and  arrows  into  gunpowder  and 
balls,  and  if  we  have  any  quarrels  with  other 
tribes,  give  us  the  victory,  and  preserve  us 
from  the  tyranny  of  Rajahs,  and  other  offi- 
cers.’ 

“ Then,  addressing  the  victim,  he  added, 
‘ that  we  may  enjoy  prosperity,  we  offer  you 
a sacrifice  to  our  god  Manicksoro,  who  will 
immediately  eat  you,  so  be  not  grieved  at 
our  slaying  you.  Your  parents  were  aware 
when  we  purchased  you  from  them  for  sixty 
gunties  (articles)  that  we  did  it  with  intent 
to  sacrifice  you;  there  is,  therefore,  no  sin 
on  our  heads,  but  on  those  of  your  parents. 
After  you  are  dead,  we ' shall  perform  your 
obsequies.” 

This  speech  being  concluded,  the  head  of 
the  victim  is  severed  from  the  body,  and 
allowed  to  hang  from  the  post  until  it  is 
eaten  by  wild  beasts.  The  knife  is  also  sus- 
pended from  the  post,  and  allowed  to  remain 
there  until  the  three  additional  sacrifices 
have  been  offered,  when  it  is  removed  with 
many  ceremonies.  Eight  of  these  posts 
were  found  in  the  village,  and  were  all  de- 
stroyed. 

It  is  this  mode  of  sacrifice  which  is  shown 
in  the  illustration  on  page  1387.  In  the 
centre  is  seen  the  aged  priest  in  the  act  of 
sacrificing  the  Meriah,  which  in  this  case  is 
a young  girl.  Her  head  is  supported  by  her 
long  hair,  which  is  tied  to  the  top  of  the 
post,  and  her  body  is  held  horizontally  by 
the  four  assistants,  who  each  grasp  a hand 
ora  foot.  On  the  right  hand  is  shown  a post, 
to  which  hangs  the  head  of  the  first  sacri- 
ficed Meriah,  and  on  the  other  side  is  an- 
other victim  bound  by  the  hair  to  the  post, 
waiting  until  the  priest  had  completed  the 
sacrifice  in  which  he  is  engaged. 


1392 


INDIA. 


One  circumstance  connected  with  the  Me- 
riah  sacrifice  is  rather  remarkable,  namely, 
the  indifference  to  their  fate  that  seems  to 
possess  the  victims.  One  young  man,  a 
Meriah,  said  that  it  was  better  to  be  sacri- 
ficed among  his  own  people,  and  to  give 
them  pleasure,  than  to  live  upon  the  plains. 
The  natives  believe  that  this  indifference  is 
caused  by  the  Meriah  food,  a mixture  of  rice, 
turmeric,  and  other  ingredients,  prepared 
with  certain  magical  ceremonies.  Even  the 
Meriahs  themselves  have  this  belief.  For 
example,  three  young  women  were  hired  by 
a seller  of  salt  fish  to  carry  his  goods  among 
the  Khonds,  and  when  he  got  them  there, 
the  treacherous  dealer  sold  not  only  the  fish 
but  the  women.  Twice  the  victims  attempted 
to  escape,  but  were  recaptured,  and  after  the 
second  attempt,  the  Khonds  fed  them  on 
Meriah  food,  when  they  became  reconciled 
to  their  fate,  and  made  no  further  efforts  to 
escape. 

Other  ties  seem  to  have  their  effect  on  the 
Meriahs.  Sometimes  a man  wishes  to  buy 
a Meriah,  that  being  a very  meritorious  act; 
but  the  cost  is  so  great,  amounting  on  an 
average  to  sixty-five  rupees,  that  the  Khond 
is  almost  reduced  to  poverty.  Under  such 
circumstances,  he  is  unable  to  marry,  inas- 
much as  he  cannot  pay  the  heavy  price 
which  is  demanded  of  a bridegroom.  Ac- 
cordingly, he  buys  a Meriah  girl,  and  takes 
her  as  his  wife  until  the  time  when  she  may 
be  required  for  sacrifice. 

It  has  already  been  mentioned  that  chil- 
dren are  sold  by  their  parents  as  Meriahs. 
This  seems  so  cruel  and  heartless  a system, 
that  some  explanation  ought  to  be  offered. 
It  is  very  seldom  that  such  a purchase  is 
made,  unless  the  parents  be  very  poor,  and 
fear  that  they  shall  not  be  able  to  provide 
their  children  with  food.  In  such  cases  they 
argue  that  it  is  better  for  the  child  to  be  nour- 
ished and  kindly  treated,  and  then  to  die  as 
a sacrifice  to  the  deities,  than  to  perish  by 
degrees  of  starvation.  Moreover,  it  is  con- 
sidered rather  a meritorious  action  for  a 
parent  to  devote  a child  to  the  gods,  and, 
when  it  is  done,  the  parents  are  very  proud 
of  such  children,  and  regard  them  with  re- 
spect and  admiration  as  belonging  to  the 
deities. 

Another  reason  for  the  continuance  of  the 
Meriah  sacrifice  is  the  slight  regard  in  which 
the  Khonds  hold  human  life,  sacrificing  that 
which  we  consider  as  priceless  because  they 
are  indifferent  to  it,  not  only  with  regard  to 
others,  but  with  regard  to  themselves. 

That  the  custom  of  propitiating  the  deities 
of  agriculture  with  living  sacrifices  should 
be  entirely  abolished  could  not  be  expected, 
and  General  Campbell  found  that  the  best 
mode  of  extinguishing  human  sacrifice  was 
to  induce  the  Khonds  to  substitute  that  of  a 
beast.  This  was  done  in  many  cases,  the 
sacrificers  apologizing  to  the  god  for  the  sub- 
stitution, and  begging  him,  if  he  should  be 


angry,  to  vent  his  wrath,  not  upon  them,  but ' 
upon  the  foreigner  who  had  suggested  the 
alteration.  He  had  no  objection  to  this  ar- 
rangement, and  as  the  crops  turned  out  well 
afterward,  it  was  to  be  supposed  that  all 
parties,  the  gods  included,  were  satisfied. 

A very  similar  custom  was  once  prevalent 
among  certain  tribes  of  the  Lower  Amazon. 
Tli^  name  of  these  tribes  was  Tapuyos,  but 
this  title  has  now  been  given  to  all  the  in- 
habitants of  the  Lower  Amazon  district. 
Prisoners  taken  in  war  by  them  were  re- 
served for  sacrifice.  They  were  treated  with 
extreme  kindness,  fed  in  the  most  liberal 
manner,  so  that  they  might  be  plump  and 
fat,  and  were  provided  with  wives.  They 
were  generally  allowed  to  live  for  several 
years,  until  their  wives  had  borne  children. 
They  were  then  taken  to  the  place  of  sacri- 
fice, and  killed  with  a single  blow  of  a club; 
their  children  being  carefully  reared,  for  the 
purpose  of  undergoing  a similar  fate  after 
they  had  grown  up. 

Even  without  reference  to  the  Meriah  sys- 
tem, the  Khonds  are  in  the  habit  of  killing 
their  female  children.  This  custom  has 
arisen  partly  from  the  fear  of  poverty,  and 
partly  from  the  system  on  which  marriages 
are  conducted.  The  Khonds  dislike  marry- 
ing among  themselves,  and  seek  their  wives 
among  distant  tribes,  alleging  as  a reason 
that  they  can  purchase  them  at  a cheaper 
rate.  But  General  Campbell  tried  to  show 
them  that  if  they  were  to  rear  their  own  fe- 
male children,  they  would  find  them  much 
cheaper  as  wives,  and  recommended  them, 
as  a beginning,  to  marry  their  Meriah  wo- 
men, for  whom  a high  price  had  already 
been  paid. 

In  some  of  the  hills  of  Chinna  Kimedy, 
children  of  both  sexes  are  put  to  death.  As 
soon  as  a child  is  born,  a priest  is  called  to 
ascertain  whether  it  is  to  live  or  die.  To 
effect  this  purpose,  he  employs  a plan  very 
like  the  “ Sortes  Virgilianse.”  He  produces 
a book,  and,  after  some  prayers,  thrusts  an 
iron  style  at  random  among  the  leaves.  He 
then  reads  the  passage  to  which  the  style 
points,  and  if  it  be  unfavorable,  the  child 
must  die,  or  the  fields  would  bear  no  more 
crops. 

The  fatal  edict  having  been  pronounced, 
the  child  is  placed  in  a new  earthen  vessel 
(which  has  been  painted  in  red  and  black 
stripes),  the  cover  is  fastened  down,  and  the 
jar  is  buried.  Some  flowers  and  rice  are  laid 
on  the  cover,  and,  after  the  earth  is  filled  in, 
a fowl  is  sacrificed  upon  the  poor  little  vic- 
tim’s grave. 

Before  leaving  these  remarkable  tribes*, 
we  will  glance  slightly  at  one  or  two  of  their 
most  characteristic  customs. 

Their  weapons  are  very  simple,  consisting 
of  a curious  sword  fixed  to  a gauntlet,  the 
bow  and  arrow,  and  the  axe.  The  last  is  the 
national  weapon  of  the  Khonds,  and  in  its 


SUPERSTITIONS. 


1393 


use  they  are  wonderfully  adroit.  General 
Campbell  mentions  that  a British  oflicer  was 
out  in  the  evening  for  the  purpose  of  shoot- 
ing a bear,  but  only  wounded  the  animal 
slightly,  instead  of  killing  it  outright.  The 
bear  started  for  the  hills,  but  was  pursued  by 
several  Khonds,  who  overtook  it,  got  be- 
tween the  hill  and  the  bear,  and  then,  armed 
only  with  their  axes,  attacked  and  hacked 
the  animal  to  pieces.  These  axes  are  about 
four  feet  long  in  the  handle,  and  have  but 
small  heads.  These,  however,  are  made  of 
good  steel,  and  in  the  practised  hand  of  a 
Khond  the  axe  is  a weapon  much  more  for- 
midable than  it  looks.  This  exhibition  of 
courage  is  the  more  remarkable,  because  the 
actors  in  it  were  Meriah  men  who  had  been 
rescued  from  sacrifice.  The  sword  that  has 
been  mentioned  is  a comparatively  rare 
weapon,  and  belongs  rather  to  the  Ooryahs 
than  to  the  Khonds  proper. 

The  Khond  tribes  seem  to  be  rather  fond 
of  quarrelling  among  each  other,  and  carry 
on  a kind  of  desultory  or  guerilla  warfare. 
Pitched  battles  they  dislike,  preferring  to 
steal  cattle  from  their  opponents,  and  to  kill 
them  by  stealth,  to  meeting  them  in  open 
fight.  Indeed,  they  pride  themselves  on  do- 
ing as  much  injury  as  possible  to  their  an- 
tagonists, while  receiving  the  least  possible 
harm  themselves.  Accordingly,  when  the 
delegates  of  two  inimical  tribes  meet  for  the 
purpose  of  restoring  peace,  some  very  ab- 
surd scenes  take  place.  The  umpires  call  upon 
the  representatives  of  the  tribes  to  declare 
the  number  of  cattle  stolen  and  men  killed; 
and  it  is  generally  found  that  the  latter  item 
is  equally  balanced,  neither  party  caring  to 
acknowledge  that  a man  of  their  own  tribe 
has  been  killed,  unless  the  adversaries  can 
prove  it.  They  cannot  but  admit  that  the 
man  was  killed,  but  attribute  his  death  to 
accident,  such  as  being  carried  off  by  a tiger, 
or  bitten  by  a snake. 

Pride  forms  a great  element  in  the  Khond 
character.  The  people  are  fond  of  their 
land,  and  nothing  can  induce  a Khond  to 
sell  one  yard  of  ground  to  a foreigner,  nor 
even  to  part  v/ith  a single  tree  that  grows 
on  that  soil.  Generally,  they  are  too  proud 
to  barter,  but  leave  that  business  to  the 
Pannoo  tribes,  by  whom,  as  may  be  re- 
membered, the  Meriah  victims  are  gener- 
ally furnished.  Among  the  Khonds  there 
are  but  two  employments  worthy  of  their 
dignity,  i.  e.  warfare  and  agriculture,  and  all 
persons  are  despised  who  carry  on  any  other 
profession  or  business,  even  though  they 
may  profit  by  it  themselves.  Yet  there  is 
no  system  of  caste  among  them,  such  as  we 
find  among  the  Hindoos,  neither  have  they 
any  prejudice  in  regard  of  diet,  except  per- 
haps a dislike  to  milk. 

As  to  the  religion  of  the  Khonds,  it  is  of 
the  simplest  description,  and  their  worship 
is  practically  comprised  in  the  Meriah  sacri- 
fice. There  are  certain  very  barbarous  sa- 


cred images  to  be  found  in  the  hill  districts, 
but  no  one  seems  to  care  or  even  to  know 
much  about  them,  and  the  priests,  or  medi- 
cine men,  are  as  ignorant  ok. careless  on  the 
subject  as  the  people  in  general.  It  ought 
to  be  mentioned  that  very  elaborate  accounts 
have  been  published  respecting  the  religion 
of  the  Khonds,  their  vast  arm}’’  of  deities,  and 
their  quadruple  souls.  But  there  is  now  no 
doubt  that  the  information  upon  which  these 
accounts  were  based  was  simply  invented 
by  the  narrators  in  order  to  suit  their  own 
purposes. 

Putting  aside  the  Meriah  system,  the 
Khonds  have  several  superstitions  in  which 
they  firmly  believe,  and  the  strangest  of 
them  is  their  idea  that  certain  human  beings 
can  transform  themselves  into  tigers.  These 
persons  are  called  “ Pulta  Bags,”  and  are 
very  much  dreaded  by  the  people,  upon 
whose  fears  they  intentionally  play  for  the 
purpose  of  extortion.  Knowing  that  the 
ignorant  people  believe  them  to  be  possessed 
of  such  a power,  they  extort  food,  clothing, 
and  other  property  from  them  at  intervals, 
saying  that  they  are  poor,  and  unless  sup- 
plied with  the  necessaries  of  life,  they  will 
be  forced  to  transform  themselves  into  tigers, 
and  to  carry  off  the  cattle. 

General  Campbell  mentions  an  instance 
where  he  was  brought  in  contact  with,  or 
rather  in  opposition  to,  this  superstition. 
An  excited  crowd  came  to  him,  accompanied 
by  several  armed  men,  who  guarded  two 
women.  One  of  the  men  then  said  that  he 
and  his  son  were  in  the  jungle  cutting  fire- 
wood, when  a tiger  sprang  upon  the  lad  and 
carried  him  off.  The  father  pursued  the 
animal,  shouting  after  it  until  it  turned  the 
corner  of  the  rock,  when  it  disappeared,  and 
on  the  top  of  the  rock  were  then  seen  the 
two  women.  The  case  was  clear.  These  two 
women  were  Pulta  Bags.  While  in  the 
tiger  form  they  had  carried  off  his  son,  but, 
alarmed  by  his  shouts,  had  hidden  the  body 
of  the  lad  and  resumed  their  human  shapes. 

On  being  questioned,  the  women  acknowl- 
edged that  the  story  was  true,  and  that  they 
did  possess  the  power  attributed  to  them. 
General  Campbell  then  offered  to  release 
them,  provided  that  they  would  transform 
themselves  into  tigers  in  his  presence.  This, 
to  his  astonishment,  they  agreed  to  do,  pro- 
vided that  he  accompanied  them  to  a neigh- 
boring jungle.  Finding,  however,  that  the 
English  general  was  not  so  easily  frightened 
as  a Khond  warrior,  and  that  they  would 
be  taken  at  their  word,  they  threw  them- 
selves at  his  feet,  and  acknowledged  their 
imposture. 

A remarkable  instance  of  this  belief  is 
narrated  by  the  same  writer.  A brave  little 
Khond,  belonging  to  the  irregular  force,  was 
engaged  in  a conflict  when  several  of  the 
enemy  were  killed,  among  whom  was  one 
who  was  shot  by  his  own  hand.  Instead  of 
being  proud  of  his  exploit,  he  was  seized 


67 


1394 


IKDIA. 


with  terror,  declaring  that  the  man  whom 
he  had  killed  was  a Pulta  Bag,  and  that  he 
would  assume  the  shape  of  a tiger  and 
avenge  himself.  After  the  campaign  was 
over,  he  obtained  leave  to  visit  his  family, 
and,  previous  to  his  departure,  he  brought 
his  uniform,  asking  that  care  might  be  taken 
of  it,  as  he  felt  sure  that  he  should  never 
v/ear  it  again.  He  joined  his  family,  and 
lived  with  them  for  some  weeks,  when,  as 
he  was  watching  his  cattle,  a tiger  sprang 
on  him,  and  wounded  him  so  cruelly  that  he 
shortly  died.  Nothing  could  persuade  him 
that  the  tiger  was  not  the  man  whom  he  had 
shot,  and  the  event  only  strengthened  the 
hold  which  the  superstition  has  on  the  na- 
tive mind. 

Marriage  is  generally  celebrated  at  the 


hunting  season,  probably  because  the  stores 
of  food  and  drink  are  secured  for  that  time, 
and  there  is  always  plenty  of  food  for  the 
marriage  feast.  Among  them  prevails  the 
custom  of  carrying  off  the  bride.  The  bride- 
groom snatches  up  the  girl  and  runs  off  with 
her,  pursued  by  a number  of  young  women 
who  try  to  snatch  her  from  him,  or  at  least 
pretend  to  do  so.  He,  however,  is  protected 
by  twenty  or  thirty  young  men,  who  keep 
him  and  his  burden  in  their  midst,  and  do 
their  best  to  shield  him  from  the  bamboos, 
stones,  and  other  missiles  which  are  hurled 
at  him  by  the  women.  When  he  reaches 
the  boundaries  of  his  own  village,  he  is  sup- 
posed to  have  won  his  bride,  while  the  as- 
sailing party  scamper  at  full  speed  to  their 
own  dwellings. 


Bows  AND  Quiver.  {From  my  Collection.) 

(See  page  1401.) 


CHAPTEE  CXLIX. 


IXDIA  — Continued, 
WEAPONS. 


THE  GHOORKA  TRIBE  AXD  THEIR  FAVORITE  WEAPON  — BLADE  AND  CURVED  HANDLE  OF  THE  '^KOOK- 
— MODE  OF  STRIKING  WITH  IT  — THE  ADDITIONAL  KNIVES  — MAKING  “ WOOTZ  ” STEEL  — 
FIGHTING  A TIGER  — THE  HUNTER’S  NECKLACE  — ROBBERS  OF  INDIA — THE  BURGLAR,  THE  BUR- 
ROWER — THE  PURSE  CUTTER — AN  INGENIOUS  THEFT  — STRANGE  MODE  OF  ESCAPING  OBSERVA- 
TION-VARIOUS BOWS  — THE  PELLET  BOW  AND  ITS  DOUBLE  STRING  — THE  REVERSED  BOW  AND 
MODE  OF  USING  IT  — STRINGING  THE  BOW  — THE  VARIOUS  ARROWS —ARMOR  AND  CHAIN  MAIL — 
SIR  HOPE  grant’s  SPECIMEN  — INDIAN  SWORDS  AND  MODE  OF  USING  THEM  — VARIOUS  DAG- 
GERS — THE  “chakra”  or  quoit  weapon. 


One  of  the  hill  tribes,  called  the  Ghoorka 
tribe,  is  worthy  of  notice,  if  only  for  the  re- 
markable weapon  which  they  use  in  prefer- 
ence to  any  other.  It  is  called  the  “ kook- 
ery,”  and  is  of  a very  peculiar  shape.  One 
of  the  knives,  drawn  from  a specimen  in 
my  collection,  is  given  in  illustration  hTo.  2, 
on  page  1403.  As  may  be  seen  by  reference 
to  the  drawing,  both  the  blade  and  hilt  are 
curved.  The  blade  is  very  thick  at  the  back, 
my  own  specimen,  which  is  rather  a small 
one,  measuring  a little  more  than  a quarter 
of  an  inch  in  thickness.  From  the  back  it 
is  thinned  off  gradually  to  the  edge,  which 
has  a curve  of  its  own,  quite  different  to 
that  of  the  back,  so  that  the  blade  is  widest 
as  well  as  thickest  in  the  middle,  and  tapers 
at  one  end  toward  the  hilt,  and  at  the  other 
toward  the  point.  The  steel  of  which  the 
blade  is  formed  is  of  admirable  temper,  as  is 
shown  by  the  fact  that  my  specimen,  which, 
to  my  knowledge,  has  not  been  cleaned  for 
thirty  years,  but  has  been  hung  upon  the  wall 
among  other  weapons,  is  scarcely  touched 
with  rust,  and  for  the  greater  part  of  its  sur- 
face is  burnished  like  a mirror.  • Indeed,  on 
turning  it  about,  I can  see  reflected  upon  its 
polished  surface  the  various  objects  of  the 
room.  The  handle  is  made  after  a very  re- 
markable fashion,  and  the  portion  which 
forms  the  hilt  is  so  small  that  it  shows  the 
size  of  the  hand  for  which  it  was  intended. 
This  smallness  of  hilt  is  common  to  all  In- 
dian swords,  which  cannot  be  grasped  by  an 


ordinary  English  soldier.  My  own  hand  is 
a small  one,  but  it  is  too  large  even  for  the 
heavy  sabre  or  “ tulwar,”  while  the  handle 
of  the  kookery  looks  as  if  the  weapon  were 
intended  for  a boy  of  six  or  seven  years  old. 
Indeed,  the  Ghoorkas  are  so  small,  that  their 
hands,  like  those  of  all  Indian  races,  are 
very  delicate,  about  the  same  size  as  those 
of  an  English  boy  of  seven.  The  point  of 
the  kookery  is  as  sharp  as  a needle,  so  that 
the  weapon  answers  equally  well  for  cutting 
or  stabbing.  In  consequence  of  the  great 
thickness  of  the  metal,  the  blade  is  exceed- 
ingly heavy,  and  it  is  a matter  of  much  won- 
der how  such  tiny  hands  as  those  of  the  , 
Ghoorkas  can  manage  so  weighty  a weapon, 
which  seems  almost  as  much  beyond  their 
strength  as  does  the  Andamaner’s  gigantic 
bow  to  the  dwarflsh  man  who  wields  it.  It 
may  be  imagined  that  a blow  from  such  a 
weapon  as  this  must  be  a very  terrible  one. 
The  very  weight  of  the  blade  would  drive  it 
half  through  a man’s  arm,  if  it  were  only 
allowed  to  fall  from  a little  height.  But  the 
Ghoorkas  have  a mode  of  striking  which  re- 
sembles the  “ drawing  ” cut  of  the  broad- 
sword, and  which  urges  the  sharp  edge 
through  flesh  and  bone  alike. 

Before  passing  to  the  mode  in  which  the 
kookery  is  used,  I may  mention  that  it  is  not 
employed  for  domestic  purposes,  being  too 
highly  valued  by  the  owner.  For  such  pur- 
poses two  smaller  knives  are  used,  of  very 
similar  form,  but  apparently  of  inferior  metal. 


1390 


IKDIA. 


These  are  kept  in  little  cases  attached  to  the 
side  of  the  kookery-sheath,  just  as  is  the  case 
with  the  knives  attached  to  a Highlander’s 
dirk,  or  the  arrangement  of  the  Dyak  sword, 
which  has  already  been  described  in  the  arti- 
cle upon  Borneo.  There  is  also  a little  flat 
leathern  purse,  with  a double  flap.  This  is 
pointed  like  a knife-sheath,  and  is  kept  in  a 
pocket. of  its  own  fastened  upon  the  larger 
sheath. 

In  the  illustration  the  kookery  is  shown 
with  all  its  parts.  Fig.T  shows  the  kookery 
in  its  scabbard,  the  top  of  the  purse  and  the 
handles  of  the  supplementary  knives  being 
just  visible  as  they  project  from  the  sheaths. 
At  Fig.  2 the  kookery  itself  is  drawn,  so  as 
to  show  the  peculiar  curve  of  the  blade  and 
the  very  small  handle.  Fig.  3 represents 
the  purse  as  it  appears  when  closed,  and 
Figs.  4 and  5 are  the  supplementary  knives. 
My  own  specimen,  which,  as  I have  already 
mentioned,  is  a small  one,  measures  fifteen 
inches  from  hilt  to  point  in  a straight  line, 
and  twenty-one  inches  if  measured  along 
the  curve  of  the  back.  Its  weight  is  exactly 
twelve  ounces.  The  knife  is  a very  plain 
one,  no  ornament  of  any  kind  being  used, 
and  the  maker  has  evidently  contented  him- 
self with  expending  all  his  care  upon  the 
blade,  which  is  forged  from  the  celebrated 

wootz  ” steel. 

This  steel  is  made  by  the  natives  in  a 
very  simple  but  effectual  manner.  After 
smelting  the  iron  out  of  magnetic  ore,  the 
Indian  smith  puts  small  pieces  of  it  in  a 
crucible,  and  mixes  little  bits  of  wood 
with  them.  He  then  covers  the  crucible 
with  green  leaves  and  plenty  of  clay,  and 
puts  it  in  his  simple  furnace.  The  furnace 
being  lighted,  a constant  blast  of  air  is 
driven  through  it  for  about  three  hours, 
at  the  expiration  of  which  -time  the  iron, 
now  converted  into  cast-steel,  is  found  in 
the  form  of  a small  cake  at  the  bottom 
of  the  crucible.  Wootz  steel  was  at  one 
time  much  used  in  England,  and  great 
numbers  of  these  cakes  were  imported. 

In  the  hands  of  an  experienced  wielder 
- this  knife  is  about  as  formidable  a weapon 
as  can  be  conceived.  Like  all  really  good 
weapons,  its  efficiency  depends  much  more 
upon  the  skill  than  the  strength  of  ^ the 
wielder,  and  thus  it  happens  that  the  little 
Ohoorka,  a mere  boy  in  point  of  stature, 
wull  cut  to  -pieces  a gigantic  adversary  who 
does  not  understand  his  mode  of  onset.  The 
Ghoorka  generally  strikes  upward  with  the 
kookery,  possibly  in  order  to  avoid  wound- 
ing himself  should  his  blow  fail,  and  possi- 
bly because  an  upward  cut  is  just  the  one 
that  can  be  least  guarded  against. 

Years  ago,  when  we  were  engaged  in  the 
many  Indian  wars  which  led  at  last  to  our 
Oriental  empire,  the  Ghoorkas  proved  them- 
selves most  formidable  enemies,  as  since 
they  have  proved  themselves  most  invalu- 
able allies.  Brave  as  lions,  active  as  mon- 


keys, and  fierce  as  tigers,  the  lithe,  wiry 
little  men  came  leaping  over  the  ground  to 
the  attack,  moving  so  quickly,  and  keeping 
so  far  apart  from  each  other,  that  musketry 
was  no  use  against  them.  When  they  came 
near  the  soldiers,  they  suddenly  crouched  to 
the  ground,  dived  under  the  bayonets,  struck 
upward  at  the  men  with  their  kookeries, 
ripping  them  open  with  a single  blow,  and 
then,  after  having  done  all  the  mischief  in 
their  power,  darting  off  as  rapidly  as  they 
had  come.  Until  our  men  learned  this 
mode  of  attack,  they  were  greatl}^  discom- 
fited by  their  little  opponents,  who  got  un- 
der their  weapons,  cutting  or  slashing  with 
knives  as  sharp  as  razors,  and  often  escap- 
ing unhurt  from  the  midst  of  bayonets. 
They  would  also  dash  under  the  bellies  of 
the  officers’  horses,  rip  them  open  with  one 
blow  of  the  kookery,  and  aim  another  at 
the  leg  of  the  officer  as  he  and  his  horse  fell 
together. 

Perhaps  no  better  proof  can  be  given  of 
the  power  of  the  weapon,  and  the  dexterity 
of  the  user,  than  the  fact  that  a Ghoorka 
will  not  hesitate  to  meet  a tiger,  himself 
being  armed  with  nothing  but  his  kookery. 
He  stands  in  front  of  the  animal  (see  the  next 
page),  and  as  it  springs  he  leaps  to  the  left, 
delivering  as  he  does  so  a blow  toward  the 
tiger.  As  the  reader  is  aware,  all  animals  of 
the  cat  tribe  attack  by  means  of  the  paw; 
and  so  the  tiger,  in  passing  the  Ghoorka, 
mechanically  strikes  at  him. 

The  man  is  well  out  of  reach  of  the  tiger’s 
paw,  but  it  just  comes  within  the  sweep  of 
the  kookery,  and,  what  with  the  force  of  the 
tiger’s  stroke,  what  with  the  blow  deliv- 
ered by  the  man,  the  paw  is  always  dis- 
abled, and  often  fairly  severed  from  the  limb. 
Furious  with  pain  and  rage,  the  tiger  leaps 
round,  and  makes  another  spring  at  his  littla 
enemy.  But  the  Ghoorka  is  as  active  as  the 
tiger,  and  has  sprung  round  as  soon  as  he 
delivered  his  blow,  so  as  to  be  on  the  side  of 
the  disabled  paw.  Again  the  tiger  attacks, 
but  this  time  his  blow  is  useless,  and  the 
Ghoorka  steps  in  and  delivers  at  the  neck  or 
throat  of  the  tiger  a stroke  which  generally 
proves  fatal. 

The  favorite  blow  is  one  upon  the  back  of 
the  neck,  because  it  severs  the  spine,  and  the 
tiger  rolls  on  the  ground  a lifeless  mass.  For 
so  fierce  is  the  tiger’s  fury,  that,  unless  the 
animal  is  rendered  absolutely  powerless,  rage 
supplies  for  a few  moments  the  place  of  the 
ebbing  life,  and  enables  it  to  make  a last  ex- 
piring effort.  All  experienced  hunters  know 
and  dread  the  expiring  charge  of  a wounded 
lion  or  tiger,  and,  if  possible,  hide  themselves 
as  soon  as  they  inflict  the  death  wound.  If 
they  can  do  so,  the  animal  looks  round  for 
its  adversar}",  cannot  see  him,  and  at  once 
succumbs;  whereas,  if  it  can  espy  its  enemy, 
it  flings  all  its  strength  into  one  effort,  the 
result  of  which  is  frequently  that  the  man 
and  the  tiger  are  found  lying  dead  together. 


(10  INGENIOUS  RUSE  OF  BHEEL  ROBBERS. 


(See  page  1400.) 


(2.)  A GHOORKA  ATTACKED  BY  A TIGER. 


(See  page  1396.) 


(I39T) 


««  R rR«|(W»^- 


/ 


ADROIT  THIEVES. 


1390 


Many  of  these  little  hunters  are  decorated 
with  necklaces  made  from  the  teeth  and 
claws  of  the  animals  which  they  kill.  One 
of  these  necklaces  is  in  my  collection,  and  is 
figured  in  illustration  No.  I,  on  page  1403. 
It  is  made  of  the  spoils  of  various  animals, 
arranged  in  the  folio  wing  _way.^  The  central 
and  most  prominent  object  is  one  of  the 
upper  canine  teeth  of  a tiger.  The  man  may 
well  be  proud  ol  this,  for  it  is  a very  fine 
specimen,  measuring  five  inches  and  a half 
in  length,  and  more  than  three  inches  in  cir- 
cuinference.  This  tooth  is  shown  at  Eig.  5. 
At  Fig.  1 is  a claw  from  a fore-foot  of  a tiger, 
evidently  the  same  animal;  and  at  Fig.  9 is  a 
claw  of  the  hind-foot.  Figs.  2,  3,  7,  8 are 
dilferently  sized  teeth  of  the  crocodile;  and 
Fgs.  4 and  6 represent  claws  from  the  foot  of 
the  sloth-bear.  Tlie  reader  may  remember 
that  in  all  uncivilized  countries  such  spoils 
are  of  the  highest  value,  and  play  the  same 
part  with  regard  to  them,  that  titles  and 
decorations  do  among  more  civilized  nations. 
Consequently,  it  is  almost  impossible  to  pro- 
cure such  ornaments,  the  natives  having  as 
strong  objection  to  part  with  them  as  a 
holder  of  the  Victoria  Cross  would  have  to 
resign  at  the  same  time  his  badge  and  a right 
to  wear  it. 

Among  men  of  such  a stamp,  leading  a 
half-savage  existence,  with  ideas  necessarily 
limited  to  their  own  range  of  thought,  it  is 
likely  that  a strange  sort  of  " morality  should 
prevail.  We  have  already  seen  that  there  is 
one  existing  system  in  which  treacherous 
murder,  instead  of  being  regarded  as  a cap- 
ital olfence,  is  exalted  into  a religion,  and  we 
may  therefore  expect  that  robbery  may  in 
some  cases  be  considered  as  a virtue.  Cer- 
tain it  is  that  there  are  no  more  accomplished 
thieves  in  the  world  than  those  of  India. 

The  natives  are  justly  celebrated  for  their 
wonderful  powers  of  posture  making  and 
conjuring,  and  it  is  to  be  expected  that,  when 
they.turn  those  powers  to  an  evil  use,  they 
must  be  most  dangerous  opponents.  Lately 
a most  valuable  report  has  been  issued  by  the 
Inspector-General  of  Prisons,  relating  to  the 
thieves  of  Lower  Bombay,  in  the  perusal  of 
which  it  is  impossible  to  restrain  a smile,  so 
wonderfully  ingenious  are  the  devices  of  the 
thieves,  and  so  astonishing  is  the  skill  with 
which  they  are  employed. 

For  example,  there  are  the  regular  burg- 
lars, who  completely  carry  out  the  descrip- 
tion of  the  Scriptures,  “'breaking  through 
the  wall  and  stealing.”  Two  of  these  burg- 
lars work  together.  One  acts  as  sentinel, 
while  the  other  gently  bores  a hole  through 
the  wall,  large  enough  to  admit  the  passage 
of  his  person.  When  he  has  completed  the 
breach,  he  pushes  through  it  a stick,  with  a 
piece  of  grass  wrapped  round  it,  so  as  to 
look  like  a human  head.  This  is  done  to 
ascertain  whether  the  inmates  are  alarmed, 
for  it  sometimes  happens  that  the  owner  of 


the  house  hears  the  miner  at  work,  and 
quietly  stands  by  the  side  of  the  hole,  armed 
with  a sword  or  cudgel,  with  which  he 
strikes  at  the  head  of  the  robber,  as  soon  as 
it  appears  through  the  wall.  Should  the 
sham  head  be  smashed  by  a blow  from  the 
inside,  the  thieves  escape  as  fast  as  they  can. 
If  not,  one  of  them  crawls  througli  the 
breach,  steals  all  the  property  on  wb>oh  he 
can  lay  his  hands,  and  returns  to  his  com- 
rade, who  has  been  keeping  careful  watch, 
and  will  alarm  him,  should  danger  appear. 

Other  thieves  appear  to  l)e  more  harmless, 
though  they  probably  steal  as  much  money 
as  the  burglars.  They  carry  in  their  mouths 
a tiny  knife,  with  a blade  as  sharp  as  that  of 
a razor.  They  frequent  the  bazaars,  mix 
with  the  crowd,  and  contrive  to  feel  for  the 
money  which  is  wrapped  up  in  the  girdle. 
With  their  little  knives,  they  gently  cut  the 
cloth,  noiselessly  extract  the  money,  and 
slink  off  into  the  midst  of  the  crowd,  where 
they  can  scarcely  be  detected.  In  short, 
they  act  precisely  after  the  manner  of  our 
European  cut-purses. 

The  most  ingenious  of  all  the  thieves  are 
those  who  get  into  the  zenanas,  or  women's 
apartments,  and  steal  their  jewelry.  As  the 
reader  is  probably  aware,  the  women’s  apart- 
ments are  in  the  most  central  portion  of  the 
house,  and  are  so  carefully  guarded  that  lit- 
tle precaution  is  taken  with  respect  to  the 
costly  jewels  with  which  the  women  deck 
themselves  so  abundantly.  The  Indian 
burglar  knows  of  this  wealth,  and  some- 
times manages  to  steal  it.  He  digs  a hole 
in  the  ground  outside  the  walls  of  the  house, 
and  burrows  under  the  foundation  until  he 
comes  beneath  the  floor  of  the  zenana.  He 
then  cautiously  works  his  way  upward,  and 
so  obtains  admission  into  the  apartment. 
But  even  when  there  his  task  is  not  com- 
pleted, as  a large  portion  of  the  jewelry  con- 
sists of  nose  rings  and  bangles,  or  brace- 
lets. The  skill  of  these  thieves  is  now 
shown,  for  they  will  contrive  to  cut  the 
rings  and  bangles,  remove  them  from  the 
wearers,  and  make  good  their  escape  with- 
out disturbing  the  sleeping  women. 

These  adroit  burglars  often  commit  the 
most  daring  robberies  in  the  very  midst  of 
an  army.  Knowing  the  position  of  the 
tents,  they  mark  out  that  which  is  the  resi- 
dence of  a great  man,  and  creep  silently 
toward  it.  Arrived  at  the  tent,  their  sharp 
knife  cuts  a hole  and  they  glide  into  the  in- 
terior without  making  the  slightest  noise. 
Indeed,  so  wonderfully  adroit  are  they,  that 
even  the  very  watch-dogs  do  not  discover 
them,  and  a thief  has  been  known  actually 
to  step  over  the  body  of  a dog  without  dis- 
turbing the  animal.  They  take  an  extraor- 
dinary pride  in  their  skill,  and  have  not  the 
least  objection  to  boasting  of  it.  Once,  an 
English' officer,  who  had  been  robbed  of  all 
his  valuables,  his  clothing  included,  in  the 
course  of  a night,  was  talking  to  a robber. 


1400 


INDIA. 


who  made  very  light  of  the  exploit,  and 
boasted  that  if  he  chose  he  could  steal  the 
blanket  from  under  him  as  he  slept.  Such 
a challenge  as  this  could  not  but  be  accepted, 
and  the  officer  laid  a wager  with  the  man 
that  his  blanket  could  not  be  stolen  without 
arousing  him. 

Accordingly,  one  morning,  when  the  officer 
awoke,  he  found  his  blanket  missing.  The 
thief  came  openly  with  the  blanket,  restored 
it,  and  told  him  how  he  had  achieved  the 
theft.  It  was  done  by  gently  tickling  the 
face  and  hands  of  the  sleeping  man,  so  that 
he  involuntarily  turned  on  his  bed.  As  he 
moved,  the*  thief  gave  the  blanket  a slight 
pull,  and  so  by  degrees  “ coaxed  ” it  away 
without  fairly  awaking  the  sleeper. 

When  these  thieves  set  about  their  task  of 
robbery,  they  remove  all  their  clothes,  and 
rub  themselves  with  oil.  Round  their  neck 
is  a slight  string,  which  holds  their  razor- 
bladed  knife,  so  that,  if  they  should  be  de- 
tected, the  pursuer  has  no  hold  of  them;  and 
even  should  he  succeed  in  grasping  them, 
the  ready  knife  is  used  to  sever  his  wrist  and 
to  deal  a fatal  stab. 

Then  there  are  other  thieves  of  altogether 
a sneaking  and  despicable  character.  The 
burglars  have,  at  all  events,  the  redeeming 
points  of  audacity  and  ingenuity.  The 
Mooches  exhibit  neither  of  these  qualities, 
but  act  in  a way  that  exactly  resembles  the 
proceedings  of  the  gipsy  thieves  as  described 
by  Mr.  Borrow.  They  lay  poison  on  plan- 
tain leaves,  and  drop  them  about  at  night 
among  the  cattle.  The  bait  is  sure  to  be 
taken,  -and  the  dead  cattle  are  thrown  away 
next  morning.  This  is  exactly  what  the 
Mooches  have  expected,  and  they  tlay  the 
dead  cattle  and  sell  their  skins. 

Sometimes  a band  of  these  thieves  is  pur- 
sued, and  then  the  robbers  are  often  driven 
to  use  all  their  ingenuity  in  evading  their 
pursuers.  One  stratagem  is  marvellously 
clever.  Should  a company  of  these  men 
succeed  in  reaching  the  jungle,  there  is  no 
hope  of  capturing  them;  but  when  they  find 
that  they  must  be  overtaken  on  a level  plain, 
they  are  not  without  a mode  of  avoiding  de- 
tection. As  is  the  case  in  many  hot  coun- 
tries, the  grouiTd  is  often  cleared  by  fire, 
which  destroys  all  the  coarse,  dry,  rank  herb- 
age, and  leaves  it  free  for  the  fresh  green 
blades  that  at  the  first  rains  shoot  through 
the  surface.  In  those  spots  where  the  grass 
is  short,  the  fire  does  but  little  damage;  but 
where  it  is  long,  the  flames  are  powerful 
enough  to  destroy  the  small  trees  which 
grow  upon  them,  and  to  leave  nothing  but  a 
■number  of  blackened  stumps. 

If  the  thieves  think  that  the}^  cannot  pass 
the  plain  without  being  observed,  they  put 
in  practice  a ruse  which  they  may  have  bor- 
rowed from  the  habits  of  many  insects. 
They  strip  off  all  their  clothes,  place  them 
and  their  weapons  under  their  little  round 
shields,  which  they  disperse  so  as  to  look 


like  stones,  and  then  dispose  themselves  in 
such  strange  attitudes  that  their  slender  and 
nearly  fleshless  limbs  bear  the  most  exact 
resemblance  to  the  blackened  branches  or 
which  their  bodies  represent  the  trunks.  In 
these  attitudes  they  will  remain  fixed  until 
the  enemy  has  passed  them,  when  they  slip 
off  as  fast  as  they  can  to  the  nearest  jungle. 
An  illustration  on  page  1397  shows  with 
what  rare  ingenuity,  even  artistic  verisimili- 
tude these  rascals  simulate  the  charred  trunks 
and  branches  of  the  trees. 

Before  the  English  had  become  used  to 
these  manoeuvres,  a very  ludicrous  incident 
occurred.  An  officer,  with  a party  of  horse, 
was  chasing  a small  body  of  Bheel  robbers, 
and  was  fast  overtaking  them.  Suddenly 
the  robbers  ran  behind  a rock  or  some  such 
obstacle,  which  hid  them  for  a moment,  and, 
when  the  soldiers  came  up,  the  men  had 
mysteriously  disappeared.  After  an  un- 
availing search,  the  officer  ordered  his  men 
to  dismount  beside  a clump  of  scorched  and 
withered  trees,  and,  the  day  being  very  hot, 
he  took  olf  his  helmet  and  hung  it  on  a 
branch  by  which  he  was  standing.  The 
branch  in  question  turned  out  to  be  the  leg 
of  a Bheel,  who  burst  into  a scream  of 
laughter,  and  flung  the  astonished  officer  to 
the  ground.  The  clump  of  scorched  trees 
suddenly  became  metamorphosed  into  men, 
and  the  whole  party  dispersed  in  different 
directions  before  the  soldiers  could  recover 
from  their  surprise,  carrying  with  them  the 
officer’s  helmet  by  way  of  a trophy. 

This  stratagem  is  not  confined  to  one 
tribe,  or  even  one  race,  but  is  practised  in 
many  parts  of  the  world  where  the  country 
is  cleared  by  means  of  fire. 

W E will  now  examine  some  of  the  weapons 
used  by  the  Indians.  I intentionally  omit 
any  description  of  their  fire-arms,  as  such 
weapons  are  of  a modern  date,  and  the  use 
of  gunpowder  has  been  imported  from  other 
countries.  In  the  following  pages  will  be 
described  some  of  the  most  characteristic 
weapons  of  India. 

The  reader  will  probably  notice  that  what- 
ever may  be  their  form,  there  is  a nameless 
something  which  designates  the  country  in 
which  they  were  produced.  No  matter 
whether  the  weapon  has  belonged  to  a rich 
or  a poor  man,  whether  it  be  plain  wood 
and  iron,  or  studded  with  jewels  and  inlaid 
with  gold,  the  form  remains  the  same,  and 
there  is  about  that  form  a graceful  elegance 
which  is  peculiar  to  India.  Take,  for  ex- 
ample, that  simplest  of  weapons,  the  kookery, 
and  see  how  beautiful  are  the  curves  of  the 
blade  and  handle,  and  how  completely  they 
satisfy  the  eye.  In  the  same  manner  we 
shall  find  that,  with  all  the  weapons  that- 
will  be  figured,  there  is  always  a graceful 
curve  or  a well-balanced  arrangement  of 
lines. 

Wc  will  begin  with  the  bow  and  arrows. 


BOWS  AND  AEROWS. 


1401 


Many  kinds  of  bows  are  used  by  the  Hin- 
doos, the  most  simple  of  which  is  made  from 
a piece  of  male  bamboo.  Even  this  simple 
weapon  is  not  complete  in  the  eyes  of  an 
Indian  without  some  ornament,  and  accord- 
ingly it  is  bound  at  intervals  by  belts  of  split 
reed  drawn  tightly  round  it,  and  tied  up  at 
the  back  of  the  bow  in  a sort  of  rosette  form. 
This  kind  of  bow  is  often  used  for  shooting 
bullets  or  stones.  For  this  purpose  two 
strings  are  placed  side  by  side,  and  kept 
apart"  by  a little  piece  of  wood  near  one  end, 
80  that  in  the  middle  there  is  an  interval  of 
a couple  of  inches  between  the  strings.  A 
strip  of  leather  rather  more  than  an  inch 
in  width  is  then  sewed  to  the  strings,  so  that 
when  the  bow  is  bent  the  leather  is  stretched 
tightly  between  them. 

The  bow  is  used  in  the  following  manner. 
A bullet  or  stone  is  placed  on  the  leather, 
and  the  two  strings  are  grasped  by  the  fore- 
finger and  thumb  of  the  right  hand,  so  as  to 
enclose  the  bullet  in  the  leather.  The  bow 
is  then  drawn  and  aimed,  and  when  the 
strings  are  released  from  the  pressure  of  the 
fingers,  they  fly  asunder  and  permit  the 
bullet  to  escape.  The  precision  that  may  be 
obtained  by  this  weapon  is  really  wonderful, 
and  even  Europeans  soon  learn  to  pride 
themselves  on  their  skill  with  the  “ pellet- 
bow.”  Squirrel  shooting  with  this  bow  is  a 
favorite  amusement  with  many  persons,  and 
some  of  the  natives  of  rank  occasionally 
amuse  themselves  with  shooting  at  the  earth- 
enware jars  carried  on  the  heads  of  the 
women,  a successful  shot  smashing  the  jar 
to  pieces,  and  deluging  the  women  with  the 
water  which  had  been  contained  in  it. 

There  is  another  kind  of  bow  which  is 
much  used  in  dilferent  parts  of  Asia,  vary- 
ing somewhat  in  form  and  material,  but 
smaller  in  principle.  The  bow  is  so  formed 
that  when  it  is  unstrung  it  curves  in  exactly 
the  oj)posite  direction  to  the  string.  The 
amount  of  curvature  varies  considerably  in 
different  bows,  the  most  perfect  being  that 
in  which  the  two  ends  almost  touch  each 
other.  The  specimen  which  is  shown  in  Fig. 
1 of  the  illustration  on  page  1394,  and 
which  is  drawn  from  a bow  in  my  collection, 
is  a singularly  perfect  example  of  this  kind 
of  weapon.  It  is  made  in  the  followimg 
manner : — 

A horn  of  the  buffalo  is  sawn  longitudi- 
nally, so  as  to  produce  two  tapering  pieces 
of  exactly  the  same  size.  These  are  then 
fiattened  by  heat  and  pressure,  and  are 
trimmed  until  when  bent  they  give  exactly 
the  same  amount  of  curvature.  The  handle 
and  the  tips  are  made  of  very  hard  wood, 
and  are  fitted  to  the  horn  with  the  greatest 
care,  the  wood  which  forms  the  tips  running 
for  some  distance  along  the  under  side  of  the 
horn.  After  the  handle  and  tips  are  fitted 
in  their  places,  a great  number  of  sinews  are 
laid  wet  over  the  back  of  the  bow,  and 
kneaded  so  carefully  that  the  wood,  the 


sinews,  and  the  horn  seem  to  be  altogether 
one  substance.  After  this  part  of  the  work 
is  finished,  the  whole  of  the  bow  is  covered 
with  repeated  layers  of  a kind  of  glue,  which 
is  very  carefully  smoothed  and  polished. 
The  bow  is  practically  complete,  but  the 
maker  is  not  satisfied  unless  he  adds  plenty 
of  ornament.  This  is  always  a sort  of  con- 
ventional flower  pattern,  gilt  on  a brilliantly 
colored  background.  I possess  several  such 
bows,  in  each  of  which  there  is  a dissimi- 
larity of  color  and  pattern.  In  the  bovv  now 
before  us,  the  groundwork  is  vivid  green 
and  scarlet,  on  which  are  drawm  the  ^most 
elaborate  patterns  of  flowers,  leaves,*  and 
arabesques  in  gold.  It  is  impossible,  on 
looking  at  the  surface,  not  to  admire  both 
the  beauty  of  the  patterns  and  the  excel- 
lence of  the  paint  and  varnish,  which  can  be 
subjected  to  such  violent  treatment  as  is 
caused  by  the  bending  of  the  bow  and  shoot- 
ing the  arrow,  and  yet  not  be  cracked  to 
pieces. 

The  elasticity  of  this  bow  is  wonderful. 
I have  often  tried  to  string  it,  but  without 
effect,  and  indeed  I never  saw  but  one  man, 
the  late  Colonel  Hutchinson,  of  the  Indian 
Army,  who  could  do  so.  It  is  strung  by 
passing  it  under  one  leg,  bending  it  back 
sharply  over  the  other  leg,  at  the  same  time 
slipping  the  loop  of  the  string  into  its  notch. 
A groove  passes  along  the  back  of  the  bow, 
so  as  to  guide  the  string.  When  strung  it 
assumes  quite  a different  shape,  and  looks 
something  like  the  bow  which  the  ancient 
sculptors  placed  in  the  hands  of  Cupid.  I 
regret  that  the  bow  could  not  be  strung,  so 
as  to  give  two  illustrations  of  the  same  bow 
in  its  different  aspects. 

The  classical  reader  may  perhaps  remem- 
ber that  this  weapon  is  exactly  similar  to  the 
ancient  Scythian  bow.  Reference  is  made 
to  this  shape  by  Athenseus  (book  x.)  when 
an  unlearned  shepherd,  trying  to  describe 
the  letters  which  formed  a name,  said  that 
“ the  third  {i.  e.  c)  was  like  a Scythian  bow.” 
This  kind  of  bow  was  of  horn,  as  indeed  were 
most  of  the  ancient  bows. 

The  length  of  the  bow'  above  mentioned, 
measured  along  the  back,  is  a little  more 
than  four  feet,  whereas  the  measurement 
across  it  as  it  appears  when  unbent  is  only 
nineteen  inches.  The  reader  will  see  how 
useful  a bow  of  this  description  would  be  to 
a horseman,  its  peculiar  curvature  rendering 
it  easy  of  carriage.  It  could  even  be  carried 
along  on  the  bridle  arm,  if  required,  so  as  to 
leave  the  sword  hand  at  liberty,  and  in  a 
moment  could  be  strung  when  needed,  by 
passing  it  under  the  leg  as  the  rider  sits  on 
horseback.  Small  as  this  bow  seems,  almost 
indeed  insignificant  in  appearance  as  a weap- 
on, its  performances  in  skilful  hands  are 
something  marvellous.  With  one  of  these 
bows  an  arrow  has  been  shot  to  a distance 
which  was  said  to  be  six  hundred  yards,  and 
was  actually  not  much  short  of  that  mcag- 


1402 


INDIA. 


urement.  And,  although  so  powerful,  it  is 
wonderfully  manageable.  Colonel  Hutchin- 
son told  me  that  he  once  saw  an  archer  shoot 
an  arrow  along  a corridor,  and  send  the  mis- 
sile through  a hole  which  a bullet  had  made 
in  a pane  of  glass  at  the  end  of  the  cor- 
ridor. 

Next  comes  a form  of  bow  which  is  much 
more  common  than  the  preceding.  In  this 
bow  the  reflex  curvature  is  strongly  marked, 
though  not  so  strongly  as  in  the  case  of  the 
weapon  just  described. 

Several  of  these  bows  are  in  my  collection, 
the  handsomest  of  which  was  presented  to 
me  by  J.  Allen,  Esq.  This  bow,  with  its  case, 
its  quiver,  and  score  of  arrows,  is  shown  in 
Fig.  2 of  illustration  0,  on  page  000.  Measur- 
ing along  the  back,  the  bow  is  four  feet  five 
inches  in  length,  whereas  the  space  between 
the  two  tips  is  only  twenty-eight  inches. 
The  color  with  which  the  bow  is  painted  is 
bright  scarlet,  profusely  covered  with  gilt 
flowers  and  arabesques,  so  that  it  is  a more 
showy  weapon  at  a distance  than  the  previous 
specimen,  though  it  is  not  nearly  so  handsome 
when  closely  examined,  the  patterns  being 
larger  and  more  roughl}’^  executed.  The 
bow-string  is  made  of  some  vegetable  fibre, — 
I think  that  of  some  species  of  aloe, — and  is 
very  thick,  being  composed  of  nine  strands 
twisted  very  closely  together. 

The  case,  quiver,  and  straps  by  which  they 
are  held  have  been  once  very  splendid, 
being  crimson  velvet,  so  covered  with  gold 
embroidery  that  scarcely  any  part  of  the  vel- 
vet is  visible.  The  arrows  are  two  feet  three 
inches  in  length,  and  are  very  carefully 
made.  The  shaft  is  of  reed,  and  to  either 
end  is  fixed  a piece  of  hard  wood  four  inches 
in  length.  On  one  end  of  the  shaft  is  fixed 
the  point,  which  is  a heavy  and  solid  quad- 
rangular piece  of  steel  brought  to  a sharp 
point.  The  hard  wood  at  the  end  receives 
the  feathers,  and  is  enlarged  at  the  extreme 
end,  so  as  to  allow  space  for  the  nock  or  notch 
in  which  the  thick  bow-string  is  received. 
Both  the  pieces  of  hard  wood  are  colored, 
that  in  which  the  point  is  fixed  being  simply 
green,  but  that  at  the  other  end’ being  gilt, 
and  covered  with  patterns  in  blue  and 
scarlet. 

This  is  the  most  common  kind  of  arrow, 
but  there  are  many  varieties,  of  which  I 
possess  specimens.  Several  varieties  are  in 
many  collections,  the  chief  distinction  being 
in  the  shape  of  the  point.  In  most  of  them 
it  is  more  or  less  quadrangular;  though  in 
some  it  is  leaf-shaped,  like  a spear  head,  in 
others  it  is  conical,  and  in  others  round  and 
blunt.  In  one  of  the  arrows  the  place  of 
the  lower  piece  of  hard  wood  is  taken  by  a 
solid  piece  of  steel  nearly  four  inches  in 
length,  and  weighing  about  three  ounces, 
looking  something  like  a rather  elongated 
lYhitworth  bullet. 

The  most  primitive  form  of  Indian  arrow 
is  that  which  is  made  by  the  . hill  tribes. 


The  shaft  is  of  wood,  not  of  reed,  and  the 
head  is  deeply  barbed,  and  tied  to  the  shaft 
with  fibre,  exactly  as  is  done  with  the  flint- 
headed arrows,  which  this  weapon  almost 
precisely  resembles  in  form,  though  not  in 
material.  Instead  of  feathers,  dry  leaves  are 
substituted,  cut  into  the  required  shape,  and 
passed  through  slits  in  the  shaft  of  the 
arrow,  these  slits  being  afterward  bound  up. 
In  one  arrow  the  nock  has  been  formed  in  a 
very  strange  manner,  a piece  of  wood  being 
lashed  to  each  side  of  the  shaft,  and  project- 
ing a little  beyond  it. 

Some  very  beautiful  examples  of  the  best 
kinds  of  weapons  are  showui  in  the  illustra- 
tion on  page  1406.  They  belong  to  Gene- 
ral Sir  Hope  Grant,  G.C.B.  etc.,  who  kindly 
allowed  them  to  be  drawn  for  the  use  of  this 
work.  They  are  splendid  instances  of 
Indian  art,  one  or  two  of  them  displaying  a 
most  elaborate  ornamentation. 

The  first  of  the  illustrations  show^s  a suit  of 
armor  and  weapons,  which  is  made  of  steel 
most  elaborately  engraved  and  inlaid  with 
gold,  the  patterns  resembling  those  on  the 
bow,  and  looking  much  as  if  they  had  been 
taken  from  the  bow  and  sunk  into  the  steel, 
the  freedom  and  grace  of  the  lines  being 
quite  as  remarkable  as  the  elaborate  mi- 
nuteness of  the  pattern. 

In  the  centre  (Fig.  1)  is  seen  the  martial 
looking  helmet,  with  its  slight  feather  plume. 
There  are  often  several  of  these  plumes  in  a 
helmet,  their  shafts  being  adorned  with  gold 
and  jewels,  and  placed  in  sockets  projecting 
from  the  helmet.  In  front  is  seen  the  flat 
bar  which  protects  the  nose  and  upper  part 
of  the  face  from  a sword  'cut.  This  bar  slides 
up  and  down  through  a groove  for  the  con- 
venience of  the  wearer.  From  the  helmet 
depends  a piece  of  very  slight  but  very 
strong  chain-mail,  which  falls  behind  and 
on  either  side  of  the  face,  and  hangs 
as  low  as  the  shoulders,  so  that,  however 
abruptly  the  wearer  may  move  his  head,  the 
folds  of  the  chain-mail  protect  his  neck.  In 
several  of  these  helmets  the  links  of  the  mail 
are  gilt,  and  arranged  so  as  to  form  patterns, 
mostly  of  a diamond  shape. 

By  the  side  of  the  helmet  (Fig.  3)  is  the 
curious  gauntlet,  which  extends  far  up  the 
arm,  and  has  no  joint  at  the  wrist.  The  ab- 
sence of  the  joint,  unpleasant  as  it  would  be 
to  an  European  swordsman,  is  no  obstacle  to 
the  proper  use  of  the  sword  by  the  Oriental 
warrior.  If  the  reader  will  refer  to  the  fig- 
ure of  the  sword  (Fig.  6),  he  will  see  that  the 
hilt  is  terminated  by  a large  circular  plate 
of  steel.  In  a specimen  in  my  own  collec- 
tion, this  plate  is  three  inches  in  diameter, 
so  that  when  the  sword  is  grasped  after  the 
European  fashion,  the  plate  comes  against 
the  wrist,  and  acts  as  a fulcrum  by  which, 
when  a blow  is  struck,  the  leverage  of  the 
blade  forces  the  sword  out  of  the  grasp. 

But  the  whole  system  of  swordsmanship 
in  India  differs  essentially  from  that  which 


(4.)  INDIAN  ARMS  AND  ARMOR.  (See  page  1405.) 

(1403) 


o 


OF 


‘^'i 

^r  r-“- 


V ■ '3*»  • JfJ 

:wl 

.-r^-:h 


WEAPOKS. 


1405 


i*s  employed  in  England,  or  indeed  in  Europe 
generally,  strength  not  being  used  so  much 
as  dexterity.  For  the  object  of  this  weapon 
its  curved  form  is  essential.  The  stroke  of 
the  sword  is  done  by  a turn  of  the  wrist 
more  than  by  a direct  blow,  so  that  the 
curved  edge  of  the  weapon  is  drawn  rapidly 
over  the  object  of  attack. 

The  mode  of  employing  the  Indian  sword 
was  illustrated  to  me  by  the  same  Colonel 
Hutchinson  whose  name  has  already  been 
mentioned. 

He  took  a large  mangold- wurzel,  and  laid 
it  on  a table.  He  then  placed  the  flat  side 
of  the  sword  upon  the  root,  so  that  no  blow 
could  be  dealt,  and  then,  with  a slight  turn 
of  the  wrist,  he  drew  the  blade  toward  him, 
and  the  root  fell  apart,  severed  in  two  pieces. 
In  the  same  manner  he  cut  the  whole  of  the 
root  into  slices.  The  feat  looked  so  easy 
that  I tried  it  on  another  root,  but,  instead 
^of  cutting  it.  in  two,  the  edge  of  the  sword 
glided  oft'  it  as  if  it  had  been  a solid  piece  of 
glass,  and  jarred  my  arm  to  the  shoulder. 
However,  after  a few  lessons,  the  feat  became 
tolerably  easy. 

The  same  effect  can  also  be  produced  by 
pushing  the  blade  from  the  swordsman  in- 
stead of  drawing  it  toward  him.  It  is  to  this 
delicate,  drawing  cut  that  the  Indian  sword 
owes  its  efficiency,  the  steel  of  the  blade  not 
being  nearly  of  so  good  a quality  as  that  of 
our  common  dragoon  swords,  and  not  being 
capable  of  taking  so  fine  an  edge.  But  if  in 
battle  an  Indian  warrior  meets  or  overtakes 
an  enemy,  he  does  not  strike  at  him  with 
the  whole  power  of  the  arm,  as  is  done  by 
our  swordsmen,  but  places  the  edge  of  his 
weapon  against  the  neck  of  the  enemy,  and 
Vvftth  a turn  of  his  wrist  nearly  severs  the 
head  from  the  body. 

In  the  same  illustration  is  seen  the  circu- 
lar shield  or  target.  This  is  of  no  great  size, 
measuring  about  eighteen  inches  in  diame- 
ter, and  sometimes  even  less.  It  is  made  of 
the  hide  of  the  rhinoceros,  which,  when 
properly  dressed  and  dried,  is  of  considera- 
ble thickness,  as  hard  as  horn,  though  not 
so  brittle,  and  almost  equally  translucent. 
The  shield  is  generally  adorned  with  four 
circular  plates  of  metal,  which  in  an  ordi- 
nary specimen  are  merely  of  iron,  but  in  a 
peculiarly  handsome  one  are  covered  with 
lacquered  gilding.  The  reader  will  doubt- 
less see  the  almost  exact  resemblance  be- 
tween the  Indian  shield  and  the  target  of 
the  Scotch  Highlander.  The  other  portions 
of  the  armor  are  adorned  with  gold  inlay- 
ing, like  those  parts  which  have  been  de- 
scribed. 

Illustration  IIo.  4,  on  page  1403,  contains 
several  articles  used  iff  wartare,  all  of  which 
are  drawn  from  specimens  in  Sir  Hope 
Grant’s  collection.  In  the  centre  is  seen  a 
coat  of  mail.  This  is  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful pieces  of  armor  I have  ever  seen,  each 
of  the  links  bearing  upon  it  a sentence  from 


the  Koran.  Three  of  the  links  are  shown 
underneath  the  coat  of  mail,  drawn  of  the 
size  of  the  originals.  If  the  reader  will 
reflect  upon  the  vast  number  of  such  links 
which  arc  required  to  form  a coat  of  mail,  he 
will  appreciate  the  amount  of  labor  that 
must  have  been  expended  on  it,  the  letters 
having  to  be  formed  after  the  link's  arc  put 
together,  so  that  they  may  not  be  obliterated 
in  the  forging.  The  helmet  belonging  to 
this  suit  is  seen  by  its  side  at  Fig.  2. 

Between  the  helmet  and  the  coat  of  mail 
is  a Coorg  knife  or  dagger,  and  its  sheath. 
This  weapon  is  sometimes  very  plain,  and 
sometimes  blazes  with  gold  and  jewels  on 
the  hilt  and  sheath.  A specimen  in  my  col- 
lection is  of  the  former  kind,  and,  though  the 
blade  is  of  good  quality,  the  handle  is  of 
wood,  and  is  secured  to  the  blade  by  a stout 
brass  rivet  which  passes  through  the  tang. 
A bold  ridge  runs  along  either  side  of  the 
blade. 

Two  more  characteristic  forms  of  the  In- 
dian dagger  are  shown  at  Figs.  7 and  9 in  the 
illustration.  One,  Fig.  7,  with  its  sheath  at 
Fig.  8,  is  in  great  favor,  especially  with  the 
rich.  It  is  made  entirely  of  steel,  the  two 
cross-bars  constituting  the  handle.  The 
form  of  the  blade  varies  somewhat  in  differ- 
ent specimens,  but  the  general  form  is  the 
same  in  all.  A good  specimen  in  my 
collection  is  altogether  twenty  inches  in 
length,  and  weighs  exactly  a pound,  so  that 
it  must  be  rather  an  awkward  weapon  for 
the  girdle.  The  blade,  if  it  can  be  so  called, 
is  nearly  a foot  in  length,  flat  toward  the 
handle,  and  within  five  inches  of  the  tips 
welling  suddenly  into  a sort  of  quadrangular 
bayonet,  rather  more  than  half  an  inch  in 
thickness. 

The  reader  will  see  that  when  this  dagger 
is  grasped,  the  steel  continuations  of  the 
handle  project  on  either  side  of  the  wrist, 
and  effectually  guard  it  and  the  lower  part 
of  the  arm  from  a sword-blade.  The  weight 
of  this  instrument,  as  well  as  the  force  with 
which  a thrust  can  be  delivered  by  a straight 
blow  as  in  boxing,  render  the  weapon  well 
calculated  to  drive  its  way  through  the  folds 
of  dress,  or  even  between  the  joints  of  armor. 

Kext  comes  a weapon  (Fig.  9)  which 
would  scarcely  be  recognized  as  a dagger. 
It  is,  however  a dagger,  made  from  the  two 
horns  of  the  Indian  antelope.  In  the  sim- 
plest form  of  this  curious  weapon,  the  horns 
are  arranged  with  their  bases  crossing  each 
other  for  about* six  inches.  The  curvature 
of  the  bases  thus  furnishes  a sort  of  handle, 
which  can  be  grasped  in  such  a way  that 
the  holder  of  the  weapon  can  strike  right 
and  left  with  it,  and,  among  a number  of 
people,  could  do  a vast  amount  of  damage  in 
a very  short  time. 

A dagger  such  as  has  been  described 
could  be  made  in  half  an  hour,  and,  indeed, 
a temporary  weapon  might  be  made  in  a 
few  minutes  by  lashing  the  horns  together. 


1406 


INDIA. 


But  the  Indians  prefer  to  add  ornament  to 
the  weapon,  and  so  they  often  make  a hol- 
low steel  hilt  in  the  form  of  a cup,  with  the 
curved  side  outward.  The  hand  passes  into 
this  cup  as  into  the  basket-hilt  of  a single- 
stick, and  is  effectually  guarded  from  injury. 
The  dagger  shown  in  the  illustration  has 
one  of  these  steel  hilis.  In  some  places  this 
weapon  is  in  such  favor  that,  instead  of  mak- 
ing it  of  antelope  horns,  with  a steel  hilt,  the 
entire  dagger  is  of  steel,  the  points  made  in 
imitation  of  the  horns. 

The  last  weapon  (Fig.  10)  is  one  which  is 
used  by  the  Afghans,  and  is  a sort  of  com- 
promise between  a sword  and  a dagger.  A 
weapon  of  a similar  form  and  character  is 
carried  by  the  Moors. 

There  is  one  kind  of  sword  which  ought 
not  to  be  passed  without  some  notice.  It  is 
a most  murderous  looking  weapon,  and  is 
made  on  precisely  the  opposite  principle  to 
that  of  the  sword  which  has  already  been 
described.  In  that  form  of  sword,  the  edge 
is  on  the  outer  curve  of  the  blade,  which 
narrows  toward  the  point.  In  the  other 
sword,  the  edge  is  on  the  inside  curve,  and 
the  blade  widens  greatly  at  the  tip,  which  is 
curved  like  a bill-hook.  Indeed,  the  weapon 
bears  some  resemblance  to  a bill-hook  with 
a greatly  elongated  blade.  In  a specimen  in 
my  collection  the  blade  is  very  little  more 
than  an  inch  wide  by  the  hilt,  but  at  the 
point  (or  rather  the  tip,  for  this  part  of  the 
blade  is  ^uared)  it  is  just  four  inches  in 
width.  The  weight  of  this  sword  is  rather 
more  than  two  pounds. 

There  is  also  the  quoit,  or  chakra,  a missile 


weapon,  that  bears  some  resemblance  to  the 
boomerang  of  Australia  or  the  casting-knife 
of  the  Fan  tribe,  it  being  intended  to  cut 
and  not  to  pierce,  as  is  generally  the  case 
with  missiles.  It  is  made  of  thin  steel,  and 
is  sharpened  to  a razor-like  edge  on  the  out- 
side. The  mode  of  casting  it  fs  to  spin  it  on 
the  forefinger  and  then  to  hurl  it.  The 
reader  may  imagine  that  such  a missile, 
which  not  only  strikes  an  object,  but  re- 
volves rapidly  at  the  time,  must  be  a very 
formidable  one.  It  is  generally  aimed  at 
the  face  of  the  adversary,  and  a skilful 
warrior  will  hurl  four  or  five  in  such  rapid 
succession  that  it  is  scarcely  possible  to 
avoid  being  struck  by  one  of  them,  and 
having  the  face  laid  open,  or  the  nose  or  lip 
absolutely  cut  off.  These  quoit-like  articles 
are  carried  upon  a tall,  conical  head-dress 
worn  by  the  natives,  into  the  folds  of  which 
they  also  put  several  small  knives,  as  Irish 
laborers  stick  their  pipes  in  their  hats.  See 
illustration  No.  3,  on  page  1403.  • 

A similar  weapon,  made  of  brass  instead 
of  steel,  is  used  by  the  cattle-poisoning 
Mooches,  who  have  already  been  described. 
They  call  it  by  the  name  of  ‘\thal.” 

The  chakra  is  the  special  weapon  of 
Yishnu,  and  may  be  seen  in  the  various 
representations  of  that  deity,  hanging  in 
one  of  the  hands.  Eeference  is  made  to 
this  by  Southey  in  the  “ Curse  of  Xehama.” 
Other  deities  also  hold  the  chakra  in  the 
many-armed  images  by  which  the  Indian 
artists  clumsily  attempt  to  depict  omnipo- 
tence. This  takes  us  to  another  branch  of 
the  subject. 


Suit  of  Armor  Inlaid  with  Gold. 
(See  page  1402.) 


CHAPTER  CL. 


INDIA  — Continued. 

SACRIFICIAL  RELIGIOIT. 

PRINCIPLE  OF  HUMAN  SACRIFICE  — THE  SUTTEE,  OR  WIDOW  BURNING  — HER  FATE  DESIRED  BY  HEK«> 
SELF  AND  HER  NEAREST  RELATIVES  — REASONS  FOR  THE  SACRIFICE  — CONTRAST  BETWEEN 
THE  LIFE  OF  A WIFE  AND  A WIDOW  OF  HIGH  CASTE  — SOCIAL  STATUS  OF  THE  BRAHMINS  — 
HONOR  IN  WHICH  THE  SUTTEE  IS  HELD  — MODE  OF  CONDUCTING  THE  SACRIFICE  — STRUCTURE 
OF  THE  PILE  — COURAGEOUS  CONDUCT  OF  THE  VICTIM  — ATTEMPTED  ESCAPE  OF  A SUTTEE  — 

Bernier’s  description — gradual  abolition  of  the  suttee  — the  goddess  kali  and  her 

WORSHIPPERS  — the  THUGS  AND  THEIR  CONSTITUTION  — THE  SACRED  ‘‘ ROOMAL  ” OR  NOOSE  — 
MODE  OF  OFFERING  A VICTIM  — THE  FESTIVAL  OF  JUGGERNAUT — HARDSHIPS  OF  THE  PILGRIMS  — 
FORM  OF  THE  IDOL  — SELF-SACRIFICE  IN  THE  GANGES  — SACRIFICE  OF  BEASTS  — THE  GODDESS 
DOORGA  OR  KALI  — FAKIRS  OR  JOGIS — THEIR  VARIOUS  MODES  OF  SELF-TORTURE  — THE  SWING- 
ING FESTIVAL  — THE  MOTIONLESS  FAKIR. 


There  is  no  part  of  the  world,  not  even 
Africa  itself,  where  the  principle  of  human 
sacrifice  is  so  widely  spread,  and  is  developed 
80  variously,  as  in  India.  Several  forms  of 
human  sacrifice,  such  as  the  Meriah,  which 
has  already  been  described,  belong  to  definite 
districts,  and  even  in  them  are  carried  out 
with  certain  limitations.  Some  forms  of 
the  same  principle,  such  as  the  murders  by 
Thugs  or  Phansigars  in  their  worship  of  the 
dread  goddess  Kali,  are  restricted  to  certain 
societies  of  men.  Again,  the  victims  an- 
nually crushed  under  the  wheels  of  Jugger- 
naut’s car  are  comparatively  few,  and  can 
only  be  sacrified  in  a certain  locality,  and  at 
certain  times. 

There  is,  however,  one  mode  of  human 
sacrifice  which  at  no  distant  period  prevailed 
over  the  whole  of  India,  and  has  only  been 
checked  by  the  intluence  of  England  in 
those  parts  of  the  country  which  has  been 
subject  to  British  dominion.  Even  in  those 
districts  the  task  has  been  a very  difficult 
one,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  if  the  strong 
hand  of  England  were  ever  lifted,  the  prac- 
tice would  again  prevail  as  it  did  before. 

This  form  of  human  sacrifice  is  the  dread- 
ful Suttee,  or  the  death  of  the  widow  on  the 
funeral  pyre  of  her  dead  husband.  Both 
in  Africa  and  Polynesia  we  have  seen  sev- 
eral instances  where  the  widow  is  sacrificed 
on  the  grave  of  her  husband,  so  that 


he  may  not  find  himself  wifeless  when  he 
reaches  the  spirit  land.  But  it  is  remark- 
able that  even  among  the  lowest  of  the 
savages,  'whose  indifierence  to  inflicting 
pain  is  well  knowm,  there  are  none  who 
exercise  such  horrible  cruelty  toward  the 
widow  as  do  the  highly  civilized  Hindoos. 
On  referring  to  the  former  portions  of  this 
work,  the  reader  will  see  that  in  some  places 
the  widows  are  strangled  and  laid  in  the 
grave,  in  others  they  are  buried  alive,  and 
in  others  they  are  killed  by  a blow  of  a club 
(perhaps  the  most  merciful  death  that  can 
be  inflicted),  but  that  in  no  instance  is  the 
surviving  wife  burned  alive,  as  is  the  case 
with  the  Hindoo. 

At  the  first  glance,  it  seems  strange  that 
not  only  should  the  relatives  of  the  miser- 
able wife  desire  her  to  be  burned,  but  that 
she  herself  should  wish  it,  and  should  adhere 
to  her  determination  in  spite  of  every  oppor- 
tunity of  escaping  so  dreadful  a death.  Yet 
the  calm,  dispassionate  cruelty  of  the  Hindoo 
nature  is  shown  by  the  fact  that,  painful  as 
is  a death  by  burning,  the  life  of  a widow 
who  survives  her  husband  is  made  so  miser- 
able that  the  short  though  sharp  agony  of 
the  funeral  pyre  is  infinitely  preferable  to 
life.  She  loses  all  caste,  and  a Brahmin 
widow  who  refuses  to  be  burned  is  loathed 
and  despised  even  by  the  very  Pariahs, 
whose  shadow  would  have  been  a contami- 


1408 


INDIA. 


nation  to  her  during  the  lifetime  of  her  hus- 
band. The  horror  of  such  a life  can  scarcely 
be  conceived  by  an  European,  even  suppos- 
ing a delicate  girl,  bred  in  the  midst  of  all 
luxury  and  retinement,  to  be  suddenly  cast 
among  the  most  debased  of  savages  without 
possibility  of  rescue,  and  to  be  made  an  ob- 
ject of  scorn  and  contempt  even  to  them. 

To  realize  the  depths  of  utter  degradation 
which  a high-caste  widow  incurs,  we  must 
first  see  what  is  her  opinion  of  her  own  sta- 
tus. The  reader  is  doubtless  aware  that  the 
Hindoos  are  divided  into  a number  of  dis- 
tinct castes,  the  peculiarity  of  v/hich  is,  that 
no  one  can  ascend  to  a superior  caste,  though 
he  may  fall  into  a lower.  Now,  of  all  the 
castes,  the  Brahmins  are  immeasurably  the 
highest,  and  the  reverence  which  is  paid  to 
them  by  their  countrymen  is  almost  incred- 
ible. Wealth  or  secular  rank  have  nothing 
to  do  with  this  reverential  feeling.  A Hin- 
doo of  inferior  caste  may  be,  and  often  is,  a 
man  of  almost  unbounded  wealtli,  may  pos- 
sess almost  unbounded  power,  and,  in  his 
own  way,  unbounded  pride.  But  the  very 
poorest  of  Brahmins  is  infinitely  his  superior, 
and  should  he  meet  one  of  these  exalted 
beings,  he  bows  before  him,  and  pays  divine 
honors  to  him.  And,  according  to  his  be- 
lief, he  is  right  in  so  doing,  tlie  Brahmin 
being  an  incarnation  of  Deity,  sprung  from 
the  mouth  of  Vishnu,  the  Saviour  God  him- 
self. He  may  be  mounted  on  a magnificent 
elephant,  ©overed  with  glittering  trappings, 
he  may  be  clothed  in  gorgeous  robes  and 
sparkle  with  costly  gems,  but  before  a Brah- 
min, with  a single  cloth  round  his  waist,  and 
bearing  the  solitary  sign  of  his  caste, — the 
slight  cord  hung  over  one  shoulder  and 
under  the  other, — he  is  an  abject  slave. 
Even  if,  as  sometimes  happens,  he  should 
employ  a Brahmin  as  his  cook,  that  Brah- 
min retains  his  rank,  and  receives  the  wor- 
ship of  the  man  by  whom  he  is  paid. 

According  to  their  sacred  books,  “ when 
a Brahmin  springs  to  light,  he  is  born  above 
the  world;  the  chief  of  all  creatures;  as- 
signed to  guard  the  treasury  of  duties,  reli- 
gious and  civil.”  According  to  the  same 
books,  the  very  existence  of  mankind,  and 
even  of  the  world  itself,  depends  upon  the 
forbearance  of  the  Brahmins,  whose  power 
even  exceeds  that  of  the  gods  themselves. 
Should  there  be  one  who  cannot  be  slain 
by  the  great  god  Indra,  by  Kali,  the  goddess 
of  destruction,  or  even  by  Vishnu  'himself, 
he  would  be  destroyed  if  a Brahmin  were  to 
curse  him,  as  if  he  were  consumed  by  fire. 
In  the  same  spirit,  princes  were  warned  not 
to  take  the  property  of  the  Brahmins,  how- 
ever much  in  want  of  money,  for  that  if 
these  holy  men  were  once  enraged,  they 
could  by  a word  destroy  them,  their  armies, 
elephants,  and  horses. 

By  them,  under  Brahma,  were  originally 
made  the  earth,  the  sun,  the  moon,  and  the 
fire,  and  by  them  they  could  be  destroyed. 


“ What  prince  could  gain  wealth  by  oppress- 
ing those  who,  if  angry,  could  frame  other 
worlds,  and  legions  of  worlds,  could  give 
being  to  new  gods  and  mortals?  ” Just  as 
these  tremendous  privileges  are  independ- 
ent of  the  external  circumstances  of  wealth 
and  rank,  so  are  they  independent  of  indi- 
vidual character.  The  pure  soul  of  a Brah- 
min is  beyond  all  moral  elevation,  and  above 
all  moral  pollution.  He  may  be  a man  of 
the  purest  life  and  loftiest  morality,  but  he 
is  none  the  better  Brahmin  for  that;  he  may 
be  one  of  the  vilest  of  debauchees,  and  be 
none  the  worse  Brahmin  for  that,  provided 
he  does  not  commit  any  act  which  would 
forfeit  his  caste, — such,  for  example,  as  kill- 
ing a cow,  or  eating  food  that  had  been 
cooked  by  an  inferior. 

To  fall  from  such  an  estate  as  this,  above 
humanity  and  equal  to  divinity,  must  be 
something  almost  too  terrible  to  conceive, 
and  we  can  easily  imagine  that  any  death 
would  be  preferable  to  such  a life.  But  not 
even  the  horror  of  a life  like  this  would  be 
equivalent  to  the  sufferings  of  the  Indian 
widow,  who  believes  that  her  very  soul  is 
contaminated  beyond  hope  by  the  loss  of  her 
caste,  and  who  feels  herself  degraded  below 
the  level  of  those  on  whom  she  had  looked 
with  an  utter  loathing  that  is  almost  incom- 
prehensible  to  the  Western  mind.  She  has 
to  cut  off  her  hair,  she  has  to  live  on  the 
coarsest  of  food,  she  has  to  clothe  herself  in 
the  coarsest  of  raiment,  and  altogether  to  lead 
a life  utterly  and  hopelessly  miserable  in 
every  hardship  that  can  afflict  the  bod}^  and 
every  reproach  that  can  torture  the  mind. 

On  the  other  side  comes  the  belief,  that  if 
she  follows  the  dictates  of  her  religion,  and 
suffers  herself  to  be  burned  on  the  funeral 
pile  of  her  husband,  she  qualifies  herself  for 
everlasting  happiness.  From  the  moment 
that  the  ceremonies  of  the  sacrifice  are 
begun,  she  becomes  an  absolutely  sacred 
being,  whose  very  touch  sanctifies  the  ob- 
jects on  which  she  lays  her  hands;  she  ren- 
ders herself  a model  to  be  imitated  by  all 
her  sex,  and  her  memory  is  forever  vener- 
ated by  her  family.  It  is  therefore  no  won- 
der that,  swayed  by  such  considerations,  the 
Indian  widow  prefers  death  to  life,  and  that 
the  sacrifice  of  the  Suttee  has  taken  such 
hold  upon  the  people. 

Varying  slightly  in  details  according  to 
the  rank  of  the  individual  and  the  particular 
district  in  which  the  sacrifice  takes  place, 
the  ceremony  is  conducted  after  the  follow- 
ing manner. 

A hole  is  dug  in  the  ground,  over  which 
the  funeral  pile  is  raised.  The  object  of  the 
hole  is  to  supply  a current  of  air  by  which 
the  fire  may  be  fed.  Sticks  are  then  driven 
round  the  edge  of  the  hole  to  support  the 
materials  of  the  pile,  which  are  dry  w'ood, 
rushes,  and  hemp.  These  are  heaped  care- 
fully to  a height  of  four  feet  or  so,  and  resin 
and  ghee  (i.  e.  liquid  butter)  are  thrown 


THE  SUTTEE. 


1409 


on  the  pile,  so  as  to  increase  the  vehemence 
of  the  tlames.  The  body  is  then  taken  to 
the  river,  on  whose  bank  the  pyre  is  always 
erected,  and  is  there  washed  by  the  relatives, 
and  afterward  wrapped  in  a new  cloth  and 
laid  on  the  pile. 

During  this  time  the  widow  stands  on  the 
bank,  uttering  prayers,  and  waving  in  her 
hand  a branch  of  mango.  After  the  corpse 
is  removed  from  the  water,  she  descends 
into  it  herself,  and,  having  washed,  distrib- 
utes to  her  friends  all  her  ornaments,  which 
are  eagerly  sought,  as  being  sanctified  by 
having  been  touched  by  the  sacred  hand  of 
a suttee.  She  is  then  dressed  in  a new  robe, 
and  places  herself  by  the  side  of  the  body,  to 
which  she  is  usually,  though  not  always, 
lashed.  Dry  rushes  and  wood  are  next 
heaped  over  her,  only  her  head  being  suf- 
fered to  be  uncovered,  so  that  she  may 
breathe  for  the  short  time  she  has  to  live. 
Two  long  bamboos  are  then  laid  across  the 
pile,  the  ends  being  held  by  the  relations,  so 
as  to  press  her  down  should  she  struggle  to 
escape  when  the  flames  reach  her.  The  fire 
is  lighted  by  her  nearest  relation,  and,  if  the 
pile  has  been  properly  constructed,  the  sut- 
tee is  soon  dead,  being  killed  rather  by 
suffocation  from  the  smoke  than  by  the 
flames. 

Sometimes,  however,  when  the  building 
of  the  pile  has  been  entrusted  to  inexperi- 
enced hands,  a terrible  scene  takes  place, 
the  wretched  victim  trying  to  escape  from 
the  flames  that  torture  her,  and  being  ruth- 
lessly held  down  by  the  bamboo  poles  across 
her  body.  Dr.  Massie  relates  several  in- 
stances of  attempted  escape.  In  one  case, 
the  mode  of  preparing  the  pile  was  evidently 
the  cause  of  4he  poor  victim’s  sufferings. 
At  each  corner  a stout  pole  was  erected,  and 
from  this  pole  was  suspended  a second  pile, 
like  a canopy,  elevated  three  or  four  feet 
above  the  surface  of  the  principal  pile.  This 
canopy  was  chiefly  made  of  logs  of  wood, 
and  was  exceedingly  heavy. 

After  the  suttee  had  been  laid  upon  the 
pile,  and  covered  with  straw  saturated  with 
ghee,  the  fire  was  kindled,  and  the  smoke 
rolled  in  thick  volumes  over  the  head  of  the 
victim.  The  flames  began  to  blaze  fiercely, 
and  if  they  had  been  allowed  to  burn  in  their 
own  way,  the  death  of  the  poor  woman  would 
have  been  almost  immediate.  But  just  at 
this  time  four  assistants  severed  with  their 
swords  the  ropes  which  upheld  the  canopy, 
so  that  it  fell  with  its  whole  weight  upon 
her. 

Possibly  it  was  intended  as  an  act  of  mercy, 
but  its  effect  was  anything  but  merciful. 
For  the  moment  she  was  stunned  by  the 
blow,  but  the  mass  of  billets  checked  the 
action  of  the  fire,  and  caused  it  to  burn 
slowly  instead  of  rapidly.  The  creeping 
flames  soon  restored  her  to  consciousness 
through  the  agony  which  they  inflicted  upon 
her,  and  she  shrieked  pitifully  for  the  help 


that  none  would  give  her,  until  death  at  last 
put  an  end  to  her  sufferings. 

The  same  author  quotes  an  account  of  a 
suttee  who  actually  did  succeed  in  escaping 
from  the  flames,  in  S])ite  of  the  resistance 
oflered  by  the  olliciating  Brahmins  and  her 
relatives:  — 

“ Another  well-authenticated  and  brutal 
instance  of  this  sacrifice  occurred  al)out  the 
same  time  in  a more  northern  province  of 
India:  ‘The  unfortunate  Brahminee,of  her 
own  accord,  had  ascended  the  funeral  i)ile  of 
her  husband’s  bones,  but  finding  the  torture 
of  the  fire  more  than  she  could  bear,  by  a 
violent  struggle  she  threw  herself  from  the 
flames,  and,  tottering  to  a short  distance,  fell 
down.  Some  gentlemen,  wdio  were  spec- 
tators, immediately  plunged  her  into  the 
river,  which  was  close  by,  and  thereby  saved 
her  from  being  much  burnt.  She  retained 
her  senses  completely,  and  complained  of 
the  badness  of  the  pile,  which,  she  said,  con- 
sumed her  so  slowly  that  she  could  not  bear 
it;  but  expressed  her  willingness  again  to  try  • 
it  if  they  would  improve  it.  They  would  not 
do  so,  and  the  poor  creature  shrunk  with 
dread  from  the  flames,  which  were  now 
burning  intensely,  and  refused  to  go  on. 

“ ‘ W hen  the  inhuman  relations  saw  this, 
they  took  her  by  the  head  and  heels,  and 
threw  her  into  the  fire,  and  held  her  there  till 
they  were  driven  away  by  the  heat;  they  also 
took  up  large  blocks  of  wood,  ^with  which 
they  struck  her,  in  order  to  deprive  her  of 
her  senses;  but  she  again  made  her  escape, 
and,  without  any  help,  ran  directly  into  the 
river.  The  people  of  her  house  followed  her 
here,  and  tried  to  drown  her  by  pressing  her 
under  the  water,  but  an  European  gentleman 
rescued  her  from  them,  and  she  immediately 
ran  into  his  arms  and  cried  to  him  to  save 
her. 

“ ‘ I arrived  at  the  ground  as  they  were 
bringing  her  the  second  time  from  the  river, 
and  I cannot  describe  to  you  the  horror  I felt 
on  seeing  the  mangled  condition  she  was  in: 
almost  every  inch  of  skin  on  her  body  had 
been  burnt  off;  her  legs  and  thighs,  her  arms 
and  back,  were  completely  raw,  her  breasts 
were  dreadfully  torn,  and  the  skin  hanging 
from  them  in  threads;  the  skin  and  nails  of 
her  fingers  had  peeled  wholly  off,  and  were 
hanging  to  the  back  of  her  hands.  In  fact, 
I never  saw  and  never  read  of  so  entire  a 
picture  of  misery  as  this  poor  woman  dis- 
played. She  seemed  to  dread  being  again 
taken  to  the  fire,  and  called  out  to  “ the  Ocha 
Sahib  ” to  save  her.  Her  friends  seemed  no 
longer  inclined  to  force,  and  one  of  her  re- 
lations, at  our  instigation,  sat  down  beside 
her,  and  gave  her  some  clothes,  and  told  her 
they  would  not.  W e had  her  sent  to  the 
hospital,  where  every  medical  assistance  was 
immediately  given  her,  but  wdthout  hope 
of  recovery.  She  lingered  in  the  most  ex- 
cruciating pain  for  about  twenty  hours,  and 
then  died.’  ” 


1410 


INDIA. 


It  is  often  said  that  the  woman  is  stupefied 
with  opium  or  Indian  hemp  before  she  is 
brought  to  the  pile,  and  that  the  bystanders 
beat  drums  and  shout  in  order  to  drown  her 
shrieks.  This,  however,  is  not  the  case,  the 
woman  requiring  the  use  of  all  her  senses  to 
enable  her  to  go  through  the  various  cere- 
monies which  precede  the  actual  burning, 
and  the  pile  being  generally  made  so  care- 
fully that  death  is  so  rapid  that  the. victim 
scarcely  utters  a cry  or  makes  a single  strug- 
gle to  escape. 

Additions  to  the  mere  burning  of  the 
widow  have  been  mentioned  by  various  trav- 
ellers. Bernier,  for  example,  says  that,  while 
travelling  near  Agra,  he  heard  that  a Suttee 
was  about  to  take  place.  He  went  to  the 
spot,  and  there  saw  a great  pit,  in  the  midst 
of  which  was  a large  pile  of  wood.  On  the 
pile  lay  the  body  of  a man,  and  beside  it  sat 
a young  and  handsome  woman,  whose  dress 
was  almost  saturated  with  oil,  as  was  the 
wood  of  the  pile.  The  fire  being  lighted,  she 
sat  on  the  pile,  and  as  the  flames  wrapped 
her  body,  she  exclaimed  with  a loud  voice 
that,  according  to  the  Indian  belief  in  the 
transmigration  of  souls,  this  was  the  fifth 
time  that  she  had  become  a suttee,  and  that 
ghe  would  have  to  do  so  twice  more  in  order 
to  attain  perfection. 

Bound  the  edge  of  the  pit  danced  five 
j\mmen,  holding  each  other  by  the  hand,  and 
appearing  regardless  of  the  fire.  Presently 
the  flames  seized  upon  the  dress  of  one  of 
them ; whereupon  she  detached  herself  from 
her  companions,  and  flung  herself  headlong 
into  the  burning  pit.  The  remaining  four 
coi^tinued  their  dance,  and,  as  the  fire  caught 
thei.r  garments,  they  one  by  one  leaped  into 
the  flaming  pit.  These  women,  it  appeared, 
had  baen  slaves  of  the  suttee.  They  were 
greatly  attached  to  their  mistress,  and  when 
they  heiii’d  her  ofter  the  vow  to  die  on  the 
funeral  pile,  they  determined  to  die  with  her. 

The  sai^e  traveller  relates  a very  curious 
anecdote  of  a suttee  who  employed  the  dread- 
ful ceremony  for  a strange  purpose. 

She  was  a widow  by  her  own  act,  having 
poisoned  her  husband  in  order  to  carry  on 
an  intrigue  with  a young  tailor,  a Moham- 
medan, who  was  celebrated  for  his  skill  in 
playing  the  dium.  He,  however,  was  alarmed 
at  her  crime,  and  declined  her  society.  On 
account  of  tlie  caste  to  which  she  belonged, 
the  death  by  burning  was  not  a necessity,  but 
on  her  lover’s  refusal  she  went  to  her  re- 
lations,* reported  the  sudden  death  of  her 
husband,  and  deHared  that  she  would  be 
burned  with  him. 

“ Her  kindred,  well  satisfied  with  so  gen- 
erous a resolution,  and  the  great  honor  that 
she  did  to  the  whole  family,  presently  had  a 
pit  made  and  filled  with  wood,  exjiosing  the 
corpse  upon  it,  and  kindling  the  fire.  All 
being  prepared,  the  woman  goes  to  embrace 
and  bid  farewell  to  all  her  kindred  that  w’ere 
there  about  the  pit,  amoi.,g  whom  was  also 


the  tailor,  who  had  been  invited  to  play  upon 
the  tabor  that  day,  with  many  others  of  that 
sort  of  men,  according  to  the  custom  of  the 
country.  This  fury  of  a woman,  being  also 
come  to  this  young  man,  made  sign  as  if  she 
would  bid  him  farewell  with  the  rest,  but, 
instead  of  gently  embracing  him,  she  taketh 
him  with  all  her  force  about  his  collar,  pull 
him  to  the  pit,  and  tumbles  him,  together 
with  herself,  into  the  ditch,  where  they  both 
were  soon  despatched.” 

The  date  at  which  the  Suttee  was  instituted 
is  not  known,  but  it  was  in  operation  at  the 
time  of  Alexander  the  Great,  and  must  have 
been  established  long  before.  Under  the 
British  rule  the  Suttee  system  has  gradually 
been  abolished,  and  we  may  hope  that  never 
again  will  the  dread  scene  be  repeated. 

Befeeence  has  already  been  made  to 
several  other  modifications  of  human  sacri- 
fice, and  we  will  give  a few  pages  to  a descrip- 
tion of  them. 

There  is  in  the  Indian  mythology  a certain 
dreadful  goddess  of  destruction,  named  Kali. 
Her  statues  show  her  attributes,  her  many 
hands  being  filled  with  all  kinds  of  weapons, 
and  her  person  decorated  with  a huge  neck- 
lace of  human  skulls.  In  order  to  propitiate 
this  terrible  divinity,  a system  has  been  de- 
veloped which  is  perhaps  the  most  remark- 
able, illogical,  and  best  regulated  system  that 
is  to  be  found  upon  the  face  of  the  earth. 
It  is  simply  murder  raised  to  the  rank  of  a 
religious  rite,  and  differs  from  all  other  human 
sacrifices  in  that  blood  is  not  shed,  that  the 
victim  is  always  killed  by  stratagem,  and 
that  the  worshippers  need  neither  temple 
nor  altar. 

The  members  of  the  society  call  them- 
selves Thugs,  from  a Hindoo  word  which 
signifies  “ deception,”  and  which  is  given  to 
them  in  consequence  of  the  mode  in  which 
the  victims  are  entrapped.  In  some  parts 
of  India  they  are  called  Phansigaes,  from 
a Sanscrit  word  which  signifies  “ a noose.” 
Perhaps  the  strangest  point,  in  this  country 
of  strict  and  separate  caste,  is  that  the 
Thugs  do  not  belong  to  one  caste,  nor  even 
to  one  religion.  They  all  agree  in  worship- 
ping Kali,  but  in  other  respects  they  admit 
among  their  numbers  men  and  women  of 
all  castes,  and  a large  number  of  them  are 
Mahommedans,  who  have  no  caste  at  all. 
Indeed,  the  Mahommedan  Thugs  claim  for 
themselves  the  origin  of  the  system,  though 
the  Hindoos  say  that  it  was  in  existence 
long  before  the  time  of  Mahommed. 

They  always  go  in  companies,  a complete 
band  often  consisting  of  several  hundred 
persons  of  all  ages  and  both  sexes.  As  the 
very  essence  of  the  sacrifice  is  secrecy,  they 
assume  all  kinds  of  disguises,  the  usual 
being  that  of  travelling  merchants.  In  this 
capacity  they  act  their  part  to  perfection, 
and  endeavor  to  entice  travellers  into  their 
clutches. 


THE  THUGS. 


1411 


For  this  purpose  they  have  a regular 
organization.  At  their  head  they  have  a 
chief,  or  Sirdar,  who  directs  the  operations 
of  the  band.  Then  an  old  experienced 
Thug  acts  as  instructor,  and  teaches  the 
younger  men  how  to  use  the  sacred  noose  by 
which  the  victims  are  strangled.  This  is 
not  a cord  with  a running  knot,  but  a sort 
of  handkerchief,  which  is  dung  round,  the 
neck  of  the  unsuspecting  man,  and  suddenly 
drawn  tight.  This  noose,  or  handkerchief,  is 
called  the  “roomal.”  Then  come  the  men 
who  are  entrusted  with  the  noose.  These 
are  called  Bhuttotcs,  or  stranglers,  and  are 
generally  men  possessing  both  strength  and 
activity.  oSText  are  the  entrappers,  or  Sothas, 
namely,  those  whose  business  it  is  to  entrap 
the  victim  into  a convenient  spot  for  his 
assassination,  and  to  engage  his  attention 
while  preparations  are  being  made  for  his 
death.  Lastly  come  the  Lughaees,  or  grave- 
diggers, who  prepare  the  grave  for  the 
reception  of  the  body. 

The  method  in  which  the  Thugs  perform 
their  sacrifices  is  almost  exactly  like  that 
which  is  employed  by  the  modern  garroters, 
except  that  a noose  is  used  instead  of  the 
arm,  and  that  the  victim  is  always  killed,  in- 
stead of  being  only  made  insensible  for  a time. 

Having  pitched  upon  a person  whom  they 
think  will  be  a fit  offering  for  Kali,  the 
Sothas  manage  to  induce  him  to  come  to 
the  fatal  spot.  Several  days  are  often  spent 
in  this  endeavor;  for,  unless  there  is  every 
probability  that  the  murder  will  not  be 
executed  before  any  except  menibers’  of 
their  own  society,  the  Thugs  will  not  at- 
tempt the  traveller’s  life.  The  women  and 
children  attached  to  the  band  are  usually 
employed  as  Sothas,  inasmuch  as  they  would 
excite  less  suspicion  than  if  they  were 
men.  If  the  women  be  young  and  hand- 
some, they  are  the  more  valuable  as  decoys ; 
and,  horrible  to  say,  even  young  girls  take 
the  greatest  interest  in  decoying  travellers 
within  the  fatal  noose. 

When  the  party  have  arrived  at  the  ap- 
pointed spot,  the  attention  of  the  traveller  is 
adroitly  directed  to  some  object  in  front  of 
him,  while  the  Bhuttote  who  acts  the  part 
of  executioner  steals  quietly  behind  him. 
Suddenly  the  noose  is  flung  round  the 
victim’s  neck,  the  knee  of  the  murderer  is 
pressed  into  his  back,  and  in  a short  time  he 
ceases  to  live.  Generally  the  executioner  is 
so  adroit  at  his  dread  office  that  the  mur- 
dered man  makes  no  resistance,- but  dies 
almost  without  a struggle,  the  first  pressure 
of  the  noose  causing  insensibility. 

The  body  of  the  murdered  man  is  then 
stripped,  and  his  property  falls  to  the  band. 
Sometimes  a whole  party  of  travellers  is 
entrapped  by  a band  of  Thugs,  and  all  are 
simultaneously  murdered.  This  is  generally 
the  case  when  several  wealthy  men  travel 
together,  in  which  case  they  and  their  ser- 
vants are  all  murdered  in  honor  of  Kali; 


who,  on  her  part,  yields  to  her  servants  the 
goods  of  the  murclercd  men,  by  way  of  rec- 
ompense for  their  piety. 

The  sacrifice  over,  the  body  is  pierced  in 
several  places  to  prevent  it  from  swelling, 
and  is  then  laid  in  the  grave.  The  soil  is 
carefully  filled  in,  and  levelled  with  such 
ingenious  care  that  scarcely  any  except 
those  who  dug  the  grave  can  discover  it 
after  the  burial.  In  one  case,  when  an 
English  force  was  in  chase  after  a band  of 
Thugs,  they  passed  over  ground  which  was 
Ml  of  bodies,  and  never  suspected  it  until 
one  of  the  Thug  prisoners  exultingly 
pointed  out  grave  after  grave  as  proofs  of 
their  success. 

After  the  body  is  buried,  and  all  signs  of 
the  murder  removed,  the  Thugs  go  through 
a sort  of  religious  ceremony,  sitting  round  a 
white  cloth,  on  which  are  laid  the  sacred 
pickaxes  with  which  the  graves  are  dug,  a 
piece  of  silver,  and  some  sugar.  The  Sirdar 
then  sits  on  the  sheet,  facing  westward,  with 
the  most  accomplished  stranglers  on  either 
side  of  him,  and  distributes  the  sugar  to  all 
present,  who  eat  it  in  solemn  silence.  The 
sheet  is  then  put  away,  and  to  all  appear- 
ance the  Thugs  are  nothing  more  than  a 
party  of  harmless  travellers. 

So  secretly  is  the  whole  business  con- 
ducted, that  the  system  has  only  been  dis- 
covered within  late  years.  Kumbers  of 
persons  had  mysteriously  disappeared;  but 
in  India  the  natives  are  singularly  apathetic, 
and  it  is  always  easy  to  account  for  the  dis- 
appearance of  a traveller  by  saying  that  he 
has  been  carried  off  by  a tiger.  The  Thugs 
take  the  greatest  pride  in  their  profession, 
and,  when  captured,  do  not  attempt  to  dis- 
guise it,  but  openly  boast  of  the  number  of 
victims  whom  they  have  slain,  and  describe 
with  glee  the  method  in  which  they  de- 
stroyed them;  and,  when  themselves  led  to 
the  gallows,  they  treat  the  whole  business 
with  calm  contempt,  having  no  more  care 
for  their  own  lives  than  for  those  of  their 
victims. 

We  now  come  to  another  ceremony.  In 
which  human  life  is  sacrificed,  though  as  an 
adjunct,  and  not  as  its  essential  feature. 
This  is  the  celebrated  procession  of  Jug- 
gernaut, or  Jaganatha.  The  ceremonies 
connected  with  this  idol,  and  indeed  the  in- 
vention of  the  idol  itself,  seem  to  be  of  com- 
paratively modern  [date,  and,  except  for  the 
great  annual  procession  of  the  car,  are  of 
little  interest. 

The  great  temple  of  the  idol  is  situated 
in  Orissa,  rather  more  than  three  hundred 
miles  southwest  from  Calcutta.  It  is  a tall, 
pyramidal  tower,  some  two  hundred  feet  in 
height,  built  of  a warm  red  sandstone, 
covered  with  the  lime-cement  called  “ chu- 
nam.”  Being  on  the  sea-coast,  this  tower  is 
a most  useful  landmark  to  navigators  in  the 
Bay  of  Bengal. 


1412 


IKDIA. 


Once  in  every  year  the  great  festival  of 
Juggernaut  takes  place,  and  the  huge  idol- 
car  is  brought  out  for  the  procession.  The 
car  is  an  enormous  edifice  of  wood,  more 
than  forty  feet  high,  and  thirty-five  feet 
square.  This  mass  of  timber  is  supported 
on  sixteen  wheels,  each  more  than  six  feet 
in  diameter,  some  of  the  wheels  being  under 
the  body  of  the  car.  The  car  itself  is  plenti- 
fully adorned  with  sculptures  of  the  usual 
character,  and  it  is  conventionally  supposed 
to  be  drawn  by  two  great  wooden  horses, 
which  are  attached  to  it  in  readiness  for  the 
procession,  and  kept  inside  it  during  the 
rest  of  the  year. 

On  the  appointed  day  three  idols  are 
placed  in  the  car.  The  central  figure  repre- 
sents Krishna,  and  the  others  are  his  brother 
Bala  Hama  and  his  sister  Subhadra.  They 
are  nothing  but  three  enormous  and  hideous 
busts,  not  nearly  so  well  carved  as  the  tikis 
of  Kew  Zealand,  and,  in  fact,  much  resem- 
ble the  human  figures  scribbled  on  walls  by 
little  boys.  Stout  and  long  cables  are  at- 
tached to  the  car,  by  means  of  which  the 
worshippers  of  the  idol  drag  it  along.  The 
scene  that  takes  place  at  th^  procession  is 
most  vividly  described  by  Bruton:  — 

“ In  this  chariot,  on  their  great  festal  days, 
at  night  they  place  their  wicked  god,  Jag- 
garnat;  and  all  the  Brmnins,  being  in  num- 
ber nine  thousand,  attend  this  great  idol, 
besides  of  ashmen  and  jackeeres  (fakirs) 
some  thousands,  or  more  than  a good  many. 

“ The  chariot  is  most  richly  adorned  with 
most  rich  and  costly  ornaments;  and  the 
aforesaid  wheels  are  placed  very  complete 
in  a round  circle,  so  artificially  that  every 
wheel  doth  its  proper  office  without  any  im- 
pediment; for  the  chariot  is  aloft,  and  in  the 
centre  betwixt  the  wheels:  they  have  also 
more  than  two  thousand  lights  with  them. 
And  this  chariot,  with  the  idol,  is  also  drawn 
with  the  greatest  and  best  men  of  the  town; 
and  they  are  so  greedy  and  eager  to  draw  it, 
that  whosoever,  by  shouldering,  crowding, 
shoving,  heaving,  thrusting,  or  in  any  inso- 
lent way,  can  but  lay  a hand  upon  the  rope, 
they  think  themselves  blessed  and  happy; 
and  when  it  is  going  along  the  city,  there 
are  many  that  will  offer  themselves  as  a sac- 
rifice to  this  idol,  and  desperately  lie  down 
on  the  ground,  that  the  chariot-wheels  may 
run  over  them,  whereby  they  are  killed  out- 
right; some  get  broken  arms,  some  broken 
legs,  as  that  many  of  them  are  so  destroyed; 
and  by  this  means  they  think  to  merit 
heaven.” 

Another  of  the  earlier  writers  on  this  sub- 
ject states  that  many  persons  lie  down  in  the 
track  of  the  car  a few  hours  before  it  starts, 
and,  taking  a powerful  dose  of  opium,  or 
“ bhang,”  i.  e.  Indian  hemp,  meet  death 
while  still  unconscious. 

In  former  days  the  annual  assemblage  at 
the  temple  of  Juggernaut,  which  is  to  the 
Hindoos  what  Mecca  is  to  the  Mahomme- 


dans,  was  astonishing,  a million  and  a half 
of  pilgrims  having  been  considered  as  the 
average  number.  Putting  aside  the  com- 
parative few  who  perished  under  the  wheels 
of  the  great  car  (for,  indeed,  had  the  whole 
road  been  paved  with  human  bodies,  they 
would  have  been  but  a few),  the  number 
that  died  from  privation  and  suffering  was 
dreadful. 

W e know  by  many  a sad  experience  how 
difficult  it  is  to  feed  a large  army,  even  with 
the  great  advantage  of  discipline  on  the 
part  of  the  commissariat  and  the  recipients. 
It  is  therefore  easy  to  see  how  terrible  must 
be  the  privation  when  a vast  multitude, 
quadruple  the  number  of  any  army  that  ever 
took  the  field,  arrives  simultaneously  from 
all  directions  at  a place  where  no  arrange- 
ments have  been  made  to  supply  them  with 
provisions,  and  where,  even  if  the  locality 
could  furnish  the  requisite  food,  the  greater 
number  of  the  pilgrims  are  totally  without 
money,  and  therefore  unable  to  pay  for  food. 
In  those  days  the  pilgrims  perished  by  thou- 
sands, as  much  victims  to  Juggernaut  as 
those  who  were  crushed  under  his  chariot 
wheels,  and,  indeed,  suffering  a far  more 
lingering  and  painful  death.  Still,  according 
to  their  belief,  they  died  in  the  performance 
of  their  duty,  and  by  that  death  had  earned 
a high  place  in  the  paradise  of  the  Hin- 
doos. 

Such  was  the  case  before  the  English  raj 
was  established  in  India.  Since  that  time  a 
gradual  but  steady  diminution  has  taken 
place  in  the  number  of  the  pilgrims  to  Jug- 
gernaut’s temple;  and  we  have  lately  seen  a 
most  astonishing  and  portentous  event. 
Formerly,  the  vast  crowd  of  worshippers 
pressed  and  crowded  round  the  cables  by 
which  the  car  was  drawn,  trying  to  lay  but 
a hand  upon  the  sacred  rope.  Of  late  years 
the  Brahmins  have  found  fewer  and  fewer 
devotees  for  this  purpose,  and  on  one  occa- 
sion, in  spite  of  all  their  efforts,  the  ropes 
were  deserted,  and  the  car  left  stationary,  to 
get  along  as  it  could. 

As  to  the  idol  Juggernaut  itself,  Bruton 
gives  a curious  description  of  it,  saying  that 
it  is  in  shape  like  a serpent  with  seven  heads, 
and  that  on  the  cheeks  of  each  head  there 
are  wings  which  open  and  shut  and  flap 
about  as  the  car  moves  along. 

An  idol  in  the  form  of  a five-headed  cobra 
is  mentioned  by  Messrs.  Tyerman  and  Ben- 
nett in  their  “Missionary  Yoyages  ”:  “ We 
happened  to  be  visiting  a very  handsomely 
built  stone  temple  (at  Allahabad),  covered 
with  well  executed  sculptures  of  their  idols, 
holy  persons,  etc.,  in  stone  of  the  highest  re- 
lief. In  the  temple  were  several  stone  idols 
representing  the  serpent  — the  cobra  capella, 
or  hooded  snake.  The  largest,  which  repre- 
sents a serpent  twelve  feet  long,  with  five 
heads,  and  the  heads  all  expanded,  coiled 
into  a sort  of  Gordian  knot,  is  the  principal 
object  of  worship  in  this  temple. 


SELF-SACRIFICE  IN  THE  GANGES. 


1413 


“ While  we  were  looking  at  this  stone 
snake,  a horrid-looking  man,  unclothed, 
rushed  in  (he  was  about  twenty-five  years 
old),  being  covered  with  ashes,  and  his  huge 
quantity  of  hair  matted  with  mud  dust. 
His  eyes  appeared  inflamed;  he  bowed  be- 
fore the  serpent,  then  prostrated  himself, 
afterward  respectfully  touched  his  head, 
looked  fixedly  upon  the  serpent,  prostrated 
himself  again,  then  touched  it  and  rushed  out, 
as  if  in  a paroxysm  of  delight  at  the  thought  of 
having  worshipped  this  thing.  When  he  got 
out  of  the  temple,  he  walked  all  round  within 
the  verandah,  and,  having  once  more  bowed 
at  the  door  of  the  temple,  he  departed  with  a 
hurried  step.  We  cannot  conceive  of  any 
human  being  having  more  the  appearance 
of  a demoniac  than  this  miserable  creature, 
who,  nevertheless,  is  regarded  by  the  poor 
Hindoos  as  one  of  the  holiest  of  men.” 

Aistother  form  of  human  sacrifice  was 
intended,  like  the  prostration  under  Jug- 
gernaut’s car,  to  take  the  devotee  to  Para- 
dise, though  by  a less  painful  and  less  re- 
volting process. 

The  Ganges  has  always  been  reckoned  as 
a most  sacred  stream,  whose  waters  M^ash 
from  the  soul  all  taint  of  sin.  There  is,  how- 
ever, one  spot,  namely,  the  confluence  of  the 
Jumna  with  the  Ganges,  which  is  so  very 
sacred,  that  any  one  who  dies  there  must  of 
necessity  go  straight  to  Paradise.  It  is  evi- 
dent, therefore,  that  the  simplest  plan  of  en- 
tering Paradise  is  to  ensure  death  at  the 
junction  of  the  rivers.  For  this  purpose  the 
devotee  entered  a boat,  and  tied  to  each  of 
his  feet  a chatty  or  earthenware  jar  filled 
with  sand:  The  boat  was  rowed  into  mid- 
stream, and  the  devotee  dropped  overboard 
into  the  river.  The  boats  used  for  this  pur- 
pose were  kept  by  Brahmins,  who  charged 
a fee  for  officiating  at  the  sacrifice. 

Sometimes  he  devotees  managed  to  sacri- 
fice themselves  without  the  assistance  of  the 
Brahmins  and  their  boat.  They  tied  an 
empty  chatty  to  their  waists  in  front  and 
behind,  and,  buoyed  up  by  the  empty  ves- 
sels, paddled  themselves  with  their  hands 
until  they  reached  the  desired  spot.  They 
then  scooped  water  into  the  chatties,  until 
they  were  filled,  and  so  sank,  the  weight  of 
the  vessels  being  sufficient  to  take  them  to 
the  bottom.  In  like  manner  are  corpses 
entrusted  to  the  keeping  of  the  holy  river, 
when  the  relatives  of  the  deceased  are  not 
able  to  afford  the  great  expense  of  a fune- 
ral pile.  The  body  is  surrounded  by  lighted 
straw,  so  that  it  is  scorched,  and  therefore 
considered  to  be  purified  by  fire.  Two  chat- 
ties are  then  fastened  to  it,  the  relatives  tow 
the  body  into  mid-stream,  fill  the  chatties 
with  water,  and  allow  the  body  to  sink. 
What  becomes  of  it  afterward  they  care 
nothing,  and  though  it  be  devoured  by  the 
many  creatures  of  prey  which  haunt  the  riv- 
ers in  search  of  their  loathsome  food,  they 
68 


I are  perfectly  satisfied  with  their  share  in  its 
disposal. 

In  many  cases  beasts  are  substituted  for 
human  sacrifices.  A short,  stout  post  is 
fixed  in  the  ground,  and  on  its  top  is  cut  a 
deep  notch,  in  which  is  received  tlie  neck  of 
the  animal,  the  size  of  the  notch  and  height 
of  the  post  being  suited  to  the  size  of  the 
victim.  Sacrifices  are  thus  ofiered  to  Doorga, 
the  goddess  of  nature,  and  it  is  of  the  utmost 
importance  that  the  head  of  the  victim 
should  be  severed  at  a single  blow.  This  is 
easy  enough  with  a lamb,  or  even  a goat,  but, 
when  a buffalo  is  to  be  sacrificed,  the  suc- 
cess of  the  blow  is  so  doubtful  tliat  many 
ceremonies  are  employed  to  ensure  its  right 
performance.  The  sacrificial  knife  is  a tre- 
mendous weapon,  shaped  something  like  a 
bill-hook,  very  broad,  very  heavy,  and  kept 
as  sharp  as  a razor.  When  the  sacrifice  is 
to  take  place,  the  buffalo  is  brought  to  the 
post,  which  stands  before  the  ten-armed 
image  of  Doorga,  its  horns  are  painted  red, 
turmeric  is  poured  over  its  head,  water  from 
the  Ganges  is  sprinkled  over  it,  and  gar- 
lands of  flowers  are  hung  about  its  neck. 

The  animal  is  then  placed  so  that  its  neck 
rests  in  the  fork  of  the  post,  to  which  it  is 
firmly  secured  by  an  iron  bar  which  passes 
through  holes  in  the  fork,  and  presses  its 
head  downward.  The  body  is  supported  on 
a mound  of  earth  in  front  of  the  post,  and 
the  legs  are  drawn  apart  and  held  by  ropes, 
so  that  a movement  is  impossible.  The  sac- 
rificer,  always  a man  of  great  muscular 
power,  then  comes  forward  and  takes  the 
sacrificial  knife  from  the  altar  before 
Doorga’s  statue,  and,  together  with  the 
assembled  multitude,  prays  that  strength 
may  be  given  to  enable  him  to  fulfil  his 
office. 

Amid  the  breathless  silence  of  the  assem- 
bled worshippers,  he  raises  the  heavy  blade, 
and  with  one  blow  drives  it  through  the 
neck  of  the  helpless  victim.  As  the  head 
falls  to  the  ground,  it  is  snatched  up  by  the 
officiating  Brahmins,  who  offer  it  to  the  god- 
dess; while  the  people,  in  a frenzy  of  delight, 
dance  round  the  sacrificer,  embrace  him, 
chant  songs  in  his  honor,  and  crown  him 
with  garlands  of  flowers.  The  body  of  the 
buffalo  becomes  the  property  of  the  specta- 
tors, who  struggle  for  it  until  one  party 
gains  the  superiority  over  the  other,  and 
carries  off  the  prize.  Around  the  blood, 
that  lies  in  pools  on  the  ground,  the  multi- 
tude crowd,  dip  their  fingers  in  it,  and  daub 
it  on  their  bodies  and  on  the  walls  of  the 
temple. 

The  goddess  Doorga,  to  whom  these  sac- 
rifices are  made,  is  in  fact  Kali  under 
another  title;  the  former  name  meaning  the 
Inaccessible,  and  the  latter  the  Black  One. 
She  is  represented  as  the  wife  of  the  De- 
stroying God,  Shiva,  and  as  the  mother  of 
the  God  of  War,  Kartikeya.  As  Doorga, 
her  man3^-armed  figure  is  carved  of  wood, 


1414 


mDiA. 


or  modelled  in  pasteboard,  and  painted  rose 
color.  She  is  seated  cross-legged  on  a pea- 
cock, and  surrounded  by  many  other  dei- 
ties of  the  multitudinous  Hindoo  mythol- 
ogy. Before  her  is  represented  a man  being 
devoured  by  a nondescript  beast,  something 
like  the  heraldic  griffin.  As  soon  as  the 
sacrifice  is  over,  the  goddess  is  supposed  to 
depart  from  her  image,  which  is  then  taken 
in  procession  to  the  Ganges,  and  amid  the 
deafening  shouts  of  the  people,  the  blast  of 
trumpets,  and  the  beating  of  kettle-drums,  is 
cast  into  the  stream. 

The  reader  may  remember  that  on  page 
1413  was  given  a short  description  of  a holy 
man  who  came  to  worship  the  many-headed 
snake-god.  He  was  one  of  the  Fakirs,  or 
Jogis,  i.  e.  ascetics,  who  in  India  are  won- 
derfully numerous,  and  submit  themselves 
to  the  most  dreadful  tortures  in  honor  of 
their  deities.  By  rights  the  Fakirs  are  Mo- 
hammedans, though  the  English  have  been 
accustomed  to  call  both  the  Mohammedan 
and  Hindoo  ascetics  by  the  common  title  of 
Fakir.  “ Jogi  ” is  the  usual  title  for  the 
Hindoo  devotees,  though  they  are  divided 
into  a number  of  sects,  such  as  Bairages, 
Sangases,  Gosares,  &c. 

In  all  ages  and  in  almost  all  countries, 
there  have  been  religious  enthusiasts,  who 
have  sought  to  gain  the  favor  or  propitiate 
the  anger  of  the  deity  by  voluntary  suffer- 
ing, but  there  is  perhaps  no  country  where 
we  find  so  great  a variety  of  this  principle 
as  we  do  in  India.  There  are  Mohammedan 
as  well  as  Hindoo  ascetics,  and  the  latter 
have  this  advantage,  that  they  need  not  be- 
long to  any  particular  caste.  To  describe 
fully  the  extraordinary  proceedings  of  these 
men  would  occupy  much  more  space  than 
can  be  afforded,  and  we  will  therefore  only 
take  a few  of  the  most  characteristic  exam- 
ples. 

One  of  the  commonest,  as  well  as  one  of 
the  lightest,  of  these  tortures  is,  to  have  the 
tongue  bored  with  a red-hot  iron.  -This 
practice  used  to  prevail  largely  at  Chin- 
surah,  at  the  temple  of  the  Bull-god. 
Under  a clump  of  banyan  trees  the  devo- 
tees assembled  in  order  to  inflict  various 
tortures  upon  themselves,  and  by  far  the 
most  common  was  that  of  tongue  boring. 
The  operation  was  performed  by  a native 
smith,  who  was  reckoned  very  skilful  at  it, 
and  at  certain  seasons  he  was  completely 
beset  by  applicants,  doubly  clamorous  in  the 
first  place  to  have  their  tongues  bored,  and 
in  the  next  to  have  it  done  as  cheaply  as 
possible.  At  these  seasons  housed  to  range 
the  applicants  in  regular  lines,  and  take  them 
in  their  turn,  varying  his  fee  according  to 
their  number,  rank,  and  impatience. 

A strange  instance  of  self-torture  is  de- 
scribed by  Colonel  Campbell.  At  Colar,  the 
birthplace  of  Tippoo  Sultan,  a man  was 
seen  marching  up  and  down  before  a mosque. 


chanting  a hymn.  lie  was  shod  with  a pair 
of  -wooden  sandals,  not  tied  but  nailed  to 
his  feet  by  long  iron  spikes  that  had  been 
driven  through  the  sole  and  projected  above 
the  instep.  Yet  he  walked  with  a firm,  un- 
concerned step,  and  chanted  his  measured 
tune  as  if  utterly  unconscious  of  the  horri- 
ble torture  'which  each  step  must  have  cost 
him. 

Sometimes  these  devotees  show  their 
piety  by  long  pilgrimages  to  certain  sa- 
cred spots,  making  the  journey  as  difficult 
and  fanciful  as  possible.  Some  will  lie  on 
the  ground  and  roll  the  whole  distance, 
while  others  measure  the  track  by  prostra  - 
ting  themselves  on  their  faces,  marking  the 
spot  where  their  heads  lay,  getting  up, 
placing  their  feet  on  the  marked  spot,  and 
then  prostrating  themselves  again.  Some- 
times they  wnll  lie  on  their  backs  and  push 
themselves  along  the  road  by  their  heels, 
thus  cutting  and  bruising  their  backs  ter- 
ribly against  the  rough  ground.  Some,  of 
these  men  practise  a most  extraordinary 
penance  in  honor  of  the  goddess  Doorga, 
a penance  which  in  some  respects  resembles 
the  initia'^ion  of  the  Mandans.  A stout 
pole,  sonif  cwenty  feet  high,  is  fixed  in  the 
ground,  and  a long  bamboo  is  placed  hori- 
zontally over  the  top,  on  which  it  revolves 
by  means  of  a pivot.  Sometimes  two  or 
even  three  poles  cross  each  other  on  the  top 
of  the  post.  Hopes  hang  from  each  end  of 
the  bamboos,  and  to  half  of  them  are 
fastened  large  unbarbed  hooks  of  polished 
iron.  The  devotees  having  placed  them- 
selves under  the  bamboo,  the  hooks  are  run 
into  their  backs,  and  by  persons  hauling  on 
the  rope  at  the  other  end  of  the  bamboo 
they  are  raised  into  the  air.  The  men  who 
hold  the  ropes  then  run  in  a circle,  so  as  to 
swing  the  devotees  round  at  a great  .pace, 
the  wdiole  weight  of  their  bodies  being 
borne  by  the  hooks.  While  swinging  they 
scatter  flowers  and  other  gifts  among  the 
spectators,  who  eagerly  scramble  for  them, 
thinking  they  possess  very  great  virtues. 

Both  men  and  women  submit  to  this  ter- 
rible torture,  and  do  so  for  a variety  of  rea- 
sons. Some  permit  themselves  to  be  swung 
in  pure  honor  of  the  goddess,  some  do  it  in 
fulfilment  of  a vow,  while  many  submit  to 
the  operation  for  pay,  acting  as  substitutes 
of  persons  who  have  made  the  vow  and  are 
afraid  to  fulfil  it  personally,  or  who  prefer 
honoring  the  goddess  by  deputy  rather  than 
in  their  own  person.  From  one  to  two 
rupees,  i.  e.  from  two  to  four  shillings,  is 
considered  a fair  price  to  the  substitute. 

Sometimes  the  upright  post  is  fastened 
upon  an  ordinary  bullock  wagon,  and  is 
shorter  than  when  it  is  fixed  in  the  ground. 
After  the  hooks  have  been  inserted,  the 
opposite  end  of  the  bamboo  is  drawn  down, 
so  as  to  elevate  the  devotee  some  thirty 
feet  in  the  air,  and  made  fast  to  the  wagon. 
The  cart  is  then  drawn  as  fast  as  possible 


JOGIS. 


1415 


round  the  enclosure  by  six  or  eight  bullocks, 
which  are  harnessed  to  it  for  the  occasion, 
and  selected  for  their  speed. 

In  niciny  instances,  the  Jogis  (pronounced 
Yogees)  perforin  their  penance  by  keeping 
one  or  more  of  their  limbs  in  one  attitude, 
until  after  a time  it  becomes  incapable  of 
motion,  and  the  muscles  almost  entirely 
waste  away.  Some  of  these  men  will  hold 
one  arm  stretched  upward  to  its  fullest 
extent.  This  is  done  by  supporting  the  arm 
by  a cord  when  the  wearied  muscles  refuse 
to  uphold  the  limb  any  longer.  In  some 
instances,  where  the  Jogi  has  clenched  his 
hand,  the  nails  have  grown  fairly  through 
the  hand,  forced  their  way  through  the  back, 
and  hung  nearly  to  the  wrist. 

A very  common  practice  is  to  sit  com- 
X^letely  motionless,  in  which  case  the  legs 
become  in  time  totally  incapable  of  moving, 
so  that  the  man  could  not  change  his  posi- 
tion even  if  he  desired  to  do  so.  In  some 
instances  they  even  go  beyond  this,  and 
manage  to  stand  instead  of  sit,  with  scarcely 
any  support  for  their  bodies  during  sleep. 
One  of  these  men  is  described  by  Mr. 
Williamson:  “Within  a few  yards  of  the 
river  on  our  left  stood  one  of  those  horrid 
figures  called  a yogee^  or  Indian  saint,  — a 
gentleman  beggar,  who  had  placed  himself 
in  a certain  attitude,  from  which  he  had 
vowed  never  to  swerve  during  the  remain- 
der of  his  life,  but  to  spend  his  life  in  mental 
abstraction. 

“He  appeared  on  a platform  of  earth 
raised  about  eighteen  inches  from  the 
ground.  At  one  end  of  this  mound  (which 
might  be  seven  feet  long  by  five  broad) 
were  erected  two  bamboos,  seven  or  eight 
feet  high,  and  sufficiently  apart  for  him  to 
stand  between  them.  At  elbow  height  a 
broad  board  was  placed  from  one  bamboo  to 
the  other,  and  upon  the  middle  of  this  an- 
other piece  of  plank,  two  feet  long  by  five 
inches  wide,  was  fixed,  sloping  upward  from 
him.  lie  therefore,  standing  on  the  plat- 
form, and  resting  his  arms  upon  the  cross- 
bar, held  with  his  hands  on  each  side 
of  the  upright  sloping  board.  He  seemed 
to  press  equally  on  either  foot,  leaning  a 
little  forward,  with  his  face  turned  rather 
aside,  and  raised  toward  the  sun. 

“ His  personal  appearance  was  squalid 
and  miserable.  His  body  was  daubed  all 
over  with  blue  mud;  his  hair  — long,  mat- 
ted, discolored  to  a yellowish  brown  with 
exposure  — dangled  in  all  directions.  His 
beard  was  bushy  and  black,  and  the  rest  of 
his  face  so  disfigured  with  hair,  that  it  might 
be  said  to  be  all  beard. 

“ ISTot  the  slightest  motion  in  one  of  his 
limbs,  nor  in  a muscle  of  his  countenance, 
was  perceptible.  He  was  altogether  without 
clothing,  except  a slip  of  brown  stuff  about 
the  loins.  He  wore  the  ‘poita,’  or  sacred 
thread,  indicating  that  he  was  a Brahmin. 


Hightand  day,  it  is  understood,  the  wretched 
sufferer  (if  indeed  his  slate  can  be  called  one 
of  suffering)  maintains  without  any  varia- 
tion this  paralyzing  position.” 

Mr.  Bennett  then  expresses  some  disbe- 
lief in  the  constant  immobility  of  the  devo- 
tee, and  evidently  suspects  him  to  be  an 
impostor,  who,  under  cover  of  night,  leaves 
his  post,  and  refreshes  himself  with  sleej)  in 
a recumbent  ])osition.  This,  however,  was 
certainly  not  the  case,  and  indeed  the  very 
language  of  the  account  shows  that  it  could 
not  be  so.  A very  long  period  must  have 
elapsed  before  the  devotee  in  question  could 
have  trained  his  body  to  remain,  as  IMr. 
Bennett  admits  was  the  case,  without  the 
movement  of  a muscle  during  the  whole 
time  that  his  proceedings  were  watched. 
And,  before  such  a consummation  could 
have  been  attained,  the  limbs  of  the  man 
must  have  been  so  entirely  stiffened  by 
non-usage,  that  they  would  be  as  indexible 
as  if  they  had  been  cut  out  of  wood  or 
stone,  and  whether  he  stood  or  lay  would 
have  been  a matter  of  perfect  indifference. 
As  to  sitting,  or  assuming  any  attitude  that 
involved  the  flexion  of  a limb,  it  would  have 
been  utterly  impossible.  • 

We  may  see  a similar  phenomenon,  if  it 
may  be  so  called,  among  ourselves.  There 
is  not  one  man  in  a thousand  who  preserves 
the  normal  flexibility  of  his  limbs,  unless  he 
be  a professional  athlete.  Yaturally,  the 
limbs  of  every  man  and  woman  are  as  flexi- 
ble as  those  of  the  posture-masters,  who  can 
cross  their  feet  over  the  back  of  their  necks, 
pick  up  a coin  with  their  mouths  from  the 
ground  between  their  heels,  or  sit  on  the 
ground  with  their  legs  stretched  straight  at 
either  side  of  their  bodies.  But,  unless  men 
preserve  this  flexibility  by  constant  use,  the 
limbs  become  stiff,  and  it  is  quite  as  difficult, 
not  to  say  impossible,  for  an  ordinary  Eng- 
lishman to  perform  the  feats  of  the  profes- 
sional acrobat,  as  it  is  for  the  Jogi  to  bend 
the  knees  or  ankles  that  have  been  unbent 
for  a series  of  years. 

Moreover,  the  spectators  who  assemble 
round  such  devotees,  and  who  never  leave 
him  unwatched  by  day  or  night,  would  be 
very  ready  to  detect  any  attempt  at  impos- 
ture, and  would  be  excited  by  it  to  such  a 
pitch  of  religious  fury,  that  the  man  would 
be  torn  to  pieces  by  the  excited  crowd. 
And  the  very  fact  that  the  man  was  a 
Brahmin  was  proof  enough  that  he  was  no 
impostor.  By  virtue  of  his  Brahminical 
rank,  he  was  at  the  summit  of  humanity. 
Had  he  been  a low-caste  man,  he  might 
with  reason  have  been  suspected  of  impos- 
ture, in  order  to  obtain  respect  from  his 
countrymen.  But,  as  the  man  was  already 
a Brahmin,  such  imposture  was  totally 
needless,  and  his  devotion,  superstitious 
and  fanatical  as  it  might  be,  was  undoubtedly 
sincere. 


CHAPTER  CLI, 


INDIA  — Concluded. 


THE  INDIANS  WITH  RELATION  TO  ANIMALS. 

) 


FALCONRY  — THE  MINA  BIRD  AND  ITS  FEATS  — SNAKE  CHARMERS  — SUSPICION  OF  IMPOSTURE  — GEN- 
ERAL Campbell’s  account  of  the  cobra  and  the  charmer  — death  of  the  man  — diffi- 
culty of  the  TASK  — THE  POISON  FANGS  NOT  REMOVED  — INITIATION  OF  A NOVICE  — ELEPHANT 
HUNTING  — CATCHING  ELEPHANTS  WITH  KOOMKIES  — TAMING  THE  CAPTURED  ANIMAL  — AN  EN- 
THUSIASTIC KOOMKIE  — HUNTING  IN  NEPAL  — JUNG  BAHADUR  AND  THE  ELEPHANTS  — HUNTING 
WITH  TRAINED  STAGS  AND  ANTELOPES  — THE  CHETAHS  OR  HUNTING  LEOPARDS. 


We  will  end  this  description  of  India  with 
a few  remarks  on  one  of  the  chief  peculi- 
arities of  native  character,  namely,  the  won- 
derful capacity  of  the  Indians  in  taming  and 
training  animals.  This  capacity  develops 
itself  in  various  ways,  some  partaking  of  a 
religious  character,  and  being  considered  as 
in  some  sense  miraculous,  and  some  only 
illustrative  of  the  natural  ascendancy  which 
these  men  exert  over  beasts,  birds,  and 
reptiles. 

I'he  Indians  are,  for  example,  unsurpassed 
in  their  powers  of  training  falcons,  which 
they  teach  to  attack,  not  only  birds,  but 
antelopes  and  other  game.  These  falcons  are 
of  course  unable  of  themselves  to  kill  an  an- 
telope, but  they  will  mark  out  any  one  that 
has  been  designated  by  their  master,  and  will 
swoop  down  upon  its  head,  clinging  firmly 
with  their  talons,  and  buffeting  the  poor  beast 
about  the  eyes  with  their  wings,  so  that  it 
runs  wildly  hither  and  thither,  and  thus 
allows  itself  to  be  captured  by  the  dogs,  from 
which  it  could  have  escaped  had  it  been  able 
to  proceed  in  a straight  line.  A thoroughly 
trained  falcon  is  held  in  very  great  esteem, 
and  many  a petty  war,  in  which  many  lives 
w^ere  lost,  has  been  occasioned  by  the  desire 
of  one  rajah  to  possess  a falcon  owned  by 
another. 

Then  there  is  a little  bird  called  the  Mina, 
belonging  to  the  Grakles.  It  is  a pretty  bird, 
about  as  large  as  a starling,  with  plumage 
of  velvety  black,  except  a white  patch  on  the 
wing.  From  either  side  of  the  head  pro- 


ceeds a bright  yellow  wattle.  This  bird  can 
be  taught  to  talk  as  well  as  any  parrot,  and 
it  is  said  that,  as  a rule,  the  mina’s  tones 
more  closely  resemble  those  of  the  human 
voice  than  do  those  of  any  parrot.  It  is  very 
intelligent  besides,  and  can  be  taught  to 
perform  many  pretty  tricks. 

One  trick,  which  is  very  commonly  taught 
to  the  bird,  is  to  dart  down  upon  the  women, 
snatch  away  the  ornaments  which  they  wear 
on  their  heads,  and  carry  them  to  its  master. 
This  is  a little  trick  that  is  sometimes  played 
by  a young  man  upon  the  object  of  his  affec- 
tions, and  is  intended  to  make  her  grant  an 
interview  in  order  to  have  her  property  re- 
stored. 

As  to  reptiles,  the  cobra  seems  to  be  as 
unlikely  a creature  to  be  tamed  as  any  on  the 
face  of  the  earth.  Yet  even  this  terrible 
serpent,  whose  bite  is  nearly  certain  death, 
is  tamed  by  the  Indians,  and  taught  to  go 
through  certain  performances.  For  example, 
a couple  of  serpent  charmers  will  come,  with 
their  flat  baskets  and  their  musical  instru- 
ments, and  begin  to  give  a performance. 
One  of  them  plays  on  a rude  native  pipe, 
while  the  other  removes  the  cover  of  one  of 
the  baskets.  Out  comes  the  hooded  head  of 
the  cobra,  which  seems  as  if  it  were  about 
to  glide  among  the  spectators,  when  a gesture 
and  a few  notes  from  the  piper  check  its 
progress,  and  it  begins  to  rise  and  fall,  and 
sway  its  head  from  side  to  side,  as  if  in  time 
to  the  music.  The  men  will  then  take  up 
the  venomous  reptile,  allow  it  to  crawl  over 


SERPENT  CHARMING. 


1417 


their  bodies,  tie  it  round  their  necks,  and 
take  all  kinds  of  liberties  with  it,  the  serpent 
appearing  to  labor  under  some  strange  fas- 
cination, and  to  be  unable  or  unwilling  to 
use  its  fangs. 

Some  persons  think  that  the  serpents  are 
innocuous,  their  poison  fangs  having  been 
extracted.  This  may  be  the  case  in  some  in- 
stances, but  in  them  the  performers  are  not 
the  genuine  snake  charmers.  Moreover, 
there  are  several  sets  of  fangs,  one  behind 
the  other,  so  that  when  one  pair  is  broken 
or  extracted,  another  pair  speedily  comes 
forward. 

That  the  genuine  charmers  do  not  depend 
upon  such  imposture  for  their  success  is 
evident  from  many  cases  in  which  the  ser- 
pents have  been  carefully  examined  before 
and  after  the  performance,  and  their  fangs 
found  to  be  perfect  in  every  respect.  One 
such  instance  is  narrated  by  General  Camp- 
bell in  his  “ Indiali  Journal.”  He  had  pre- 
viously been  under  the  impression  that  the 
fangs  were  always  removed  from  the  serpents, 
but  the  following  circumstance  convinced 
him  that  the  charmers  could  perform  their 
tricks  with  snakes  whose  fangs  were  per- 
fect:— 

“ When  I was  on  General  Dalrymple’s  staff 
at  Trichinopoly,  there  was  a dry  well  in  the 
garden  which  was  the  favorite  haunt  of 
snakes,  and  in  which  I shot  several.  One 
morning  I discovered  a large  cobra-capella  at 
the  bottom  of  this  well,  basking  in  the  sun ; 
but  while  I ran  to  fetch  my  gun  some  of  the 
native  servants  began  to  pelt  him  with  stones, 
and  drove  him  into  his  hole  among  the 
brickwork.  I therefore  sent  for  the  snake 
charmers  to  get  him  out.  Two  of  these 
worthies  having  arrived,  we  lowered  them 
into  the  well  by  means  of  a rope.  One  of 
them,  after  performing  sundry  incantations, 
and  sprinkling  himself  and  his  companion 
with  ashes  prepared  from  the  dung  of  a 
sacred  cow,  began  to  play  a shrill,  monotonous 
ditty  upon  a pipe  ornamented  with  shells, 
brass  rings,  and  beads,  while  the  other  stood 
on  one  side  of  the  snake’s  hole,  holding  a rod 
furnished  at  one  end  with  a slip-noose. 

“ At  first  the  snake,  who  had  been  consid- 
erably bullied  before  he  took  refuge  in  his 
hole,  was  deaf  to  the  notes  of  the  charmer,  but 
after  half  an  hour’s  constant  playing  the  spell 
began  to  operate,  and  the  snake  was  heard 
to  move.  In  a few  minutes  more  he  thrust 
out  his  head,  the  horse-hair  noose  was  dex- 
terously slipped  over  it  and  drawn  tight,  and 
we  hoisted  up  the  men  dangling  their  snake 
in  triumph. 

“ Having  carried  him  to  an  open  space  of 
ground,  they  released  him  from  the  noose. 
The  enraged  snake  immediately  made  a rush 
at  the  by-standers,  putting  to  flight  a crowd 
of  native  servants  who  had  assembled  to 
witness  the  sport.  The  snake  charmer,  tap- 
ing him  on  the  tail  with  a switch,  induced 
im  to  turn  upon  himself,  and  at  the  same 


moment  sounding  his  pipe.  The  snake 
coiled  himself  up,  raised  Ids  head,  expanded 
his  hood,  and  appeared  about  to  strike,  but, 
instead  of  doing  so,  he  remained  in  the  same 
position  as  if  fascinated  by  the  music,  dart- 
ing out  his  slender  forked  tongue,  and  follow- 
ing with  his  head  the  motion  of  the  man’s 
knee,  which  he  kept  moving  from  side  to 
side  within  a few  inches  of  him,  as  if  tempt- 
ing him  to  bite. 

“■  No  sooner  did  the  music  cease,  than  the 
snake  darted  forward  with  such  fury  that  it 
required  great  agility  on  the  part  of  the  man 
to  avoid  him,  and  immediately  made  off  as 
fast  as  he  could  go.  The  sound  of  the  pipe, 
however,  invariably  made  him  stop,  and 
obliged  him  to  remain  in  an  upright  position 
as  long  as  the  man  continued  to  play. 

“ After  repeating  this  experiment  several 
times,  he  placed  a fowl  within  his  reach, 
which  he  instantly  darted  at  and  bit.  The 
fowl  screamed  out  the  moment  he  was 
struck,  but  ran  off,  and  began  picking  among 
his  companions  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 
I pulled  out  my  watch  to  see  how  long  the 
venom  took  to  operate. 

“ In  about  half  a minute  the  comb  and 
wattles  of  the  fowl  began  to  change  from  a 
red  to  a livid  hue,  and  were  soon  nearly 
black,  but  no  other  symptom  was  apparent. 
In  two  minutes  it  began  to  stagger,  was 
seized  with  strong  convulsions,  fell  to  the 
ground,  and  continued  to  struggle  violently 
till  it  expired,  exactly  three  minutes  and  a 
half  after  it  had  been  bitten.  On  plucking 
the  fowl,  we  found  that  he  had  merely  been 
touched  on  the  extreme  point  of  the  pinion. 
The  wound,  not  larger  than  the  puncture  of 
a needle,  was  surrounded  by  a livid  spot,  but 
the  remainder  of  the  body,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  comb  and  wattles  (which  were  of 
a dark  livid  hue),  was  of  the  natural  color, 
and  I afterward  learned  that  the  coachman, 
a half-caste,  had  eaten  it. 

“ The  charmer  now  offered  to  show  us  his 
method  of  catching  snakes,  and  seizing  the 
reptile  (about  five  feet  long)  by  the  point  of 
the  tail  with  his  left  hand,  he  slipped  the 
right  hand  along  the  body  with  the  swiftness 
of  lightning,  and  grasping  him  by  the  throat 
with  his  finger  and  thumb,  held  him  fast, 
and  forced  him  to  open  his  jaws  and  display 
his  poisonous  fangs. 

“ Having  now  gratified  my  curiosity,  I pro- 
posed that  the  snake  should  be  destroyed,  or 
at  least  that  his  fangs  might  be  extracted,  an 
operation  easily  performed  with  a pair  of 
forceps.  But,  the  snake  being  a remarkably 
fine  one,  the  charmer  was  unwilling  to  ex- 
tract his  teeth,  as  he  said  the  operation 
sometimes  proved  fatal,  and  begged  so  hard 
to  be  allowed  to  keep  him  as  he  was,  that  I 
at  last  suffered  him  to  put  him  in  a basket 
and  carry  him  off.  After  this  he  frequently 
brought  the  snake  to  the  house  to  exhibit 
him,  and  still  with  his  fangs  entire,  as  I as- 
certained by  personal  inspection,  but  so 


1418 


INDIA. 


tame  that  he  handled  him  freely,  and  appar- 
ently without  fear  or  danger.” 

Tlie  best  proof  that  the  snake’s  fangs  were 
not  extracted  is,  that  some  weeks  afterwards 
the  reptile  bit  the  charmer,  and  killed  him. 

It  seems  strange  that  serpents  should  be 
thus  subject  to  man.  It  is  comparatively 
easy  to  tame  a bird  or  a beast,  as  hunger  can 
be  employed  in  the  process,  and  really  is 
the  chief  power,  the  creature  learning  to  be 
fond  of  the  person  who  furnishes  it  with 
food.  Or,  in  extreme  cases,  the  power  of  in- 
dicting pain  is  employed,  so  that  the  animal 
is  ruled  by  fear,  if  not  by  love. 

But,  in  the  case  of  a snake,  the  tamer  is 
deprived  of  both  of  these  adjuncts.  As  a 
serpent  only  feeds  at  very  long  intervals,  and 
possesses  an  almost  inexhaustible  power  of 
flisting,  hunger  cannot  be  employed;  and  its 
peculiar  constitution  would  render  the  in- 
diction of  pain  useless.  The  charmer  has, 
therefore,  to  fall  back  upon  some  other  mode 
of  working  upon  his  pupil,  and  dnds  it  in 
music,  to  which  the  cobra  seems  peculiarly 
accessible.  That  it  is  powerfully  induenced 
by  music  was  known  many  centuries  ago,  as 
we  may  see  by  the  references  to  serpent 
charming  in  the  Scriptures.  Any  music 
seems  to  affect  the  creature,  and,  if  it  can  be 
rendered  docile  by  the  harsh  sounds  that 
proceed  from  the  charmer’s  dute,  we  may 
conjecture  that  more  melodious  sounds 
would  have  alike  effect.  Mr.  Williams,  who 
was  very  much  inclined  to  be  sceptical  on 
the  subject  of  serpent  charming,  and  thought 
that  the  poison  fangs  were  always  removed, 
mentions  that  a gentleman  at  Chinsurah, 
who  was  a . very  excellent  violinist,  was 
forced  to  lay  aside  his  instrument  because 
the  sounds  of  the  violin  attracted  so  many 
serpents  to  his  house. 

Serpent  charming  is  thought  to  be  a semi- 
sacred  calling,  and  is  one  of  those  cases 
where  the  process  of  taming  partakes  of  the 
religious  character.  The  charmers  are  reg- 
ularly initiated  into  their  duties,  and  un- 
dergo certain  ceremonies  before  they  are 
thought  to  be  impervious  to  the  serpent’s 
teetli.  Sometimes  an  European  has  been 
initiated  into  these  mysteries,  as  happened 
to  Lady  Duff  Gordon,  to  whom  a snake 
charmer  took  a fancy,  and  oftered  to  initiate 
her.  lie  and  his  pupil  sat  opposite  each 
other,  and  joined  their  hands.  The  charmer 
then  twisted  a cobra  round  their  joined 
hands,  and  repeated  some  invocation.  Both 
of  them  afterward  spat  on  the  snake,  and 
the  novice  was  pronounced  to  be  safe,  and 
enveloped  in  snakes  as  a proof  of  the  success 
of  the  incantation. 

There  is  perhaps  no  better  instance  of 
the  mastery  of  the  Indians  over  animals 
than  the  manner  in  which  they  catch  and 
instruct  elephants. 

The  reader  will  doubtless  remember  that, 
though  the  elephant  is  abundant  both  in 


Africa  and  India,  the  inhabitants  of  the  for- 
mer country  never  attempt  to  domesticate 
it.  It  has  been  thought  that  the  African 
elephant  is  not  trained,  because  it  is  fiercer 
than  the  Asiatic  species  or  variety,  and  lacks 
the  intelligence  which  distinguishes  that 
animal.  This,  however,  is  not  the  case. 
The  African  elephant  is  as  docile  and  intel- 
ligent as  that  of  Asia,  and  quite  as  capable 
of  being  trained.  The  elephants  which  were 
used  ill  the  time  of  the  ancient  Homans 
were  brought  from  Africa,  and  yet  we  read 
of  the  most  wonderful  feats  which  they 
could  perform.  Moreover,  the  African  ele- 
phants which  have  been  in  the  Zoological 
Gardens  for  some  years  are  quite  as  tract- 
able as  the  Asiatic  animals.  The  real  cauf^ 
for  the  non-use  of  the  African  elephant  is, 
not  its  incapacity  for  domestication,  but  the 
lack  of  capacity  in  the  Africans  to  domesti- 
cate it. 

In  almost  all  cases  of  domesticated  ani- 
mals, the  creatures  are  born  in  captivity,  so 
that  they  have  never  been  accustomed  to  a 
wild  life.  The  Indian,  however,  does  not 
trouble  himself  by  breeding  elephants,  but 
prefers  to  capture  them  when  sufficiently 
grown  to  suit  his  purposes.  There  are  two 
modes  of  catching  the  elephant,  one  of 
Avhick  is  so  ingenious  that  it  deserves  some 
description,  however  brief.  A common  way 
is  by  making  a large  enclosure,  called  a 
keddah,”  and  driving  the  elephants  into  it. 
The  keddah  is  so  made,  that  when  the  ele- 
phants have  fairly  entered  it  they  cannot  get 
out  again,  and  are  kept  there  until  subdued 
by  hunger  and  thirst. 

By  this  mode  of  elephant  catching,  the 
animals  are  taken  in  considerable  numbers, 
and  of  all  sizes.  The  genuine  elephant 
hunter,  hoAvever,  cares  little  for  this  method, 
and  prefers  to  pick  out  for  himself  the  best 
animals,  the  Indians  being  exceedingly  par- 
ticular about  their  elephants,  and  an  elephant 
having  as  many  “ points  ” as  a prize  pigeon 
or  rabbit. 

In  eveiy  herd  of  elephants  the  males  are 
given  to  fighting  with  each  other  for  the 
possession  of  the  females,  and  it  often  happens 
that  a male,  Avho  for  some  time  has  reigned 
supreme  in  the  herd,  is  beaten  at  last. 
Furious  with  rage  and  disappointment,  he 
leaves  the  herd,  and  ranges  about  by  him- 
self, destroying  in  his  rage  everything  Avhich 
opposes  him.  In  this  state  he  is  called  a 
“ rogue  ” elephant  by  the  English,  and  saun 
by  the  natives.  Noav,  furious  and  danger- 
ous as  is  the  saun,  he  is  always  a splendid 
animal,  scarcely  inferior  indeed  to  the  mas- 
ter elephant  of  the  herd.  The  elephant 
hunters,  therefore,  are  always  glad  to  hear 
of  a saun,  and  take  measures  to  capture  so 
valuable  a prize. 

They  possess  several  female  elephants, 
called  “koomkies,”  which  are  used  as  de- 
coys, and,  strangely  enough,  take  the  great- 
est interest  in  capturing  the  saun.  When 


ELEPHANT  HUNTING. 


1419 


the  liimter  goes  out  on  his  expedition,  he 
takes  with  him  at  least  two  koomkies,  and 
sometimes  three,  if  the  saun  should  happen 
to  be  a very  large  one;  and  in  all  cases  he 
takes  care  that  the  koomkies  shall  not  be 
much  smaller  than  the  saun. 

The  hunters,  furnished  with  ropes  and  the 
other  apparatus  for  securing  the  saun,  lie 
flat  on  the  koomkies’  backs,  cover  themselves 
with  a large  dark  cloth,  and  proceed  toward 
the  place  where  the  saun  was  seen.  Often 
the  koomkies  carry  in  their  trunks  branches 
of  trees,  which  they  hold  in  such  a manner 
as  to  prevent  their  intended  captive  from 
seeing  that  they  carry  anything  on  their 
backs.  The  saun,  seeing  them  approach, 
loses  some  of  his  fury,  and  thinks  that  he  is 
in  great  good-fortune  to  meet  with  females 
over  whom  he  can  rule  as  he  had  done  be- 
fore. He  is  so  delighted  with  this  idea  that 
he  fails  to  perceive  the  hunters,  who  usually 
slip  olf  behind  a tree  as  they  near  him,  but 
sometimes  boldly  retain  their  post. 

The  koomkies  then  go  up  to  the  saun  and 
begin  to  caress  him,  one  on  each  side,  and 
sometimes  another  in  front  of  him,  when 
three  decoys  are  employed.  They  caress 
him,  make  much  of  him,  and  gradually  bring 
him  near  a stout  tree,  where  they  detain 
him.  The  hunters  then  creep  under  the 
huge  animal,  and  pass  stout  ropes  round  his 
forelegs,  binding  them  tightly  together,  being 
aided  in  this  by  the  deco^^s,  who  place  their 
trunks  so  that  their  masters  cannot  be  seen, 
and  sometimes  even  assist  him  by  passing 
the  rope  when  he  cannot  conveniently  reach 
it.  The  forelegs  being  secured,  the  hunter 
places  round  the  elephant’s  hindlegs  a pair 
of  strong  fetters.  These  are  made  of  wood, 
and  open  with  a hinge  of  rope.  They  are 
studded  inside  with  sharp  iron  spikes,  and, 
when  clasped  round  the  feet  of  the  elephant, 
are  fastened  to  the  trunk  of  the  tree  with 
strong  ropes. 

The  .elephant  being  now  made  fast,  the 
hunters  creep  away,  and  are  followed  by  the 
koomkies,  who  receive  their  masters  on  their 
necks,  and  go  off,  leaving  the  unfortunate 
saun  to  his  fate.  If  he  was  furious  before, 
he  is  tenfold  more  so  when  he  has  to  add 
to  disappointment  the  sense  of  confinement, 
and  the  knowledge  that  he  has  been  tricked. 
He  screams  with  rage,  tears  branches  off  the 
tree,  pulls  up  the  grass  by  the  roots  and 
flings  it  about,  and  even  tries  to  break  the 
rope  which  holds  him  to  the  tree,  or  to  pull 
up  the  tree  itself  by  the  roots.  The  spikes 
with  which  the  wooden  fetters  are  lined 
give  him  such  pain,  that  he  is  soon  forced  to 
desist,  and  wearied  out  with  pain  and  exer- 
tion, he  becomes  more  quiet.  On  the  fol- 
lowing day  the  same  men  and  elephants 
come  to  him,  and  bring  him  a little  food; 
and  so  they  go  on  until  he  has  learned  first 
to  endure,  and  afterward  to  desire  their  pres- 
ence. When  they  judge  him  to  be  sufficiently 
tamed,  strong  ropes  are  fastened  to  his  legs, 


and  attached  to  the  koomkies,  and,  the  liga- 
tures round  his  feet  being  removed,  he  is 
marched  ofl‘  to  his  new  quarters. 

Sometimes  he  resists,  on  finding  his  limbs 
at  liiierty.  In  such  a case  the  koomkies 
drag  him  along  by  the  ropes,  while  a large 
male  pushes  him  on  from  behind,  sometimes 
using  his  tusks  by  way  of  spurs.  When  he 
has  been  taken  to  his  abode,  he  is  treated 
with  firm  but  kind  discipline,  and  is  so 
effectually  tamed,  that  in  a few  months 
after  he  was  ranging  wild  about  the  forest 
he  may  be  seen  assisting  to  convey 
refractory  brother  to  his  new  home. 

The  intelligence  of  the  koomkies  is  really 
wonderful,  and  they  take  quite  as  much  in- 
terest in  the  pursuit  as  their  masters.  Cap- 
tain Williams  mentions  an  instance  where 
a gentleman  had  purchased  a koomkie,  not 
knowing  her  to  be  such.  The  mahout  or 
driver  would  not  mention  her  capacity,  be- 
cause he  very  much  preferred  the  ease  and 
comfort  of  a gentleman’s  establishment  to 
the  dangers  and  hardships  of  a hunter’s  life. 
The  wealthy  natives  of  the  neighborhood 
would  not  mention  it,  because  each  of  them 
hoped  to  buy  the  animal  for  himself  at  a less 
price  than  would  be  asked  for  a koomkie. 

One  day  the  animal  was  missing,  and  did 
not  return  for  several  days.  However,  she 
came  back,  and  was  harnessed  as  usual  for 
a walk.  When  she  came  to  a certain  spot, 
she  became  restive,  and  at  last  dashed  into 
the  jungle,  whore  she  brought  her  master  to 
a fine  saun,  whom  she  had  crippled  by  fas- 
tening a chain  round  his  forelegs. 

In  Nepal  the  natives  adopt  a very  dan- 
gerous mode  of  elephant  hunting.  They  go 
to  the  hunt  on  elephants,  and  furnish  them- 
selves with  very  strong  ropes,  one  end  of 
which  is  made  fast  to  the  body  of  the  riding 
elephant,  and  the  other  furnished  with  a 
slip-knot,  to  which  is  attached  a line,  by 
which  the  noose  can  be  relaxed.  They  give 
chase  to  the  herd,  and,  selecting  a suitable 
animal,  the  hunter  dexterously  flings  the 
noose  upon  the  head  of  the  animal  just  be- 
hind its  ears  and  on  its  brows.  The  ele- 
phant instinctively  curls  up  its  trunk,  where- 
upon the  noose  slips  fairly  over  its  head. 

The  hunter  then  checks  the  pace  of  hh 
animal,  so  that  the  noose  is  drawn  tightly 
round  the  neck  of  the  captured  elephant, 
and  causes  a partial  choking.  His  speed 
being  checked,  another  hunter  comes  up 
and  flings  a second  noose,  so  that  by  their 
united  force  the  captive  can  be  strangled  if 
necessary.  Sometimes,  when  he  is  very 
furious,  the  hunters  are  obliged  to  render 
him  insensible  over  and  over  again,  before 
he  can  be  induced  to  obey  his  new  masters. 
The  well-known  Neprdese  ambassador,  Jung 
Bahadur,  was  celebrated  for  his  skill  and 
daring  in  this  dangerous  sport. 

As  an  example  of  the  perfect  command 
which  the  Indian  mahouts  have  over  their 
animals,  Captain  Williams  mentions  an 


142(y 


INDIA. 


adventure  which  took  place  at  Chittagong. 
During  a stormy  night,  an  elephant  got 
loose,  and  escaped  into  the  forest.  Four 
years  afterward,  when  a herd  of  elephants 
was  driven  into  a keddah,  the  mahout,  who 
had  climbed  the  palisades  to  view  the  en- 
closed animals,  thought  that  he  recognized 
among  them  his  missing  elephant.  His 
comrades  ridiculed  him,  but  he  persisted 
in  his  idea,  and  called  the  animal  by  name. 
The  elephant  recognized  the  voice  of  its 
driver,  and  came  toward  him.  The  man  was 
so  overjoyed  at  this,  that,  regardless  of  the 
danger  which  he  ran,  he  climbed  over  the 
palisades,  and  called  to  the  elephant  to 
kneel  down.  The  animal  obeyed  him,  he 
mounted  on  its  neck,  and  triumphantly  rode 
it  out  of  the  keddah. 

Elephants  are  sometimes  taken  in  pits,  at 
the  bottom  of  which  are  laid  bundles  of 
grass  in  order  to  break  the  fall  of  the  heavy 
animal.  The  elephants  are  generally  de- 
coyed into  these  pits  by  a tame  animal  which 
is  gLiided  close  to  the  pit  by  the  mahout,  who 
has  placed  certain  marks  by  which  he  knows 
its  exact  locality.  Sometimes  they  are 
merely  dug  in  the  paths  of  the  elephants, 
which  fall  into  them  in  their  nightly  ram- 
bles, and  by  their  meanings  inform  the  hun- 
ters of  their  proceedings. 

In  these  pits  they  are  forced  to  remain 
until  they  have  been  tamed  by  hunger,  just 
as  is  the  case  with  those  animals  that  are 
tied  to  the  trees.  When  the}'  are  sufficiently 
tame,  the  hunter  throws  into  the  pit  succes- 
sive bundles  of  jungle  grass.  These  the 
sagacious  animal  arranges  under  his  feet 
in  such  a way  that  he  soon  raises  himself 
sufficiently  high  to  step  upon  the  level 
earth,  where  he  is  received  by  the  hunters 
and  his  tame  elephants.  These  “ pitted  ” 
elephants,  as  they  are  called,  are  not  held  in 
high  estimation,  as  there  is  always  danger 
that  they  may  have  suffered  some  injury  by 
the  fall. 

Just  as  tame  elephants  are  brought  to 
capture  the  wild  animals,  so  are  tame  stags 
taught  to  capture  those  of  their  own  species. 
An  account  of  the  sj)ort  is  given  in  the 
“ Private  Life  of  an  Eastern  King”:  — 

“ I have  never  heard  of  trained  stags 
being  employed  elswhere  as  I saw  them 
employed  in  Oude.  . . .In  our  rides  in 

the  neighborhood  of  the  lake,  near  which 
we  encamped,  we  lighted  upon  a fine  open 
country  adjoining  a forest,  which  would 
answer  admirably  for  the  purpose.  The 
adjoining  wood  was  full  of  the  smaller  game 
of  Oude,  or,  if  not  smaller,  at  all  events  the 
more  harmless,  among  which  the  wild  deer 
imust  be  classed  as  one.  Skilful  beaters 
'were  sent  off  into  the  forest  to  drive  the 
‘deer,  as  if  unintentionally, — that  is,  with- 
out violence,  or  making  much  noise,  — 
toward  the  point  of  the  forest  adjoining 
the  open  space  which  I have  just  mentioned. 
Here,  protected  by  its  watching  guardians, 


the  most  warlike  and  powerful  of  its  males, 
the  herd  was  congregated  in  apparent  safety. 

“ We  had  about  a dozen  trained  stags,  all 
males,  with  us.  These,  well  acquainted 
with  the  object  for  which  they  were  sent 
forward,  advanced  at  a gentle  trot  over  the 
open  ground  toward  the  skirt  of  the  wood. 
They  were  observed  at  once  by  the  watchers 
of  the  herd,  and  the  boldest  of  the  wild  ani- 
mals advanced  k)  meet  them.  Whether  the 
intention  was  to  welcome  them  peaceably,  or 
to  do  battle  for  their  pasturage,  I cannot 
tell,  but  in  a few  minutes  the  parties  w'ere 
engaged  in  a furious  contest.  Head  to  head, 
antlers  to  antlers,  the  tame  deer  and  the 
wild  fought  with  great  fury.  Each  of  the 
tame  animals,  every  one  of  them  large  and 
formidable,  was  closely  contested  with  a 
wild  adversary,  standing  chiefly  on  the  de- 
fensive, not  in  any  feigned  battle  or  mimicry 
of  war,  but  in  a hard-fought  combat.  We 
now  made  our  appearance  in  the  open 
ground  on  horseback,  advancing  toward  the 
scene  of  conflict.  The  deer  on  the  skirts  of 
the  wood,  seeing  us,  took  to  flight,  but  those 
actually  engaged  maintained  their  ground, 
and  continued  the  contest. 

“ In  the  meantime  a party  of  native  hunts- 
men, sent  for  the  purpose,  gradually  drew 
near  to  the  wild  stags,  getting  in  between 
them  and  the  forest.  What  their  object 
was  we  were  not  at  the  time  aware;  indeed, 
it  was  not  one  that  we  could  have  approved 
or  encouraged.  They  made  their  way  to  the 
rear  of  the  wild  stags,  which  were  still  com- 
bating too  fiercely  to  mind  them;  they  ap- 
proached the  animals,  and,  with  a skilful  cut 
of  their  long  knives,  the  poor  warriors  fell 
hamstrung.  We  felt  pity  for  the  noble 
animals  as  we  saw  them  fall  helplessly  on 
the  ground,  unable  longer  to  continue  the 
contest,  and  pushed  down  by  the  tame 
stags.  Once  down,  they  were  unable  to 
rise  again. 

“ The  tame  ones  were  called  off  in  a mo- 
ment; not  one  of  them  pursued  his  victory. 
Their  work  was  done;  they  obeyed  the  call 
of  their  keepers  almost  at  once,  and  were 
led  off  like  hounds,  some  of  them  bearing 
evidence  in  their  gored  chests  that  the  con- 
test in  which  they  had  been  engaged  was  no 
sham,  but  a reality.  As  we  rode  up  we 
saw  them  led  oft‘,  triumphantly  capering 
over  the  ground  as  if  proud  of  their  exploits, 
tossing  their  fine  spreading  antlers  about 
joyously,  and  sometimes  looking  as  if  they 
would  enjoy  a little  more  fighting,  — this 
time  with  each  other.” 

The  antelope  is  sometimes  used  in  a simi- 
lar manner.  The  largest  and  most  powerful 
male  antelopes  are  trained  for  the  purpose, 
and  are  sent  toward  the  herd  with  nooses 
fastened  on  their  horns.  The  wild  ante- 
lopes soon  come  out  to  fight  the  intruders, 
and  are  caught  by  the  nooses. 

There  is  another  sport  of  w'hich  th«* 


THE  CIIETAIIS. 


1421 


Indians  are  very  fond,  namely,  the  chase  of 
the  deer  by  means  of  the  chetah,  or  hunting 
leopard.  This  animal  is  by  no  means  the 
same  species  as  the  common  leopard,  from 
which  it  is  easily  distinguished  by  its  much 
larger  legs,  its  comparatively  bushy  tail,  and 
a crest  or  ridge  of  hair  along  the  neck.  It 
is  not  so  much  of  a tree-climber  as  the  com- 
mon leopard,  and  though  it  can  ascend  a 
tree,  very  seldom  does  so.  Whether  the 
common  leopard  could  be  trained^  to  catch 
deer  is  rather  doubtful.  The  experiment 
has  not  been  tried,  probably  owing  to  the 
fact  that  the  chetah  performs  its  part  so 
well  that  there  is  no  object  in  trying  an- 
other animal. 

Chetahs  are  very  docile  creatures,  and, 
when  tame,  seem  to  be  as  fond  of  notice  as 
cats.  This  I can  personally  testify,  having 
been  in  the  same  cage  with  the  animals  at 
the  Zoological  Gardens,  and  found  them 
very  companionable,  even  allowing  me, 
though  after  some  protest  in  the  way  of 
growling  and  spitting,  to  take  their  paws  in 
my  hand,  and  push  out  the  talons. 

Those  which  are  used  for  the  sport  are  led 
about  by  their  attendants,  merely  having  a 
cord  round  their  necks,  and  are  so  gentle 
that  no  one  is  afraid  to  be  near  them.  Lest, 
however,  they  might  be  irritated,  and  in  a 
moment  of  passion  do  mischief,  they  wear 
on  their  heads  a sort  of  hood,  shaped  some- 
thing like  the  beaver  of  an  ancient  helmet. 
This  hood  is  generally  worn  on  the  back  of 
the  head,  but  if  the  keeper  should  think  that 
his  charge  is  likely  to  be  mischievous,  he  has 
only  to  slip  the  hood  over  the  eyes,  and  the 
animal  is  at  once  rendered  harmless. 

When  the  hunters  go  out  in  search  of  deer, 
the  chetahs  are  taken  on  little  flat-topped 
carts,  not  unlike  the  costermongers’  barrows 
of  our  streets.  Each  chetah  is  accompanied 
by  its  keeper,  and  is  kept  hooded  during  the 
journey.  When  they  have  arrived  within 
sight  of  deer,  the  keeper  unhoods  the  animal 
and  points  out  the  prey.  The  chetah  in- 
stantly slips  off  the  cart,  and  makes  its  way 
toward  the  deer,  gliding  along  on  its  belly 
like  a serpent,  and  availing  itself  of  every 
bush  and  stone  by  which  it  can  hide  its 


advance.  When  it  can  crawl  no  closer,  it 
marks  out  one  deer,  and  springs  toward  it  in 
a series  of  mighty  bounds.  The  horsemen 
then  put  their  steeds  to  the  gallop,  and  a 
most  exciting  scene  ensues. 

The  chase  is  never  a very  long  one,  for 
the  chetah,  though  of  wonderful  swiftness  for 
a short  distance,  does  not  possess  the  con- 
formation needful  for  a long  chase.  Some- 
times a chetah  of  peculiar  excellence  will 
continue  the  chase  for  some  little  time,  but, 
as  a rule,  a dozen  mighty  bounds  bring  the  an- 
imal to  its  prey.  W e all  know  the  nature  of 
the  cat  tribe,  and  their  great  dislike  to  be  in- 
terrupted while  their  prey  is  in  their  grasp. 
Even  a common  cat  has  a strong  objection 
to  be  touched  while  she  has  a mouse  in  her 
mouth,  and  we  may  therefore  wonder  how 
the  keepers  contrive  to  make  the  chetah  re- 
linquish its  prey.  This  is  done  either  by 
cutting  off  part  of  the  leg  and  giving  it  to 
the  chetah,  or  filling  a ladle  with  its  blood 
and  allowing  the  leopard  to  lap  it.  The  hood 
is  then  slipped  over  the  eyes,  and  the  chetah 
allows  itself  to  be  replaced  in  its  cart. 

Sometimes  it  is  necessary  to  leave  the  cart, 
and  lead  the  animal  by  its  chain  toward  the 
place  where  the  animals  are  known  to  be. 
This  is  always  a difficult  business,  because 
the  animal  becomes  so  excited  that  the  least 
noise,  or  the  scent  left  by  a passing  deer,  will 
cause  it  to  raise  its  head  aloft,  and  stare  round 
for  the  deer.  In  a few  moments  it  would 
become  unmanageable,  and  dash  away  from 
its  keeper,  were  not  he  prepared  for  such  an 
event.  He  carries  with  him  a kind  of  ladle, 
made  of  a hollowed  cocoa-nut  shell  at  the 
end  of  a handle.  This  is  sprinkled  on  the 
inside  with  salt,  and  as  soon  as  the  man  per- 
ceives a change  of  demeanor  on  the  part  of 
his  charge,  he  puts  the  ladle  over  the  muzzle 
of  the  chetah.  The  animal  licks  the  salt, 
forgets  the  cause  of  excitement,  and  walks 
on  quietly  as  before. 

Some  of  the  great  men  in  India  take  con- 
siderable pride  in  their  chetahs,  and  have 
them  paraded  daily,  covered  with  mantles 
of  silk  heavily  embroidered  with  gold, 
and  wearing  hoods  of  similarly  rich  mate- 
rials. 


CHAPTEE  CLII. 


J'-, 


V 

*1' 


TAETAET. 

THE  AEmTCHTJ  TAETAKS. 


MUTUAL  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  TAETARS  AND  CHINESE  UPON  EACH  OTHER  — A CHINESE  BATTLE  — DASH 
AND  COURAGE  OF  TARTAR  HORSEMEN  — TARTAR  GUNNERS — “ CATCHING  A TARTAR  ” — THE  BOW, 
AND  MODE  OF  STRINGING  IT  — SYSTEMATIC  TRAINING  OF  THE  ARCHER  — THE  TARTAR  ARROW  — 
ATHLETIC  EXERCISES  — BLOODLESS  CONQUEST  OF  THE  TARTARS  BY  THE  CHINESE. 


"VYe  now  proceed  to  the  more  civilized  por- 
tions of  the  vast  Mongolian  race,  namely 
the  Tartars,  the  Chinese,  and  the  Japanese. 
It  will  of  course  be  impossible  to  give  even 
the  briefest  account  of  the  numerous  nations 
which  have  been  called  Tartars,  and  we  will 
therefore  confine  ourselves  to  the  Mantchu 
Tartars,  who  have  exercised  so  remarkable 
an  influence  on  the  empire  of  China. 

It  has  been  well  said,  that  when  a strong 
people  invade  and  conquer  the  territory  of 
a weaker,  their  conquest  has  a double  effect. 
The  victors  impose  certain  habits  and  modes 
of  life  upon  the  vanquished,  and,  in  so  doing, 
generally  strengthen  them  in  those  points 
where  they  are  weak.  But,  in  return,  the 
vanquished  exert  an  influence  upon  their  con- 
querors which  has  precisely  the  opposite 
effect,  and  tends  to  diminish  rather  than  to 
increase  their  strength.  So  it  has  been  with 
the  Tartars  and  the  Chinese,  whose  history 
during  the  last  few  centuries  has  been  most 
instructive  to  the  ethnologist,  — I should 
rather  say,  to  the  anthropologist. 

Just  as  in  one  family  we  invariably  find 
that  there  are  members  of  very  different 
powers,  and  that  the  possessor  of  the  stronger 
intellect  invariably  obtains  dominion  over 
the  others,  so  it  has  been  with  the  two  great 
divisions  of  the  Asiatic  Mongols.  The  Tartar 
is  in  many  points  superior  to  the  Chinese, 
and,  as  a rule,  is  easily  distinguished  even  by 
his  appearance.  He  possesses  more  decided 
features,  is  more  alert  in  his  movements, 
and  certainly  possesses  more  courage.  The 
Chinese  will  fight  wonderfully  well  behind 
walls,  or  on  board  ship,  and  even  in  the  field 
display  great  courage  of  a quiet  nature  if  they 


are  led  by  European  officers.  But,  when 
left  to  themselves,  they  are  not  good  soldiers 
in  the  field,  unless  opposed  to  enemies  much 
inferior.  Mr.  Scarth,  who  had  the  oppor- 
tunity of  witnessing  a battle,  describes  it  as 
an  absolute  farce. 

“ One  day,  when  a great  many  soldiers 
were  out,  I saw  more  of  the  contest  than  was 
pleasant.  Having  got  into  the  line  of  fire, 
I was  forced  to  take  shelter  behind  a grave, 
the  bullets  striking  the  grave  from  each  side 
every  second.  Why  they  came  my  way  it 
was  difficult  to  discover,  for  they  ought  to 
have  passed  on  the  other  side  of  a creek, 
about  twenty  yards  distant,  to  the  people 
they  were  intended  for;  but  to  see  the 
dodging  of  the  soldiers,  then  of  the  rebels, 
each  trying  to  evade  the  other,  was  almost 
amusing. 

“ One  fellow,  ready  primed  and  loaded, 
would  rush  up  the  side  of  a grave-hillock, 
drop  his  matchlock  over  the  top,  and,  with- 
out taking  aim,  blaze  away.  There  is  no 
ramrod  required  for  the  shot  they  use;  the 
bullet,  or  bar  of  iron,  is  merely  dropped  in 
loose  upon  the  powder. 

‘‘  There  was  a fine  scene  on  an  occasion 
when  the  Shanghai  rebels  made  a sortie. 
One  of  the  men  was  cut  off  by  an*  imperial 
skirmisher,  who  had  his  piece  loaded.  The 
rebel  had  no  time  to  charge  his;  so  he  ran 
round  and  round  a grave,  which  was  high 
enough  to  keep  his  enemy  from  shooting 
him  when  on  the  opposite  side.  Hare  hunt- 
ing was  nothing  to  it.  Bed-cap  described 
hosts  of  circles,  and  the  royalist  was  fast 
getting  blown,  when  the  gods  took  pity  on 
his  wind,  for,  by  some  unlucky  chance,  the 


(1422) 


“CATCniKG  A TARTAR” 


1423 


rebel  tripped  and  fell.  The  soldier  was  at 
him  in  a moment,  and,  to  make  sure  of  his 
prize,  put  the  muzzle  of  his  matchlock  close 
to  Red-cap’s  head,  fired,  and  took  to  his 
heels  as  fast  as  he  could  go.  It  is  difficult  to 
say  who  was  most  astonished,  when  Mr. 
Red-cap  did  exactly  the  same!  The  bullet 
that  dropped  down  readily  on  the  powder 
fell  out  as  easily  when  the  barrel  was  de- 
pressed. The  rebel  got  off  with  a good 
singeing  of  his  long  hair.” 

Idle  Tartars,  however,  are  very  different 
men  in  battle,'  as  was  frequently  proved 
during  our  wars  in  China ; and  though 
they  were  comparatively  ignorant  of  the  art 
of  war,  and  were  furnished  with  weapons 
that  were  mere  toys  in  comparison  with  the 
arms  to  which  they  were  opposed,  they 
showed  themselves  to  be  really  formidable 
antagonists.  As  irregular  cavalry,  they  dis- 
played an  amount  of  dash  and  courage  which 
would  make  them  most  valuable  allies,  could 
they  be  trained  by  European  officers.  They 
boldly  charged  in  the  face  of  field-batteries 
of  Armstrong  guns,  and,  though  the  shells 
burst  among  them  with  murderous  pre- 
cision, they  came  on  in  the  most  gallant 
manner. 

Indeed,  a British  officer,  who  was  opposed 
to  them,  said  that  scarcely  any  regular  cav- 
alry would  have  advanced  in  the  face  of  such 
a fire,  delivered  from  fifteen  breech-loading 
guns.  Of  course,  when  they  did  close,  the 
superior  discipline  of  their  opponents  pre- 
vailed against  them,  and  the  Sikh  cavalry  of 
Probyn"^and  Fane  at  once  routed  their  un- 
disciplined ranks.  But,  had  they  been  drilled 
and  commanded  by  such  men  as  those  who 
led  the  Sikh  cavalry  against  them,  the  issue 
of  the  fight  might  have  been  very  difterent. 

They  served  their  guns  with  dauntless 
courage,  and  allowed  themselves  to  be  cut 
to  pieces  by  the  Armstrong  shell  rather  thayi 
leave  them.  A single  man  would  some- 
times be  seen  working  a gun  by  himself 
after  his  comrades  had  been  killed,  and  he 
expected  the  same  fate  every  moment;  and 
it  therefore  happened,  that  of  the  slain  in 
that  war  by  far  the  greatest  number  were 
Tartars.  They  are  better  horsemen  than 
the  Chinese,  and  both  themselves  and  Uieir 
steeds  are  hardy,  active,  and  capable  of  ex- 
isting on  very  little  food.  One  of  their  pe- 
culiarities is  the  method  in  which  they  carry 
the  sword.  Instead  of  hanging  it  to  the 
■waist,  and  letting  it  bang  against  the  horse’s 
side,  they  pass  it  under  the  saddle-flap, 
where  it  is  held  tight  by  the  pressure  of  Re 
leg.  They  thus  avoid  the  jingle  and  swing 
of  the  European  sabre,  and  moreover  are 
free  from  the  drag  of  a heavy  weapon  upon 
the  waist  of  the  rider. 

Of  the  courage  displayed  by  the  Tartars 
under  adverse  circumstances,  a curious  in- 
stance is  given  by  Mr.  M’Ghee.  After  one 
of  the  charges  of  Probyn’s  horse,  the  Tar- 
tar cavalry,  in  spite  of  their  skill  in  evading 


the  thrust  of  a lance  or  the  stroke  of  a 
sword,  had  suffered  severe  loss,  and  many 
were  stretched  on  the  ground.  Among 
them  was  the  body  of  a very  powerful  man, 
who  had  carried  a handsome  lance.  As  Mr. 
M’Ghee  found  himself  without  arms,  in  a 
rather  dangerous  position,  he  thought  he 
would  arm  himself  with  the  lance,  and  began 
to  dismount. 

As  he  took  his  foot  from  the  stirrup,  the 
supposed  dead  man  sprang  to  his  feet,  lance 
in  hand,  and  showed  fight.  An  officer  just 
then  rode  to  the  rescue  with  his  revolver, 
and  shot  the  Tartar  in  the  back.  The  man 
fell,  but  rose  again,  charged  the  officer  with 
his  lance,  unhorsed  him,  and  made  off,  but 
was  killed  by  a lance  thrust  from  a Sikh 
horseman.  The  fact  was,  his  horse  had  been 
killed  in  battle,  and  he  meant  to  feign  death 
until  he  could  find  an  opportunity  of  slip- 
ping away.  Even  the  wounded  men,  know- 
ing nothing  .of  the  amenities  of  civilized 
war,  and  expecting  no  quarter,  used  to  fire 
at  the  enemy  when  they  lay  writhing  with 
pain  on  the  ground. 

These  Tartar  soldiers  are  commanded  by 
a general  belonging  to  their  own  people,  and 
his  immediate  subordinate  is  almost  inva- 
riably a Tartar  also.  The  office  of  Tartar 
general  is  one  of  great  importance,  because, 
as  the  Emperor  is  always  of  a Tartar  family, 
it  is  thought  that  the  safety  of  his  person 
and  dynasty  ought  to  be  confided  not  to  a 
Chinese,  but  to  a Tartar.  The  lieutenant- 
general,  who  serves  under  him,  though  his 
post  is  perhaps  the  least  lucrative  in  the 
Irnperial  household,  is  glad  to  hold  the  ap- 
pointment, because  he  is  usually  selected  to 
succeed  to  the  generalship. 

The  chief  weapons  of  these  soldiers  are 
the  bow  and  the  spear,  the  sword  and  fire- 
arms playing  a comparatively  subordinate 
part.  Being  good  riders,  they  naturally 
take  to  the  spear,  the  true  weapon  of  a 
horseman,  and  are  drilled  in  the  various 
piodes  of  delivering  a thrust,  and  of  avoid- 
ing one,  the  latter  feat  being  performed 
with  a dexterity  almost  equalling  that  of  a 
Camanchee  Indian.  Although  they  carry 
fire-arms  with  them,  they  really  place  little 
dependence  on  the  heavy,  clumsy  weapons 
which  they  use,  that  require  two  men  to 
fire  them,  and  generally  knock  down  the 
firer  by  the  recoil.  Kor  do  they  care  very 
much  for  the  improved  fire-arms  of  Eu- 
ropeans, for,  as  one  warrior  said,  guns  get 
out  of  order,  spears  and  swords  do  not. 

The  bow  of  the  Tartar  (which  has  spread 
throughout  all  China)  is  much  on  the  prin- 
ciple of  the  reversed  bows  which  have  al- 
ready been  described,  though  the  curve  is 
not  ^ so  continuous.  The  bow  is  nearly 
straight  for  the  greater  part  of  its  length, 
and  then  takes  an  abrupt  curve  within  a foot 
or  so  of  each  end.  One  of  these  bows,  in 
my  collection,  is  nearly  six  feet  in  length, 
and  measures  two  inches  in  width.  Abou^^ 


1424 


TARTAEY. 


seven  inches  from  each  end,  a broad  piece 
of  bone  nearly  an  inch  in  length  is  fixed  to 
the  bow,  so  that  the  string  passes  over  it, 
and  does  not  strike  against  the  wood. 

The  strength  of  these  bows  is  enormous, 
varying,  according  to  our  mode  of  reckon- 
ing, from  sixty  to  ninety  pounds.  The 
weapon  is  strung  in  manner  somewhat  re- 
sembling that  which  has  already  been  de- 
scribed in  connection  with  Indian  bows. 
It  must  be  done  in  a moment,  or  not  at  all, 
and  the  only  method  of  doing  so  is,  by  plac- 
ing it  behind  the  right  thigh  and  in  front  of 
the  left,  and  then  bending  it  with  a sudden 
stoop  of  the  body,  at  the  same  time  slipping 
the  loop  of  the  string  into  its  notch.  My 
own  weapon  is  so  powerful  that  I can 
scarcely  make  any  impression  upon  it, 
though  I have  used  my  best  efforts. 

The  soldiers  undergo  a vast  amount  of 
practice  in  the  use  of  this  weapon,  of  which 
they  are  as  proud  as  were  the  English  arch- 
ers of  their  long-bow  and  cloth-yard  arrow. 
They  have  a saying,  that  the  first  and  most 
important  duty  of  a soldier  is  to  be  a good 
archer,  and  that  a man  ought  even  to  sleep 
with  a bow  in  his  hands.  In  order  to  in- 
struct them  in  the  proper  attitude  of  an 
archer,  they  have  invented  a simple  piece  of 
machinery,  by  means  of  which  the  soldier 
undergoes  a vast  amount  of  “ position  drill,” 
so  that  he  may  learn  to  keep  his  body 
straight  and  firm,  his  shoulders  immovable, 
and  his  hands  in  the  right  position. 

From  a beam  or  branch  are  suspended  two 
rings,  which  can  be  moved  up  and  down,  to 
suit  the  height  of  the  learner.  The  young 
archer  places  his  hands  in  the  rings  as  far  as 
the  wrists,  and  then  goes  through  the  vari- 
ous movements  of  the  weapon.  When  he 
can  satisfy  his  instructor,  a bow  is  placed 
in  his  hands,  and  he  then  j}ractises  the  art 
of  drawing  the  string  to  its  proper  ten- 
sion. Lastly,  he  has  an  arrow  besides,  and 
shoots  it  repeatedly.  The  head  of  the 
arrow  is  blunted,  and  the  target  is  a piece 
of  stout  leather,  hung  loosely  at  a little 
distance,  so  that  it  partially  yields  to  the 
arrow,  and  allows  the  missile  to  fall  to  the 
ground. 

The  arrow  corresponds  to  the  bow.  One 
of  these  missiles  in  my  collection  is  three 
feet  three  inches  in  length.  It  is  made  of 
some  light  wood,  and  is  terminated  by  a flat, 
spear-siiaped  head,  two  inches  long  and  one 
inch  wide.  The  other  end  of  the  arrow  is 
expanded,  so  as  to  allow  a large  “ nock  ” for 
the  reception  of  the  thick  string,  and  is 
bound  with  fish-skin  as  far  as  the  feathers, 
which  are  exactly  a foot  in  length.  The 
shaft  is  extremely  slight  in  comparison  with 
the  length  of  the  arrow. 

These  men  train  their  muscular  powers  to 
a great  extent,  and  have  several  exercises 
for  this  purpose.  One  of  them  is  called 
Suay-tau,  or  throwing  the  weight.  They 
have  a nearly  square  stone,  weighing  rather 


more  than  fifty  pounds,  and  having  a handle 
in  a hollow  cut  in  its  ui^per  surface. 

The  men  mark  out  a square  on  the 
ground,  and  the  players  stand  at  some  dis- 
tance apart.  One  of  them  takes  the  stone, 
swings  it  once  or  twice,  and  hurls  it  in  the 
air  toward  the  next  player.  It  is  thrown 
with  such  skill  that  the  hollow  always  comes 
uppermost,  and  the  stone  descends  into  the 
hand  with  a shock  that  makes  the  man  spin 
round  on  his  heels.  The  same  movement, 
however,  is  utilized  to  give  force  to  the 
stone;  and  so  the  players  pass  this  heavy 
weight  from  one  to  the  other  with  apparent 
ease,  and  with  the  regularity  of  a machine. 
A similar  exercise  is  conducted  with  a 
heavy  sand-bag. 

It  may  easily  be  imagined  how  such  men 
would  vanquish  in  battle  the  comparatively 
sluggish  Chinese,  and  how  they  would  im- 
pose upon  them  many  of  their  manners  and 
customs.  But,  though  they  succeeded  in 
their  conquest,  though  they  changed  the 
dress  of  the  Chinese,  though  they  placed  a 
Tartar  monarch  on  the  throne,  and  though 
they  have  been  the  chief  military  power  in 
China,  they  have  themselves  suffered  a far 
severer,  though  slower,  conquest  at  the 
hands  of  the  vanquished. 

The  Chinese,  being  essentially  a contem- 
plative and  intellectual  nation,  care  very 
little  for  military  ability,  so  that  the  lowest 
civil  mandarin  feels  a thorough  contempt 
for  the  highest  military  mandarin,  because 
the  active  life  of  the  latter  precludes  him 
from  following  up  those  peculiar  studies 
which  can  raise  a Chinese  from  the  state  of 
a peasant  to  that  of  the  highest  in  the  land. 
Especially  do  the  Chinese  despise  their  in- 
tellectual capacities,  though  they  may  appre- 
ciate and  utilize  their  bodily  strength  and 
military  prowess.  “The  Tartars,”  said  a 
Chinese  shopkeeper,  “ are  cows.” 

The  extraordinary  reaction  of  the  van- 
quished upon  their  conquerors  is  admirably 
put  by  Mr.  Fleming,  in  his  “ Travels  on 
Horseback  in  Mantchu  Tartary.” 

“ By  dint  of  their  extraordinary  industry, 
thrifty  habits,  an  unceasing  desire  to  accu- 
mulate wealth  by  any  amount  of  plodding, 
cunning,  or  hardship,  the  Chinaman  has 
wormed  himself  beyond  the  Great  Wall, 
built  towns  and  villages,  cultivated  every 
rood  of  land,  and  is  at  once  the  farmer  and 
the  trader  everywhere.  He  claims  the  best 
part  of  Mantchuria  as  his  own,  and  dares 
even  to  scandalize  the  Tartar  race  in  their 
own  capital,  though  it  is  barely  two  centu- 
ries since  that  race  filed  in  long  cavalry 
troops  through  those  gates  at  Shan-lds- 
Kwan,  and  were  introduced  by  an  indiscreet 
Chinese  general  to  the  vast  empire  which 
they  soon  conquered  and  sternly  governed. 

“How  the  Chinese  seem  the  conquerors, 
for  they  have  not  only  obtained  possession 
of  the  land,  and  converted  it  into  a region 
thoroughly  Chinese,  but  they  have  imposed 


A BLOODLESS  CONQUEST. 


1425 


tneir  language,  their  habits  and  customs, 
and  every  trait  belonging  to  them,  on  those 
of  the  original  occupants  who  choose  to  mix 
with  them,  and  ousted  out  every  grim  old 
banner-man  who  would  not  condescend  to 
shopkeeping,  or  handling  the  spade  or 
plough. 

“ There  is  not  the  most  trifling  Mantchu 
word  to  designate  town,  hamlet,  mountain, 
or  river,  in  use  among  the  people  nowadays, 
and  anything  that  might  at  all  tell  of  the 
character  and  power  of  the  original  propri- 
etors is  entirely  effaced.  If  the  Mantchus 
obtained  possession  of  the  Dragon  Throne 
at  Pekin,  partly  by  force  of  arms  in  military 
prowess,  and  partly  by  perfidy,  aided  by 
rebellions  among  the  Chinese  themselves; 
if  they  compelled  the  hundreds  of  millions 
over  whom  they  found  cause  to  rule  to  alter 
their  dress,  wear  tails,  and  perhaps  smoke 


tobacco, — the  people  thus  subjugated  have 
made  ample  retaliation  by  wiping  out  every 
trace  of  their  invaders  in  their  own  country, 
and  leaving  the  existence  of  the  usurpers  all 
but  traditionary  in  the  metropolis  where, 
two  hundred  years  ago,  they  held  their 
court,  and  where  one  of  their  kings  boldly 
vowed  vengeance  for  seven  great  grievances 
that  he  imagined  had  been  brought  on 
him  by  the  Chinese  Emperor. 

“Nothing  prevents  the  invasion  of  the 
Corea  by  these  wonderful  Chinese  but  the 
high  palisade  that  keeps  them  within  the 
limits  of  Mantchuria.  For,  if  once  they  got 
a footing  in  that  country,  the  Coreans 
would  suffer  the  same  fate  as  the  Mant- 
chus, and  there  is  no  telling  when  these 
sons  of  Ham  would  stop  in  their  bloodless 
aggrandizement  and  territorial  acquisitive- 
ness.” 


EEPEATING  CROSSBOW.  (From  my  Collection.) 
(See  page  143i.) 


CHAPTER  CLin. 


CHIKA. 

APPEARANCE  — DRESS  FOOD. 

) 

APPEARANCE  OF  THE  CHINESE — MODE  OF  PLAITING  THE  “ TAIL” — THE  CHINESE  BARBER  — THE 
REFUSE  HAIR  AND  ITS  USES  — CEREMONIOUS  EMPLOYMENT  OF  THE  TAIL — DRESSING  THE  HAIR 
OF  THE  WOMEN  — MUTUAL  ASSISTANCE  — POWDER  FOR  THE  SKIN,  AND  MODE  OF  APPLYING  IT  — 
SMALL  FEET  OF  THE  CHINESE  WOMEN — ORIGIN  AND  DATE  OF  THE  CUSTOM  OF  COMPRESSING 
THE  FEET  — DRESS  OF  THE  WOMEN — DRESS  OF  THE  MEN  — THE  “bUTTON”  OF  RANK  — SYSTEM 
OF  EXAMINATION  — INGENIOUS  MODES  OF  EVASION  — EXCEPTION  IN  FAVOR  OF  OLD  AGE  — THE 
FAN  AND  ITS  VARIOUS  USES  — CHINESE  LANTERNS  — THE  “ STALKING-HORSE  LANTERN  FEAST 
OF  LANTERNS  — THE  GREAT  DRAGON  — CHOPSTICKS,  AND  THE  MODE  OF  USING  THEBI  — THE 
CASE  OF  CHOPSTICKS  — FOOD  OF  THE  CHINESE — LIVING  CRABS  — BIRDS’-NEST  SOUP  — TEA,  AND 
MODE  OF  PREPARATION. 


We  how  come  to  China,  a country  of  such 
extent,  so  thickly  populated,  and  containing 
so  many  matters  of  interest,  that  justice 
could  not  be  fully  done  if  an  entire  volume 
were  devoted  to  it.  We  will  therefore  re- 
strict ourselves  to  a selection  of  those  par- 
ticulars in  which  the  Chinese  appear  to 
olfer  the  greatest  contrast  to  Europeans. 

The  appearance  of  the  Chinese  possess 
many  of  the  characteristics  of  the  Tartar, 
both  nations  being  different  branches  of  the 
same  great  family.  The  Chinese,  however, 
are,  as  a rule,  of  a less  determined  and 
manly  cast  than  the  Tartars,  and  have  about 
them  a sort  of  effeminacy  which  accounts 
for  the  conquest  suffered  at  their  hands. 

One  of  the  chief  peculiarities  in  a China- 
man’s appearance  is  his  “ tail.”  This  mode 
of  dressing  the  hair  was  imposed  upon  the 
Chinese  by  the  Tartars,  and  has  remained 
in  full  force  ever  since.  The  Tae-ping 
rebels,  however,  viewing  the  “ tail  ” as  an 
ignominious  sign  of  conquest,  refuse  to 
wear  it,  and  allow  the  whole  of  their  hair  to 
grow. 

With  the  loyal  Chinese,  however,  the  tail 
has  become  quite  an  institution,  and  they 
regard  it  with  the  same  sort  of  reverence 
which  is  felt  by  an  Arab,  a Turk,  or  a Per- 
sian for  his  beard.  It  is  scarcely  possible  to 
punish  a Chinaman  more  severely  than  by 
cutting  off  his  tail,  and,  though  he  may 


supply  its  place  with  an  artificial  tail  curi- 
ously woven  into  the  hair,  he  feels  the 
indignity  very  keenly.  Sometimes,  when 
two  men  are  to  be  punished  severely,  they 
are  tied  together  by  their  tails,  and  exposed 
to  the  derision  of  the  public. 

The  tail  bears  some  resemblance  to  the 
scalp-lock  of  the  American  Indian,  but  it 
includes  very  much  more  hair  than  is  com- 
prehended in  the  scalp-lock.  The  China- 
man shaves  the  hair  from  his  forehead  and 
round  the  temples,  but  leaves  a circular 
patch  of  tolerable  size,  the  hair  of  which  is 
allowed  to  grow  to  its  full  length.  Some- 
times, if  the  patch  be  not  large  enough  to 
nourish  a sufficient  quantity  of  hair  to  pro- 
duce a good  tail,  it  is  enlarged  by  allowing 
more  and  more  hair  to  grow  at  each  suc- 
cessive shaving.  On  an  average,  the  head 
is  shaved  once  in  ten  daj^s,  and  no  one 
would  venture  to  go  into  good  society  unless 
the  hair  of  his  head  were  clean  shaven.  As 
for  his  face,  he  has  so  few  hairs  upon  it,  that 
he  does  not  trouble  the  barber  very  much 
with  his  countenance. 

Owing  to  the  position  of  the  tail,  a man 
cannot  dress  it  properly  without  aid,  and, 
chiefly  for  this  purpose,  the  peripatetic 
barber  has  become  quite  an  institution  in 
China.  All  the  materials  of  his  trade  are 
carried  at  the  ends  of  a bamboo  pole, 
which  the  barber  carries  in  yoke  fashion 


(142G) 


THE  CHINESE  BARBER. 


1427 


across  bis  shoulders.  When  his  services  are 
required,  he  puts  down  his  load,  arranges 
his  simple  apparatus  in  a few  moments,  and 
sets  to  work  upon  the  cherished  tail  of  his 
customer. 

Very  little  capital  is  required  to  set  up  a 
barber  in  trade.  There  is  the  razor,  a most 
primitive  triangle  of  steel,  two  inches  long 
by  one  inch  wide,  which  cost,  perhaps,  three 
half-pence,  or  twopence  if  it  be  of  the  best 
kind.  There  is  the  linen  strop,  which  costs 
a penny,  and  a bamboo  seat  and  table,  which 
cost,  perhaps,  twopence  each.  There  is  one 
expensive  article,  namely,  the  brass  basin, 
but,  as  a rule,  a Chinese  barber  can  be  well 
set  up  in  trade  at  the  expenditure  of  about 
six  or  seven  shillings,  and  can  make  a good 
living  by  his  business.  This  sum  includes  a 
supply  of  black  silk,  wherewith  to  supple- 
ment the  tails  of  his  customers,  and  a few 
locks  of  real  hair,  with  which  he  can  supply 
artilical  tails  in  cases  where  they  are  denied 
by  nature. 

The  customer  always  holds  a sort  of  basin 
in  which  to  catch  the  clippings  of  hair. 
These  are  preserved,  not  from  any  super- 
stitious ideas,  as  is  the  case  in  many  parts  of 
the  world,  but  are  put  aside  for  the  hair 
collector,  who  makes  his  daily  rounds  with 
his  basket  on  his  back.  The  contents  of  the 
basket  are  carefully  utilized.  The  long  hair 
combed  from  women’s  heads  is  separated 
and  made  into  false  tails  for  the  men,  while 
the  short  pieces  shaven  from  men’s  heads 
are  used  as  manure,  a tiny  pinch  of  hair 
being  inserted  into  the  ground  with  each 
seed  or  plantlet.  In  consequence  of  the 
universal  practice  of  shaving  the  head  and 
wearing  a tail,  the  number  of  barbers  is 
very  great,  and  in  1858  they  were  said  .to 
exceed  seven  thousand  in  Canton  alone. 

The  right  management  of  the  tail  is, 
among  the  Chinese,  what  the  management 
of  the  hat  is  among  ourselves.  For  example, 
it  is  a mark  of  respect  to  allow 
the  tail  to  hang  at  full  length,  and 
any  one  who  ventured  to  address 
an  equal  vathout  having  his  tail 
hanging  down  his  back  would 
be  thought  as  boorish  as  would 
an  Englishman  who  went  into  a 
lady’s  drawing-room  without  re- 
moving his  hat.  When  the  people 
are  at  work,  they  always  coil  the 
cherished  tail  round  their  heads, 
so  as  to  get  it  out  of  the  way;  but 
if  a man  of  superior  rank  should  j 
happen  to  pass,  down  go  all  the 
tails  at  once. 

During  the  late  war  in  China, 
the  common  people  soon  found 
that  the  English,  in  their  ignor- 
ance of  Chinese  customs,  did  not 
trouble  themselves  whether  the 
tails  hung  down  their  backs  or 
were  twisted  round  their  heads. 
Accordingly,  Oriental-like,  they 


took  advantage  of  this  iguorance,  and, 
though  they  would  lower  their  tails  for  the 
meanest  ollicial  who  haj)peiied  to  pass  near 
them,  they  made  no  sign  even  when  an 
English  general  came  by.  However,  one 
of  the  English  ofticers  discovered  this  ruse, 
and  every  now  and  then  one  of  them  used 
to  go  through  the  streets  and  compel  every 
Chinaman  to  let  down  his  tail. 

The  tail  is  never  entirely  composed  of  the 
hair  of  the  wearer.  Sometimes  it  is  almost 
wholly  artificial,  a completely  new  tail  being 
fixed  to  a worn-out  stump,  and,  as  a general 
rule,  the  last  eighteen  inches  are  almost  en- 
tirely made  of  l3lack  silk.  Besides  being  a 
mark  of  fashion,  the  tail  is  often  utilized. 
A sailor,  for  example,  will  tie  his  hat  to  his 
head  with  his  tail  when  the  wind  rises,  and 
a schoolmaster  sometimes  uses  his  tail  in 
lieu  of  a cane. 

Absurd  as  the  tail  looks  when  worn  by 
any  except  a Chinese  or  Tartar,  it  certainly 
does  seem  appropriate  to  their  cast  of  coun- 
tenance, and  it  is  to  be  doubted  whether  tho 
Tartar  conquerors  did  not  confer  a benefiJ 
instead  of  inflicting  an  injury  on  the  Chinese 
by  the  enforcement  of  the  tail. 

The  hair  of  the  women  is  not  shaven,  but, 
on  the  contrary,  additions  are  made  to  it: 
While  they  are  unmarried,  it  hangs  down 
the  back  in  a long  queue,  like  that  of  thfi 
men;  but  when  they  marry,  it  is  dressed  in 
various  fantastic  forms.  There  is  a very 
fashionable  ornament  in  China,  called  the 
“ butterfly’s  wings.”  This  is  a quantity  of 
false  hair  made  in  fanciful  imitation  of  a 
huge  butterfly,  and  fastened  to  the  back  of 
a woman’s  head.  Fashions,  however,  vary 
in  different  parts  of  China,  and  even  in  the 
same  locality  the  women  are  not  tied  to  the 
absolute  uniformity  which  distinguishes  the 
hair  of  the  men.  One  mode  of  hair-dressing 
which  is  very  prevalent  makes  the  hair  lo<^'k 
very  much  like  a teapot,  the  long  tress 


MUTUAL  ASSISTAJMCE. 


1428 


CHINA. 


being  held  in  their  place  by  a strong  cement 
made  from  wood  shavings.  Another  mode 
of  hair-dressing  which  prevails  in  Northern 
China  is  thus  described  by  Mr.  Fleming: 
“ Here  it  is  dressed  and  gummed  in  the 
form  of  an  ingot  of  sycee  silver,  which  is 
something  in  shape  like  a cream-jug,  or  an 
oval  cup,  wide  at  the  top  and  narrow  at  the 
bottom,  with  a piece  scooped  out  of  the  edge 
at  each  side,  and  with  bright-colored  flowers 
fastened  by,  or  stuck  about  with  skewers 
and  pins,  that  stand  out  like  porcupine 
quills.  Though  their  necks  be  ever  so 
dirty,  and  their  faces  not  much  better,  yet 
the  hair  must  be  as  exquisitely  trimmed  and 
plastered,  according  to  the  local  rage,  as  that 
in  a wax  model  seen  in  a London  barber’s 
shop-window.” 

In  the  accompanying  illustration  two 
women  are  shown,  who  render  aid  to  each 
other  in  arranging  their  hair  after  the  “ tea- 
pot ” fashion.  In  the  households  of  Chinese 
women,  dressing-cases  are  considered  almost 
the  chief  requisites  of  life.  In  the  drawers 
are  the  combs,  pins,  and  jDaint  for  the  cheeks 
and  lips,  and  the  white  powder  which  is 
rubbed  into  the  skin.  This  powder  is  made 
from  white  marble,  which  is  broken  small 
with  a hammer,  and  then  Ihrown  into  a tub 
in  which  revolve  two  stones  turned  by  a 
buffalo,  just  like  the  wheels  which  are  used 
in  making  gunpowder.  The  coarsely  ground 
mass  is  then  transferred,  together  with  water, 
to  a second  mill,  in  which  it  is  reduced  to  a 
mixture  like  cream.  This  creamy  substance 
is  then  levigated  in  a succession  of  tubs,  the 
sediment  of  which  is  taken  out  and  returned 
to  the  mill,  and  the  remainder  is  allowed  to 
settle,  the  superfluous  water  drawn  off,  and 
the  sediment  pressed,  while  still  moist,  into 
cakes. 

When  used  it  is  not  only  rubbed  on  the 
skin,  but  actually  worked  into  it  with  string, 
which  is  placed  on  the  hands  in  a sort  of  cat’s- 
cradle,  and  worked  backward  and  forward 
until  the  required  effect  is  produced.  This 
powder  is  also  used  to  give  rice  a factitious 
whiteness.  The  coarser  portions  are  em- 
ployed for  making  whitewash  and  whitening 
mortar. 

Many  of  the  Chinese  of  both  sexes  are  re- 
markable for  the  great  length  to  which  they 
allow  their  nails  to  grow.  This  is  supposed 
to  be  a sign  of  rank  or  literary  occupation, 
inasmuch  as  the  nails  would  be  broken  by 
any  laborious  work.  For  this  purpose,  they 
are  kept  carefully  oiled  to  prevent  them  from 
being  brittle,  and  are  further  preserved  by 
being  enclosed  in  tubes  which  slip  over  the 
end  of  the  finger.  These  tubes  are  some- 
times of  bamboo,  sometimes  of  silver,  and  a 
few  of  the  most  precious  minerals. 

The  feet  of  the  Chinese  women  are  often 
more  strangely  decorated  than  their  heads. 
A vast  number  of  the  women  have  their  feet 
cramped  by  bandages  into  a state  which 
renders  them  little  better  than  mere  pegs  on 


which  to  walk,  or  rather  totter.  It  is  not 
only  the  rich  who  are  thus  deformed,  but  the 
poorest  often  have  their  feet  cramped.  The 
operation  is  begun  at  a very  early  age,  so 
that  the  feet  of  the  full-grown  woman  may  not 
exceed  in  size  that  of  a child  of  five  or  six. 
Bandages  are  bound  firmly  round  the  foot  in 
such  a way  as  to  force  it  into  an  arched 
shape,  the  heel  being  pressed  forward  and 
the  ball  of  the  foot  backward,  while  the  four 
middle  toes  are  bent  under  the  foot,  and  so 
completely  squeezed  into  its  substance  that 
the}^  almost  lose  their  identity.  In  fact,  the 
member  is  made  artificially  into  a club-foot, 
which,  repugnant  as  it  may  be  to  European 
eyes,  is  the  delight  of  the  Chinese,  who  call 
it  metaphorically  by  the  name  of  “golden 
lily.” 


gHESTESE  woman’s  FOOT  AND  MODEL  OF 
A SHOE. 


(From  my  collection.) 


Clay  models  of  these  “golden  lilies ” are 
sold  at  many  of  the  shops;  and  as  they  are 
very  accurate  imitations  of  the  foot,  and  it 
is  almost  impossible  to  induce  a Chinese 
woman  to  remove  the  bandages  and  exhi- 
bit the  member,  a representation  of  one  of 
these  models  is  here  given.  The  gait  of  the 
woman  is  necessarily  reduced  to  an  awk- 
ward waddle.  There  is  no  play  of  the  beau- 
tiful machinery  of  the  human  foot,  and  the 
wearer  of  the  “ golden  lily  ” walks  exactly 
as  she  would  do  if  she  had  no  feet  at  all. 
Indeed,  her  gait  is  even  more  awkward,  in- 
asmuch as  the  weight  of  the  body  is  thrown 
forward  upon  the  great  toe,  than  which 
nothing  can  be  imagined  more  opposed  to 
the  real  intention  of  the  foot. 

Fast  walking  is  impossible  with  these  feet, 
and  running  is  out  of  the  question,  the  women 
being  obliged  to  support  themselves  by  bold- 
ing to  wails  or  other  objects,  or  to  balance 
themselves  by  holding  out  their  arms  at 


THE  “GOLDEIS'  LILY.” 


1429 


right  angles  to  their  bodies.  Indeed,  even 
when  walking  quietly  in  the  house,  the 
woman  generally  leans  on  the  various  articles 
of  furniture  as  she  passes  them,  the  act  ap- 
pearing to  be  instinctive,  and  one  of  which 
she  is  not  conscious.  Stairs  are  of  course  a 
difficulty  in  the  way  of  “ golden  lilies.”  For- 
tunately, there  are  not  many  stairs  in  a 
Chinese  dwelling-house,  the  living  rooms  of 
which  are  mostly  on  the  ground  floor.  I 
have  noticed  that  a small-footed  Chinawoman 
can  ascend  stairs  easily  enough,  but  that  she 
always  holds  by  the  banisters  or  wall  as  she 
descends. 

The  deformity  in  question  does  not  end 
with  the  foot.  As  the  toes  and  ankles  are 
deprived  of  motion,  the  muscles  which  work 
them,  and  which  form  the  calf  of  the  leg, 
gradually  dwindle  away  for  want  of  use,  so 
that  from  the  ankle  to  the  knee  the  leg  is 
scarcely  thicker  than  a broomstick. 

Utterly  hideous  as  is  this  deformity,  it  is 
coveted  by  all,  and  those  who  do  not  possess 
it  try  to  look  as  if  they  did.  This  they 
achieve  by  making  an  artificial  “ golden  lily  ” 
of  wood,  putting  it  into  a fashionable  shoe, 
and  fastening  the  contrivance  on  the  sole  of 
the  real  and  serviceable  foot.  Mr.  Milne 
remarks  that  a nurse,  if  called  up  suddenly 
in  the  night,  will  make  her  appearance  walk- 
ing firmly  on  her  full-sized  bare  feet,  instead 
of  hobbling  along  with  the  fashionable  wad- 
dle which  she  has  been  exhibiting  by  day. 

a similar  rase,  the  boys  who  enact  female 
parts  on  the  stage  imitate  not  only  the  feet 
but  the  peculiar  walk  of  the  women,  and  do 
it  with  such  perfection  that  no  one  who  was 
not  in  the  secret  would  have  the  least  idea 
that  they  are  not  what  they  pretend  to  be. 

Of  the  origin  or  date  of  the  custom  nothing 
is  known,  though  there  are  various  legends 
which  attempt  to  account  for  both.  One 
legend,  for  example,  attributes  it  to  an  em- 
press of  China  named  Tan-key,  who  lived 
some  three  thousand  years  ago,  and  who, 
having  club  feet  by  nature,  induced  her 
husband  to  impose  the  same  deformity  on  all 
his  female  subjects.  Another  legend  states 
that  a certain  empress  was  discovered  in  the 
chamber  of  a courtier,  and  laid  the  fault  on 
her  feet,  which  carried  her  against  her  will. 
The  emperor  accepted  the  excuse,  but  cut 
off  the  fore-part  of  her  feet  in  order  to 
render  them  more  subordinate  for  the  future. 
Another  legend,  which  is  a very  popular  one, 
attributes  the  custom  to  a certain  prince 
named  Le-yuh,  who  in  consequence  was 
condemned  to  seven  hundred  years’  torture 
in  the  infernal  regions,  and  to  make  with 
his  own  hands  one  million  shoes  for  the 
women. 

The  dress  of  the  Chinese  varies  greatly 
according  to  the  rank  of  the  individual  and 
the  season  of  the  year.  Without  going  into 
detail,  which  would  occupy  too  much  time, 
it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  the  principle  of  the 
dress  is  similar,  not  only  among  different 
69 


classes,  but  with  the  two  sexes,  the  coat  and 
trousers  being  the  principal  articles,  mod- 
ified in  material  ami  form  according  to  cir- 
cumstances. The  dress  of  a mandarin  or 
noble,  and  of  his  wife,  may  be  seen  in  the 
illustration  on  Ihc  14.‘37th  page.  The  rich- 
ness of  material  and  beauty  of  work  displayed 
in  some  of  these  dresses  are  really  mar- 
vellous. They  are  generally  of  the  most 
delicate  silks,  and  are  covered  with  em- 
broidery of  such  harmonious  coloring  and 
exquisite  workmanship  as  no  country  can 
equal. 

It  is  not,  however,  the  richness  of  dress 
which  denotes  rank  among  the  Chinese. 
The  symbol  of  social  status  is  simply  a 
spherical  ‘‘  button,”  about  as  large  as  a boy’s 
playing  marble,  placed  on  the  apex  of  the 
cap.  The  different  colors  and  materials  of 
the  buttons  designate  the  rank,  the  “ blue 
ribbon  ” being  a plain  red  coral  button.  The 
possession  of  these  buttons  is  an  object  of 
high  ambition  for  the  Chinese,  and  its  value 
is  increased  by  the  fact  that  there  is  no 
hereditary  rank  in  China,  and  that  the 
coveted  button  must  be  earned,  and  can 
neither  be  purchased  nor  given  by  favor. 

It  can  only  be  gained  by  passing  through 
a series  of  examinations,  each  increasing  in 
severity,  and  no  candidate  for  high  rank  being 
permitted  to  compete  unless  he  can  show 
the  certificate  that  he  has  gained  the  rank 
immediately  below  it.  The  examinations  are 
conducted  in  a building  expressly  made  for 
the  purpose.  It  has  double  walls,  between 
which  sentinels  are-continually  pacing.  The 
gates  are  watched  in  the  strictest  manner, 
and  each  candidate  is  locked  into  a tiny  cell, 
after  having  undergone  the  strictest  search 
in  order  to  ascertain  that  he  has  not  carried 
in  any  scrap  of  writing  that  may  help  him  in 
the  examination. 

The  examiners  themselves  are  conveyed 
from  a distance,  and  surrounded  by  troops, 
so  that  no  one  can  approach  them ; and  so 
careful  are  the  officers  who  conduct  the  ex- 
amination that  the  examiners  are  not  allowed 
to  see  the  original  passages  written  by  the 
candidates,  but  only  copies  made  by  official 
scribes.  When  they  have  passed  a paper  as 
satisfactory,  the  original  is  produced,  the  two 
are  compared,  and  not  until  then  does  any 
one  know  the  name  of  the  writer,  which  has 
been  pasted  between  two  leaves. 

The  precautions  are  most  stringent,  but 
the  ingenuity  exercised  in  evasion  some- 
times conquers  all  the  barriers  set  up  be- 
tween a candidate  and  external  assistance. 
Sometimes  a man,  already  a graduate,  will 
manage  to  substitute  himself  for  the  candi- 
date, write  all  the  essays,  and  contrive  a 
second  change  on  leaving  the  place,  so  that 
the  real  candidate  takes  up  the  substituted 
essays.  Sometimes  a friend  within  the 
building  will  learn  the  subject  of  the  essays, 
write  them  in  tiny  characters  on  very  thin 
paper,  enclose  the  paper  in  wax,  and  drop  it 


1430 


CIIIXA. 


into  the  water  which  is  supplied  to  the  can- 
didates. One  man  of  peculiar  daring  hit  on 
the  plan  of  getting  a friend  to  tunnel  under 
the  walls  of  the  college,  and  push  the  re- 
quired documents  through  the  floor  of  the 
ceU.  Should  any  such  attempt  be  dis- 
covered, the  candidate  is  .at  once  ejected, 
and  disqualified  from  a second  attempt. 

The  Chinese  have  good  reason  to  be  am- 
bitious of  the  honors  of  a button,  as  even 
the  very  lowest  button  exempts  the  wearer 
from  military  service  and  from  arrest  by  the 
police.  The  bearer  of  this  coveted  symbol 
becomes  at  once  one  of  the  privileged 
classes;  he  wears  an  official  costume  when 
he  likes,  and  is  qualified  to  enter  as  candi- 
date for  still  higher  honors.  Such  privileges 
are  worth  much  trouble  to  obtain,  and  ac- 
cordingly the  rejected  candidates  will  enter 
the  examination  year  after  year,  even  until 
they  are  gray-headed.  With  the  respect  for 
old*  age  which  is  one  of  the  most  pleasing 
characteristics  of  the  Chinese,  there  is  a law 
that  if  a man  should  attend  the  examina- 
tions annually  until  he  is  eighty  years  of  age, 
and  still  be  unable  to  pass,  he  is  invested 
Avith  an  honorary  degree,  and  may  wear  the 
button  and  official  dress  honoris  causa. 
The  same  rule  holds  good  with  the  higher 
degrees.  '' 

The  very  highest  posts  in  the  kin;^domare 
denoted  by  a peacock’s  feather,  which  falls 
down  the  side  of  the  cap.  The  gradations 
in  rank  of  the  feather  ivearers  are  marked 
by  the  number  of  “ eyes  ” in  the  ornament, 
the  summit  of  a Chinaman’s  ambition  being 
to  Avear  a feather  Avith  three  eyes,  denoting 
a rank  only  inferior  to  that  of  the  Emperor. 

There  is  one  article  common  to  all  ranks 
and  both  sexes,  and  equally  indispensable 
to  all.  This  is  the  fan,  an  article  Avithout 
Avhich  a Chinaman  is  ncA^er  seen.  The 
richer  people  carry  the  fan  in  a beautifully 
embroidered  case  hung  to  their  girdles;  but 
the  poorer  class  content  themselves  Avith 
sticking  it  between  the  collar  of  the  jacket 
and  the  back  of  the  neck.  Whenever  the 
hand  is  not  actually  at  Avork  on  some  task, 
the  fan  is  in  it,  and  in  motion,  not  violently 
agitated,  as  is  mostly  the  case  in  Europe, 
but  kept  playing  Avith  a gentle,  constant, 
and  almost  imperceptible  movement  of  the 
Avrist,  so  as  to  maintain  a continuous  though 
slight  current  of  air. 

Sometimes,  in  very  hot  Aveather,  a stout 
mandarin  Avill  quietly  lift  up  the  skirts  of 
his  jacket,  place  his  fan  under  the  garment, 
and  send  a current  of  cool  air  round  his 
body;  and  this  done,  he  drops  the  skirts 
afresh  into  their  place,  and  directs  the 
refreshing  breeze  over  his  countenance. 
Sometimes  it  is  used  by  Avay  of  a parasol,  the 
man  holding  it  over  liis  head  as  he  Avalks 
along.  Sometimes  the  schoolmaster  uses  it 
by  Avay  of  a ferule,  and  raps  his  pupils  un- 
mercifully on  the  knuckles;  and  so  invete- 
rate is  the  use  of  the  fan,  that  soldiers,  Avhile 


serving  their  guns,  have  been  obserA^ed 
quietly  fanning  themselves  in  the  midst  of 
a brisk  fire  of  shot,  shell,  and  bullets. 

The  materials  and  patterns  of  Chinese  fans 
are  innumerable.  They  are  made  of  paper, 
silk,  satin,  palm-leaf,  wood,  feathers,  horn, 
or  ivory.  Some  of  them  are  made  so  that 
Avhen  they  are  opened  from  left  to  right  they 
form  very  good  fans,  but  Avhen  spread  from 
right  to  left  all  the  sticks  fall  apart,  and  look 
as  if  they  never  could  be  united  again. 
Those  AAffiich  arc  made  of  paper  have  vari- 
ous patterns  painted  or  printed  on  them, 
and  thousands  are  annually  sold  on  AAdiich 
are  complete  maps  of  the  larger  Chinese 
cities,  haAung  every  street  and  lane  marked. 
Those  Avhich  are  made  of  silk  or  satin  are 
covered  Avith  the  most  exquisite  embroidery; 
while  the  horn  and  ivory  fans  are  cut  into 
patterns  so  slight  and  so  delicate  that  they 
look  more  like  lace  than  the  material  of 
which  they  really  are  composed.  The 
wooden  fans  are  made  in  much  the  same 
way,  though  the  workmanship  is  necessarily 
coarser:  the  material  of  these  fans  is  sandal- 
Avood,  the  aromatic  odor  of  which  is  much 
prized  by  the  Chinese. 

Choice  sentences  and  aphorisms  from  cele- 
brated authors  are  often  written  on  the  fan; 
and  it  is  the  custom  for  Chinese  gentlemen 
to  exchange  autographs  written  on  each 
other’s  fans.  The  price  of  these  fans  varies 
according  to  the  material  and  workmanship, 
common  ones  being  Avorth  about  four  or  five 
for  a penny,  while  a first-class  fan  will  cost 
several  pounds. 

The  lantern  is  iilmost  as  characteristic  of 
the  Chinese  as  the  fan,  inasmuch  as  every 
one  Avho  goes  af  road  after  dark  is  obliged  by 
laAv  to  carry  a lantern,  whereas  he  need  not 
carry  a fan  urdeso  he  chooses.  These  lan- 
terns have  of  2ate  years  become  very  com- 
mon in  Engl.jnd,  the  subdued  light  which 
they  give  through  their  colored  envelopes 
having  a Vf^ry  pretty  effect  at  night,  es- 
pecially in  conservatories.  There  is  a 
Avonderful  A^'^tvviety  of  these  lanterns,  some  of 
them  being  most  complicated  in  structure, 
enormous  hi  size,  and  hung  round  Avith  an 
intricate  eifrangement  of  scarlet  tassels. 
Others  are  made  of  a balloon-like  shape,  the 
frameAvorlc  being  a delicate  net  of  bamboo, 
over  Avhicli  is  spread  a sheet  of  very  thin 
paper  saturated  Avith  varnish,  so  that  it  is 
nearly  as  transparent  as  glass.  Figures  of 
A^arious  kinds  are  painted  upon  the  lantern, 
and  so  great  is  the  sale  of  these  articles, 
that  many  artists  make  a good  living  by 
painting  them.  Generally,  when  a man 
buys  a lantern,  he  purchases  a plain  one, 
and  then  takes  it  to  the  painter  to  be 
decorated.  The  name  of  the  OAvner  is  often 
placed  upon  his  lantern,  together  with  his 
address,  and  sometimes  the  lantern  is  used 
as  a representative  of  himself. 

Many  of  the  lanterns  shut  up  flat,  on  the 
principle  of  the  fan;  some  of  them  open  out 


THE  CHOPSTICKS. 


1431 


itj:%  cylinders,  and  some  into  spherical  and 
ovai  shapes. 

One  of  the  most  ingenious  of  these  articles 
is  the  “ stalking-horse  lantern,”  which  is 
only  used  for  festivals.  It  is  of  large  size, 
and  contains  several  tapers.  Above  the 
tapers  is  a liorizontal  paddle-wheel,  which  is 
set  revolving  by  the  current  of  air  caused  by 
the  flame,  and  from  the  wheel  silk  threads 
are  led  to  a series  of  little  automaton  figures 
of  men,  women,  birds,  beasts,  etc.,  all  of 
which  move  their  arms,  legs,  and  wings  as 
the  wheel  rims  round.  A good  specimen  of 
this  lantern  is  really  a wonderful  piece  of 
work,  the  threads  crossing  each  other  in  the 
most  complicated  style,  but  never  getting  out 
of  order. 

So  completely  is  the  Chinaman  a lantern- 
carrying being,  that,  during  our  war  in 
China,  when  a battery  had  been  silenced  by 
our  fire  in  a night  attack,  and  the  garrison 
driven  out,  the  men  were  seen  running 
away  in  all  directions,  each  with  a lighted 
lantern  in  his  hand,  as  if  to  direct  the  aim 
of  the  enemy’s  musketry. 

In  connection  with  this  subject,  the  cele- 
brated Feast  of  Lanterns  must  not  be  omit- 
te-d.  In  this  remarkable  ceremony,  every 
lantern  that  can  be  lighted  seems  to  be 
used,  and  the  Chinese  on  this  occasion 
bring  out  the  complicated  “ stalking-horse 
lantern”  vrhich  has  just  been  described. 
The  chief  object,  however,  is  the  Great 
Dragon.  The  body  of  the  Dragon  is  made 
of  a number  of  lanterns,  each  as  large  as  a 
beer  barrel,  and  having  large  candles  fastened 
within  it.  Nearly  a hundred  of  these  joints 
are  sometimes  used  in  the  construction  of  a 
single  Dragon,  each  joint  being  tied  to  its 
neighbor,  so  as  to  keep  them  at  the  same 
distance  from  each  other.  At  one  end  is  an 
enormous  head  with  gaping  jaws,  and  at 
the  other  is  a tail  of  proportionate  dimen- 
sions. 

This  Dragon  is  carried  through  the  streets 
and  villages,  and  has  a most  picturesque  ef- 
fect as  it  goes  winding  along  its  course,  the 
bearers  contriving  to  give  it  an  undulating 
movement  by  means  of  the  sticks  to  which  the 
different  joints  are  attached.  A similar  fes- 
tival is  held  in  the  autumn.  Accompanying 
the  Dragon  are  a number  of  men  dressed  in 
various  fantastic  ways,  as  representations  of 
the  attendants  of  the  gods.  Some  of  them 
have  heads  like  oxen,  others  like  horses,  and 
they  are  all  armed  with  curious  pronged 
weapons.  Then  there  are  simulated  giants 
and  dwarfs,  the  former  being  carried  on  the 
shoulders  of  men  whose  legs  are  concealed 
by  the  robes  of  the  image,  and  the  latter  by 
boys  whose  heads  are  received  into  the  hats 
which  the  images  wear.  In  neither  instance 
do  the  bearers  trouble  themselves  to  conceal 
their  faces. 

Various  ceremonies  of  a like  nature  are 
enacted,  of  which  no  description  can  be 
given  for  want  of  space. 


Of  the  Chinaman’s  social  habits  none  has 
been  more  widely  known  than  the  use  of  the 
“ chopsticks,”  or  the  two  little  rods  by  means 
of  which  the  solid  food  is  eaten.  This  is  not 
the  Chinese  name,  but  is  one  invented  by 
foreigners,  who  have  employed  the  term  as 
a sort  of  equivalent  for  the  “ kwai-tsze,”  or 
nimble-lads,  as  they  are  very  appropriately 
termed  by  the  Chinese.  Originally  they 
were  simply  two  slips  of  bamboo,  but  now 
they  are  of  wood,  bone,  ivory,  or  sometimes 
silver.  Two  pairs  of  chopsticks  in  my  col- 
lection are  nearly  ten  inches  in  length,  and 
about  as  thick  at  the  base  as  a small  goose- 
quill,  tapering  gradually  to  half  the  thick- 
ness at  the  tip. 

Much  misunderstanding  prevails  as  to  the 
use  of  the  chopsticks,  many  persons  sup- 
posing that  they  are  held  one  In  each  hand, 
after  the  manner  of  knives  and  forks  in 
Europe.  These  curious  implements  are  both 
held  in  the  right  hand  after  the  following 
manner:  One  of  them  is  taken  much  as  a 

pen  is  held,  except  that,  instead  of  being 
held  by  the  thumb  and  forefinger,  it  passes 
•between  the  tips  of  the  second  and  third  fin- 
gers. This  chopstick  is  always  kept  station- 
ary. The  second  chopstick  is  held  lightly 
between  the  thumb  and  forefinger,  and  can 
be  worked  so  as  to  press  with  its  tip  against 
the  point  of  the  other,  and  act  after  the  man- 
ner of  pincers. 

The  adroitness  displayed  by  the  Chinese 
in  the  use  of  these  implements  is  worthy  of 
all  admiration.  I have  seen  them  pick  up 
single  grains  of  rice  with  the  chopsticks,  dip 
them  in  soy,  and  carry  them  to  the  mouth 
with  perfect  precision;  and,  indeed,  after 
some  few  lessons,  I could  do  it  tolerably  well 
myself.  In  eating  rice  after  the  usual  man- 
ner, the  tips  of  the  chopsticks  are  crossed, 
and  the  rice  lifted  with  them  as  if  on  a 
spoon.  If,  however,  the  man  be  very  hun- 
gry, he  does  not  trouble  himself  about  such 
refinement,  but  holds  the  bowl  to  his  lips, 
and  scoops  the  rice  into  his  mouth  with  a 
celerity  that  must  be  seen  to  be  believed. 
In  point  of  speed  a spoon  would  be  nothing 
compared  with  the  chopstick. 

The  reader  must  understand  that  the  Chi- 
nese never  carve  at  table,  thinking  that  to 
do  so  is  an  utterly  barbarous  and  disgusting 
custom.  The  meat  is  brought  to  table  ready 
cut  up  into  small  morsels,  which  can  be 
taken  up  with  the  chopsticks.  The  only 
use  made  of  a knife  at  table  is  to  separate 
any  small  pieces  of  meat  that  may  adhere 
together;  and  for  this  purpose,  a narrow, 
long-bladed  knife  is  generally  kept  in  the 
same  sheath  with  the  chopstick. 

As  a rule,  every  Chinaman  who  can  afford 
so  cheap  a luxury  has  his  chopstick-case 
hanging  from  his  girdle.  The  case  is  made 
of  different  materials,  such  as  shagreen,  tor- 
toise shell,  and  ivory.  Specimens  of  the  two 
latter  kinds  of  case  are  in  my  collection. 
The  ordinary  case  contains  the  two  chop- 


1432 


CHINA. 


sticks,  the  knife,  and  a flat  ivory  toothpick. 
Sometimes,  however,  a wealthy  man  will 
carry  a much  more  complicated  set  of  table 
apparatus.  Besides  the  usual  chopsticks, 
the  knife,  and  the  toothpick,  there  is  a spoon 
for  eating  soup,  a neat  little  quatrefoil  sau- 
cer for  soy,  and  a peculiar  two-pronged  fork, 
with  its  prongs  united  in  the  middle  by  a 
floriated  ornament. 

As  to  the  food  of  the  Chinese,  it  varies 
according  to  the  wealth  of  the  individual,  so 
that  a man  of  property  would  not  think  of 
eating  the  food  which  the  poor  man  thinks 
luxurious.  In  fact,  it  is  much  the  same  as 
with  ourselves,  so  that  it  is  impossible  to 
make  the  dietary  of  one  station  the  sample 
for  that  of  the  nation  in  general.  There 
are,  perhaps,  one  or  two  articles  of  food 
which  ought  to  be  casually  mentioned.  One, 
which  is  not  generally  known,  is  rather 
graphically  described  by  Mr.  Milne:  “Like 
other  Chinese,  he  ” (i.  e.  a Chinese  officer 
named  Le)  “invited  me  to  dine  with  him  on 
an  early  day  after  our  acquaintance  was 
formed.  On  this  occasion  I met  at  his  table 
with  a peculiar  dish,  which  I had  never  seen 
under  the  roof  of  any  other  host,  though  I 
was  informed  that  it  was  not  a monopoly  of 
Mr.  Le’s  taste. 

“ When  our  party  of  six  had  seated  them- 
selves at  the  centre  table,  my  attention  was 
attracted  by  a covered  dish,  something  un- 
usual at  a Chinese  meal.  On  a certain  sig- 
nal, the  cover  was  removed,  and  presently 
the  face  of  the  table  was  covered  with  juve- 
nile crabs,  which  made  their  exodus  from 
the  dish  with  all  possible  rapidity.  The 
crablets  had  been  thrown  into  a plate  of 
vinegar  just  as  the  company  sat  down,  such 
an  immersion  making  them  more  brisk  and* 
lively  than  usual.  But  the  sprightly  sport 
of  the  infant  crabs  was  soon  checked  by 
each  guest  seizing  which  he  could,  dashing 
it  into  his  mouth,  and  swallowing  the  whole 
morsel  without  ceremony. 

“ Determined  to  do  as  the  Chinese  did,  I 
tried  this  novelty  also  with  one.  With  two 
I succeeded,  finding  the  shell  soft  and  gela- 
tinous, for  they  were  tiny  creatures,  not 
more  than  a day  or  two  old.  But  I was 
compelled  to  give  in  to  the  third,  who  had  re- 
solved to  take  vengeance,  and  gave  my  lower 
lip  a nip  so  sharp  and  severe  as  to  make  me 
relinquish  my  hold,  and  likewise  desist  from 
any  further  experiment  of  this  nature.” 

The  celebrated  birds’-nests,  which  the 


Chinese  convert  into  soup,  are  not,  as  some 
persons  seem  to  think,  made  of  sticks,  and 
straws,  and  wool,  but  are  formed  from  he 
gelatinous  substance  obtained  by  masticating 
a sort  of  seaweed.  The  nests  are  transpar- 
ent, as  if  made  of  gelatine,  and  when  placed 
in  hot  water  they  dissolve  as  readily.  The 
nest,  when  dissolved,  is  very  much  like  the 
well-known  “Irish  moss,”  or  carrageen;  and 
I fully  believe  that,  if  the  Chinese  were  to 
obtain  the  seaweed  itself,  and  prepare  it  like 
the  nests,  it  would  answer  every  purpose. 
I possess  specimens  both  of  the  seaweed 
and  the  nest,  and,  after  tasting  both,  have 
found  them  to  be  identical  in  flavor  and  con- 
sistence. And,  as  the  seaweed  might  be  ob- 
tained for  about  ten  shillings  per  hundred- 
weight, and  the  finest  kind  of  nest  costs 
eight  hundred  pounds  for  the  same  amount, 
the  importation  of  the  seaweed  instead  of 
the  nests  from  Java  might  be  a good  spec- 
ulation. 

With  regard  to  the  great  staple  of  the 
country,  namely  tea,  very  little  can  be  said 
here.  In  the  first  place,  the  public  is  very 
well  informed  on  the  subject,  and,  in  the 
next,  the  tea  question  is  so  large  that  it 
would  occupy  far  too  great  space.  The 
mode  of  preparing  tea  differs  much  from 
that  practised  by  ourselves.  Instead  of 
allowing  the  tea  to  be  made  and  then  to  stand 
for  a considerable  time,  the  Chinaman  puts 
a little  tea  into  a cup,  pours  boiling  rain- 
water on  it,  inverts  the  saucer  over  it,  so  as 
to  prevent  the  aroma  from  escaping,  and 
drinks  it  immediately,  using  the  saucer  as  a 
strainer  whereby  to  keep  the  tea-leaves  out 
of  his  mouth.  As  to  adulterating  the  tea 
with  such  abominations  as  cream  and  sugar, 
he  would  be  horrified  at  the  idea.  The  Chi- 
nese never  use  milk  for  themselves,  though 
of  late  years  they  have  learned  to  milk  their 
buffaloes  for  the  service  of  the  foreigner, 
and  they  consume  sugar  in  almost  every 
shape  except  in  tea. 

We  who  use  either  of  these  accessories 
cannot  understand  the  true  flavor  of  tea,  the 
aroma  of  which  is  as  much  destroyed  by 
such  admixture  as  would  be  that  of  the  choi- 
cest wine.  Even  those  who  do  not  spoil  their 
tea  in  the  usual  manner  can  seldom  know 
what  the  best  tea  is,  because  it  is  never  sent 
to  this  country.  Not  in  China  can  a for- 
eigner purchase  it,  as  it  is  not  made  for  gen- 
eral sale,  but  is  reserved  for  “ cumshav  s,” 
or  presen^^s. 


CHAPTEE  CLIV. 


CHIKA  — Continued. 

WARFARE. 


WEAPONS  OF  THE  CHINESE  — BREECH-LOADING  CANNON  — VARIOUS  FORMS  OF  THE  JINGALL  — CHINESE 
ARTILLERYMEN  AND  THEIR  MAGAZINE  — BOWS  AND  ARROWS  — THE  REPEATING  CROSS-BOW  AND 
ITS  MECHANISM  — CONSTRUCTION  OF  THE  ARROWS  — CHINESE  SWORDS  — THE  DOUBLE  SWORD, 
AND  MODE  OF  USING  IT  — TWO-HANDED  SWORDS  — CRUELTY  OF  THE  VICTORS  — VARIOUS  MODES 
OF  TORTURE  — KNEELING  ON  THE  CHAIN  — THE  CANGUE  — FINGER  AND  ANKLE  SQUEEZING  — 
USB  OF  TORTURE  IN  MONEY-GETTING  — THE  LARGE  AND  SMALL  BAMBOO  — MODE  OF  EVADING  IT 
— EXPOSURE  IN  A CAGE  — THE  HOT-WATER  SNAKE  — CAPITAL  PUNISHMENTS  — SUICIDE  BY  ORDER 
— STRANGLING — CRUCIFIXION  PREFERRED  TO  BEHEADING  — EXECUTION  OF  A THIEF  — SAWING 
ASUNDER  — CONDUCT  OF  THE  MANDARINS — THE  “UMBRELLA  OF  A THOUSAND  PEOPLE”  — THE 
ROBE  OF  HONOR  — TRANSFER  OF  RANK. 


Without  going  into  the  question  of  war- 
fare in  China,  we  will  mention  one  or  two 
of  the  characteristic  weapons. 

Fire-arms  have  apparently  been  known  to 
them  for  ages,  but  in  all  the  years  that  we 
have  been  acquainted  with  China,  no  im- 
provement has  been  made  in  these  weapons, 
the  cannon,  the  jingall,  and  the  hand-gun 
being  as  rude  and  ineffective  as  they  were 
tw'o  centuries  ago.  The  cannon  are  little 
more  than  thick  tubes  of  iron,  mostly  hooped 
to  strengthen  them,  and  of  various  lengths 
and  bores.  As  to  preserving  any  exactness 
of  size  in  the  bores,  the  Chinese  care  little 
for  it,  and  if  the  ball  is  too  small  to  fit  the 
cannon,  they  wrap  it  up  in  cotton  and  then 
push  it  upon  the  powder.  Wadding  is 
thought  to  be  needless  in  fire-arms.  It  is 
rather  remarkable,  however,  that  the 
Chinese  have  used  breech-loading  cannon 
from  time  immemorial.  Each  of  these  guns 
is  supplied  with  several  separate  chambers, 
which  can  be  kept  loaded,  and  dropped  one 
by  one  into  the  aperture  of  the  gun  as  fast 
as  they  can  be  fired. 

Clumsy  as  may  be  the  jingall,  it  appears 
to  be  the  most  efficient  of  the  Chinese  fire- 
arms. It  looks  something  like  a duck-gun, 
and  is  supposed  to  carry  an  ounce  ball, 
though  the  missiles  sent  from  it  are  gener- 
ally of  a very  miscellaneous  character. 
Some  of  these  guns  are  pivoted  and  fixed 
on  tripod  stands,  while  others  are  either  sup- 


ported on  the  shoulder  of  an  assistant  gun- 
ner while  the  firer  takes  aim,  or  rest  upon 
two  supports  which  are  pivoted  to  the  stock 
not  very  tar  from  the  muzzle  of  the  gun. 
Of  the  manner  in  which  the  jingall  is  fired, 
Captain  Blakiston  gives  a very  amusing  ac- 
count, the  whole  proceeding  having  a very 
ludicrous  aspect  to  an  English  artillery 
officer. 

“We  explained  to  them  that  we  should 
like  to  see  some  practice  with  their  artillery, 
on  which  the  bombardier,  as  he  seemed  to 
be,  went  to  the  powder  magazine,  which 
was  an  old  sack  carefully  tied  up  and  lying 
under  a bed  in  the  hut,  and  brought  forth 
the  charge  in  a tea-cup.  Then  he  mounted 
on  a stool,  and  poured  the  powder  in  at  the 
muzzle;  the  jingall  was  thumped  on  the 
ground,  and  with  a long  bamboo,  which 
served  as  a ramrod,  they  rammed  the  pow- 
der home.  A little  of  the  already  soft  pow- 
der was  then  mealed,  and  the  touch-hole 
filled  with  it. 

“ One  man  then  held  on  tight  to  the  butt, 
while  another,  coming  out  with  a hot  poker, 
discharged  the  weapon,  the  effect  of  which 
in  noise  and  smoke  was  marvellous;  but  the 
poor  fellow  who  was  doing  the  marksman 
was  knocked  heels  over  head  backward. 
He  seemed,  however,  quite  accustomed  to 
that  sort  of  thing,  for,  picking  himself  up  in 
a minute,  he  performed  what  I certainly 
took  for  the  coup  d’e'tat  of  the  whole  pro- 


1434 


CHINA. 


ceeding.  Suddenly  swinging  round  the  jin- 
gall  on  its  pivot,  he  applied  his  mouth  to 
the  muzzle,  and  blew  violently  down  it, 
which  sent  the  remaining  sparks  flying  out 
of  the  vent,  and  then  swung  it  back  into  its 
former  position,  by  which  manoeuvre  he 
nearly  knocked  my  companion  oft*  his  legs. 

“ The  piece  was  then  left  with  its  muzzle 
inclined  well  upward,  so  that  any  rain 
which  might  fall  would  trickle  nicely  down 
the  barrel  and  accumulate  at  the  breech. 
The  picket  seemed  to  be  without  any  shot 
for  their  j ingall,  for  we  tried  to  get  them  to 
j)ut  one  in,  so  that  we  might  Are  across  the 
bows  of  our  junks,  in  order  to  test  the  cour- 
age of  the  boat  coolies.  Probably  shot  are 
not  used  in  the  warfare  of  the  interior:  our 
after  experience  was  favorable  to  this  sup- 
position.” 

Captain  Blakiston  rather  maliciously  adds, 
that  the  picket  was  placed  there  for  the  pur- 
pose of  giving  an  alarm  by  running  away  as 
soon  as  any  body  of  rebels  might  come  in 
sight. 

I possess  a specimen  of  the  jin^all.  It  is 
exactly  seven  feet  in  length,  and  is,  in  fact, 
nothing  more  than  a heavy  iron  tube 
mounted  on  a stock,  and  supplied  with  the 
rudest  imaginable  arrangement  for  the 
match.  Altogether,  I think  that  the  risk  of 
tiring  it  would  be  rather  greater  than  that  of 
being  fired  at  with  it. 

As  for  the  bow  and  arrow,  they  are  sub- 
stantially the  same  as  that  which  has  been 
described  when  treating  of  the  Tartars,  the 
weapon  having  been  taken  up  by  the  Chi- 
nese, and  its  use  carefully  learned  after  the 
same  fashion  as  has  been  mentioned. 

The  most  characteristic  Chinese  weapon 
with  which  I am  acquainted  is  the  repeating 
crossbow  (shown  on  page  1425),  which, 
by  simply  working  a lever  backward  and 
forward,  drops  the  arrows  in  succession  in 
front  of  the  string,  draws  the  bow,  shoots  the 
missi.e,  and  supplies  its  place  with  another. 
The  particular  weapon  from  which  the 
drawings  are  taken  was  said  to  have  been 
one  of  the  many  arms  which  were  captured 
in  the  Peiho  fort. 

It  is  not  at  all  easy  to  describe  the  work- 
ing of  this  curious  bow,  but,  with  the  aid  of 
the  illustration,  I will  try  to  make  it  intelli- 
gible. 

The  bow  itself  is  made  of  three  strong, 
separate  pieces  of  bamboo,  overlapping  o/)ch 
other  like  the  plates  of  a carriage-spring, 
which  indeed  it  exactly  resembles.  This  is 
mounted  on  a stock,  and,  as  the  bow  is  in- 
tended for  wall  defence,  it  is  supported  in 
the  middle  by  a pivot.  So  far,  we  have  a 
simple  crossbow;  we  have  now  to  see  how 
the  repeating  machinery  is  constructed. 
Upon  the  upper  surface  of  the  stock  lies  an 
oblong  box,  which  we  will  call  the  “ slide.” 
It  is  just  wide  and  long  enough  to  contain 
the  arrows,  and  is  open  above,  so  as  to  allow 
them  to  be  dropped  into  it.  When  in  the 


slide,  the  arrows  necessarily  lie  one  above 
the  other,  and,  in  order  to  prevent  them 
from  being  jerked  out  of  the  slide  by  the 
shock  of  the  bowstring,  the  opening  can  be 
closed  by  a little  wooden  shutter  which 
slides  over  it. 

Through  the  lower  part  of  the  slide  a 
tranverse  slit  is  cut,  and  the  bowstring  is 
led  through  this  cut,  so  that  the  string 
presses  the  slide  upon  the  stock.  Now  we 
come  to  the  lever.  It  is  shaped  like  the  Greek 
letter  -r  the  cross-piece  forming  the  handle. 
The  lever  is  jointed  to  the  stock  by  an  iron 
pin  or  bolt,  and  to  the  slide  by  another  bolt. 
Now,  if  the  lever  be  worked  to  and  fro,  the 
slide  is  pushed  backward  and  forward  along 
the  stock,  but  without  any  other  result. 

Supposing  that  we  wish  to  make  the 
lever  draw  the  bow,  we  have  only  to  cut  a 
notch  in  the  under  part  of  the  slit  through 
which  the  string  is  led.  As  the  slide  passes 
along  the  stock,  the  string  by  its  own  pres- 
sure falls  into  the  notch,  and  is  drawn  back, 
together  with  the  slide,  thus  bending  the 
bow.  Still,  however  much  we  may  work 
the  lever,  the  string  will  remain  in  the 
notch,  and  must  therefore  be  thrown  out  by 
a kind  of  trigger.  This  is  self-acting,  and  is 
equally  simple  and  ingenious.  Immediately 
under  the  notch  which  holds  the  string,  a 
wooden  peg  plays  loosely  through  a hole. 
When  the  slide  is  thrust  forward  and  the 
string  falls  into  the  notch,  it  pushes  the  peg 
out  of  the  hole.  But  when  the  lever  and 
slide  are  drawn  backward  to  their  full  ex- 
tent, the  lower  end  of  the  peg  strikes  against 
the  stock,  so  that  it  is  forced  violently 
through  the  hole,  and  pushes  the  string  out 
of  the  notch. 

We  will  now  refer  to  the  illustration. 
Fig.  1 represents  the  bow  as  it  appears  after 
the  lever  and  slide  have  been  thrust  for- 
ward, and  the  string  has  fallen  into  the 
notch.  Fig.  2 represents  it  as  it  appears 
when  the  lever  has  been  brought  back,  and 
the  string  released. 

A is  the  bow,  made  of  three  layers  of  male 
bamboo,  the  two  outer  being  the  longest,  b 
is  the  string.  This  is  made  of  very  thick  cat- 
gut, as  is  needed  to  withstand  the  amount 
of  friction  which  it  has  to  undergo,  and  the 
violent  shock  of  the  bow.  It  is  fastened  in  a 
wonderfully  ingenious  manner,  by  a “ hitch” 
rather  than  a knot,  so  that  it  is  drawn  tighter 
in  proportion  to  the  tension.  It  passes  round 
the  end  of  the  bow,  through  a hole,  and 
then  presses  upon  itself. 

c c show  the  stock,  and  d is  the  slide,  e 
is  the  opening  of  the  slide,  through  which  the 
arrows  are  introduced  into  it,  and  it  is 
shown  as  partially  closed  by  the  little  shut- 
ter F.  The  lever  is  seen  at  G,  together  with 
the  two  pins  which  connect  it  with  the  stock 
and  the  slide.  H shows  the  notch  in  the  slide 
which  receives  the  string,  i is  the  pivot  on 
which  the  weapon  rests,  k is  the  handle,  and 
L the  place  whence  the  arrows  issue. 


CHINESE  SWORDS. 


1435 


If  the  reader  should  have  followed  this 
description  carefully,  he  will  see  that  the 
only  limit  to  the  rapidity  of  fire  is  the  quick- 
ness with  which  the  lever  can  be  worked  to 
and  fro.  As  it  is  thrust  forward,  the  string 
drops  into  its  notch,  the  trigger-peg  is  set, 
and  an  arrow  falls  with  its  butt  just  in  front 
of  the  string.  When  it  is  drawn  sharply 
back,  the  string  is  released  by  the  trigger- 
peg,  the  arrow  is  propelled,  and  another 
falls  into  its  place.  If,  therefore,  a boy  be 
kept  at  work  supplying  the  slide  with  ar- 
rows, a constant  stream  of  missiles  can  be 
poured  from  this  -weapon. 

The  arrows  are  very  much  like  the  “ bolts  ” 
of  the  old  English  cross-bow.  They  are 
armed  with  heavy  and  solid  steel  heads,  and 
are  feathered  in  a very  ingenious  manner. 
The  feathers  are  so  slight,  that  at  first  sight 
they  appear  as  if  they  were  mere  black 
scratches  on  the  shaft.  They  are,  however, 
feathers,  projecting  barely  the  fiftieth  of  an 
inch  from  the  shaft,  but  being  arranged  in  a 
slightly  spiral  form  so  as  to  catch  the  air, 
and  impart  a rotatory  motion  to  the  arrow. 
By  the  side  of  the  cross-bow  on  Fig.  2 is 
seen  a bundle  of  the  arrows. 

The  strength  of  this  bow  is  very  great, 
though  not  so  great  as  I have  been  told.  It 
possesses  but  little  powers  of  aim,  and 
against  a single  and  moving  adversary 
would  be  useless.  But  for  the  purpose  for 
which  it  is  designed,  namely,  a wall-piece 
which  will  pour  a series  of  missiles  upon  a 
body  of  men,  it  is  a very  efficient  weapon, 
and  can  make  itself  felt  even  against  the 
modern  rifle.  The  range  of  this  bow  is 
said  to  be  four  hundred  yards,  but  I should 
think  that  its  extreme  efective  range  is  at 
the  most  from  sixty  to  eighty  yards,  and  that 
even  in  that  case  it  would  be  almost  useless, 
except  against  large  bodies  of  soldiers. 

Of  swords  the  Chinese  have  an  abundant 
variety.  Some  are  single-handed  swords, 
and  there  is  one  device  by  which  two  swords 
are  carried  in  the  same  sheath,  and  are 
used  one  in  each  hand.  I have  seen  the 
two-sword  exercise  performed,  and  can 
understand  that,  when  opposed  to  any  per- 
son not  acquainted  with  the  weapon,  the 
Chinese  swordsman  would  be  irresistible. 
But  in  spite  of  the  two  swords,  which  fly 
about  the  wielder’s  head  like  the  sails  of  a 
mill,  and  the  agility  with  which  the  Chinese 
fencer  leaps  about  and  presents  first  one 
side  and  then  the  other  to  his  antagonist,  I 
cannot  but  think  that  any  ordinary  fencer 
would  be  able  to  keep  himself  out  of  reach, 
and  also  to  get  in  his  point,  in  spite  of  the 
whirling  blades  of  his  adversary. 

Two-handed  swords  are  much  used.  One 
of  these  weapons  in  my  collection  is  five 
feet  six  inches  in  length,  and  weighs  rather 
more  than  four  pounds  and  a quarter.  The 
blade  is  three  feet  in  length  and  two  inches 
in  width.  The  thickness  of  metal  at  the 
back  is  a quarter  of  an  inch  near  the  hilt,  I 


diminishing  slightly  toward  the  point.  The 
whole  of  the  blade  has  a very  slight  curve. 
The  handle  is  beautifully  wrapped  with 
narrow  braid,  so  as  to  form  an  intricate 
pattern. 

There  is  another  weapon,  the  blade  o- 
which  exactly  resembles  that  of  the  two 
handed  sword,  but  it  is  set  at  the  end  of  a 
long  handle  some  six  or  seven  feet  in  length, 
so  that,  although  it  will  inflict  a fatal  wound 
when  it  does  strike  an  enemy,  it  is  a most 
unmanageable  implement,  and  must  take 
so  long  for  the  bearer  to  recover  himself,  in 
case  he  misses  his  blow,  that  he  would  be 
quite  at  the  mercy  of  an  active  antagonist. 

Should  they  be  victorious  in  battle,  the 
Chinese  are  cruel  conquerors,  and  are  apt  to 
inflict  horrible  tortures,  not  only  upon  their 
prisoners  of  war,  but  even  upon  the  un- 
offending inhabitants  of  the  vanquished 
land.  They  carry  this  love  for  torture  even 
into  civil  life,  and  display  a horrible  ingenu- 
ity in  producing  the  greatest  possible  suffer- 
ing with  the  least  apparent  means  of  inflict- 
ing it.  For  example,  one  of  the  ordinary 
punishments  in  China  is  the  compulsory 
kneeling  bare-legged  on  a coiled  chain. 
This  does  not  sound  particularly  dreadful, 
but  the  agony  that  is  caused  is  indescribable, 
especially  as  two  officers  stand  by  the  sufferer 
and  prevent  him  from  seeking  even  a tran- 
sient relief  by  shifting  his  posture.  Broken 
crockery  is  sometimes  substituted  for  the 
chain. 

The  most  common  punishment  in  China 
is  that  of  the  cangue,  a sort  of  moveable 
pillory.  A piece  of  wood,  some  four  feet 
square  and  nearly  four  inches  in  thickness, 
has  a hole  in  the  middle,  through  which  the 
culprit’s  head  is  passed.  The  machine  opens 
with  a hinge,  and  when  closed  is  locked,  and 
a placard  designating  the  oflence  is  pasted 
on  it.  As  long  as  the  cangue  is  worn,  the 
unhappy  delinquent  cannot  feed  himself,  so 
that  he  would  be  starved  to  death  were  he 
not  fed  by  casual  contributions.  Fortu- 
nately, it  is  considered  a meritorious  action 
to  feed  a prisoner  in  the  cangue,  so  that 
little  risk  of  actual  starvation  is  run,  and 
the  principal  terror  of  the  cangue  lies  in  the 
pain  caused  by  carrying  such  a weight  upon 
the  neck  and  shoulders.  This  instrument  is 
often  worn  for  weeks  and  sometimes  for 
three  months,  which  is  the  extent  of  its 
legal  use. 

Finger  squeezing  is  another  torture  which 
is  frequently  used.  Four  pieces  of  bamboo 
are  tied  loosely  together  at  one  end,  and  a 
string  passes  through  the  other  ends,  so  ar- 
ranged that  by  drawing  it  they  can  be  pulled 
closely  together.  The  fingers  are  introduced 
between  the  bamboos,  and  by  pulling  at  the 
string  they  can  be  crushed  almost  to  pieces. 
This  torture  is  often  employed  by  the  man- 
darins, when  endeavoring  to  extort  money 
from  persons  whom  they  suspect  of  con- 
cealing their  wealth.  The  ankles  are  squeezed 


1436 


CHINA. 


after  a similar  fashion,  only  in  this  case  the 
bamboos  are  much  larger.  Both  these  modes 
of  torture  are  shown  in  the  illustration  on 
the  next  page. 

Most  of  the  so-called  minor  tortures,  i.  e. 
those  Avhich  are  not  directly  aimed  at  life,  are 
employed  for  the  purpose  of  extorting  money. 
The  fact  is,  the  mandarins  who  are  set  over 
districts  only  have  a limited  term  of  office, 
and  may,  indeed,  be  transferred  at  any  time. 
As  during  their  term  of  office  they  have 
to  make  up  a certain  sum  demanded  by  their 
superiors,  and  have  also  to  keep  up  con- 
siderable state  on  a nominal  salary,  it  follows 
that  they  oppress  the  people  to  the  utmost  of 
their  power,  looking  upon  them  merely  in 
the  light  of  tax-producing  animals.  It  is, 
therefore,  no  wonder  that  a Chinaman  of  any 
ability  strives  for  literary -rank,  and  the  priv- 
ilege of  wearing  the  button,  which  exempts 
him  from  arrest  except  by  imperial  order. 

Beating  with  the  bamboo  is  another  com- 
mon punishment.  There  are  two  kinds  of 
bamboo  for  this  purpose,  the  small  and  the 
large;  the  latter  being  capable  of  producing 
death  if  used  with  severity.  Indeed,  even 
the  lesser  bamboo,  if  the  blows  be  struck 
with  the  edge,  instead  of  the  flat,  bruises  the 
flesh  so  completely  as  to  bring  on  mortifi- 
cation, of  which  the  sufferer  is  sure  to  die  in 
a few  days.  This  punishment  is  chiefly  used 
by  the  peculative  mandarins,  in  order  to 
extort  money,  and  is  employed  for  men  and 
women  alike;  the  only  difference  being  that 
the  man  is  thrown  prostrate  on  the  ground, 
while  the  woman  suflfers  in  a kneeling 
posture. 

A man  of  forethought,  however,  never 
suffers  much  from  the  bamboo,  and,  if  pos- 
sible, nothing  at  all.  In  the  former  case,  he 
bribes  the  executioner,  who  strikes  so  as  to 
produce  a very  effective  sounding  blow,  but 
in  reality  inflicts  very  little  injury.  In  the 
latter  case,  he  bribes  a man  to  act  as  a sub- 
stitute, and,  just  as  the  first  blow  is  about  to 
be  struck,  some  of  the  officers,  who  are  also 
bribed,  get  between  the  judge  and  the  culprit, 
while  the  latter  rolls  out  of  the  way,  and  the 
substitute  takes  his  place.  A similar  ruse  is 
enacted  at  the  completion  of  the  punishment. 
It  may  seem  strange  that  any  one  should  act 
as  a substitute  in  such  a business;  but  in 
China  men  care  little  for  their  skins,  or  even 
for  their  lives,  and  it  is  possible  to  purchase 
a substitute  even  for  capital  punishment,  the 
chief  difficulty  being  not  to  bribe  the  sub- 
stitute, but  to  find  enough  money  to  bribe 
all  the  officials,  who  must  act  in  concert. 

Powerful  as  they  may  be,  the  mandarins 
have  not  all  the  power  of  life  and  death, 
though  they  can  inflict  punishments  which 
jwactically  lead  to  the  same  result.  Mr. 
Milne  mentions  a case  of  this  kind.  Tw'o 
men  had  been  arrested  in  the  act  of  robbing 
a house  during  a fire.  This  is  rightly  held 
to  be  the  most  heinous  kind  of  theft,  and  is 
generally  punished  with  decapitation.  The 


mandarin  of  the  district  had  not  the  power 
to  inflict  death,  but  contrived  to  manage  that 
the  men  should  die.  Accordingly,  he  had 
two  tall  bamboo  cages  made,  placed  a man 
inside  each,  and  tied  him  by  his  tail  to  the 
top  bars  of  the  cage.  The  cages  were  placed 
in  the  open  air,  in  charge  of  officers,  who 
would  not  allow  any  communication  with  the 
offenders.  The  natural  consequence  'was, 
that  privation  of  food,  drink,  sleep,  and  rest 
of  any  kind,  together  with  exposure  to  the 
elements,  killed  the  men  as  efiectually  as  the 
sword  of  the  executioner. 

A modification  of  this  mode  of  punishment 
is  by  covering  the  top  of  the  cage  with  a 
board  through  a hole  in  which  the  head  of 
the  sufferer  passes.  It  is,  in  fact,  a fixed 
cangue.  The  top  of  the  cage  is  adjusted  so 
that  the  man  is  forced  to  stand  on  tiptoe  as 
he  is  suspended  by  the  neck.  His  hands 
being  bound  behind  him,  relief  is  impossible. 
This  mode  of  punishment  is  shown  in  the 
last  figure  but  one,  on  the  right-hand  side. 

The  other  figures  speak  for  themselves, 
except  that  of  the  kneeling  figure  with  snakes 
coiled  round  his  body.  These  snakes  are 
tubes  of  soft  metal,  fashioned  in  the  shape 
of  snakes  with  open  mouths.  They  are  coiled 
round  the  naked  limbs  and  body  of  the 
sufferer,  and  boiling  water  is  then  poured  into 
them,  producing  the  most  horrible  torture. 

As  to  capital  punishments,  they  are  in- 
flicted in  various  ways.  The  mode  that  is 
thought  to  be  the  least  terrible  is  the  com- 
mand to  commit  suicide,  because  in  that  case 
they  can  avoid  the  mangling  of  the  body,  and 
so  make  their  appearance  in  the  spirit  world 
whole  and  entire.  This  is  a i^rivilege  only 
accorded  to  officers  of  very  high  rank,  and  is 
conferred  upon  them  by  sending  the  “silken 
cord.”  No  cord  is  real!}''  sent,  but  the  man- 
date implies  the  instrument  of  death.  When 
it  is  received,  the  doomed  man  takes  some  of 
his  nearest  relatives  and  most  valued  friends 
to  his  house,  fastens  the  silken  cord  to  a 
beam,  places  himself  on  a stool,  passes  the 
noose  round  his  neck,  and  then  leaps  off  the 
stool,  and  so  dies.  Officers  of  loAver  rank, 
when  they  see  that  they  will  probably  be  con- 
demned to  death,  generally  anticipate  their 
sentence  by  hanging  themselves  on  their 
own  responsibility. 

For  criminals  of  no  status,  strangulation 
is  the  mode  of  death  most  preferred.  It  is 
accomplished  in  a manner  exactly  resembling 
the  Spanish  garrote.  The  criminal  stands 
with  his  back  to  a post,  through  which  a hole 
is  bored  at  the  level  of  his  neck.  The  tAvo 
ends  of  a cord  are  passed  through  the  hole, 
the  loop  embracing  the  man’s  neck.  The 
ends  are  then  tAvisted  round  a stick,  and,  by 
a few  rapid  turns  of  the  stick,  the  man  is 
killed.  The  rapidity  of  the  process  is  such 
that  Mr.  Lockhart  mentions  an  instance 
where  he  and  a friend  saAV  a file  of  soldiers 
coming  along,  carrying  a pole  and  a pinioned 
man  in  a basket.  They  stopped,  lashed  the 


(2.)  MODES  OF  TORTURE.  (See  page  1436.) 

(1487) 


\ 


1 


tBWW 

Of 


VARIOUS  PUKISIIMEKTS. 


1430 


pole  to  an  upright  post,  took  the  man  out  of 
the  basket,  lied  him  to  the  pole,  and  strangled 
him  before  the  foreigners  could  find  out  what 
they  were  doing.  The  strange  part  of  the 
business  was  that  the  officials  had  bribed  the 
apparent  culprit  and  his  friends,  as  they 
wanted  to  make  the  foreigners  believe  that 
he  was  an  opium  smuggler,  and  that  they 
were  doing  their  best  to  stop  the  trade. 
Truly  it  is  a strange  country. 

To  beheading  the  Chinese  have  the 
strongest  aversion,  because  they  shrink  from 
the  idea  of  appearing  headless  in  the  next 
world,  and  they  will  therefore  do  all  in  their 
power  to  avoid  it.  A most  remarkable  in- 
stance of  the  extent  to  which  a Chinaman 
will  go  to  avoid  decapitation  is  given  in  the 
following  extract  from  a letter  to  an  Indian 
newspaper.  The  man  was  a well-known 
and  most  abandoned  criminal,  who  with  his 
wife  had  been  arrested. 

“ On  his  trial  before  his  judge  he  refused 
to  criminate  himself,  although  repeatedly 
scourged  until  his  back  was  raw.  If  a 
female  witness  fails  in  giving  satisfactory 
evidence  in  a court  of  justice,  she  is  beaten 
with  a leather  strap  across  the  mouth.  His 
wife,  desirous  of  sparing  her  husband,  re- 
fused to  give  evidence,  but  after  two  or  three 
applications  of  strap  her  courage  gave  way. 
She  confessed  his  guilt.  The  prisoner  was 
then  sentenced  to  decapitation,  — deemed  by 
the  Chinese  to  be  the  most  severe  of  pun- 
ishments, because  they  imagine  that  if  a 
man  leaves  this  world  minus  any  of  his 
members,  he  appears  in  the  same  condition 
in  the  next.  I'he  culprit,  therefore,  prayed 
to  be  crucified  instead  of  being  beheaded. 

“ The  cross  was  of  the  Latin  form,  the 
foot  being  inserted  in  a stout  plank,  and  the 
criminal,  standing  on  a board,  had  nails 
driven  through  liis  feet,  and  his  hands 
stretched  and  nailed  to  the  cross-beam.  His 
legs  were  fastened  to  the  cross  with  an  iron 
chain,  and  his  arms  bound  with  cords,  and 
on  the  cord  round  his  waist  was  inserted  a 
piece  of  wood  on  which  was  written  his 
name  and  offence;  a similar  piece  on  his 
right  arm  contained  his  sentence,  namely, 
to  remain  on  the  cross  night  and  day  until 
he  died;  another  on  his  left  arm  had  the 
name  of  the  judge,  with  his  titles  and 
offices. 

“ The  criminal  was  nailed  to  the  cross  in- 
side the  Yamim  in  the  presence  of  the  mag- 
istrate, and  then  carried  by  four  coolies  to 
one  of  the  ’ principal  thoroughfares  leading 
from  the  city,  where  he  was  left  during  the 
day,  but  removed  at  night  inside  the  prison 
for  fear  of  his  friends  attempting  to  rescue 
him,  and  again  carried  forth  at  daylight  in 
charge  of  two  soldiers.  He  was  crucified  at 
noon  on  the  Wednesday,  and  Mr.  Jones  con- 
versed with  him  at  five  in  the  evening.  He 
complained  of  a pain  in  the  chest,  and 
thirst.  On  Thursday  he  slept  for  some 
hours,  when  the  cross  was  laid  down  within 


the  jail  compound.  No  one  was  allowed  to 
supply  him  with  food  or  drink,  and  during 
the  day  there  was  quite  a fair  in  front  of  the 
cross,  people  being  attracted  from  a dis- 
tance, and  the  sweetmeat  venders  driving  a 
large  trade. 

“On  Saturday  he  was  still  alive,  when  the 
Taotai  was  appealed  to  by  a foreigner  to  put 
an  end  to  the  wretch’s  sufferings,  and  he 
immediately  gave  orders  that  the  vinegar 
should  be  administered,  which  he  expected 
would  produce  immediate  death;  but  the 
result  was  otherwise,  and  at  sunset,  when 
the  cross  was  taken  within  the  jail,  two  sol- 
diers with  stout  bamboos  broke  both  his 
legs,  and  then  strangled  him.” 

It  is  no  matter  of  wonder  that  the  woman 
confessed  her  husband’s  guilt,  for  the  face  is 
sometimes  beaten  with  a hard  leather  strap 
until  the  jaws  are  broken,  and  the  whole  of 
the  lips  fall  from  them.  In  all  probability 
she  was  quite  as  guilty  as  her  husband,  so 
that  she  was  not  altogether  deserving  of 
pity.  . 

Decapitation  is  always  conducted  with 
much  judicial  solemnity,  and,  as  a rule,  is 
restricted  to  certain  seasons  of  the  year, 
when  large  batches  of  criminals  are  exe- 
cuted. There  are,  however,  occasional  ex- 
ceptions to  the  rule.  The  instrument  em- 
ployed is  a sword  made  expressly  for  the 
purpose.  It  is  a two-handed  weapon,  very 
heavy,  and  with  a very  broad  blade.  The 
executioners  pride  themselves  on  their  skill 
in  its  management,  and,  in  order  to  show 
their  powers,  will  draw  a black-ink  line 
round  a turnip,  and  sever  it  at  a blow,  the 
cut  never  passing  on  either  side  of  the  line. 
Before  a man  is  admitted  to  be  an  execu- 
tioner, he  is  obliged  to  prove  his  ability  by 
this  test. 

The  criminal  is  carried  to  the  place  of 
execution  in  a bamboo  cage,  and  by  his  side 
is  the  basket  in  which  his  head  will  be  re- 
moved. He  is  pinioned  in  a ver}^  effective 
manner.  The  middle  of  a long  and  thin  rope 
is  passed  across  the  back  of  his  neck,  and  the 
ends  are  crossed  on  the  chest,  and  brought 
under  the  arms.  They  are  then  twisted 
round  the  arms,  the  wrists  tied  together  be- 
hind the  back,  and  the  ends  fastened  to  the 
portion  of  rope  upon  the  neck.  A slip  of 
paper  containing  his  name,  crime,  and  sen- 
tence is  fixed  to  a reed,  and  stuck  at  the 
back  of  his  head.  See  illustration  No.  I, 
on  page  1451. 

On  arriving  at  the  place  of  execution,  the 
officials  remove  the  paper,  and  take  it  to  the 
presiding  mandarin,  who  writes  on  it  in  red 
ink  the  warrant  for  execution.  The  paper 
is  then  replaced,  a rope  loop  is  passed  over 
the  head  of  the  culprit,  and  the  end  given  to 
an  assistant,  who  draws  the  head  forward  so 
as  to  stretch  the  neck,  while  a second  assis- 
tant holds  the  body  from  behind ; and  in  a 
moment  the  head  is  severed  from  the  body. 
The  head  is  taken  away,  and  generally  hung 


1440 


CHIKA. 


up  in  a bamboo  cage  near  the  scene  of  the 
crime,  with  a label  announcing  the  name 
and  offence  of  the  criminal,  and  the  name 
of  the  presiding  mandarin  by  whose  or- 
der he  was  executed.  In  some  places 
these  heads  are  unpleasantly  numerous. 
In  many  cases  the  rope  and  assistants  are 
not  employed. 

There  is  even  a lower  depth  of  degrada- 
tion than  mere  beheading.  This  is  called 

cutting  into  small  pieces.”  Before  striking 
the  fatal  blow,  the  executioner  makes  long 
but  not  deep  cuts  on  the  face  and  in  all  the 
fleshy  parts  of  the  body,  taking  care  to  avoid 
the  chief  blood-vessels,  so  that  when  the 
culprit  is  released  by  the  loss  of  his  head, 
he  may  enter  the  next  world  not  only  with- 
out a head,  but  with  scarcely  any  flesh  on 
his  bones. 

The  last  of  the  punishments  which  will 
be  mentioned  in  this  work  is  that  of  sawing 
asunder,  a punishment  which  of  late  years 
has  been  but  rarely  inflicted,  and  we  may 
hope  is  dying  out,  though  in  reality  it  does 
not  cause  nearly  as  much  pain  to  the  sufferer 
as  many  of  the  minor  punishments.  The 
mode  in  which  it  is  performed  may  be  seen 
from  an  anecdote  related  by  Mr.  "Fleming, 
in  the  work  which  has  been  already  quoted. 
There  was  a distinguished  Imperial  officer 
named  Sun-kwei  who  was  taken  prisoner  by 
the  rebel  leader  Kih-yung.  Knowing  the 
ability  of  his  prisoner,  the  rebel  leader 
offered  to  spare-  his  life  on  the  condition 
that  he  would  accept  a command  in  his  army. 
Sun-kwei  flatly  refused  to  do  so,  saying  that 
as  he  was  defeated  he  must  die,  for  that  to 
take  service  against  his  emperor  was  impos- 
sible. Bribes,  threats,  and  promises  were  of 
no  avail,  and  at  last  Kih-yung  ordered  his 
prisoner  to  be  sawn  asunder. 

The  executioners^ began  to  exercise  their 
dreadful  office,  but  with  all  their  endeavors 
could  not  make  the  saw  enter  the  body  of 
their  victim,  who  only  jeered  at  them  for 
their  ignorance  in  not  knowing  how  to  saw 
a man  asunder.  At  last  Sun-kwei  was  good 
enough  to  instruct  them  in  their  business. 
“You  dead  dogs  and  slaves,”  said  he,  “ if  you 
w^ould  saw  a man  asunder,  you  should  com- 
press his  body  between  two  planks;  but  how 
could  you  know  it?”  The  men  followed  his 
advice,  and  sawed  him  and  the  planks  asun- 
der at  the  same  time,  he  never  relenting, 
but  scoffing  at  them  to  the  last  moment. 

It  is  With  some  reluctance  that  I describe, 
how^ever  briefly,  these  horrible  scenes,  but 
to  pass  over  them  would  be  to  omit  some  of 
the  most  characteristic  traits  of  this  strange 
people.  Those  who  know  the  Chinese  na- 
tion will  be  aware  that  I have  touched  the 
subject  very  lightly,  and  that  the  most  re- 
volting modes  of  punishment  have  not  been, 


and  for  obvious  reasons  cannot  be  mentioned 
at  all. 

Although  the  mandarins  are  generally 
hated  by  those  over  whom  they  are  placed, 
there  are  exceptions  to  the  usual  rule,  and 
men  are  found  who  resist  the  temptation  of 
extorting  money  from  the  people, — a temp- 
tation which  is  rendered  the  stronger  be- 
cause a mandarin  who  can  report  that  his 
district  has  paid  a very  large  sum  into  the 
Imperial  treasury  is  sure  of  promotion,  and 
if  he  has  “ squeezed  ” a large  tribute  out  of 
a district  that  previously  had  paid  but  a 
small  sum,  he  may  almost  reckon  on  obtain- 
ing the  coveted  peacock’s  feather,  with  all 
its  privileges. 

When  an  honest  and  kind-hearted  man- 
darin vacates  his  post  at  the  expiration  of 
his  term  of  office,  the  people  subscribe  to 
present  him  with  an  umbrella  of  state,  called 
“The  Umbrella  of  Ten  Thousand  of  the 
People.”  It  is  made  of  red  silk  and  satin, 
with  three  row'S  of  flounces,  and  bears  upon 
it  the  names  of  the  chief  donors  written  in 
golden  characters.  When  he  takes  his  for- 
mal leave  of  office,  the  umbrella  is  carried  in 
procession  by  his  attendants,  and  he  is  fol- 
lowed for  a certain  distance  by  those  who 
presented  it. 

The  highest  honorary  reward  of  this  kind 
that  can  be  given  is  an  outer  garment  made 
of  the  same  material  as  the  umbrella,  and 
also  decorated  with  the  names  of  the  princi- 
pal donors.  This  robe  of  honor  is  carried  in 
procession,  hung  within  a kind  of  pavilion 
that  all  may  see  it,  and  accompanied  by  a 
band  of  music.  Such  a robe  is  very  seldom 
presented,  and  the  recipient  naturally  values 
it  very  highly. 

While  treating  of  honorary  rew^ards,  one 
particular  kind  must  be  mentioned.  If  a 
man  distinguishes  himself  greatly,  and  feels 
that  he  is  under  great  obligation  to  some 
person  who  has  no  real  claim  on  him,  he 
will  solicit  some  high  title  from  the  emperor, 
and  then  ask  permission  to  transfer  it  to 
his  benefactor.  Thus  it  has  frequently 
happened  that  a man,  without  any  rank  of 
his  own,  has  taken  upon  himself  the  educa- 
tion of  a young  lad  of  promising  abilities, 
and  has  been  afterward  rewarded  by  finding 
himself  raised  even  to  a higher  rank  than 
that  of  his  jprotege.  Sometimes,  when  a man 
who  has  been  thus  educated  is  presented  to 
a higher  title,  the  emperor  bestows  on  his 
benefactor  the  lower  rank  from  which  he 
has  been  raised.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that 
in  this  country  every  incentive  is  employed 
to  promote  education  among  the  people,  and 
that  not  only  the  educated  man  obtains  the 
reward  which  his  powers  have  earned,  but 
that  those  by  whom  he  was  educated  have 
their  share  in  his  honors. 


OHAPTEE  CLV. 


CHINA  — Continued. 

SOCIAL  CHARACTEKISTICS. 


OPIUM  BMOKING  — SINGULAR  RESULT  OF  THE  HABIT  — MODE  OF  USING  THE  OPIUM  PIPE  — TOBACCO 
SMOKING  — THE  WATER  PIPE  — WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES  — THE  STEELYARD  AND  ITS  USES  — 
BOAT-LIFE  IN  CHINA  — CORMORANT  FISHING — FISH  SPEARING  — CATCHING  FISH  WITH  THE  FEET 
— THE  DUCK  BOATS  — AGRICULTURE — MODE  OF  IRRIGATION — CHINESE  MUSIC  AND  INSTRUMENTS 
— A SKILFUL  VIOLINIST — CHINESE  SINGING — ART  IN  CHINA  — PORCELAIN  — CARVING  IN  IVORY 
AND  JADE  — MAGIC  MIRRORS  — RESPECT  TO  AGE. 


We  will  conclude  this  subject  with  a short 
account  of  the  miscellaneous  manners  and 
customs  of  the  Chinese. 

Among  the  chief  of  their  characteristic 
customs  is  opium  smoking,  a vice  which  is 
terribly  prevalent,  but  which  is  not  so  uni- 
versally injurious  as  is  often  stated.  Of 
course,  those  who  have  allowed  themselves 
to  be  enslaved  by  it  become  gradually  de- 
based, but  the  proportion  of  those  who  do  so 
is  very  small,  though,  by  the  terrible  sight 
which  they  present,  they  are  brought  promi- 
nently into  notice.  It  seems,  moreover,  that 
the  quantity  consumed  at  a time  is  not  of  so 
much  importance  as  the  regularity  of  the 
habit. 

Let  a man  once  fall  into  the  way  of  smok- 
ing opium,  though  it  be  but  one  pipe,  at  a 
certain  hour  of  the  day,  that  pipe  will  be  an 
absolute  necessity,  and  he  takes  it,  not  so 
much  to  procure  pleasure,  as  to  allay  the 
horribly  painful  craving  from  which  he  suf- 
fers. in  fact,  a man  destroys  his  health  by 
opium  smoking  in  China,  much  as  a drunk- 
ard does  in  England,  not  so  much  by  taking 
immoderate  doses  occasionally,  but  by  mak- 
ing a habit  of  taking  small  doses  repeatedly. 
From  such  a habit  as  this  very  few  have  the 
courage  to  break  themselves,  the  powers  of 
their  mind  being  shattered  as  well  as  those 
of  the  body. 

A confirmed  opium  smoker  really  cannot 
exist  beyond  a certain  time  without  the 
deadly  drug,  and  those  who  are  forced  to 
exert  themselves  are  generally  provided 
with  some  opium  pills,  which  they  take  in 
order  to  give  them  strength  until  they  can 


obtain  the  desired  pipe.  An  anecdote  illus- 
trative of  this  practice  is  narrated  by  Mr. 
Cobbold  in  his  “Pictures  of  the  Chinese”: — 

“ A small  salesman,  or  pedler,  was  seen 
toiling  along  with  great  difficulty  through 
the  gates  of  Ningpo,  as  if  straining  every 
nerve  to  reach  some  desired  point.  He  was 
seen  to  stagger  and  fall,  and  his  bundle  flew 
from  him  out  of  his  reach.  While  many 
pass  by,  some  good  Samaritan  comes  to  him, 
lifts  up  his  head,  and  asks  what  is  the  matter, 
and  what  he  can  do  for  him.  He  has  just 
strength  to  whisper,  ‘ My  good  friend, 
please  to  untie  that  bundle;  you  will  find 
a small  box  in  the  centre;  give  me  two  or 
three  of  the  pills  which  are  in  it,  and  I shall 
be  all  right.’  It  was  soon  done;  the  opium 
pills  had  their  desired  effect,  and  he  was 
soon  able  to  rise  and  pursue  his  journey  to 
his  inn.” 

This  most  graphically  describes  the  ex- 
treme state  of  exhaustion  which  comes  on  if 
the  usual  period  of  taking  the  pipe  has 
passed  by.  The  pedler  thought,  no  doubt, 
he  had  strength  just  to  reach  his  inn,  where 
he  would  have  thrown  himself  upon  a bed 
and  called  for  the  opium  pipe;  but  he  mis- 
calculated by  a few  minutes  his  power  of 
endurance,  and  the  pills  (often  resorted  to 
in  like  cases  of  extremity),  when  supplied 
him  by  his  friend,  perhaps  saved  him  from 
an  untimely  end.  Very  similar  scenes  have 
happened  to  foreigners  travelling  in  sedan 
chairs  through  the  country,  the  bearers  hav- 
ing been  obliged  to  stop  and  take  a little  of 
the  opium,  in  order  to  prevent  complete 
exhaustion.  A long  hour  or  more,  in  the 


(1441) 


1442 


CHINA. 


middle  of  the  day,  has  frequently  to  be  al- 
lowed, nominally  for  the  sake  of  dinner  and 
rest,  but  really,  in  some  instances,  for  the 
opium  pipe. 

The  pipe  which  is  used  for  smoking  opium 
is  not  in  the  least  like  that  which  is  em- 
ployed for  tobacco.  The  stem  is  about  as 
large  as  an  ordinary  office-ruler,  and  it  has 
a hole  near  one  end,  into  which  the  shank  of 
the  bowl  is  fixed.  The  bowl  itself  is  about 
as  large  as  a Ribs  tone  pippin,  and  nearly  of 
the  same  shape,  the  bud  representing  the 
tiny  aperture  in  which  the  opium  is  placed, 
and  the  stalk  representing  the  shank  which 
fits  into  the  stem.  These  pipes  are  made  of 
various  materials,  some  being  mere  bamboo 
and  wood,  while  others  have  bowls  of  the 
finest  porcelain,  and  the  stem  richly  en- 
amelled. My  own  specimen  has  the  stem 
twenty  inches  in  length,  and  an  inch  and  a 
half  in  diameter,  the  bore  not  being  large 
enough  to  admit  an  ordinary  crowquill. 
The  bowl  is  of  some  light-colored  wood, 
well  varnished,  and  covered  with  land- 
scape scenes  in  black  lines.  Although  it 
has  not  been  in  use  for  many  years,  it  still 
smells  strongly  of  opium,  showing  that  it 
had  been  saturated  with  the  fumes  of  the 
drug  before  it  came  into  my  possession. 

The  mode  of  using  it  is  as  follows:  The 

smoker  has  a couch  prepared,  together  with 
a little  lamp,  and  his  usual  supply  of  the  pre- 
pared opium.  He  lays  his  head  on  the  pil- 
low, with  a long,  needle-like  implement 
places  over  the  aperture  of  the  bowl  a little 
piece  of  the  opium,  about  as  large  as  a mus- 
tard seed,  holds  it  to  the  flame  of  the  lamp, 
and,  with  a long  and  steady  inspiration,  the 
whole  of  the  opium  is  drawn  into  the  lungs 
in  the  state  of  vapor.  The  smoke  is  re- 
tained for  a few  seconds,  and  then  expelled. 
The  generality  of  opium  smokers  are  con- 
tent with  one  pipe,  but  the  votary  of  the 
drug  will  sometimes  take  as  many  as  twelve 
in  succession  before  he  is  completely  under 
the  influence  of  the  opium.  As  he  finishes 
the  last  morsel  of  opium,  the  pipe  falls  from 
his  hand,  and  he  passes  into  that  dreamland 
for  which  he  has  bartered  everything  that 
makes  life  precious. 

The  terrible  scenes  which  have  so  often 
been  related  take  place  for  the  most  part  at 
the  opium  shops,  places  W'hich  are  nomi- 
nally illegal,  but  which  carry  on  their  trade 
by  payment  of  periodical  bribes  to  the  rul- 
ing official  of  the  place.  In  Tien-tsin  alone 
there  were  upwards  of  three  hundred  of 
these  shops,  in  which  opium  could  be  pur- 
chased or  sold  wholesale,  or  could  be  refined 
for  smoking,  and  consumed  on  the  premises. 

There  is  only  one  redeeming  point  in 
opium  smoking,  namely,  that  it  does  not 
produce  the  brutal  scenes  which  too  often 
take  place  in  the  gin  palaces  of  this  country. 
Mr.  Fleming  remarks  of  this  vice:  “If 
opium  smoking  is  a great  evil  among  the 
Chinese  people,  as  it  is  no  doubt,  yet  they 


endeavor  to  hide  it,  they  are  ashamed  of  it, 
and  it  offends  neither  the  eyes  nor  the  hear- 
ing by  offensive  publicity.  It  is  not  made  a 
parade  of  by  night  and  by  day,  neither  does 
it  give  rise  to  mad  revels  and  murderous 
riots.  Its  eftects  on  the  health  may  be 
more  prejudicial  than  our  habits  of  alcho- 
hol  drinking,  but  yet  it  is  hard  to  see  any  of 
those  broken-down  creatures  that  one  reads 
about.” 

Indeed,  the  Chinese  themselves,  who  are 
apt  to  drink  more  than  they  ought  of  a fiery 
liquid  called  samshu,  say  that  the  spirit  is  far 
more  injurious  than  the  drug. 

We  will  now  see  how  the  Chinese  smoke 
tobacco.  The  pipe  which  is  ordinarily  used 
has  a very  little  bowl  of  brass,  at  the  end  of 
a slight  stem  about  as  large  as  a drawing 
pencil.  The  bowl  is  scarcely  large  enough 
to  hold  the  half  of  a boy’s  playing  marble, 
and  is  almost  exactly  like  the  Japanese  pipe, 
which  will  be  presently  described. 

A pipe  that  is  very  ihuch  in  fashion,  espec- 
ially with  the  women,  is  a kind  of  water-pipe 
made  of  brass,  and  enlarged  at  the  bottom 
so  as  to  stand  upright.  The  enlarged  por- 
tion is  filled  with  water,  through  which  the 
smoke  passes,  as  in  a hookah.  The  little 
brass  tube  which  serves  the  purpose  of  a 
bowl  can  be  drawn  out  of  the  body  of  the 
pipe,  so  as  to  be  charged  afresh;  and  in  most 
cases  each  pipe  is  supplied  with  several 
bowls,  so  that  they  can  be  used  successively 
as  wanted.  Only  three  whiffs  are  taken  at 
a time ; and  indeed  the  quantity  of  tobacco 
used  is  so  small,  that  more  would  be  almost 
out  of  the  question.  For  this  pipe,  tobacco 
is  prepared  in  a peculiar  manner,  a minute 
quantity  of  arsenic  being  mixed  Avith  it. 

One  peculiarity  about  the  Chinese  is  their 
almost  universal  employment  of  weight  as 
a measure.  With  the  exception  of  objects 
of  art,  nearly  everything  is  bought  by 
weight,  and  the  consequence  is,  that  the 
most  absurd  modes  of  increasing  the  weight 
are  often  employed.  Fowls  and  ducks,  for 
example,  are  sold  alive  by  weight,  so  that 
the  dishonest  vendor  has  a habit  of  cram- 
ming with  stones  before  he  brings  them  to 
market.  Fish  are  also  taken  to  market 
while  still  living,  and  are  improved  in  ap- 
pearance by  being  bloAvn  up  Avith  belloAvs, 
and  in  Aveight  by  being  crammed  Avith 
stones.  Through  the  lips  of  each  fish  a ring 
is  passed,  so  that  it  may  be  at  once  taken 
from  the  water  and  hung  upon  the  hook  of 
the  balance.  Nor  is  the  fish  dealer  particu- 
lar as  to  the  sufferings  of  the  creatures  which 
he  sells,  and  he  h>is  not  the  least  hesitation 
in  cutting  off  a pound  or  two  in  case  his  cus- 
tomer does  not  wish  to  purchase  an  entire 
fish. 

In  these  transactions  the  Chinese  do 
not  use  scales,  but  employ  a “steelyard” 
balance,  made  of  various  materials  and 
various  sizes,  according  to  the  object  for 
which  it  Avas  intended.  That  which  is 


CHINESE  BOAT  LIFE. 


1443 


meant  for  ordinary  market  use  is  made 
of  wood,  and  is  marked  at  regular  dis- 
tances by  small  brass  studs,  so  as  to  desig- 
nate the  exact  places  on  which  the  weight 
should  be  hung.  Those  which  are  intended 
for  finer  work  are  of  ivory. 

It  is  kept  in  a case,  which  looks  something 
like  two  wooden  spoons  laid  upon  each 
other,  so  that  their  bowls  enclose  any  object 
placed  between  them.  They  are  united  by 
a rivet  or  pivot,  which  passes  through  the 
ends  of  the  handles,  enabling  them  to  be 
separated  at  will  by  drawing  them  sideways. 
In  order  to  prevent  them  from  coming  apart 
needlessly,  a ring  of  bamboo  is  plaited 
loosely  round  the  stem,  so  that  when  it  is 
slipped  toward  the  bowl,  the  two  halves 
of  the  case  are  kept  together,  and  when 
it  is  slid  to  the  end  of  the  stem,  they  can  be 
separated.  In  one  of  the  halves  of  the  bowl 
a large  hole  is  scooped,  in  which  the  pan  of 
the  balance  lies,  and  a smaller  hole  is  cut  for 
the  reception  of  the  weight.  The  steelyard 
itself  lies  in  a groove  cut  along  the  inside  of 
the  stem.  The  reader  will  see  that  when 
the  apparatus  is  closed,  it  lies  very  compactly, 
and  can  be  stuck  into  the  girdle  ready  for 
use  at  any  moment. 

The  “3^ard”  of  this  balance  is  of  ivory, 
and  is  longer  and  more  slender  than  the 
chopsticks  which  have  already  been  de- 
scribed. In  my  specimen  it  is  eleven  inches 
in  length,  and  the  sixth  of  an  inch  in  diame- 
ter in  the  thickest  part.  Three  distinct  sets  of 
marks  are  made  upon  it,  and  there  are  three 
separate  fulcra,  so  that  when  the  weight  ex- 
coeds  the  amount  which  can  be  measured 
w ith  one  fulcrum,  the  second  or  third  ful- 
crum can  be  used  with  its  own  set  of  marks. 

The  arrangement  of  these  marks  is  a fer- 
tile source  of  dispute  among  the  Chinese. 
There  is  no  standard  by  which  all  the  bal- 
ances can  be  regulated,  but  each  dealer  has 
his  own  balance,  and  his  own  arrangement 
of  the  gradations  upon  it.  The  natural  con- 
sequence is,  that  quarrels  take  place  with 
every  purchase.  A vast  amount  of  time  is 
wasted  upon  disputes  which  might  easily  be 
avoided,  were  the  government  to  establish 
a standard  balance,  by  which  all  others 
might  be  graduated.  Time,  however,  is  not 
of  the  least  importance  to  a Chinese,  and  as 
a prolonged  bargain  has  a positive  fascina- 
tion for  him,  it  is  probable  that  such  a regu- 
lation would  not  l3e  popular,  and  ’would  in- 
deed be  evaded  in  every  mode  which  Chi- 
nese ingenuity  could  invent.  The  larger 
steelyards  have  a hook  whereon  to  hang  the 
article  to  be  ’weighed,  but  those  which  are 
intended  for  -V'eighing  small  and  valuable 
objects  are  furnished  with  a shallow  brass 
pan,  attached  to  the  end  of  the  balance  by 
four  silken  threads. 

The  extraordinary  economy  which  dis- 
tinguishes the  Chinese  is  characteristically 
shown  in  the  population  which  crowds  the 
rivers  near  the  principal  towns.  A vivid 


picture  of  Chinese  boat-life  is  given  by  Mr. 
Tiffany,  in  his  “American’s  Sojourn  in  the 
Celestial  Empire.”  After  describing  the 
various  kinds  of  boats  that  he  has  seen,  ho 
proceeds  as  follows : — 

“We  have  passed  through  several  miles 
of  boats,  and  have  not  seen  the  quarter  of 
them.  It  is,  indeed,  impossible  to  give  an 
idea  of  their  number.  Some  say  that  there 
are  as  many  as  seventy  thousand  of  them  at 
the  cit}’-  of  Canton  alone.  But  let  us  be 
content  with  forty  thousand.  Then  fancy 
forty  thousand  wild  swans,  closely  packed 
together,  floating  on  some  wide  pond,  and 
mostly'  restless,  and  you  would  say  that  they 
would  cover  many  acres  of  their  element. 
Kow,  by  the  enchantment  of  imagination, 
convert  the  pond  into  the  roaring  Pekiang 
Kiver,  the  swans  into  boats  of  every  shapo 
and  size,  the  notes  of  the  birds  into  the  yells, 
the  shrieks,  the  piercing  voices  of  the  river 
people,  and  you  may  have  the  actual  scene 
before  you. 

“ And  all  these  boats,  miles  upon  miles, 
from  border  to  border,  are  densely  packed 
with  human  beings  in  every  stage  of  life,  in 
almost  every  occupation  that  exists  upon  the 
shore  that  they  seldom  trespass  upon;  and 
there  they  are  born  and  earn  their  scanty 
bread,  and  there  they  die.  The  boats  are 
moored  side  by  side,  in  long-reaching  thou- 
sands, so  that  the  canal  which  they  form 
stretches  to  a point  in  the  distance.  In  the 
Shaneem  quarter,  above  the  foreign  facto- 
ries, they  form  large  squares  and  avenues. 
Forty  thousand  floating  tenements  would, 
under  any  circumstances,  be  considered  a 
singular  sight,  but  here  the  swarming  occu- 
pants give  them  the  appearance  of  a mighty 
metropolis.” 

It  seems  strange  that  so  vast  a population 
should  live  on  the  river,  within  pistol  shot 
of  the  land,  and  yet  that  the  greater  number 
of  them,  from  their  birth  to  their  death,  have 
never  known  what  it  is  to  put  a foot  on  the 
shore.  When  one  of  the  older  boatmen 
does  so  for  the  first  time,  he  can  hardly 
walk,  the  firm  land  being  as  difficult  for 
him  to  tread  as  the  deck  of  a tossing  vessel 
is  to  a landsman. 

Though  the  smallest  of  all  the  vessels  that 
traverse  a Chinese  river,  the  sampans  are 
perhaps  the  most  conspicuous.  They  are 
rather  small  boats,  drawing  but  little  water, 
and  for  the  most  part  propelled  by  two 
women,  one  sitting  in  the  bow  with  her  oar, 
and  the  other  stationed  in  the  stern,  work- 
ing the  huge  implement,  half  oar,  half  rud- 
der, by  which  the  boat  is  at  once  propelled 
and  guided.  Many  of  the  boat-steerers  are 
quite  young  girls,  but  they  manage  their 
craft  with  wonderful  skill  and  power,  hardly 
ever  touching  another  boat,  no  matter  how 
many  may  be  darting  about  the  river,  and, 
with  one  mighty  sweep  of  the  huge  scull, 
sending  the  boat  clear  of  the  obstacle  from 
which  escape  seemed  impossible  but  a second 


1444 


CHINA. 


before.  To  the  eye  of  a foreigner,  the  boat- 
women  arc  more  pleasing  in^appearance  than 
their  sisters  of  the  land,  inasmuch  as  their 
feet  are  allowed  to  assume  their  proper 
shape,  and  exposure  to  the  air  and  exercise 
take  away  the  sickly,  pasty  complexion 
which  often  distinguishes  the  better-class 
women  on  shore,  and  is  heightened  by  the 
white  powder  with  which  they  persist  in 
disfiguring  themselves. 

Some  of  the  mandarin  boats  present  the 
greatest  possible  contrast  to  the  little  sam- 
pans. They  are,  in  fact,  floating  palaces, 
decorated  in  the  most  picturesque  and 
sumptuous  manner,  and  furnished  with 
every  luxury  that  a wealthy  Chinaman  can 
command.  They  often  have  thirty  or  forty 
oars  of  a side,  are  gaily  bedecked  with  flags 
and  brilliant  lanterns,  and  mostly  carry  sev- 
eral cannon,  together  with  abundance  of 
fire-arms,  in  order  to  deter  the  pirates,  who 
would  be  likely  to  swoop  down  upon  an  un- 
armed vessel,  kill  the  passengers,  and  seize 
the  boat  for  their  own  purposes. 

In  connection  with  the  river  life  of  the 
Chinese  may  be  mentioned  the  various 
modes  of  fishing.  The  most  celebrated 
method  is  that  in  which  the  fish  are  caught 
by  cormorants.  The  fisherman  has  several 
of  these  birds,  which  are  trained  to  the 
sport,  and  indeed  are  bred  from  the  egg  for 
the  purpose,  and  sold  at  high  prices  when 
fully  trained.  The  man  goes  out  in  a boat 
or  on  a raft,  accompanied  by  his  birds,  and 
when  he  comes  to  a favorable  spot,  sends 
them  into  the  water.  They  immediately 
dive,  and  dart  upon  the  fish,  which  they  are 
taught  to  bring  to  the  boat. 

Should  the  fish  be  too  large,  the  man  gen- 
erally takes  both  fish  and  bird  into  his  boat 
by  means  of  a net  at  the  end  of  a handle; 
and  often  when  a bird  has  captured  a very 
large  fish,  and  is  likely  to  lose  it,  one  or  two 
of  its  companions  will  come  to  its  assistance, 
and  by  their  united  efibrts  hold  the  fish 
until  their  master  can  come  up.  A ring  is 
put  loosely  round  the  throats  of  the  birds,  so 
that  they  cannot  swallow  the  fish  even  if 
they  desire  to  do  so;  but  a well-trained  cor- 
morant will  no  more  eat  a fish  than  a well- 
trained  pointer  will  eat  a partridge.  Each 
time  that  the  cormorant  brings  a fish  to  the 
boat,  it  is  rewarded  with  a mouthful  of  food, 
generally  a mouthful  of  eel,  its  master  rais- 
ing the  ring  to  allow  it  to  swallow. 

Fishing  with  cormorants  is  almost  inva- 
riably carried  on  at  high  tide,  and  near 
bridges,  as  fish  always  love  to  congregate 
under  shelter.  At  such  times  the  bridges 
are  always  crowded  with  spectators  watching 
the  feats  of  the  cormorants. 

The  raft  on  which  the  fisherman  stands  is 
made  of  five  or  six  bamboos,  about  twenty 
feet  in  length.  Now  and  then  a cormorant 
which  has  not  completed  its  course  of  train- 
ing is  so  delighted  when  it  catches  a fish, 
that  it  swims  away  from  its  master  as  fast  as 


it  can.  The  fisherman,  however,  can  propel 
his  light  raft  faster  than  the  cormorant  can 
swim,  and  soon  brings  the  truant  to 
reason.  This  sport  has  recently  been  in- 
troduced into  England,  and  bids  fair  to  be 
successful. 

Though  caring  little  for  sport,  and  pursu- 
ing game  merely  for  the  “ pot,”  the  Chinese 
employ  one  or  two  methods  of  fishing  which 
have  the  sporting  element  in  them,  — i.  e. 
which  give  the  quarry  a fair  chance  of  es- 
cape. Such,  for  example,  is  fish  spearing, 
which  is  practised  after  rather  a curious 
manner.  The  fisherman  generally  takes  hi.s 
stand  upon  a low  bridge,  and  is  furnished 
with  a trident  spear  and  a decoy  fish.  The 
decoy  fish  is  prepared  by  lacing  a strip  of 
wood  to  either  side  of  its  dorsal  fin,  and  to 
these  sticks  a slight  line  is  fastened. 

All  being  prepared,  the  fisherman  takes 
his  place  on  the  bridge,  drops  the  decoy  into 
the  water,  and  ties  the  end  of  the  line 
to  a stick  like  a fishing-rod,  while  he  holds 
the  three-pronged  spear  in  his  right  hand. 
As  large  a fish  as  the  sportsman  can  procure 
is  used  for  the  decoy;  and  as  it  swims  about, 
its  fellows  come  up  to  it,  apparently  attracted 
by  its  peculiar  movements.  As  they  come 
within  reach,  they  are  struck  with  the  tri- 
dent, and  deposited  in  the  fisherman’s 
basket. 

A very  inferior  kind  of  fishing  is  carried 
on  in  places  where  the  bed  of  the  river  is 
muddy.  The  fisherman  wades  into  the 
river  up  to  his  knees  or  deeper,  and  every 
now  and  then  strikes  the  surface  of  the 
water  violently.  As  he  does  so,  the  fish 
which  love  such  localities  dive  under  the 
mud,  where  they  are  felt  and  held  down  oy 
the  bare  feet  of  the  man.  As  soon  as  he 
feels  the  wriggling  of  a fish  under  his  foot, 
he  stoops  down,  often  having  to  plunge  en- 
tirely under  water,  draws  the  fish  from  under 
his  foot,  and  drops  it  into  his  basket.  It  is 
evident  that  only  small  fish  can  be  caught 
by  this  method.  I have  tried  it  myself,  and 
found  that  after  a little  trouble  it  was  easy 
to  catch  any  quantity  of  small  flounders  and 
similar  fish,  — too  small,  indeed,  to  be  of  any 
use,  except  to  the  thrifty  Chinese,  two  of 
whom  will  buy  a duck’s  head  and  divide  it 
for  their  dinner. 

Among  other  river  industries  may  be 
mentioned  the  system  of  duck  feeding  that 
is  there  carried  on.  Vast  quantities  of 
ducks’  eggs  are  hatched  by  artificial  heat, 
and  are  purchased,  when  only  a day  or  two 
old,  by  the  persons  who  make  their  living 
by  feeding  and  selling  the  birds.  One  favor- 
ite mode  of  duck  feeding  is  to  keep  the  birds 
in  a boat  fitted  up  for  the  purpose,  and  to 
take  the  boat  along  the  banks  of  the  river. 
At  low  water  the  keeper  lets  out  the  ducks, 
which  find  abundance  of  food  in  the  multi- 
tudinous creatures  that  swarm  in  the  mud, 
and  when  he  thinks  fit,  he  recalls  them  by  a 
signal.  As  soon  as  they  hear  the  signal, 


MUSIC. 


1445 


they  hurry  to  the  boat  with  an  alacrity  that 
seems  rather  ludicrous,  unless  the  spectator 
knows  that  the  last  duck  always  gets  a sharp 
blow  from  a switch. 

The  characteristic  thrift  of  the  Chinese  is 
well  shown  in  their  various  agricultural 
operations,  which  are  marvellously  success- 
ful, not  only  on  account  of  the  real  skill  and 
knowledge  possessed  by  the  Chinese,  but  by 
reason  of  the  systematic  and  ceaseless  labor 
bestowed  upon  the  various  crops.  Kot  a 
weed  is  allowed  to  absorb  the  nutriment 
which  ought  to  go  to  the  rice,  and  between 
the  rows  of  plants  the  laborer  creeps  on  his 
hands  and  knees,  searching  for  every  weed, 
and  working  with  his  fingers  the  earth  round 
every  root.  Taken  alone,  this  is  hard  and 
disagreeable  work,  but,  as  the  rice  is  planted 
in  mild,  as  sharp  stones  are  often  hidden 
under  the  mud,  and  as  leeches  abound  in  it, 
the  hardships  of  a rice-weeder’s  life  may  be 
conceived. 

The  water  which  is  so  necessary  for  the 
crop  is  mostly  supplied  by  mechanical 
means.  If  the  agriculturist  is  fortunate 
enough  to  have  land  near  the  river  or  canal, 
his  task  is  .comparatively  easy.  lie  has  only 
to  erect  a certain  number  of  water-engines. 
These  are  almost  all  on  the  same  principle, 
— i.  e.  an  endless  chaii:^  passing  over  Wo 
wheels,  and  drawing  the  water  through  an 
inclined  trough.  The  wheels  are  generally 
worked  by  men,  who  turn  them  with  their 
feet,  supporting  themselves  on  a horizontal 
bamboo.  A larger  and  more  complicated 
apparatus  is  worked  by  a buffalo. 

At  the  smaller  wheels  all  labor,  as  Mr. 
Milne  observes:  “In  working  them  the 

energies  of  every  household  appeared  taxed 
to  the  utmost  vigor,  as  if  each  individual  felt 
convinced  of  the  necessity  of  his  personal  aid 
in  securing  a good  and  plentiful  crop.  I saw 
both  young  and  old  leaning  on  the  same 
frame,  treading  the  same  wheel,  and  hum- 
ming together  their  rustic  song  as  they  trod. 
Boys  six  years  of  age  kept  the  step  very 
well  with  men  of  fifty,  and  if  too  small  to 
mount  the  wheel,  they  were  placed  on  the 
ground  to  work  the  paddles  with  their  little 
hands;  and  women,  too,  whose  tiny  and 
compressed  feet  disable  them  from  treading 
the  mill,  stood  at  the  feet  of  the  men,  keep- 
ing time  with  their  hands  . . . None 
were  indolent.  There  was  no  cessation,  nor 
was  there  exemption  from  labor;  and,  while 
they  fought  among  the  thorns  and  thistles 
with  which  the  ground  had  been  cursed, 
and  with  the  sweat  of  the  brow  under  a 
blazing  sun  sowed,  weeded,  and  watered  the 
earth,  no  murmurs  were  heard,  save  the 
undulating  sound  of  the  husbandman’s  song 
as  it  waved  over  the  field.”  Those  women 
who  are  fortunate  enough  to  possess  feet  of 
the  natural  size  work  as  hard  in  the  field 
as  the  men  do,  and  are  then  almost  as 
scantily  attired,  a wide  and  short  pair  of 
trousers,  and  a wide  hat  to  shelter  them 


from  the  sun,  being  all  the  clothing  they 
care  for. 

Though  the  earth  be  poor,  the  Chinese 
agriculturist  forces  it  to  bear,  for  every  sub- 
stance which  can  serve  as  manure  is  care- 
fully saved  for  that  purpose.  Not  only  do 
the  Chinese  dispose  of  all  the  refuse  of  their 
houses  and  streets  in  the  fields,  but,  as  we 
have  seen,  even  the  little  scraps  of  hair  that 
are  shaved  from  the  head  are  saved  and  used 
as  manure.  Indeed,  it  is  only  by  means  of 
this  exceeding  economy  that  the  inhabitants 
of  so  densely  populated  a country  can  sus- 
tain life. 

Our  concluding  notes  on  Chinese  life 
must  be  few  and  short. 

According  to  their  own  ideas,  they  are  as 
much  adepts  in  music  as  in  the  other  arts 
and  sciences,  which,  as  they  believe,  have 
placed  them  at  the  very  summit  of  human- 
ity. They  have  a tolerable  variety  of  mu- 
sical instruments,  the  most  common  of  which 
is  the  San-hien,  a sort  of  three-stringed  gui- 
tar, with  a very  long  neck  and  a very  little 
cylindrical  body.  The  strings  are  of  silk, 
and  are  struck  with  a thin  slip  of  bamboo  at 
the  end  of  the  finger.  Then,  as  a type  of 
stringed  instruments  played  with  a bow, 
may  be  mentioned  the  Urh-heen,  or  two- 
stringed fiddles,  the  sounds  of  which  are 
generally  very  disagreeable, — that  is,  when 
produced  for  Chinese  ears;  but  when  the 
player  desires  to  imitate  the  characteristics 
of  European  music,  he  can  do  so  very  per- 
fectly, as  is  shown  by  Mr.  Fleming:  — 

“ In  one  of  the  most  thronged  streets  I 
was,  on  one  afternoon,  elbowing  my  way 
along,  exploring  the  ‘ Heavenly  Ford,’  when 
the  sound  of  a violin  play- 
ing a well-known  waltz 
fixed  my  attention  in  a by- 
lane; and  there,  instead  of 
a hairy  Briton  flourishing 
a bow  over  a Cremona,  was 
a blind  beggar  eliciting 
those  pleasant  notes  with 
as  great  precision  and  tone 
from  the  rude  and  weighty 
mallet-shaped  urh-heen,  as 
if  he  had  been  all  his  pub- 
lic life  first  violin  at  the 
opera.” 

The  same  traveller  re- 
marks of  the  vocal  music 
of  the  Chinese,  that  “a 
Chinaman  rehearsing  a 
song  looks  and  gives  ut- 
terance to  such  goat-like 
bleats,  that  it  is  impossible 
to  avoid  the  conclusion  that 
he  is  laboring  under  a 
violent  attack  of  chronic 
whooping-cough,  combined 
with  intermittent  seizures 
of  hiccough,  — the  ‘ dying 

. , falls  ’ of  the  inhuman  fal- 
MOUTH  ORGAN. 


1446 


CHINA. 


verse  finishing  in  the  most  confounding 
hysterical  perturbations  of  the  vocal  chords.” 

There  are  several  Chinese  wind  instru- 
ments. For  instance,  there  is  a clarionet, 
called  Shu-teh,  an  instrument  with  a very 
loud  and  piercing  note,  and  a peculiar 
“ mouth-organ,”  in  which  are  a number  of 
pipes.  One  of  these  instruments,  drawn 
from  a specimen  in  my  collection,  is  shown 
on  page  1445.  It  contains  sixteen  pipes,  of 
different  lengths,  arranged  in  pairs.  Some 
of  the  pipes,  however,  are  “ dummies,”  and 
are  only  inserted  to  give  the  instrument  an 
appearance  of  regularity.  The  length  of  the 
pipes  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  pitch  of 
the  note,  as  they  speak  by  means  of  brass 
vibrators  inserted  into  the  lower  end,  exactly 
like  those  of  harmoniums.  The  pipes  are 
bound  together  by  means  of  a horn  band 
that  passes  around  them.  When  it  is  used, 
the  player  blow'S  into  the  projecting  mouth- 
piece, and  with  his  fingers  stops  or  opens  the 
apertures  in  the  pipes.  The  tone  of  this  in- 
strument is  not  pleasing  to  European  ears. 

Strange  as  Chinese  music  seems  to  us,  and 
unpleasant  as  are  the  odd  and  unexpected 
intervals  of  their  melodies,  the  art  is  ev- 
idently cultivated  among  the  people,  and 
there  is  scarcely  a house  without  its  musical 
instrument  of  some  kind.  In  the  evening, 
according  to  Mr.  Fleming,  “ in  passing 
through  the  narrow  streets,  one  is  sure  to 
hear  from  the  dimly  lighted  houses  the 
squealing,  incoherent,  and  dis- 
torted vibrations  tumbling  out 
on  the  night  air  with  a spas- 
modic reality  and  a foreign- 
ness of  style  that  at  once  re- 
mind the  listener  of  the  out- 
landish country  he  is  in.” 

The  preference  of  the  Chinese 
for  the  strange,  wild,  abrupt 
intervals  of  their  own  music 
is  not,  as  the  reader  may  see, 
merely  occasioned  by  igno- 
rance of  a more  perfect  scale, 
but  is  the  result  of  deliberate 
choice  on  their  part.  They 
have  no  objection  to  European 
music.  On  the  contrary,  they 
are  pleased  to  express  their 
approbation  of  it,  but  with 
the  proviso  that  it  is  decid- 
edly inferior  to  their  own. 

From  Music  we  turn  to 
Art.  In  theirown  line  of  art 
the  Chinese  are  unsurpassed, 
not  to  say  inimitable.  Igno- 
rant of  perspective  as  they 
may  be,  there  is  a quaint 
force  and  vigor  about  their  ^ 

lines  that  is  worthy  of  all 
praise,  while  their  rich  soft- 
ness of  color  can  scarcely  be  equalled.  From 
time  immemorial  they  have  been  acquainted 
with  the  art  of  color  printing  from  wooden 
blocks,  and  some  of  their  oldest  examples  of 
color  printing  are  so  full  of  life  and  spirit. 


despite  their  exaggeration  of  gesture,  and 
their  almost  ludicrous  perspective,  that  the 
best  English  artists  have  admired  them  sin- 
cerely. 

Of  their  porcelain,  in  which  they  simply 
stand  alone,  it  is  impossible  to  treat  fully  in 
such  a work  as  this,  as  the  subject  would 
demand  a volume  to  itself.  Their  carved 
work  in  ivory  is  familiarly  known  throughout 
the  greater  part  of  the  civilized  world.  In 
many  of  these  carvings  the  object  of  the 
artist  seems  to  have  been,  not  to  develop  anv 
beauties  of  form,  but  to  show  his  power  of 
achieving  seeming  impossibilities.  Among 
the  best-known  forms  of  Chinese  carving 
may  be  reckoned  the  sets  of  concentric  balls, 
which  are  cut  out  of  solid  ivory,  or  at  least 
are  said  to  be  so  made. 

There  is  quite  a controversy  about  the 
mode  of  cutting  these  balls,  and  even  those 
who  have  spent  much  time  in  China,  and  are 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  arts  and 
manufactures  of  the  country,  disagree  on 
this  subject,  some  saying  that  the  balls  are 
really  cut  from  solid  ivory,  and  others  that 
each  ball  is  made  of  two  separate  portions, 
which  are  joined  very  artificially  by  cement, 
and  can  be  separated  by  steeping  in  boiling 
water.  Of  the  two  explanations  I am  rather 
inclined  to  believe  the  former,  as  none  of 
those  who  say  thafthe  balls  can  be  separated 
seem  to  have  tried  the  experiment  for  them- 
selves. The  mode  of  cutting  these  curious 


F CHINESE  ART.  (From  Sir  Hope  Grant’s 
Collection.) 

specimens  of  art  is  said  to  be  by  borjng 
conical  holes  from  the  circumference  of  the 
ball  to  its  centre  with  a spherical  piece  of 
ivory,  and  the  detaching  each  ball  in  suc- 
cession with  curved  tools. 


FILIAL  RESPECT. 


1447 


The  jade  carving  of  China  is  also  celebrated. 
This  material  is  remarkable  for  the  beau- 
tifully soft  polish  which  can  be  given  to  it, 
and,  as  it  is  a rare  mineral  and  exceedingly 
hard,  coming  next  in  that  respect  to  the  ruby, 
articles  made  of  jade  are  valued  very  highly 
by  the  Chinese.  * In  the  accompanying  illus- 
tration are  shown  a number  of  jade  carvings 
belonging  to  Sir  Hope. Grant,  who  kindly 
allowed  me  to  have  them  engraved  for  this 
work.  The  bowl  in  the  front  is  carved  in 
imitation  of  a water-lily,  the  handle  being 
formed  from  the  liower-stem.  The  ring 
which  hangs  from  the  handle  is  cut  from  the 
same  piece  of  jade.  Just  behind  it  is  ajar 
of  the  same  material,  which  is  a wonderful 
specimen  of  carving,  and  admirably  shows 
the  patient  industry  of  the  Chinese  worker. 
The  second  small  bowl  in  the  front,  and  the 
jar  behind  it,  are  also  of  jade. 

The  elegant  jar  which  occupies  the  centre 
of  the  group  is  a splendid  specimen  of  enamel, 
and  beside  it  is  a large  piece  of  lapis  lazuli^ 
on  which  is  engraved  a poem  written  by  the 
emperor  himself. 

The  celebrated  Summer  Palace  or  Yuen- 
ming-yuen,  which  was  sacked  and  burned 
by  the  English  and  French  forces,  was 
filled  with  splendid  specimens  of  jade  carv- 
ing, some  of  which  are  shown  in  the  pre- 
ceding illustration.  There  are  three  kinds 
of  jade,  the  cream-colored,  the  clear  white, 
and  the  bright  green.  This  last  is  the  most 
' esteemed,  and  is  so  valuable  that  a single 
bead,  not  so  large  as  a boy’s  playing  marble, 
is  worth  a pound,  or  even  more.  Some  neck- 
laces made  of  these  beads  were  sold  after  the 
destruction  of  the  Summer  Palace,  and 
thoiy^h  they  only  contained  about  a hundred 
and  fifty  beads,  a hundred  and  twenty  pounds 
were  given  for  them,  the  Chinese  commis- 
sioners thinking  that  thfty  were  sold  at  a 
very  cheap  rate.  The  Chinese  name  for  this 
jade  is  “feh-tsui.” 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  instances  of 
Chinese  art  is  the  magic  mirror.  This  article 
is  a circular  plate  of  metal  rather  more  than 
a quarter  of  an  inch  thick,  having  its  face 
smooth  and  highly  polished,  and  its  back 
dark  and  ornamented  with  various  patterns, 
among  which  four  Chinese  characters  are 
conspicuous.  These  characters  are  in  hon- 
or of  literature,  and  seem  to  be  generally 
employed  for  the  decoration  of  these  mir- 
rors. 

‘ When  used  simply  for  the  purpose  of  re- 
flecting the  face,  the  mirrors  present  nothing 
worthy  of  notice,  but  when  they  are  held  to 
the  sun,  and  the  beams  thrown  upon  a white 
surface,  .the  whole  of  the  characters  on  the 
back  are  shown  in  the  reflection.  The  mirror 
will  even  show  its  powers  when  used  with  a 
lamp,  but  the  sun  is  required  to  bring  out 
the  characters  clearly.  A small  but  excellent 
specimen  of  this  mirror  was  presented  to  me 
by  Dr.  Flaxman  Spurrell,  and.  always  excites 
great  admiration  wherever  it  is  shown.  Not 


the  least  trace  of  any  figure  is  to  be  found  in 
the  face  of  the  mirror,  and  the  higher  the 
polish  given  to  the  face,  the  clearer  is  the  rep- 
resentation of  tlie  figures  on  the  liack. 

Several  theories  have  been  promulgated 
respecting  the  mode  of  making  these  extra- 
ordinary mirrors,  the  most  probable  one 
being  that  the  characters  and  patterns  on  the 
back  are  made  of  a harder  .and  more  con- 
densed metal  than  that  of  the  rest  of  the 
mirror,  and  that,  when  a high  polish  is  given 
to  the  face,  the  diflerence  of  the  metal  is  not 
perceptible,  except  by  the  mode  in  which  it 
reflects  light. 

There  is  much  to  say  respecting  the 
customs  of  the  Chinese.  The  small  space, 
however,  which  remains  will  not  permit  us 
to  treat  fully  of  such  wide  subjects  as  religion, 
marriage,  and  disposal  of  the  dead,  and  that 
they  should  be  cursorily  treated  is  impos- 
sible. We  will  therefore  conclude  with  one 
of  the  most  j^leasing  traits  in  the  Chinese 
character,  namely,  the  respect  paid  to  old 
age. 

According  to  Mr.  Milne,  “The  sacred 
regard  which  Chinese  pay  to  the  claims  of 
kindred  secures  to  the  patriarchs  of  re- 
spectable families  ample  support  in  the 
advanced  and  helpless  stage  of  their  pil- 
grimage ; and  charity  often  relieves  poor  sep- 
tuagenarians whose  relations  maybe  unable 
to  supply  them  with  comforts  or  necessaries 
at  their  mature  age..  In  China  one’s  feelings 
are  not  harrowed  with  the  sad  spectacle  of 
an  aged  parent  discarded  by  his  children,  and 
left  to  perish,  unattended  and  unnursed, 
under  a scorching  sun,  or  on  the  banks  of  a 
rolling  river.  But  you  will  see  the  tottering 
senior,  man  or  woman,  who  has  not  the 
means  to  hire  a sedan,  led  through  the  alleys 
and  streets  by  a son  or  a grandchild,  com- 
manding the  spontaneous  respect  of  each 
passer-by,  the  homage  of  every  junior. 

“ The  deference  of  the polloi  to  the  extreme 
sections  of  old  age  is  manifest  likewise  from 
the  tablets  and  monuments  you  may  any  day 
stumble  upon,  that  have  been  erected  by 
public  subscription  to  the  memory  of  octo- 
genarians, nonagenarians,  and  centenarians. 
Nor  is  the  government  backward  in  en- 
couraging this,  but  the  reverse.  Hence  I 
have  often  seen  very  aged  men  and  women 
in  the  streets,  arrayed  in  yellow,  i.  e.  imperial, 
robes,  the  gift  of  the  emperor,  in  mark  of 
honor,  and  out  of  respect  to  their  gray  hairs.” 
The  reader  will  remember  that  an  honorary 
degree  is  given  to  competitors  who  havo 
reached  an  advanced  age. 

On  one  occasion,  the  ‘ emperor  called 
together  about  four  thousand  old  men  at  his 
palace,  entertained  them  with  a banquet,  at 
which  they  were  served  by  his  own  children 
and  grandchildren,  presented  each  of  them 
with  money  and  a yellow  robe,  and  conferred 
upon  the  oldest  of  the  assembly,  a man  aged 
one  hundred  and  eleven  years,  the  rank  and 
dress  of  a mandarin. 


70 


1448 


CHINA. 


Family  festivals  are  held,  something  like 
the  silver  and  golden  wedding  of  the  Ger- 
mans, to  celebrate  each  decade  of  life;  and 
80  important  do  the  Chinese  consider  these 
festivals  that  they  are  often  held  by  children 
even  after  the  death  of  their  parents,  the 
only  difference  being  that  they  have  some- 
what of  a funeral  cast,  white,  the  color  of 
mourning,  being  substituted  for  red,  the  color 
of  joy.  On  those  occasions  the  children  offer 
gifts,  and  no  present  is  thought  to  be  more 
grateful  to  the  recipient  than  a very  hand- 
some coffin.  All  Chinese  who  can  afford  it 
purchase  during  their  lifetime  a coffin  as 
handsome  as  their  means  will  permit,  and  so, 
should  they  not  have  been  able  to  purchase 
this  their  last  resting-place,  their  children 
think  themselves  honored  by  taking  the  pur- 
chase into  their  own  hands.  These  coffins 
are  nearly  square,  are  made  of  immense 
thickness,  and  are  so  carefully  cemented  that 
the  body  may  be  kept  in  them  without  need- 
ing .burial. 

Filial  respect  is  inculcated  into  the  Chinese 
with  their  earliest  breath,  and  their  youthful 
minds  are  filled  with  legends  of  pious  chil- 
dren. For  example : W u Mang  was  the  son 
of  parents  who  were  too  poor  to  possess 
mosquito  curtains.  So  at  night  Wu  Mang 
used  to  allow  the  mosquitoes  to  feed  upon 


him,  hoping  that  they  would  prefer  a young 
boy  to  aged  people.  Wang  Liang  lost  his 
mother,  and  had  a step-mother  who  disliked 
him.  Still  he  behaved  to  her  as  though  she 
had  been  his  own  mother,  and  once,  when  she 
wished  for  some  fresh  fish  and  the  river  was 
frozen,  Wang  Liang  went  to  the  river,  took 
off  his  clothes,  and  lay  on  the  ice,  hoping  to 
melt  it.  Suddenly,  in  reward  for  his  filial 
conduct,  the  ice  opened,  and  out  leaped  two 
fine  carp,  which  he  took  to  his  step-mother. 
Again,  Lae,  when  he  was  seventy  years  of 
age,  dressed  and  behaved  like  a child,  in  order 
that  his  parents  should  not  be  troubled,  when 
looking  at  him,  with  the  idea  of  their  own 
age. 

In  every  town  or  village,  the  oldest  persons 
are  treated  with  the  greatest  consideration, 
not  on  account  of  their  rank  or  wealth,  but 
of  their  age.  Every  one  gives  way  to  them, 
they  have  the  best  places  in  the  theatres,  are 
brought  forward  at  every  public  spectacle, 
and  are  indulged  in  every  possible  way.  Such 
has  been  the  custom  from  time  immemorial 
in  this  great  nation,  which  was  civilized  when 
the  inhabitants  of  England  were  naked 
savages.  The  oldest  civilized  nation  in  the 
world,  they  have  honored  their  fathers  and 
their  mothers,  and  their  days  have  been  long 
in  the  land. 


CHAPTEE  CLYI. 


JAPAN. 

DRESS  — ART  — AMUSEMENTS. 


POSITION  AND  NAME  OF  JAPAN — ^"APPEARANCE  OF  THE  JAPANESE  — DRESS  OF  THE  MEN  — USE  OF 
SLEEVES  — HAIR-DRESSING  — COURT  DRESS — THE  TATTOO  AND  ITS  USES — A STREET  SCENE  IN 
JAPAN — DRESS  OF  THE  WOMEN — ARRANGEMENT  OF  THE  HAIR  — THE  ANCIENT  HAIR-PINS  — USE 
OF  PAINT— BLACKENING  TEETH  AND  PULLING  OUT  EYEBROWS  — MR.  OLTPHANT’S  OPINION  UPON 
THE  CUSTOM  — DISREGARD  OF  CLOTHING  — THE  PUBLIC  BATHS  — HOMERIC  SIMPLICITY  — JAPANESE 
DRAWINGS  — TRAVELLING  IN  JAPAN  — A LADY  ON  HORSEBACK  ^ JAPANESE^  RIDERS  — THE  GAME 
OF  MALL  — HORSE  ACCOUTREMENTS — A SINGULAR  HORSESHOE — THE  NORIMON,  OR  PALANQLTIN 
— FASHION  OF  THE  POLE — THE  CANGO,  OR  CHAIR  — A NOBLE  IN  HIS  NORIMON  — ATHLETIC 
POWERS  OF  THE  JAPANESE  — THE  LADDER  BALANCING,  TOP  SPINNING,  AND  BUTTERFLY  TRICK. 


The  Empire  of  JapAjST  extends  over  a.  vast 
cluster  of  Islands,  of  different  sizes,  situated 
on  the  north  eastern  coast  of  Asia.  There 
are  nearly  four  thousand  of  these  islands, 
but  the  kingdom  practically  consists  of  three 
chief  Islands,  Niphon,  Kiou-siou,  or  Kew- 
sew,  and  Sikok,  or  Sitkokf.  The  first  of 
these  islands  gives  its  name  to  the  entire 
empire,  our  word  Japan  not  having  even  a 
Japanese  origin,  but  being  a corruption  of 
the  Chinese  rendering  of  the  word  Kiphon, 
i,  e.  Land  of  the  Sunrise.  As  might  be  in- 
ferred, it  is  within  the  island  of  Niphon  that 
the  capital,  Jeddo  or  Yedo,  is  placed. 

The  complexion  of  the  Japanese  is  yel- 
loMush,  with  a little  brown,  and  in  many 
cases  is  no  darker  than  that  of  a Portuguese 
or  southern  Italian.  The  eyes  are  small, 
and  not  so  much  sunk  in  the  head  as  those 
of  the  Chinese;  the  hair  is  black,  straight, 
and  coarse,  and  the  nose,  though  thick,  is 
Tv^ell  formed.  Their  stature  is  about  equal 
to  that  of  ordinary  Europeans,  and  their 
limbs,  though  not  large,  are  often  very  pow- 
erful, a slightly-made  Japanese  being  able 
to  lift  easily  a weight  which  a stalwart  Eng- 
lishman would  find  a heavy  burden. 

The  dress  of  the  Japanese  is  very  peculiar, 
and  well  suited  to  their  features  and  complex- 
ion. Although  it  has  about  it  something  of  a 
Chinese  aspect,  it  is  as  distinct  from  the 
Chinese  as  is  the  character  of  the  two  peo- 
ple. As  in  China,  the  dress  consists  of  much 
the  same  articles  with  both  sexes,  that  of  the 


women  difiering  from  male  apparel  chiefiy 
in  the  comparative  length  of  the  robes  and 
the  mode  of  dressing  the  hair.  A male 
Japanese  may  or  may  not  wear  trousers, 
his  liberty  in  this  point  being  absolute, 
sometimes  amounting  to  a practical  dispen- 
sation with  all  dress  whatever. 

The  chief  articles  of  male  dress  are  robes 
of  difiering  lengths,  one  being  worn  upon 
the  other,  until  a man  will  sometimes  carry 
four  or  five  robes  at  once.  They  are  girt 
round  the  waist  with  a broad  sash,  so  that 
if  the  wearer  wishes  to  remove  his  dress,  he 
has  only  to  loosen  the  sash,  and  draw  his 
arms  out  of  the  sleeves,  when  all  the  gar- 
ments fall  to  the  ground  together.  The 
sleeves  are  very  large,  and,  being  partly 
closed  at  the  ends,  are  used  as  pockets,  in 
which  are  carried  various  little  articles  of 
portable  property.  In  the  sleeves,  for  exam- 
ple, are  carried  the  squares  of  white  paper 
which  serve  as  pocket  handkerchiefs,  and 
which  are  always  thrown  away  when  used; 
and  in  the  same  convenient  receptacle  the 
Japanese  guest  will  carry  off  the  remains  of 
the  feast  to  which  he  has  been  invited,  such 
being  the  custom  of  this  strange  country. 

The  material  of  these  robes  differs  accord- 
ing to  the  wealth  and  quality  of  the  wearer, 
some  being  of  simple  cotton,  while  those  of 
the  higher  classes  are  made  of  the  finest 
silks,  and  ornamented  with  the  device  or 
arms  of  the  family,  embroidered  on  the 
breast  and  back  of  the  outer  robe.  • 


(1449) 


1450 


JAPAK. 


The  hair  of  the  men  is  dressed  in  a very 
singular  manner.  The  front  and  temples  of 
the  head  are  shaved,  as  in  China,  and  the 
remaining  hair  is  made  into  a tail,  as  is  the 
case  with  the  Chinese.  The  hair,  however, 
is  not  allowed  to  grow  to  its  utmost  length, 
and  to  hang  down  the  back,  but  is  made  into 
a short  queue,  about  three  inches  in  length, 
and  as  thick  as  the  finger,  and  is  turned  up 
over  the  top  of  the  head.  Generally  the 
head  is  bare,  but  it  is  sometimes  covered 
with  a hat.  The  hats  differ  much  in  shape. 
That  which  is  in  general  use  is  nearly  flat, 
and  is  fastened  to  the  head  by  six  strings, 
two  of  which  pass  under  the  chin,  two  are 
crossed  at  the  back  of  the  head,  and  two 
more  are  passed  under  the  nose.  A hat  thus 
fastened  gives  to  the  head  a very  singular 
aspect,  making  the  face  look  as  if  it  had 
suffered  from  a severe  accident,  and  was 
covered  with  bandages.  Some  hats  look 
like  beehives,  and  entirely  conceal  the  fea- 
tures, and  are  worn  by  outlaws,  or  “ lonins,” 
and  disgraced  nobles.  Sometimes  the  men 
pass  a piece  of  stuff  over  their  heads  in  such 
a way  as  to  hide  the  forehead  and  chin,  and 
only  to  leave  the  <^es,  nose,  and  mouth  ex- 
posed; and  in  winter  they  throw  over  the 
hat  a piece  of  cloth,  which  is  tied  over  the 
nose  so  as  to  shield  that  member  from  the 
cold  blasts. 

Men  of  consideration  also  wear  a scarf 
over  the  shoulders,  its  length  being  regulated 
by  the  rank  of  the  wearer,  and  thus  serving 
to  indicate  the  amount  of  courtesy  which  is 
due  from  one  man  to  another.  When  two 
Japanese  gentlemen  meet,  they  bow  until 
the  ends  of  the  scarf  touch  the  ground.  It 
is  evident,  therefore,  that  the  man  who,  in 
virtue  of  his  rank,  wears  the  longest  scarf, 
has  the  less  distance  to  bow. 

In  addition  to  the  ordinary  costume,  the 
dress  of  ceremony  has  two  extraordinary 
additions.  The  first  is  the  “kami-samo,” 
respecting  which  the  Japanese  are  exceed- 
ingly punctilious.  It  consists  of  a piece  of 
stuff  which  is  folded  back  over  the  shoul- 
ders in  a fan-like  form,  and  gives  a most  ex- 
traordinary and  awkward  look  to  the  wearer. 
Courtiers  wear  another  article  of  dress 
which  is  exactly  opposed  to  our  customs. 

In  European  courts  the  nether  garments 
are  abbreviated,  and  only  come  to  the  knee; 
in  Japan  the  custom  is  reversed.  When  the 
nobles  appear  before  the  emperor,  they  wear 
a pair  of  trousers  with  legs  fully  twice  as 
long  as  those  of  the  wearer,  so  that  in  walk- 
ing they  trail  a yard  or  so  on  the  ground. 
Walking  in  such  garments  is  an  art  which 
can  only  be  attained  by  long  practice,  and 
which,  even  when  learned,  is  nothing  more 
than  an  ungainly  shuffle,  threatening  every 
moment  to  throw  the  courtier  on  his  face. 
The  attitudes  which  are  assumed  by  fashiona- 
ble courtiers  are  so  absurd  that  the  Japanese 
picture  books  abound  in  caricatures  of  noble- 
men at  court.  The  object  of  this  curious 


custom  is  probably  to  give  the  wearer  of  the 
court  dress  an  aspect  as  if  he  were  kneeling 
instead  of  standing. 

Men  of  the  better  classes  always  appear 
in  public  carefully  dressed,  but  those  of 
the  lower  orders  consider  themselves  suffi- 
ciently clothed  if  they  have  a mere  strip  of 
cloth  like  the  “ languti  ” of  India,  Coolies, 
for  example,  laborers  of  various  kinds,  post- 
runners, etc.,  wear  nothing  but  the  cloth  strip 
while  at  work. 

Mr.  Oliphant,  in  his  “ Narrative,”  men- 
tions this  fact  in  connection  with  the  cus- 
tom of  tattooing,  which  is  carried  out  in 
Japan  to  as  much  perfection  as  in  Polynesia. 

“ Some,  however,  denied  themselves  the 
benefit  of  dress,  apparently  for  the  purpose 
of  exhibiting  the  brilliant  patterns  in  which 
their  skins  were  tattooed.  One  man  had  a 
monster  crab  on  the  small  of  his  back,  and  a 
pretty  cottage  on  his  chest.  It  is  rather  fash- 
ionable to  have  scarlet  fish  playing  sport- 
ively between  5mur  shoulders.  The  scarlet 
tattooing  presents  a very  disgusting  appear- 
ance. The  skin  looks  as  if  it  had  been  care- 
fully peeled  off'  into  the  required  pattern. 

“ On  a really  Avell-tattooed  .man  there  is 
not  an  inch  of  the  body  which  does  not  form 
part  of  a pictorial  representation.  If  the 
general  effect  is  not  agreeable,  it  is  perfectly 
decent,  for  the  skin  ceases  to  look  bare,  or 
like  skin  at  all;  it  rather  resembles  a harle- 
quin’s costume.  It  must  be  dreadful  to  feel 
that  one  can  never  undress  again.  Yet 
what  anguish  does  not  the  victim  undergo, 
in  order  to  put  himself  into  a permanent 
suit  of  red  dye  and  gunpowder!  ” The 
Japanese  are  very  fond  of  their  children, 
and  in  summer  time  a man  may  often  be 
seen  in  the  streets,  wearing  nothing  but  the 
cloth  strip,  and  carrying  in  his  arms  his  in- 
fant child,  who  has  no  clothing  whatever. 

Sometimes  a man  will  appear  in  a cos- 
tume which  even  seems  more  absurd  than 
the  almost  entire  nudity  which  has  just 
been  mentioned,  and  will  walk  about  in  a 
hat,  a short  jacket,  and  nothing  else  but  the 
cloth. 

In  an  illustration  on  the  next  page,  the 
artist  has  shown  a number  of  the  ordinary 
costumes  as  they  appear  when  the  wearers 
are  gathered  round  a ballad-singer.  The 
most  conspicuous  figure  is  that  of  a Sam- 
ourai  or  Yaconin,  an  armed  retainer  of  a 
nobleman,  swaggering  along  with  the  two 
swords  emblematic  of  his  office,  and  his  fea- 
tures nearly  hidden  under  his  hat.  The- 
men  wearing  the  extraordinary  piebald 
dresses  are  a sort  of  street  constable,  who 
accompany  a man  of  rank  on  his  journey, 
and  who  jingle  an  iron  rod  laden  with  rings, 
in  order  to  warn  people  to  get  out  of  the 
way  of  the  great  man.  The  other  figures  of 
men  are  arranged  so  as  to  show  the  mode  of 
dressing  the  hair,  and  one  or  two  varieties 
of  costume. 

The  general  appearance  of  the  women’s 


(1.)  DECAPITATION  OF  CHINESE  CRIMINAL.  (See  page  1440.) 


(2.)  THE  STREET  BALLAD-SINGER.  (See  page  1450.) 

(1461) 


JAPANESE  WOMEN. 


1453 


dress  is  well  shown  by  a figure  opposite  to 
that  of  the  Sainoiirai.  The  dress  is  almost 
exactly  like  that  of  the  men,  except  that  the 
materials  are  generally  liner,  and  the  sash 
which  coniines  the  garments  to  the  waist  is 
very  broad,  and  gathered  up  into  a large 
and  peculiar  knot,  almost  exactly  like  .the 
“panier  ” of  European  fashion.  Both  sexes 
wear  stockings  made  like  mittens,  and  hav- 
ing a separate  place  for  the  reception  of  the 
great  toe.  Without  this  provision  they 
would  not  be  able  to  wear  the  peculiar  san- 
dals and  clogs  of  the  country,  which  arc 
held  on  the  foot  by  a Y-shaped  strap,  the 
fork  of  which  passes  between  the  great  and 
the  second  toe.  The  clogs  that  are  worn  by 
the  women  very  much  resemble  those  of  the 
Malays  in  general  shape,  and,  awkward  as 
they  look,  are  easil}^  manageable  after  a little 
practice.  Some  clogs  in  my  collection  ele- 
vate the  foot  of  the  wearer  six  inches  above 
the  ground,  but  I have  found  that  walking,  or 
rather  shuffling,  in  them  is  not  at  all  difficult. 

The  chief  distinction  between  mascu- 
line and  feminine  attire,  lies  in  the  hair. 
Whereas  the  men  shave  nearly  the  whole 
of  the  head,  the  women  allow  their  hair  to 
grow,  and  even  add  to  it  when  they  do  not 
possess  a sufficient  amount  to  produce  the 
extraordinary  forms  into  which  they  twist 
their  locks.  Various  fashions  of  hair-dress- 
ing prevail  in  different  parts  of  the  country, 
but  in  all  cases  the  women  take  extraor- 
dinary pains  with  their  heads,  and  twist  their 
hair  into  elaborate  and  fantastic  patterns, 
which  scarcely  any  European  hairdresser 
could  equal. 

Hair-pins  are  very  fashionable,  not  so 
much  for  the  purpose  of  confining  the  locks 
in  their  places,  as  of  mere  adornment.  The 
pins  are  of  enormous  size,  seven  or  eight 
inches  in  length,  and  half  an  inch  wide,  and 
are  made  of  various  substances,  such  as 
tortoise  shell,  carved  wood,  and  ivory. 
Some  of  the  most  characteristic  hair-pins 
are  made  of  glass.  They  are  hollow,  and 
nearly  filled  with  some  colored  liquid,  so 
that  at  every  movement  of  the  wearer  an  air 
bubble  runs  from  one  end  of  the  pin  to  the 
other.  Sometimes  a woman  will  wear  a 
dozen  or  more  of  these  pins  in  her  hair,  so 
that  at  a little  distance  her  head  looks  as  if  a 
bundle  of  firewood  had  been  stuck  loosely 
into  it. 

Having  pleasing  features  by  nature,  it 
may  be  expected  that  the  women  do  their 
best  to  disfigure  them  by  art.  The  soft  pale 
brown  of  their  complexions  is  made  ghastly 
and  hideous  by  white  paint,  with  which  the 
face,  neck,  and  bust  are  thickly  covered. 
The  natural  pink  of  the  lips  is  rendered  dis- 
gusting by  a layer  of  red  paint,  the  white 
teeth  are  blackened,  and  the  eyebrows  are 
pulled  out.  This  style  of  adornment  belongs 
only  to  the  married  women,  so  that  a really 
pretty  girl  v/ill  in  a few  hours  transform  her- 
self into  a repulsive  hag. 


Mr.  Oliphant,  in  the  work  which  has  al- 
ready been  mentioned,  gives  rather  a hu- 
morous reason  for  this  strange  custom. 

“ The  first  impression  of  the  fair  sex  which 
the  traveller  receives  in  a Japanese  crowd 
is  in  the  highest  degree  unfavora])le;  tlie 
ghastly  appearance  of  the  faces  and  bosoms, 
thickly  coated  with  powder,  the  aijsence  ot 
eyebrows,  and  the  blackened  teeth,  produce 
a most  i)ainful  and  disagreeable  effect. 
Were  it  not  for  this  al)ominable  custom, 
Japanese  women  would  probal)ly  rank  high 
among  Eastern  beauties,  certainly  far  before 
Chinese. 

.“All  Japanese  writers  whom  I have  read 
upon  the  subject  affirm  that  to  have  no  eye- 
brows and  black  teeth  is  considered  a beauty 
in  Japan,  and  that  the  object  of  the  process 
is  to  add  to  the  charms  of  the  fair  one.  The 
result  of  my  inquiry  and  observation,  how- 
ever, rather  led  me  to  form  an  opposite  con- 
clusion. 

“ In  the  first  place,  young  ladies  do  not, 
as  a rule,  neglec.t  any  opportunity  of  improv- 
ing their  looks;  but  no  Japanese  young 
ladies,  even  after  they  are  ‘ out,’  think  of  tak- 
ing this  method  of  increasing  their  powers 
of  fascination;  they  color  their  lips  and 
cheeks,  and  deck  their  hair,  but  it  is  not 
until  they  have  made  a conquest  of  some 
lucky  swain,  that,  to  prove  their  devotion  to 
him,  they  begin  to  blacken  their  teeth  and 
pull  out  their  eyebrows. 

“ He,  privileged  being,  is  called  upon  to 
exhibit  no  such  test  of  his  affection:  on  the 
contrary,  his  lawful  wife  having  so  far  dis- 
figured herself  as  to  render  it  impos- 
sible that  she  should  be  attractive  to  any 
one  else,  seems  to  lose  her  charms  for 
her  husband  as  well.  So  he  places  her  at 
the  head  of  his  establishment;  and  adds  to 
it  an  indefinite  number  of  handmaidens,  who 
neither  pull  out  their  eyebrows  nor  blacken 
their  teeth.  Hence  it  seems  not  difficult  to 
account  for  the  phenomenon  which  is  uni- 
versally admitted,  that  while  Japanese  wives 
are  celebrated  for  their  virtue,  their  hus- 
bands are  no  less  notorious  for  their  licen- 
tiousness.” 

While  upon  the  subject  of  dress,  we  must 
not  pass  unnoticed  the  extraordinary  ideas 
which  the  Japanese  have  on  the  subject. 
Possessed  as  they  are  of  much  taste  in  dress, 
and  having  certain  complete  costumes  for 
various  ranks,  it  seems  very  remarkable  that 
they  are  utterly  indifferent  to  clothing  con- 
sidered in  the  light  of  covering.  They  at- 
tach no  sense  of  indelicacy  to  exposure  of 
the  person,  and  men,  women,  and  children 
may  be  seen  bathing  exposed  to  the  sight  of 
every  passer-by. 

Even  their  public  baths,  though  some  of 
them  have  two  doors,  one  for  men  and  one 
for  women,  are  common  to  both  sexes,  and 
in  those  baths  which  are  specially  set  apart 
for  women  the  attendant  is  often  a 'man. 
Sometimes  there  is  a partition,  about  breast 


1454 


JAPAN. 


high,  to  separate  the  sexes,  hut  the  usual 
baths  have  no  such  reliiieinent.  The  baths 
are  merely  shallow  pans  or  depressions  in 
the  door,  in  which  the  bathers  sit  while  they 
pour  over  themselves  abundant  supplies  of 
hot  and  cold  water.  Baths  of  this  nature 
are  attached  to  all  the  “ tea-houses,”  so 
that  travellers  can  refresh  themselves  with 
a bath,  in  true  Homeric  style,  before  they 
take  their  meals.  And,  in  Homeric  style 
also,  the  attendants  are  women.  The- baths 
are  known  by  a dark  blue  strip  of  cloth 
which  hangs  like  a banner  over  the  door- 
way. Europeans,  when  they  first  visit  the 
country,  are  rather  surprised  when  they 
pass  along  the  streets  to  see  a whole  family 

tubbing”  in  front  of  their  houses,  or,  when 
they  pass  a public  bath,  to  see  the  inniates 
Tim  out  to  look  at  the  strangers;  but  they 
very  soon  become  used  to  such  spectacles, 
and  think  no  more  of  them  than  do  the 
Japanese  themselves. 

Sir  Kutherford  Alcock,  in  dealing  with 
this  subject,  and  illustrating  it  by  a Japan- 
ese drawing  representing  a bath  tenanied 
by  a man,  a boy,  and  five  women,  makes 
the  following  remarks;  “Men  and  women 
steaming  in  the  bathing-houses  raise  them- 
selves to  the  open  bars  of  the  lattice  fronts 
to  look  out,  the  interior  behind  them  pre- 
senting a view  very  faithfully  represented 
rn  the  following  sketch  by  a native  artist. 

“In  reference  to  which,  I cannot  help 
teeling  there  is  some  danger  of  doing  injus- 
tice to  the  womanhood  of  Japan  if  we  judge 
Them  by  our  rules  of  d^cGeiicy  and  modesty. 
Where  there  is  no  sense  of  immodesty, 
no  consciousness  of  wrong-doing,  there  is, 
or  ma.y  be,  a like  absence  of  any  sinful  or 
depraving  feeling.  It  is  a custom  of  the 
country.  Fathers,  brothers,  and  husbands 
all  sanction  it;  and  from  childhood  the  feel- 
ing must  grow  up  as  etfectually  shielding 
them  from  selfireproach  or  shame,  as  their 
sisters  in  Europe  in  adopting  low  dresses  in 
the  ball-room,  or  any  other  generally  adopted 
fashion  of  garments  or  amusements.  There 
is  much  in  the  usual  appearance  and  expres- 
sion of  Japanese  women  to  lead  to  this  con- 
clusion. Any  one  of  the  real  performers  in 
the  above  scene, — a bathing  saturnalia  as  it 
may  appear  to  us,  — when  all  is  over,  and 
the  toilet  completed,  will  leave  the  bath- 
door  a very  picture  of  womanly  reserve  and 
modesty.” 

Certainly,  no  women  can  bo  more  decently 
clad  than  those  of  Japan,  as  we  may  see  by 
any  of  the  multitudinous  native  drawings; 
and  that  they  should  attach  no  sense  of 
decency  to  the  dress,  or  indecency  to  its  ab- 
sence, is  one  of  the  many  strange  charac- 
teristics of  this  remarkable  and  enigmatic 
country. 

The  travelling  dress  of  the  women  is  little 
more  than  their  ordinary  costume,  plus  a 
large  flat  hat,  which  serves  as  a parasol. 
Japanese  picture  books  abound  with  illustra- 


tions of  women  travelling,  and,  multitudi- 
nous as  they  are,  each  has  always  some  char- 
acteristic point,  and  no  two  are  exactly  alike. 
Sometimes  we  see  the  women  sauntering 
quietly  along  the  river  bank,  sometimes 
they  are  being'  carried  across  the  river  on 
the  shoulders  of  men,  or,  if  they  be  of  im- 
portance, in  “ norimons  ” or  chairs  borne  by 
six  or  eight  coolies.  Some  of  the  draw- 
ings depict  women  as  sitting  in  boats,  as 
being  caught  in  a heavy  snow  or  rain  storm 
(see  illustration),  as  walking  by  moonlight, 
and  as  they  appear  when  riding. 


The  attitude  and  general  appearance  of  a 
female  equestrian  in  Japan  differ  consider- 
ably from  those  of  an  European.  Side-sad- 
dles are  unknown,  the  fair  rider  perching 
herself  upon  a saddle  which  lifts  her  high 
above  the  back  of  the  animal,  concealing 
her  body  downward,  holding  on  tightly  by 
the  front  part  of  the  saddle,  and,  in  fact,  giv- 
ing herself  a look  very  much  resembling 
that  of  a gayly  attired  monkey  on  horse- 
back, as  shown  on  the  next  page-.  This  mode 
of  riding  is  even  followed  by  the  opposite 
sex,  the  retainers  of  the  high  nobles  sitting 
in  their  lofty  saddles  in  very  much  the  same 
attitude  as  that  employed  by  the  women, 
and  being  in  consequence  absolutely  use- 
less, except  in  looks,  as  cavalry. 

Yet,  Avhen  they  choose,  the  Japanese  can 
ride  tolerably,  as  is  shoAvn  by  the  fact  of  a 
game  which  is  played  among  them,  in  Avhich 
the  competitors  are  all  mounted.  In  this 
game  the  players  have  to  contend  against 
very  great  disadvantages.  In  the  first  place, 
the  horses  Avhich  they  bestride  are  Avretched 
animals,  mere  rough  ponies,  and  the  accou- 
trements are  so  clumsy,  that  it  is  a Avonder 


TRAYELLIiTa  IK  JAPAK. 


1455 


how  the  horse  can  he  guided  at  all.  Ac- 
cording to  our  ideas,  a horse  is  guided  by 
the  pressure  of  the  leg  and  the  touch  of  the 
rein,  but  the  Japanese  saddles  render  such 
guidance  impossible. 

The  former  mode  is  prevented  by  the 
shape  of  the  saddle,  which  has  large  flaps  of 
stift'  leather  hanging  so  low  that  the  heel  or 
knee  of  the  rider  has  no  eftect  upon  the  ani- 
mal; and  the  latter  mode  is  nearly  as  impos- 
sible as  the  former,  by  reason  of  the  bit  and 
the  fashion  of  riding.  The  bit  is  a mere 
light  snaffle  placed  loosely  in  the  mouth, 
and  the  reins  are  used,  not  so  much  for  the 
purpose  of  guiding  the  horse,  as  of  keeping 
the  rider  in  his  seat.  The  horsemen  grasp 
a rein  tightly  in  each  hand,  and  so  hang  to 
the  bit.  The  natural  consequence  is,  that  the 
mouths  of  the  horses  are  nearly  as  tough  as 
the  leather  saddle-flaps,  and  the  animals 
always  go  with  their  noses  in  the  air,  so  as  to 
counteract  the  perpetual  haul  on  the  bridle. 

The  game  which  is  played  under  these 
untoward  conditions  is  a sort  of  mall.  A 
large  space  is  marked  out,  and  at  each  end 
is  a curtain.  At  some  few  feet  from  the 
ground  a circular  hole  is  cut  in  the  curtain. 
Each  player  is  furnished  with  a long-han- 
dled, small-headed  racket,  almost  exactly 
resembling  that  which  is  employed  by  the 
North  American  Indians  in  their  ball  play, 
described  on  page  1324.  The  object  of  the 
game  is  to  pick  up  the  ball  from  the  ground 
with  the  racket,  and  to  throw  it  through  the 
hole.  In  order  that  there  may  be  no  doubt 
whether  the  ball  has  really  passed  through 
the  hole,  a net  is  hung  loosely  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  hole,  and  receives  the  ball. 
The  players  arrange  themselves  in  two 
parties,  distinguished  by  colors,  and  the 
chief  point  of  the  game  is  to  pursue  the 
opponent  as  he  is  galloping  triumphantly 
toward  the  goal,  and  knock  the  ball  out  of 
the  racket  just  as  he  is  going  to  throw  it 
through  the  hole. 


The  stirrups  used  by  the  Japanese  are 
very  curious  in  shape,  and  not  at  all  like  the 
ordinary  models.  Their  general  outline  re- 
sembles that  of  the  letter  S,  the  foot  being 
thrust  into  the  opening  as  far  as  it  will  go. 
The  comparatively  small  stirrups  used  by 
Europeans  are  as  troublesome  to  the  Japan- 
ese as  would  be  the  tiny  triangular  stirrups 
of  Patagonia  to  an  English  rider. 

The  strangest  part  of  horse  equipment  in 
Japan  is,  however,  the  shoe.  Our  idea  of  a 
horseshoe  is  a metallic  plate  to  protect  the 
horse  against  hard  ground.  The  Japanese 
shoe  is  made  of  plaited  straw,  and  is,  in  fact, 
nothing  more  than  a straw  sandal  tied  to  the 
foot,  giving  it  a very  clumsy  appearance. 
As  may  be  imagined,  their  shoes  never  last 
very  long,  and  on  a stony  road  are  soon  cut 
to  pieces.  The  rider,  therefore,  takes  a sup- 
ply of  shoes  with  him,  and  renews  them  as 
fast  as  they  are  worn  out.  Indeed,  a journey 
is  often  roughly  calculated  as  a distance  of  so 
many  shoes. 

Under  such  circumstances,  it  is  not  sur- 
prising that  the  horse  is  seldom  used  in 
travelling.  None  but  a poor  noble  will  con- 
descend to  ride  from  one  place  to  another, 
as  it  might  be  supposed  that  he  could  not 
afford  the  retinue  which  is  required  to  carry 
him.  Sometimes  a nobleman  will  conde- 
scend to  ride  in  public,  but  then  his  horse 
must  be  held  by  two  grooms,  who  tug  con- 
tinually at  the  poor  animars  mouth,  and 
shout  continually,  “ Chai!  chai!  ” i.  e.  gently, 
for  haste  is  always  thought  undignified  by 
the  Japanese,  and  a person  of  consideration 
veould  suffer  a great  infraction  of  dignity  if 
he  allowecl  himself  to  hurry  over  the  road. 

Eor  those  who  can  afford  so  expensive  a 
luxury,  the  usual  mode  of  conveyance  is  a 
sort  of  palanquin  called  a Korimon.  It  is  a 
square  cage,  hung  from  a pole,  and  carried 
by  four  men,  two  in  front  and  two  behind. 
Eor  Japanese  travellers  this  is  a very  com- 
fortable conveyance,  but  for  Europeans, 
who  are  not  accustomed  to  the 
crouching  attitude  so  characteris- 
tic of  the  Japanese,  even  a &hort 
journey  in  a norimon  is  a source 
of  torture,  the  unfortunate  p-assen- 
ger  finding  great  difliculty  in  get- 
ting into  the  machine,  and,  when 
the  journey  is  over,  almost  as 
much  difficulty  in  getting  out 
again,  his  limbs  being  stiff  and 
cramped  by  the  position  into  which 
they  have  been  forced. 

The  pole  of  the  norimon  is  stout, 
and  very  long;  and  it  is  a matter 
of  rivalry  between  young  and  fash- 
ionable men  to  have  their  norimon 
poles  as  long  and  as  profusely 
decorated  as  possible.  Y hen  the 
coolies  carry  the  norimon,  they 
hoist  it  on  their  shoulders  at  a sig- 
nal from  their  master,  and  step 
along  at  some  three  miles  an  hour. 


14o6 


JAP  AX. 


In  many  parts  the  coolies  much  resemble 
the  palanquin  bearers  of  India,  but  are  in 
this  respect  superior,  that  they  travel  in 
silence,  and  do  not  weary  the  soul  of  their 
master  by  the  perpetual  grunts  and  moans 
with  which  the  Indian  bearers  are  accus- 
tomed to  lighten  their  journey. 

Uncomfortable  as  is  the  norimon,  there  is 
a popular  conveyance  which  is  even  more 
painful  to  European  limbs.  This  is  called 
the  Cango,  and  it  bears  about  the  same  re- 
lationship to  the  norimon  as  a wheelbarrow 
does  to  a carriage.  Indeed,  if  the  reader  can 
imagine  the  wheel,  the  legs,  and  handle  of 
a wheelbarrow  to  be  removed,  and  the  body 
of  the  machine  to  be  hung  from  a pole,  he  , 
can  form  some  idea  of  a cango.  In  the  nori- 
mon the  inmate  has  to  crouch,  in  the  cango 
he  has  almost  to  tie  himself  in  a knot.  Yet 
the  Japanese  limbs  are  so  supple,  that  cango 
employers  travel  for  many  successive  hours 
without  being  ill  the  least  oppressed  by  the 
attitude  which  they  are  compelled  to  assume. 
Cangos  are  largely  used  in  Japan,  and  are 
indeed  what  cabs  are  to  Londoners,  the  nori- 
mons  supplying  the  place  of  carriages. 

When  a great  noble  or  Daimio  travels,  he 
always  uses  the  norimon,  partly  because 
it  is  the  most  luxurious  conveyance  which 
he  knows,  and  partly  because  it  gives  him 
an  excuse  for  displaying  the  strength  of  his 
retinue,  which  is  about  the  only  mode  of 
ostentation  known  to  the  Japanese.  The 
norimon  is  preceded  b}^  some  of  the  men 
called  Samourais,  or  Yaconins,  i,  e.  men  who 
are  permitted  to  attach  themselves  to  his 
service,  and  thereby  to  gain  the  privilege  of 
wearing  two  swords.  As  their  master  passes 
along,  they  continually  utter  the  word 
“ Shitanirio!  ” i.  e.  kneel  down,  whereupon 
every  one  that  hears  it  must  at  once  pros- 
trate himself  on  the  ground,  or  remain  erect 
at  his  peril.  The  most  serious  quarrels 
that  have  arisen  between  strangers  and  the 
natives  in  Japan  have  originated  in  this 
custom,  the  strangers  either  not  knowing 
the  custom,  or  refusing  to  comply  with  it 
lest  they  should  compromise  the  dignity  of 
their  nation.  Kefusing  to  obey  such  an 
order  is  sure  to  cause  a quarrel,  and  is  likely 
to  end  in  loss  of  life,  as  the  Yaconins  who 
give  the  order  to  kneel  are  always  ready  to 
enforce  obedience  with  their  swords. 

Around  the  norimon  is  a crowd  of  ser- 
vants, each  wearing  his  master’s  badge  on 
his  back,  and  each  armed  according  to  his 
rank.  Some  led  horses  generally  accompany 
the  procession,  so  that  the  great  man  may 
ride  when  he  is  tired  of  the  norimon,  and  a 
number  of  coolies  bear  umbrellas  covered 
with  waterproof  cases,  and  large  boxes  on 
poles.  These  boxes  are  almost  invariably 
empty,  but  are  conventionally  supposed  to 
contain  the  stores  of  baggage  without  which 
so  great  a man  could  not  be  expected  to 
stir.  Superior  officers  in  norimons,  and  in- 
ferior officers  on  horseback,  accompany  the 


procession,  for  which  a passage  is  kept  by  a 
number  of  men  fantastically  dressed  in  harle- 
quin-like suits  of  various  colors.  Each  of 
them  carries  a long  iron  rod,  to  which  are 
attached  a number  of  rings  made  of  the  same 
metal.  As  they  walk  they  strike  the  end  of 
the  rod  against  the  ground  at  each  step,  so 
that  a clashing  sort  of  jingle  is  produced, 
and  strikes  awe  into  the  people. 

That  the  Japanese  should  be  such  poor 
horsemen  is  very  singular,  considering  the 
marvellous  perfection  to  which  they  have 
brought  other  athletic  exercises..  As  ‘‘acro- 
bats ” the  performers  are  far  superior  to 
those  of  any  other  nation,  performing  the 
most  audacious  and  apparently  impossible 
feats  with  an  absolute  precision  which  quite 
removes  any  idea  of  danger. 

Until  the  Japanese  gymnasts  came  to  this 
country,  we  were  inclined  to  treat  the  ac- 
counts of  travellers  as  exaggerated,  but  they 
proved  to  be  capable  of  performing  any 
feats  which  our  professional  athletes  could 
achieve,  and  many  others  which  they  never 
even  dreamt  of  attempting.  For  example, 
nothing  seems  much  more  difficult  than  for 
a man  to  lie  on  his  back  and  balance  on  the 
soles  of  his  feet  a ladder  thirty  feet  high. 
But  when  we  add  that  to  the  top  of  the  lad- 
der a second  ladder  was  attached  at  right 
angles,  like  the  top  of  the  letter  F,  and  that 
a boy  went  up  and  doAvn  the  ladder,  and 
even  crawled  to  the  end  of  the  cross  piece 
and  there  hung  by  his  instep,  while  the  lad- 
der was  balanced  on  the  soles  of  the  reclin- 
ing man’s  feet,  we  appear  to  be  romancing 
rather  than  relating  a fact.  Yet  this  aston- 
ishing performance  was  repeated  day  after 
day,  and  nothing  was  more  wonderful  than 
the  elaborate  perfection  and  finish  of  the 
performance.  The  heavy  ladder  was  placed 
on  the  upturned  feet,  and  in  a moment  it 
was  as  steady  as  if  it  had  been  planted  in 
the  ground.  Though,  owing  to  the  cross- 
piece, it  was  considerably  inclined,  its  stead- 
iness was  not  impaired,  and  even  when  the 
boy  ascended  and  descended  it,  causing  the 
centre  of  gravity  to  be  continually  altered, 
there  was  not  the  slightest  wavering  per- 
ceptible. 

So  with  the^  other  feats  achieved  by  these  * 
remarkable  performers.  Everything  was 
done  with  the  deliberation  which  forms  an 
essential  part  of  the  Japanese  nature,  but 
there  were  no  needless  delays,  and  whether 
the  man  was  balancing  the  ladder  on  his 
feet,  or  whether  he  was  spinning  tops  and 
making  them  act  as  if  they  were  rational 
beings',  or  whether  he  was  making  two  paper 
butterflies  flutter  about  as  if  they  were  real 
insects,  the  same  quiet  perfection  character- 
ized the  whole  of  the  performance,  and 
every  feat  was  done  with  such  consummate 
ease  that  it  looked  as  if  it  really  required  no 
skill  at  all.  The  extraordinary  life  which 
the  Japanese  performers  contrive  to  infuse 
into  inanimate  objects  is  almost  incredible. 


MAKVELLOUS  FEATS  OF  THE  JAPANESE. 


1457 


Had  not  the  feat  been  actually  seen,  it  would 
be  scarcely  possible  to  believe  that  a top 
could  be  spun,  and  then  launched  off  to  per- 
form tlie  following  feats  without  being  even 
touched : — 

It  ascended  an  inclined  plane  to  a temple, 
the  doors  of  which  were  closed.  It  knocked 
open  one  of  the  doors,  entered  the  temple, 
waited  inside  some  time,  and  then  knocked 
open  another  door  at  right  angles  to  the 
former,  and  emerged.  It  then  went  over  an 
inclined  bridge,  entered  another  temple,  and 
went  up  stairs,  emerging  at  an  upper  story. 
It  then  proceeded  along  an  inclined  piano 
standing  at  right  angles  to  the  temple,  and 
passed  over  a drawbridge,  which  was  imme- 
diately lifted,  leaving  a gap  over  which  the 
top  had  to  pass  in  order  to  get  back  again. 
However,  by  the  loosing  of  a catch,  tli^  top 
was  flung  over  the  gap,  and  went  on  as  gayly 
ps  ever,  flnishing  with  entering  a third  tern- 
ale,  ringing  a bell  inside,  coming  out  again, 
and  running  over  two  more  bridges  into 
the  hands  of  the  spinner,  having  traversed 
some  forty  feet,  besides  the  W'ork  in  the  tem- 
ples. 

The  same  man  spun  a top  upon  the  edge 
of  a SAVord,  making  it  pass  from  one  end  of 
the  blade  to  the  other.  He  flung  the  top  in 
the  air  and  threw  the  string  at  it:  the  top 
caught  the  middle  of  the  string  by  the  peg, 
wound  itself  up,  and  was  again  flung  into 
the  air,  spinning  faster  than  before.  It  Avas 
then  caught  on  the  slender  stem  of  a pipe, 


along  which  it  ran  as  if  alive,  was  passed 
behind  the  back,  and  caught  again  in  front, 
and  lastly,  was  received  upon  the  hem  of 
the  sleeve,  made  to  spin  up  the  garment, 
over  the  neck  and  shoulders,  and  down  the 
sleeve  of  the  opposite  side.  It  was  also 
made  to  spin  upon  a slight  string  stretched 
from  the  wall,  and  to  pass  backward  and 
forward  as  long  as  the  spinner  chose. 

Some  of  these  tops  required  no  string,  but 
Avere  merely  spun  with  the  hand;  they 
could  be  taken  up  and  put  down  again,  still 
spinning,  or  they  could  be  stood  on  their 
heads  and  still  spin,  or  they  could  be  built 
into  a perfect  edifice  of  tops,  three  or  four 
spinning  upon  each  other,  sometimes  each 
leaning  in  a diflerent  direction,  and  then 
being  brought  uju’ight  by  a touch  of  the 
ever-ready  fan.  The  concluding  feat  was  a 
very  curious  one.  Some  thirty  feet  above 
the  heads  of  the  spectators  Avas  hung  a model 
of  a temple,  from  Avhich  depended  a string. 
The  chief  top-spinner  then  took  a small  but 
very  heavy  top,  Avound  up  its  string,  and 
flung  the  top  in  the  air,  drawing  back  the 
arm  so  that  the  top  came  flying  into  his 
hand.  He  Avent  under  the  temple,  gave  the 
pendent  string  a half  turn  round  the  peg, 
and  away  went  the  top  into  the  temple, 
bursting  open  its  doors,  and  flinging  out  a 
quantity  of  rose  leaves,  which  came  flutter- 
ing doAvn  round  the  top  as  it  descended 
the  string,  and  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
performer. 


CHAPTER  CLYII, 


JAPAK  — Concluded, 
MISCELLANEOUS  CUSTOM^S/ 


PXJBIPTUART  LAWS  — SYSTEM  OF  ESPIOJTAGE  — THB  DUPLICATE  EMPIRE  — POWERS  OF  THE  TYCOOir 
A2fD  MIliADO  — THE  DAIMIOS  AND  THEIR  RETAINERS  — THE  TWO  SWORDS  — LONINS,  OR  OUTLAWS 
— JAPANTESE  FENCERS  — DEFENSIVE  ARMOR — ARCHERY  — THE  HAPPY  DESPATCH  — PUBLIC  EXE> 
CUTIONS  — ARCHITECTURE  — REASONS  FOR  ITS  FRAGILITY  — PRECAUTIONS  AGAINST  FIPJS  — SIMPLE 
HABITS  OF  THE  JAPANESE  — AMUSEMENTS  AND  GAMES  — WRESTLERS  — THEATRES  IN  JAP.AN  — 
CURIOUS  ARRANGEMENT  OF  PLAYS  — THE  TEA-HOUSES  AND  THEIR  ATTENDANTS  — JAPANESE  ART 
— THE  PORTABLE  INKSTAND  — THE  CRANE,  HERON,  AND  STORK  — THE  SNOW-CLOAK  — SILK  M.LDE 
BY  NOBLES.  i 


In  Japan  there  is  a tolerably  strict  code  of 
sumptuary  laws,  certain  modes  of  dress  and 
the  power  of  carrying  certain  weapons  being 
denied  to  all  except  the  privileged  classes. 
We  will,  therefore,  take  a hasty  glance  at 
the  different  ranks  in  Japan. 

With  regard  to  all  official  ranks  a duplicate 
system  exists  throughout  the  kingdom.  At 
the  head  of  the  government  there  are  two 
emperors,  — the  civil  emperor,  or  Tycoon, 
and  the  spiritual  emperor,  or  Mikado.  The 
former  of  these  potentates  (whose  title  is 
sometimes  spelled  as  Siogoon)  is  the  real 
administrator  of  the  empire,  although  he  is 
nominally  inferior  to  the  Mikado,  an  inferi- 
ority which  is  carefully  marked  by  certain 
visits  of  ceremony  paid  to  the  Mikado,  but 
is  not  allowed  to  proceed  beyond  mere  eti- 
quette. 

Indeed,  the  powers  of  the  Tycoon  himself 
are  practically  limited,  though  theoretically 
unbounded,  and  the  government  is  in  fact 
exercised  by  the  nobles,  through  a double 
council,  one  of  which  is  chosen  by  the  em- 
peror, and  the  other  selected  by  the  nobles 
from  themselves.  Every  man  wdio  is  em- 
ployed in  the  duties  of  government  has  his 
duplicate,  or  “ shadow,”  as  he  is  called;  he 
is  subject  to  espionage  on  every  side,  and  is 
himself  a spy  on  others. 

This  s-ystein,  uncomfortable  as  it  may  ap- 
pear, has  its  advantages.  According  to  Mr. 
Oliphant;  “ One  most  beneficial  result  aris- 
ing from  this  universal  system  of  espionage 
— for  it  extends  through  all  classes  of  society 


— is  the  entire  probity  of  every  government 
employe.  So  far  as  we  could  learn  or  see, 
they  were  incorruptible.  When  men  can 
neither  offer  nor  receive  bribes;  when  it  is 
almost  impossible,  even  indirectly,  to  exer- 
cise corrujit  influences,  there  is  little  fear  of 
the  demoralization  of  public  departments  of 
the  state.  In  this  respect  Japan  affords  a 
brilliant  contrast  to  China,  and  even  to  some 
European  countries.  So  long  as  this  purity 
exists,  even  though  purchased  at  the  cost  of 
secret  espial,  there  can  be  little  cause  to  fear 
the  decadence  of  Japan.” 

It  is  as  well  to  mention  in  this  place  that  the 
word  Tycoon,  or  Tai-ku,  is  not  of  Japanese 
but  of  Chinese  origin,  and  that  it  came  into 
use  through  its  insertion  in  an  official  docu- 
ment, the  unlucky  minister  who  employed  it 
having  in  consequence  fallen  into  disgrace 
and  poverty.  The  name  of  Tycoon  is  never 
applied  to  him  by  the  Japanese,  who  use 
instead  the  title  which  has  been  conferred 
upon  him  by  his  nominal  superior,  the 
Mikado. 

The  Mikado,  or  spiritual  emperor,  is  held 
in  the  greatest  veneration,  and  many  of  the 
honors  paid  to  him  are  almost  identical  with 
those  which  are  rendered  to  the  Grand 
Lama  of  Thibet.  He  is  too  sacred  to  touch 
the  earth  with  his  feet,  and  is  carried  on 
men’s  shoulders  on  the  rare  occasions  v»'hen 
he  moves  from  one  part  of  the  palace  to 
another.  Outside  it  he  never  goes.  He  is 
too  holy  to  wear  any  garment  twice,  or  to 
use  any  article  a second  time,  and,  should 
(1458) 


DAIMIOS  AND  THEIR  RETAINERS. 


1459 


any  one  venture  to  wear  or  use  a garment 
or  uteusil  sanctified  by  his  touch,  he  would 
bring  down  on  himself  tlie  vengeance  of 
heaven.  Consequently,  every  garment  that 
he  has  worn  or  every  wooden  utensil  which 
he  has  employed  is  burned,  and  those  which 
are  made  of  earthenware  are  broken. 

A similar  rule  extends  to  his  wives,  of 
whom  he  has  twelve,  one  of  them  being  the 
head  wife  or  queen.  A curious  piece  of  eti- 
quette is  practised  by  the  wives  of  the 
Mikado.  All  other  women  dress  their  hair 
into  fantastic  shapes,  but  the  Mikado’s 
wives  are  obliged  to  allow  their  hair  to  flow 
at  length  down  their  backs.  In  consequence 
of  tlie  innumerable  restrictions  to  which  he 
is  subjected,  the  Mikado  generally  becomes 
tired  of  his  comfortless  rank,  and  resigns  in 
favor  of  his  heir. 

Next  come  the  Daimios  or  nobles,  who,  as 
among  ourselves,  are  of  diflerent  ranks,  and 
who  are  the  real  rulers  of  the  country.  The 
difficulties  which  foreigners  have  experi- 
enced in  Japan  have  almost  invariably  been 
caused  by  the  Daimios,  who  fear  that  their 
position  as  feudal  nobles  may  be  endangered 
by  the  introduction  of  foreigners  into  the 
country.  The  greater  Daimios  are  as  for- 
midable as  were  the  great  barons  of  early 
English  history,  and  in  like  manner  keep 
vast  numbers  of  armed  retainers.  There  is 
a general  idea  that  in  Japan  every  man 
wears  a pair  of  swords.  Tliis  is  far  from 
being  the  case,  as  none  are  permitted  to  wear 
even  one  sword  unless  he  be  in  the  service 
of  the  State.  Even  the  wealthiest  merchant 
may  not  wear  a sword  unless  he  is  enrolled 
among  the  retainers  of  a Daimio,  and,  as  the 
privilege  is  a great  one,  it  is  purchased  for 
a certain  annual  sum.  This  indirect  tribute 
is  a lucrative  source  of  income  to  the  Dai- 
mios, and  enables  them  to  maintain  the 
enormous  retinue  with  which  they  are  sur- 
rounded. 

The  higher  classes  in  Japan  are  privileged 
to  v/ear  a garment  called  the  “ hakkama.” 
This  is  much  like  the  huge  petticoat  trou- 
sers of  the  French  Zouave,  and  is  indeed  a 
very  full  and  abundantly  plaited  petticoat, 
sewed  together  in  the  middle,  and  gathered 
in  at  the  knees.  The  wearers  are  inordi- 
natel}^  proud  of  this  garment,  and,  though 
one  of  the  unprivileged  classes  may  purchase 
the  right  to  carry  a sword,  no  expenditure 
of  money  will  enable  a man  to  wear  the 
hakkama. 

The  most  troublesome  of  the  retainers  are 
the  Yaconins  or  Samourais,  men  who  have 
been  admirably  described  by  Sir  Rutherford 
Alcock  in  his  “ Capital  of  the  Tycoon  ” : — 

“Ail  of  a certain  rank  are  armed  with 
this  formidable  weapon  projecting  from 
their  belt;  swords,  like  everything  else  in 
Japan,  to  our  worse  confusion,  being  double, 
without  much  or  any  obvious  distinction  be- 
tween military  and  civil,  or  between  Ty- 
coon’s officers  and  Daimios’  retainers.  These 


are  the  classes  which  furnish  suitable  speci- 
mens of  that  extinct  species  of  the  race  in 
Europe  still  remembered  as  Swashbucklers^ 
— swaggering,  blustering  bullies;  many 
cowardly  enough  to  strike  an  enemy  in  the 
back,  or  cut  down  an  unarmed  and  inoflen- 
sivcman;but  also  supplying  numbers  ever 
ready  to  fling  their  own  lives  away  in  ac- 
complishing a revenge,  or  carrying  out  the 
orders  of  their  chief. 

“ They  are  all  entitled  to  the  privilege  of 
two  swords,  rank  and  file,  and  are  saluted 
by  the  unprivileged  (professional,  mercan- 
tile, and  agricultural  classes)  as  Sa^na,  or 
Lord.  With  a rolling  straddle  in  his  gait, 
reminding  one  of  Mr.  Kinglake’s  graphic 
description  of  the  Janissary,  and  due  to  the 
same  cause,  — the  heavy,  projecting  blades 
at  his  waist,  and  the  s^vaddling  clothes  round 
his  body,  — the  Japanese  Samourai  or  Ya- 
conin  moves  on  in  a very  ungainly  fashion, 
the  hilts  of  his  two  swords  at  least  a foot  in 
advance  of  his  person,  very  handy,  to  all 
appearance,  for  an  enemy’s  grasp.  One  is 
a heavy,  two-handled  weapon,  pointed  and 
sharp  as  a razor;  the  other  short,  like  a Ro- 
man sword,  and  religiously  kept  in  the  erane 
serviceable  state. 

“In  the  use  of  these  he  is  no  mean  adept. 
He  seldom  requires  a second  thrust  "vyith  the 
shorter  yyeapon,  but  strikes  home  at  a single 
thrust,  as  was  fatally  proved  at  a later  period; 
while  with  the  longer  ’weapon  he  severs  a 
limb  at  a blow.  Such  a fello\v  is  a man  to 
whom  all  peace-loving  subjects  and  prudent 
people  habitually  give  as  wide  a berth  as  they 
can.  Often  drunk,  and  always  insolent,  he 
is  to  be  met  with  in  the  quarters  of  the  towm 
wiiere  the  tea-houses  most  abound;  or  re- 
turning about  dusk  from  his  day’s  debauch, 
with  a red  and  bloated  face,  and  not  over- 
steady on  his  l^gs,  the  terror  of  all  the  un- 
armed population  and  street  dogs.  Happy 
for  the  former,  wffien  he  is  content  with  try- 
ing the  edge  of  a new  sw^ord  on  the  quadru- 
peds; and  many  a poor  crippled  animal  is 
to  be  seen  limping  about,  slashed  over  the 
baok,  or  with  more  hideous  evidences  of 
brutality.  But,  at  otlier  times,  it  is  some 
coolie  or  inoffensive  shopkeeper,  w ho,  com- 
ing unadvisedly  betw'een  ‘ the  wind  and  his 
nobility,’  is  just  as  mercilessly  cut  dowm  at 
a blow.” 

In  some  sort  of  a way,  each  noble  is  re- 
sponsible for  the  acts  of  his  retainers.  There- 
fore, if  any  of  these  men  determine  upon 
some  act  wiiich  they  know  will  compromise 
their  master,  — say  the  assassination  of  some 
one  whom  he  dislikes,  — they  formally  divest 
themselves  of  his  protection,  and  become 
“lonins,”  or  outlaw^s,  or  almost  exactly  the 
same  as  the  “ masteiiess-men  ” of  the'feudal 
English  days.  Each  of  them  carries  with 
him  a paper  on  which  his  renunciation  is 
written,  and  to  perform  such  an  act  is  thought 
extremely  honorable.  Nearly  all  the  men 
who  murdered  Europeans  were  lonins. 


1460 


JAPAN. 


The  swords  which  those  men  wear  in  virtue 
of  their  rank  are  most  formidable  weapons, 
the  temper  of  the  steel,  the  balance  of  the 
weapon,  and  the  slight  curve  of  the  edge, 
being  all  that  can  be  desired.  They  are  tin- 
ished  with  the  utmost  care,  and  every  part 
receives  the  minutest  attention.  A very 
beautiful  specimen  of  the  shorter  sword  was 
presented  to  me  by  C.  Allen,  Esq.,  of  Black- 
heath.  It  measures  two  feet  four  inches  in 
total  length,  of  which  the  handle  occupies 
nearly  nine  inches.  This  roomy  handle  of 
the  Japanese  sword  presents  a remarkable 
contrast  with  the  small  and  cramped  hilts  of 
the  Indian  weapons.  It  atfords  an  admirable 
grasp  for  the  hand,  being  covered  with  dia- 
mond-shaped patterns  of  silken  cord  twist- 
ed over  a basis  of  rough  skate-skin.  The 
blade  is  a little  more  than  an  inch  in  width, 
and  even  after  a stay  of  many  years  in  this 
country,  is  as  bright  as  a mirror  and  shai’23 
as  a razor. 

Indeed,  for  a hand-to-hand  encounter,  it 
would  be  difficult  to  find  a more  formidable 
weapon,  even  the  kookery  of  India  being  in- 
ferior to  it,  as  being  heavier  and  less  man- 
ageable. It  is  equally  adapted  for  thrusting 
or  cutting,  and  is  so  effective  for  the  former 
purpose  that  one  of  these  swords  has  been 
driven  completely  through  a man’s  body  by 
a single  thrust.  The  balance  of  the  weapon 
is  admirable,  and,  though  it  is  somewhat 
unsightly,  it  can  be  managed  with  perfect 
ease. 

The  amount  of  labor  that  has  been  be- 
stowed on  this  particular  weapon  is  really 
astonishing.  The  effect  is  not  in  the  least 
obtrusive,  and  it  is  only  by  close  examina- 
tion that  its  beauties  ■ can  be  seen.  The 
blade  is  left  entirely  without  ornament,  its 
excellence  being  shown  by  its  high  polish 
and  sharp  edge.  But,  with  the  exception  of 
the  blade,  every  portion  of  the  weapon  has 
its  ornament.  On  the  guard  is  represented 
a buffiilo  grazing  under  a tree,  the  ground- 
work being  of  bronze,  and  the  leaves  of  the 
tree  and  the  herbage  being  gold.  Between 
the  silken  cords  of  the  hilt  and  the  skate-skin 
are  inserted  two  beautifully  executed  models, 
in  bronze,  of  a bow  and  arrows,  the  feathers 
of  the  arrows  and  wrappings  of  the  head 
bein^  gilt.  One  of  these  models  is  inserted 
on  either  side  of  the  hilt,  which  is  termi- 
nated by  a richly  engraved  bronze  orna- 
ment. 

In  the  upper  part  of  the  sheath  is  kept  a 
small  knife,  somewhat  similar  in  shape  to 
that  which  is  kept  in  the  chopstick-case  of 
the  Chinese.  The  handle  of  the  knife  is 
bronze,  and  is  adorned  with  the  figure  of  a 
crayfish,  beautifully  wrought  in  gold,  to- 
gether with  a banner  and  one  or  two  other 
devices.  The  sheath  itself  is  a wonderful 
piece  of  workmanship.  At  a little  distance 
it  looks  as  if  it  were  covered  with  dark- 
brown  leather;  but  a closer  inspection  shows 
that  it  is  entirely  covered  with  a minute  and 


delicate  pattern  that  looks  as  if  it  had  been 
traced  with  a needle’s  point,  and  must  have 
cost  the  artist  a very  considerable  expendi- 
ture of  labor. 

The  larger  sword  is  made  after  precisely 
the  same  pattern,  except  that  it  is  four  feet 
in  length,  and  must  be  used  with  both 
hands.  With  one  of  these  swords  a Jap- 
anese will  strike  off  a limb  at  a single  blow; 
and  so  sharp  are  they,  that  an  executioner, 
in  beheading  a criminal,  scarcely  raises  the 
sword  a foot  for  his  stroke.  The  Japanese 
swordsmen  practise  the  use  of  their  weapon 
by  means  of  sham  swords,  with  which  they 
fence,  the  combatants  padding  their  ‘limbs 
and  sides,  and  covering  their  faces  with  wire 
masks.  They  have  a very  dangerous  cut, 
which  is  made  by  the  mere  motion  of  un- 
sheathing the  sword,  and  takes  effect  at  a 
distance  where  an  inexperienced  person 
would  think  himself  safe. 

So  good  is  the  temper  of  these  weapons, 
that  a Japanese  has  been  known  to  sever  a 
thick  iron  bolt  with  a single  blow,  the  edge 
of  the  sword  not  showing  the  slightest  indi- 
cation of  the  severe  test  to  which  it  had 
been  put.  The  Japanese  name  for  the  large 
sword  is  “ken”;  that  of  the  shorter,  “ kat- 
tan.” 

Defensive  armor  was  at  one  time  much 
worn  by  the  Japanese,  though  at  the  pres- 
ent day  the  introduction  of  improved  fire- 
arms has  caused  them  to  abandon  armor, 
except  for  purposes  of  show.  A complete 
suit  of  Japanese  armor  is  shown  on  page 
1469.  It  is  made  of  multitudinous  plates 
hung  upon  cloth,  and  profusely  ornamented 
by  gilding.  Though  very  light,  it  is  strong 
enough  to  resist  the  blow  of  the  long  sword, 
though  it  is  worse  than  useless  against  rifled 
fire-arms.  Indeed,  had  it  not  been  for  the 
recent  disuse  of  protective  armor,  we  should 
scarcely  have  been  able  to  procure  a suit; 
but,  finding  their  suits  of  mail  to  be  practi- 
cally useless,  the  Japanese  nobles  very  gen- 
erously presented  many  of  them  to  their 
foreign  guests,  and  allowed  others  to  be 
sold. 

The  oddest  part  of  the  suit  is  the  helmet, 
with  its  appendages.  The  fantastic  crest  is 
very  light,  being  made  of  exceedingly  thin 
material,  covered  with  gilding;  and  is  so 
slight  that  a blow  with  a stick  would  crush 
it.  Perhaps  the  reader  may  wonder  at  the 
beards  which  apparently  depend  from  the 
chins  of  the  soldiers.  The  fact  is,  the  hel- 
met is  furnished  with  a very  complete  visor, 
shaped  like  a mask,  which  covers  the  whole 
of  the  face,  and  is  decorated  with  a large 
gray  beard  and  mustache,  in  order  to  strike 
terror  into  the  beholders. 

The  bow  is  a favorite  weapon  with  the 
Japanese,  who  expend  nearly  as  much  la- 
bor upon  it  as  the}''  do  upon  the  sword.  It 
is  mostly  japanned  in  black,  and  adorned 
with  various  decorations.  Some  of  these 
bows  are  very  powerful,  and  are  strung  in 


THE  HAPPY  DESPATCH. 


1461 


rather  a peculiar  manner,  the  archer  plac- 
ing the  lower  end  of  the  bow  on  the  ground, 
and  grasping  the  upper  end  with  his  ri^ht 
hand.  He  plants  his  right  foot  on  the  mid- 
dle of  the  bow,  bends  it  with  the  united 
powers  of  his  foot  and  right  hand,  and  with 
his  left  slips'  the  string  into  its  place.  The 
arrows  are  made  like  those  of  China,  but,  in 
accordance  with  the  national  character  of 
the  peoi)le,  are  more  highly  linished. 

One  of  the  strangest  weapons  used  by  the 
Japanese  is  the  war  fan.  Like  the  Chinese, 
the  Japanese  are  never  without  the  fan, 
and  are  obliged,  by  force  of  long  habit,  to 
take  it  into  battle.  The  fan  which  is  kept 
for  this  purpose  has  its  sheath  made  of  iron, 
and  is  of  very  large  size,  so  that  if  the  war- 
rior be  surprised  without  his  sword,  he  is 
sure  to  have  his  fan  ready  by  way  of  a club. 
These  fans  are  decorated  with  the  national 
emblem,  a red  sun  on  a black  ground. 

In  connection  with  the  Japanese  weapons 
must  be  mentioned  some  of  their  modes  of 
punishment.  The  first  is  the  celebrated 
Hara-kiri,  or  Happy  Despatch,  and  consists 
of  suicide  by  ripping  open  the  abdomen 
with  two  cuts  in  the  form  of  a cross.  Only 
the  upper  classes  are  privileged  to  perform 
the  Happy  Despatch,  and  to  them  it  is  in 
reality  a privilege.  If  a Japanese  official 
has  failed  in  some  duty,  or  committed  some 
act  which  is  likely  to  call  upon  him  the  anger 
of  his  superiors,  he  applies  for  permission 
to  perform  the  Hara-kiri.  At  the  ap- 
pointed time,  he  assembles  his  friends, 
dresses  himself  in  white,  as  a token  of  inno- 
cence, gives  an  entertainment,  and  makes  a 
speech  upon  the  position  in  which  he  is 
placed.  He  then  takes  the  fatal  knife,  and 
as  he  raises  his  clothing  for  the  purpose  of 
inflicting  the  wounds,  a good  swordsman 
comes  behind  him,  bearing  a two-handed 
sword  or  “ken.”  The  victim  begins  the 
Hara-kiri,  but,  as  soon  as  he  has  made  a 
slight  incision,  his  head  is  swept  off,  so  that 
death  is  not  the  result  of  the  horrid  wounds 
in  the  abdomen. 

Sometimes,  however,  when  time  presses, 
the  victim  is  obliged  to  perform  the  Hara- 
kiri  as  he  can,  and  in  that  case  dies  from 
the  self-inflicted  wounds.  For  example,  in 
several  cases  where  assassination  has  been 
attempted,  and  notably  in  the  celebrated 
attack  on  the  British  Legation,  when  the 
would-be  assassins  were  chased  on  the  suc- 
ceeding day,  it  was  found  that  three  of  them 
had  committed  the  Hara-kiri,  two  of  whom 
were  already  dead,  but  one  was  still  living  and 
was  captured.  In  these  cases  the  weapon 
used  for  the  purpose  is  the  shorter  sword,  or 
“ kattan.” 

When  a man  has  committed  the  Hara- 
kiri,  he  is  supposed  to  have  died  an  honor- 
able death,  and  so  to  have  earned  for  himself 
a reputation  as  a brave  man.  His  family 
are  proud  of  him,  and  his  memory  is  rever- 
enced. But  should  he  lose  his  life  by  the 


hand  of  the  executioner,  his  whole  property 
is  conliscated,  his  family  falls  under  ban, 
and  his  name  is  held  as  infamous.  It  will 
be  seen,  therefore,  that  tlie  Hara-kiri  is 
really  a very  great  privilege,  especially 
among  a people  so  entirely  indifferent  to  lile 
as  the  Japanese. 

Public  executions  are  very  simply  carried 
out.  The  criminal  is  taken  to  the  spot  on  a 
horse,  and  when  he  arrives,  is  bound,  and 
made  to  kneel  on  the  ground  over  a hole 
which  is  to  receive  his  head.  The  execu- 
tioner, who  uses  the  “ ken  ” above  named, 
arranges  the  culprit’s  head  in  the  proper 
position,  and,  apparently  without  any  effort, 
decapitates  the  man  with  a blow.  The  old 
traveller  Purchas  very  neatly  expresses 
the  mode  of  execution  by  a single  word. 
After  narrating  the  preliminaries,  he  states 
that  the  criminal  “ holds  out  his  head,  pres- 
ently wiped  off.” 

Crucifixion  is  employed  by  the  Japanese 
as  well  as  by  the  Chinese,  and  is  mostly 
reserved  for  high  treason.  Minor  punish- 
ments are  not  much  in  vogue,  inasmuch  as 
a theft  above  a certain  sum  entails  the  pen- 
alty of  death,  and  so  does  a theft  of  a smaller 
sum  if  repeated.  Flogging  and  banishment 
are  sometimes  employed  as  punishments. 
The  dreadful  tortures  to  which  the  earlier 
Christian  missionaries  and  their  converts 
were  subjected  appear  to  be  reserved  for 
political  and  religious  offenders. 

The  architecture  of  the  Japanese  is  rather 
peculiar.  Owing  to  the  physical  condition 
of  the  country,  and  its  liability  to  earth- 
quakes, the  houses  are  not  remarkable  for 
size  or  beauty.  Private  houses  are  never  of 
any  great  height,  a little  exceeding  forty 
feet  being  the  utmost  limit.  They  are  built 
of  wood,  and,  wherever  possible,  are  only 
one  story  in  height.  They  have  a very  in- 
genious mode  of  dividing  their  houses  into 
rooms.  Instead  of  using  permanent  walls 
for  that  purpose,  they  prefer  folding  screens 
made  of  wood  and  paper,  so  that  they  can 
alter  at  will  the  size  and  shape  of  the 
rooms. 

The  floors  are  covered  with  mats,  which 
serve  also  as  measurements.  They  are  beau- 
tifully made  of  straw  and  rushes,  are  several 
inches  in  thickness,  and  by  law  obliged  to  be 
exactly  of  the  same  dimensions,  i.  e.  one 
“ kin,”  or  seven  feet  four  and  a half  inches 
in  length,  and  half  as  much  in  breadth 
The  window  frames  are  movable,  and,  in- 
stead of  glass,  are  filled  with  oiled  paper, 
mica,  and  the  translucent  shell  of  the  great 
pearl  oyster.  The  partitions  of  the  houses 
and  all  the  posts  are  curiously  varnished 
and  painted,  and  the  Japanese,  essentially  a 
cleanly  people,  are  very  careful  in  keeping 
the  interior  of  their  houses  in  the  best  pos- 
sible order.  Like  many  Orientals,  they  al- 
ways remove  their  sandals  before  entering 
a house,  and  no  one  even  enters  a shop 
without  slipping  his  shoes. 


14G2 


JAPA^T. 


The  roof  is  also  of  wood,  and  is  generally 
composed  of  thick  boards,  which  are  kept  in 
their  places  by  wooden  pegs,  or  by  heavy 
stones  laid  upon  them.  The  ends  of  the 
roof  project  considerably  beyond  the  walls, 
so  that  they  protect  the  doorways  from  the 
sun.  On  the  roof  of  each  house  is  kept  a 
tub  full  of  water,  and  near  at  hand  is  a 
broom,  so  that,  in  case  of  a lire,  all  the  wooden 
roofs  are  at  once  drenched  with  water.  The 
extremely  inflammable  nature  of  the  mate- 
rials renders  this  precaution  needful;  and,  in 
addition,  there  are  cisterns  and  tubs  kept  in 
the  streets,  together  with  tolerably  effective 
fire-engines. 

The  furniture  of  the  houses  is  on  the  same 
simple  plan  as  the  edifices  themselves.  A 
Japanese,  no  matter  what  his  rank  or 
wealth,  has  but  little  furniture.  From  the 
highest  Daimio  to  the  ordinary  workman, 
the  furniture  of  the  houses  is  much  the 
same.  The  room  is  bare,  and  floored  by 
mats;  a few  shelves  hold  some  cups  and 
saucers,  and  there  are  geiferally  several 
small  trays  on  stands.  This,  with  a few  cov- 
erlids and  a small  pillow,  made  of  wood  and 
having  a padding  on  the  top,  constitutes  the 
furniture  of  the  living-room.  As  to  the 
kitchen,  one  or  two  small  movable  stoves,  a 
few  pans  of  metal,  and  some  brooms,  are  all 
that  are  needed. 

The  Japanese  cannot  in  the  least  under- 
stand why  their  Western  visitors  should  en- 
cumber themselves  with  such  quantities  of 
furniture,  which,  to  them,  are  not  only  use- 
less, but  absolutely  in  their  way.  They  need 
neither  tables,  chairs,  sideboards,  nor  bed- 
steads, and  care  nothing  for  large  and  hand- 
some rooms. 

Some  years  ago,  when  preparations  were 
made  for  the  reception  of  a British  Consul 
in  Hakodadi,  it  was  almost  impossible  to  find 
any  place  that  could  accommodate  him.  How- 
ever, after  much  trouble,  a locality. was  found. 
After  the  arrangements  had  been  made,  the 
Japanese  Governor  rose,  took  Sir  R.  Alcock 
by  the  hand,  and  led  him  through  a corridor 
to  a little  room,  or  rather  closet,  nine  feet  by 
six,  and  quietly  remarked  that  in  that  room 
his  successor  would  be  installed. 

Sir  R.  Alcock  has  some  very  pertinent 
remarks  on  this  subject:  “As  we  slowly 
wended  our  way  through  the  streets,  I had 
full  opportunity  of  observing  the  absence 
of  all  the  things  we  deem  so  essential  to 
comfort,  and  which  crowd  our  rooms  almost 
to  the  exclusion,  and  certainly  to  the  great 
inconvenience,  of  the  people  who  are  in- 
tended to  occupy  them,  as  well  as  to  the  detri- 
ment of  the  proprietor’s  purse. 

“If  European  joints  could  only  be  made 
supple  enough  to  enable  their  owners  to  dis- 
pense with  sofas  and  chairs,  and,  par  conse- 
quence^ with  tables;  and  we  were  hardy 
enough  to  lie  on  slraw  mats,  six  feet  by  three, 
stuffed  with  fine  straw,  and  beautifully  made 
with  a silk  border,  so  as  to  form  a sort  of 


reticulated  carpet  for  rooms  of  any  size;  the 
solution  of  that  much-debated  question,  the 
possibility  of  marrying  on  400Z.  a year,  might 
certainly  be  predicted  with  something  like 
unanimity  in  favor  of  matrimony.  The  up- 
holsterer’s bill  can  never  olfer  any  impedi- 
ment to  a young  couple  in  Japan. 

“ Their  future  house  is  taken,  containing 
generally  three  or  four  little  rooms,  in  which 
clean  mats  are  put.  Each  then  brings  to  the 
housekeeping  a cotton  stuffed  quilt,  and  a box 
of  wearing  apparel  for  their  own  personal 
use;  a pan  to  cook  the  rice,  half-a-dozen 
larger  cups  and  trays  to  eat  off,  a large*  tub 
to  bathe  and  wash  in  are  added,  on  the 
general  account:  and  these  complete  the 
establishment.” 

Such  being  the  simplicity  of  the  house 
and  furniture,  it  is  evident  that  loss  by  fire 
— an  event  by  no  means  uncommon — is  not 
nearly  so  severe  as  is  the  case  with  us.  The 
Japanese  have,  however,  a very  sincere 
dread  of  fire,  and  at  the  end  of  every  princi- 
pal street  there  is  an  elevated  station,  fur- 
nished with  a bell,  by  means  of  which  in- 
formation can  be  given  as  to  the  part  of  the 
city  in  which  the  fire  rages,  so  that  all  can 
go  to  assist  in  extinguishing  it.  Fires  are 
of  almost  daily  occurrence,  and  whole  streets 
are  levelled  at  a time.  The  Japanese  take 
these  fires  as  a matter  of  course,  and  look 
on  the  destruction  of  an  entire  quarter  with 
characteristic  equanimity.  Indeed,  they  cal- 
culate that,  taking  one  part  with  another, 
Yeddo  is  burned  down  once  in  every  seven 
years;  and  so  they  build  their  houses  with 
the  least  possible  expense,  considering  them 
to  be  sooner  or  later  food  for  fire. 

Of  the  amusements  of  the  Japanese  only 
a very  short  account  can  be  given.  First 
among  them  must  be  placed  the  calm  and 
contemplative  amusement  of  the  pipe,  in 
whicli  the  Japanese  indulge  largely.  The 
pipe,  which  they  use  is  very  small,  the  bowl 
being  scarcely  large  enough  to  contain  a 
moderately  sized  pea.  The  tobacco  is  very 
mild,  something  like  Turkish  tobacco,  and  it 
is  smoked  by  drawing  the  vapor  into  the 
lungs,  so  that  the  whole  of  the  tobacco  is 
consumed  at  one  inhalation.  The  ashes  are 
then  turned  out  of  the  pipe,  which  is  re- 
placed in  its  case,  and  the  smoke  is  leisurely 
exhaled.  A Japanese  will  smoke  thirty  or 
forty  such  pipes  in  a morning. 

Games  for  children  are  • almost  identical 
with  those  used  in  England;  the  ball,  the 
shuttlecock,  the  stilt,  the  kite,  and  the  hoop, 
being  all  common  toys.  As  for  adults,  they 
have  dice,  the  theatre,  the  wrestling  matches. 
The  dice  are  prohibited  by  law,  and  there- 
fore they  are  made  so  minute  as  to  be  easily 
concealed.  A pair  of  dice  and  their  box  are  so 
small  that  they  can  be  concealed  between 
the  tips  of  two  fingers,  the  dice  being  barely 
the  tenth  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  and  the 
box  just  large  enough  to  hold  them.  i 

The  wrestling  matches  are  very  singular 


AMUSEMENTS  AND  GAMES. 


14G3 


performances.  The  wrestlers  are  the  stran- 
gest imaginable  beings,  being  fattened  to  the 
last  possible  degree,  so  that  they  seem  in- 
capable of  any  feats  of  activity.  Yet  one 
of  these  elephantine  men  took  in  his  arms  a 
sack  of  rice  weighing  a hundred  and  twenty- 
five  pounds,  and  turned  repeated  somersaults 
with  as  much  ease  as  any  light  and  un- 
encumbered gymnast  could  do.  The  wres- 
tlers are  kept  by  the  Daimios,  who  are  very 
proud  of  them,  and  fond  of  exhibiting  their 
powers.  Each  wrestler  is  supplied  with 
several  attendants,  and  clad  in  magnificent 
garments,  the  privilege  of  wearing  two 
swords  being  also  accorded  to  them.  When 
they  perform,  all  their  robes  are  removed, 
leaving  them  in  the  wrestler’s  garb,  a fringed 
apron,  embroidered  with  the  cognizance  of 
their  patron.' 

In  wrestling,  they  try,  not  only  to  throw 
their  antagonist,  but  to  push  him  out  of  the 
arena,  a man  who  is  forced  beyond  the 
boundary  being  held  as  vanquished.  One 
of  these  encounters  is  vividly  described  by 
an  American  traveller. 

They  were,  in  fact,  like  a pair  of  fierce 
bulls,  whose  nature  they  had  not  only  ac- 
quired, but  even  their  look  and  movements. 
As  they  continued  to  eye  each  other,  they 
stamped  the  ground  heavily,  pawing  as  it 
were  with  impatience,  and  then,  stooping 
their  huge  bodies,  they  grasped  handfuls  of 
the  earth,  and  flung  it  with  an  angry  toss 
over  their  backs,  or  rubbed  it  impatiently 
between  their  massive  palms,  or  under  their 
stalwart  shoulders.  They  now  crouched 
down  low,  still  keeping  their  eyes  fixed 
upon  one  another,  and  watching  each  move- 
ment, when,  in  a moment,  they  had  both 
simultaneously  heaved  their  massive  frames 
in  opposing  force,  body  to  body,  with  a shock 
that  might  have  stunned  an  ox. 

The  equilibrium  of  their  monstrous 
persons  was  hardly  disturbed  by  the  encoun- 
ter, the  eftect  of  which  was  barely  visible  in 
the  quiver  of  the  hanging  flesh  of  their 
bodies.  As  they  came  together,  they  had 
flung  their  brawny  arms  about  each  other, 
and  were  now  entwined  in  a desperate 
struggle,  with  all  their  strength,  to  throw 
their  antagonist.  Their  great  muscles  rose 
with  the  distinct  outline  of  the  sculptured 
form  of  a colossal  Hercules,  their  bloated 
faces  swelled  up  with  gushes  of  red  blood, 
which  seemed  almost  to  burst  through  the 
skin,  and  their  bodies  palpitated  with  savage 
emotion  as  the  struggle  continued.  At  last 
one  of  the  antagonists  fell  with  his  immense 
weight  upon  the  ground,  and,  being  declared 
vanquished,  he  was  assisted  to  his  feet  and 
conducted  out  of  the  ring.” 

The  theatres  much  resemble  those  of  the 
Chinese,  the  building  being  a mere  tempo- 
rary shed,  and  the  parts  of  the  women  taken 
by  young  lads.  The  plays  last  for  some  two 
hours,  arid  the  Japanese  have  a very  odd  plan 
of  arranging  them.  Suppose  that  five  plays 


are  to  be  acted  in  a day:  the  performers  go 
through  the  first  act  of  the  first  play,  then 
the  first  act  of  the  second  play,  and  so  on, 
until  they  have  taken  in  succession  the  first 
act  of  every  play.  They  then  take  the  second 
act  of  each  play,  arid  so  on  until  the  vdiolc 
are  concluded.  The  object  of  this  custom  is, 
to  enable  spectators  to  see  one  act,  go  away, 
and  come  again  in  time  for  the  next  act. 
Often,  however,  the  spectators  remain 
throughout  the  entire  day,  and  in  that  case 
refreshments  are  openly  consumed.  It  is 
also  thought  correct  for  ladies  to  change 
their  dress  as  often  as  possible  during  the 
day,  so  that  there  is  as  much  change  of  cos- 
tume in  front  of  the  stage  as  upon  it.  In 
these  plays  there  is  generally  a considerable 
amount  of  love-making,  and  a still  greater 
amount  of  fighting,  the  “ terrific  combat  ” 
being  an  acknowle%ed  essential  of  the  Jap- 
anese stage. 

Perhaps  the  most  characteristic  and  most 
perplexing  institution  of  Japan  is  that  of  the 
Tea-house,  In  many  points  the  whole  tone 
of  thought  differs  so  much  in  Japan  from 
anything  that  we  Westerns  have  learned, 
that  it  is  scarcely  possible  for  two  so  diverse 
people  to  judge  each  other  fairly.  We  have 
already  seen  that  nudity  conveys  no  ideas  of 
indecency  to  a Japanese,  the  people  having 
been  accustomed  to  it  from  infancy,  and 
thinking  no  more  of  it  than  do  infants.  In 
the  tea-houses  we  find  a state  of  things 
which  in  Europe  would  be,  and  rightly, 
stigmatized  as  national  immoralit}^ : in  Japan 
it  is  taken  as  a matter  of  course.  These  tea- 
houses are  situated  in  the  most  picturesque 
spots,  and  are  furnished  with  every  luxury. 
The  extraordinary  part  of  them  is,  that  the 
attendants  are  young  women,  who  are  sold 
for  a term  of  years  to  a life  of  vice.  They 
are  purchased  by  the  proprietors  of  the  tea- 
houses, and  instructed  in  various  accomplish- 
ments, so  as  to  make  them  agreeable  com- 
panions. No  sort  of  infamy  attaches  to 
them,  men  of  high  rank  taking  their  wives 
and  families  to  the  tea-houses,  so  that  they 
may  benefit  by  the  many  accomplishments 
of  the  attendants. 

When  the  term  of  servitude  is  over,  the 
girls  retire  from  their  business,  and  may  re- 
enter their  families  without  losing  the  regard 
of  their  relatives.  Many  enter  a Buddhist 
order  of  mendicant  nuns,  but  the  greater 
number  find  husbands.  It  is  one  of  the 
most  startling  characteristics  of  this  strange 
people  that  institutions  such  as  this  should 
exist,  and  yet  that  female  virtue  should  be 
so  highly  valued.  No  sooner  does  one  of 
these  girls  marry,  than  she  is  supposed  to 
begin  her  life  afresh,  and,  no  matter  what 
may  have  been  their  previous  lives,  no  wives 
are  more  faithful  than  those  of  the  Japanese. 
The  only  resting-point  in  this  mass  of  con- 
tradiction is,  that,  though  the  girls  incur  no 
shame  for  the  course  of  life  into  which  they 
have  been  sold,  the  keepers  of  the  tea-houses 


14G4 


JAPAJT. 


are  looked  upon  as  utterly  infamous,  and  no 
one  of  respectability  will  associate  with 
them. 

That  the  men  should  resort  to  such  places 
is  no  matter  of  surprise,  but  that  they  should 
be  accompanied  by  their  wives  is  rather  re- 
markable. 

Sometimes  the  husbands  prefer  to  go  with- 
out their  wives,  and  in  that  case  the  ladies  are 
apt  to  resent  the  neglect.  The  accompany- 
ing illustration  is  copied  from  a Japanese 
book  in  my  collection,  and  is  a good  exam- 
ple of  the  humorous  power  which  a Japanese 
artist  can  put  into  his  work.  The  engraving 
tells  its  own  story.  Two  husbands  are  going 
off’  together,  and  are  caught  by  their  wives. 
The  different  expressions  thrown  into  the 
faces  and  action  of  the  truants  are  admirably 
given,  — the  suqndse  and  horror  of  the  one, 
who  has  evidently  allowed  his  wife  to  be 
ruler  in  the  house,  and  the  dogged  determi- 
nation of  the  other  to  getaway,  are  rendered 
with  such  force  that  no  European  artist 
could  surpass  the  effect. 


a square  bowl  closed  by  a lid.  The  bowl  con- 
tains India  ink,  and  into  the  hollow  stem 
the  pen  is  passed.  When  not  in  use  the  pen 
is  slipped  into  the  stem,  and  tlie  lid  is  closed 
and  kept  down  by  twisting  over  it  the  string 
which  hangs  from  the  end  of  the  case, 
and  which  is  decorated  with  a ball  of 
agate. 

One  reason  for  the  excellence  of  Jap- 
anese art  is,  that  the  artists,  instead  of  copy- 
ing from  each  other,  invariably  go  to  nature 
for  their  models.  They  have  teachers  just 
as  we  do,  but  the  great  object  of  these  pro- 
fessors is  to  teach  their  pupils  how  to  pro- 
duce the  greatest  effect  with  the  fewest  lines. 
Book  after  book  may  be  seen  entirely  filled 
with  studies  for  the  guidance  of  the  young 
artists,  in  which  the  master  has  depicted 
various  scenes  with  as  few  lines  as  possible. 
One  of  these  books  is  entirely  filled  with 
studies  of  falling  rain,  and,  monotonous  as 
the  subject  may  seem,  no  two  drawings  are 
in  the  least  alike,  and  a separate  and  forci- 
ble character  is  given  to  each  sketch.  An- 


CAPTUKE  OF  THE  TRUANTS. 


We  cannot  take  leave  of  this  remarkable 
people  without  a few  remarks  upon  the 
state  of  art  among  them.  The  Japanese  are 
evidently  an  art-loving  people.  Fond  as 
they  are  of  the  grotesque  in  art,  they  are 
capable  of  appreciating  its  highest  quali- 
ties; and,  indeed,  a Japanese  workman  can 
scarcely  make  any  article  of  ordinary  use 
without  producing  some  agreeable  combina- 
tion of  lines  in  color. 

Even  the  pen,  or  rather  the  brush,  with 
which  they  write  is  enclosed  in  an  ingenious 
and  decidedly  artistic  case.  The  case  is  made 
of  bronze,  and  consists  of  a hollow  stem  and 


other  book  has  nothing  but  outlines  of 
landscape  scenery,  while  some  are  entirely 
filled  with' grass-blades,  some  bending  in  the 
wind,  others  beaten  down  by  rain,  and  others 
flourishing  boldly  upright.  The  bamboo  is 
another  favorite  subject;  and  so  highly  do 
the  Japanese  prize  the  skill  displayed  by  a 
master,  that  they  will  often  purchase  at  a 
high  price  a piece  of  paper  with  nothing  on 
it  but  a few  strokes  of  the  brush,  the  har- 
mony of  the  composition  and  the  balance  of 
the  dilferent  lines  of  beauty  being  thor- 
oughly appreciated  by  an  artistic  eye. 

Studying  as  the  Japanese  do  in  the  school 


JAPANESE  AET. 


1465 


of  nature,  they  are  marvellously  apt  at  ex- 
ressing  attitude,  whether  of  man,  beast,  or 
ird.  They  never  have  any  difficulty  in 
disposing  of  the  arms  of  their  figures,  and, 
no  matter  what  may  be  the  action,  there  is 
always  an  ease  about  it  which  betrays  the 
artist’s  hand  even  in  the  rudest  figures. 
Among  living  objects  the  crane  appears  to 
be  the  special  favorite  of  the  Japanese,  its 
popularity  being  shared,  though  not  equalled, 
by  the  stork  and  the  heron. 

These  birds  are  protected  both  by  law  and 
popular  opinion,  and  in  consequence  are  so 
tame  that  the  native  artists  have  abundant 
opportunities  of  studying  their  attitudes, 
which  they  do  with  a patient  love  for  the 
subject  that  is  almost  beyond  praise.  No 
figure  is  so  frequently  introduced  in  Jap- 
anese art  as  the  crane,  and  so  thoroughly  is 
the  bird  understood,  that  it  is  scarcely  possi- 
ble to  find  in  all  the  figures  of  cranes, 
whether  cast  in  bronze,  drawn  on  paper,  or 
embossed  and  painted  on  articles  of  furni- 
ture, two  specimens  in  which  the  attitude  is 
exactly  the  same.  With  us,  even  the  pro- 
fessional animal  painters  are  apt  to  take  a 
sketch  or  two,  and  copy  them  over  and  over 
again,  often  repeating  errors  as  well  as  ex- 
cellences, while  the  Japanese  artist  has  too 
genuine  a love  for  his  subject  to  descend  to 
any  such  course.  Day  by  day  he  studies  his 
living  models,  fills  his  book  with  sketches 
taken  rapidly,  but  truly,  and  so  has  always 
at  hand  a supply  of  genuine  and  original 
attitudes.  In  order  to  show  how  admirably 
the  Japanese  artist  can  represent  the  crane, 
I have  introduced  below  drawings  of  some 
beautiful  specimens  in  Sir  Hope  Grant’s 
collection. 


The  reader  cannot  fail  to  perceive  the 
consummate  knowledge  of  the  bird  which  is 
displayed  in  these  figures,  while  the  perfec- 
tion of  the  work  and  the  delicate  finish  of 
the  detail  are  almost  beyond  praise.  Nothing 
can  be  more  true  to  nature  than  the  three 
attitudes  there  shown.  In  one  case,  the  bird 
stands  upright  and  contemplative  on  one 
leg,  after  the  manner  of  its  kind.  In  the 
second  instance,  the  bird  is  standing  on  a 
tortoise,  and,  as  the  neck  is  thrown  into 
action,  both  legs  are  used  for  support.  Then, 
in  the  flying  bird,  whose  body  serves  as  a 
censer,  the  attitude  of  the  outspread  wings 
and  outstretched  legs  is  just  as  true  to 
nature  as  the  others,  all  the  attitudes  having 
been  undoubtedly  taken  from  nature. 

The  porcelain  of  the  Japanese  is  singularly 
beautiful,  and  sometimes  is  adorned  with 
ornaments  which  may  be  reckoned  under 
the  head  of  “ conceits.”  For  instance,  a cup 
will  be  adorned  with  a representation  of 
pleasure  boats  on  the  river.  With  a needle 
the  tiny  windows  of  the  boats  can  be  raised, 
when  a party  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  drink- 
ing tea  are  discovered  inside  the  boat. 
Sometimes  a little  tortoise  may  be  seen 
reposing  quietly  at  the  bottom  of  the  cup, 
until  the  hot  tea  is  poured  into  it,  when  the 
creature  rises  to  the  surface,  shaking  its 
head  and  kicking  with  its  legs  as  if  in  pain 
from  the  hot  liquid. 

In  Japanese  pictures  certain  curious 
figures  may  be  seen,  looking  as  if  human 
beings  had  been  wrapped  in  a bundle  of 
rushes.  This  strange  costume  is  the  snow- 
cloak  of  the  ordinary  Japanese.  For  mere 
rain  the  Japanese  generally  wear  a sort  of 
overcoat  made  of  oiled  paper,  very  thin, 


CANDLESTICK  AND  CENSEES.  (From  Sir  Hope  Grant’s  Collection.) 
71 


1466 


JAPAK. 


nearly  transparent,  and  very  efficient,  though 
it  is  easily  torn.  But  when  a snow-storm 
comes  on,  the  Japanese  endues  another  gar- 
ment, which  is  made  in  a way  equally  sim- 
ple and  effective. 

A sort  of  skeleton  is  made  of  network,  the 
meshes  being  about  two  inches  in  diameter. 
Upon  each  point  of  the  mesh  is  tied  a bunch 
of  vegetable  fibre,  like  very  fine  grass,  the 
bundles  being  about  as  thick  as  an  ordinary 
j)encil  where  they  are  tied,  and  spreading 
toward  the  ends.  The  garment  thus  made 
is  exceedingly  light,  and  answers  its  purpose 
in  the  most  admirable  manner.  The  bunches 
of  fibres  overlapping  each  other  like  the 
tiles  of  a house,  keep  the  snow  far  from  the 
body,  while  any  snow  that  may  melt  simply 
runs  along  the  fibres  and  drops  to  the  ground. 
To  wet  this  snow  cloak  through  is  almost 
impossible,  even  the  jet  of  a garden  engine 
having  little  effect  upon  it  except  when 
quite  close,  while  no  amount  of  snow  would 
be  able  to  force  a drop  of  water  through  the 
loose  texture  of  the  material. 


The  Japanese  silks  have  long  been  cele- 
brated, but  there  is  one  kind  of  which 
scarcely  anything  is  known  in  England. 
During  Lord  Elgin’s  mission  to  Japan,  a 
number  of  rolls  of  silk  were  presented  to 
the  members  of  the  embassy.  They  were  all 
in  strips  about  three  yards  long  and  one  wide, 
so  that  they  seemed  to  be  useless.  They  hap- 
pened, however,  to  be  exceedingly  valuable; 
in  fact,  absolutely  priceless,  as  no  money 
could  buy  them.  They  were  made  by  ex- 
iled nobles,  who  were  punished  by  being 
sent  to  the  island  of  Eatsizio,  where  they 
spend  their. time  in  making  these  peculiar 
silks.  No  one  below  a certain  rank  is  al- 
lowed to  wear  the  silk  which,  has  been 
wov<^  by  noble  fingers,  or  even  to  have  the 
fabric  in  the  house,  and  in  consequence  not 
a piece  ever  even  found  its  way  to  the 
shops. 

The  subject  of  Japanese  art  is  most  in- 
teresting, but  we  must  now  close  our  no- 
tice, and  proceed  to  the  next  people  on  Cxir 
list. 


CHAPTER  CLYIII. 


SIAM. 


GOVERNMENT  — DRESS  — RELIGION. 


DUPLEX  GOVERNMENT  — PERSONAL  CHARACTER  OF  THE  KING  — THE  LATE  FIRST  KING  AND  HIS 
ACCOMPLISHMENTS  — APPEARANCE  OF  THE  SIAMESE — THE  MODE  OF  ARRANGING  THE  HAIR  — 
DRESS  OF  BOTH  SEXES  — CEREMONIES  IN  SIAM  — AUDIENCE  OF  A NOBLE — ACTORS  AND  THEIR 
COSTUMES  — AN  ACTRESS  IN  ROYAL  ROBES  r~  THE  ARISTOCRATIC  ELBOW  — PRECAUTIONS  AGAINST 
CRIME  — SYSTEM  OF  PUNISHMENT  — RELIGION  OF  SIAM  — THE  WHITE  ELEPHANT,  AND  REASON  OF 
THE  HONORS  THAT  ARE  PAID  TO  IT  — HAIRS  OF  THE  TAIL  — ARCHITECTURE  OF  SIAM  — THE 
FUNERAL  PILE. 


In  the  empire  of  Siam,  and  its  dependent 
kingdoms,  Laos  and  Cambodia,  we  find  the 
principle  of  the  duplex  rule  which  we  have 
already  seen  existing  in  Japan,  though  in 
these  cases  the  distinction  between  the  two 
kings  is  merely  one  of  dignity,  and  has  noth- 
ing to  do  with  the  secular  and  spiritual  ele- 
ment, as  in  Japan.  In  Siam,  the  two  kings 
are  mostly  near  relations,  and  often  broth- 
ers; and  sometimes,  though  by  no  means  as 
a rule,  the  Second  King  becomes  First  King 
on  the  death  of  his  superior.  Practically, 
the  whole  of  the  royal  power  is  vested  in 
the  first  Kiug,  the  secondary  ruler  being, 
although  enjoying  royal  rank,  nothing  more 
than  the  first  subject  in  the  land. 

In  China  and  Japan,  the  personal  charac- 
ter of  the  king  seems  to  exercise  but  little 
influence  over  the  people.  This  is  not  the 
case  with  Siam,  in  which  country  the  in- 
fluence of  the  king  pervades  the  whole  of 
the  realm,  and  is  of  infinite  importance  for 
good  or  evil.  The  Siamese  have  been  very 
fortunate  in  the  king  who  lately  held  the 
First  Throne.  As  is  the  custom  with  the 
Siamese  kings,  he  spent  a series  of  years  in 
a Buddhist  monastery,  secluding  himself  from 
all  society,  even  from  that  of  his  own  chil- 
dren. During  twenty-seven  years  he  de- 
voted himself  to  the  studies  which  he 
thought  would  fit  him  for  his  future  office ; 
and  when  he  mounted  the  throne  in  1851, 
being  then  about  forty-seven  years  of  age, 
he  astonished  every  one  by  his  learning.  He 
had  made  himself  master  of  the  history  and 
geography  of  his  own  country;  he  was  good 


enough  astronomer  to  calculate  eclipses,  and 
determine  the  latitude  and  longitude  of  a 
place.  He  could  speak  and  write  English  so 
w^ell,  that  he  w^as  a valued  contributor  to  the 
scientific  journals  of  Hong  Kong,  and,  on 
account  of  his  writings,  was  elected  a mem- 
ber of  the  Asiatic  Society.  He  was  a fair 
Latin  and  French  scholar,  w^as  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  all  the  various  dialects  of 
Siam  and  Indo-China,  and  was  also  learned 
in  Sanscrit,  a language  of  which  he  was  very 
fond. 

He  was  always  desirous  of  attracting  to  him 
any  English  people  who  could  give  him  in- 
struction, and  showed  his  preference  for 
Great  Britain  by  invariably  wearing  a Glen- 
gary  cap,  except  on  occasions  of  ceremon}^ 
when  he  had  to  w'ear  the  heavy  national 
crown;  and,  strange  to  say,  to  judge  from 
several  photographic  portraits  of  the  King 
in  various  costumes,. the  Glengary  cap  suits 
his  countenance  better  than  any  other  head- 
dress. The  full  Siamese  name  of  the  King 
was  Phra  Chomklau  chau  yu  hua;  but  the 
Sanscrit  form,  which  he  always  used,  was 
Somdetch  PhraParamendra  Maha  Mongkut. 
He  generally  signed  his  name  as  S.  P.  P.  M. 
Mongkut.  His  name  before  he  came  to  the 
throne  was  Chau  Fa  Yai.  The  death  of  this 
wise  ruler  and  accomplished  gentleman 
was  a very  severe  loss  to  Siam,  and  was  felt 
even  among  the  scientific  societies  of  Europe. 

A portrait  of  this  remarkable  man  is  given 
on  the  1469th  page,  dressed  in  the  cos- 
tume wdiich  he  usually  wore.  The  Gien- 
, gary  cap  gives  a curiously  Europeanized 


(1467) 


14G8 


SIAM. 


look  to  his  flice;  but  as,  contrary  to  the  habit 
of  the  bare-headed  Siamese,  he  constantly 
wore  it,  he  is  drawn  with  it  upon  his  head. 
I possess  portraits  of  him  in  several  dresses, 
but  that  which  he  generally  wore  is  selected 
as  being  the  most  characteristic  of  the  man. 

Ilis  brother,  Chau  Fa  Noi,  was  by  univer- 
sal consent  made  the  Second  King,  or  Wan- 
qiia.  When  he  received  the  crown,  he  took 
the  name  of  Somdetch  Pin  Klau  Chau  yu 
liua.  The  choice  was  in  both  cases  an  ex- 
cellent one,  the  brothers  resembling  each 
other  in  their  love  of  literature,  and  their 
anxiety  to  promote  the  welfare  of  their 
])eople  by  the  arts  of  peace,  and  not  of  war. 

We  will  now  turn  to  the  general  appear- 
ance of  the  Siamese. 

They  are  rather  small,  but  well  propor- 
tioned, and  their  color  is  a warm  olive.  The 
hair  of  the  men  is  shaved,  except  a tuft 
U}X)n  the  top  of  the  head,  which  is  kept 
rather  short;  and  the  hair  being  black  and 
coarse,  the  tuft  looks  as  if  a short  brush 
had  been  stuck  on  the  head.  According 
to  Siamese  ideas,  the  tuft  resembles  the 
closed  lotus  flower.  This  tuft  is  held  in  the 
liighest  esteem;  and  for  any  one  even  to 
give  indications  of  approaching  the  head- 
tuft  of  a great  man,  is  considered  either  as 
a deadly  insult  or  a mark  of  utter  ignorance 
of  manners.  When  a young  Siamese  comes 
of  age,  the  head-tuft  is  shaved  with  great 
ceremonies,  the  relations  being  called  to- 
gether, priests  being  invited  to  recite  pray- 
ers and  wash  the  head  of  the  young  man, 
and  all  the  family  resources  being  drawn 
upon  for  the  feast.  The  exact  moment  of  the 
shaving  is  announced  by  a musket  shot. 
After  the  tuft  is  removed,  the  lad  is  sent  to 
the  pagodas  to  be  taught  by  the  priests,  and 
many  of  them  never  leave  these  quiet  re- 
treats, but  enter  the  ranks  of  the  regular 
priesthood. 

Even  the  women  wear  the  hair- tuft,  but 
in  their  case  the  hair  is  allowed  to  grow  to 
a greater  length,  and  is  carefully  oiled  and 
tended.  The  woman’s  head-tuft  is  said  to 
represent  the  lotus  flower  opened.  The 
head  is  seldom  covered,  the  cap  worn  by 
King  S.  Phra  Mongkut  being  quite  an  ex- 
ceptional instance.  As  for  clothing,  the 
Siamese  care  but  little  for  it,  though  the 
great  people  wear  the  most  costly  robes  on 
state  occasions.  But  even  the  highest  man- 
darins content  themselves  during  the  warmer 
months  of  the  year  with  the  single  garment 
called  the  Pa-nung.  This  is  a wide  strip  of 
strong  Indian  chintz,  generally  having  a 
pattern  of  stars  upon  a ground  of  dark  blue, 
green,  red  or  chocolate.  When  worn,  “ the 
Siamese  place  the  middle  of  this,  when 
opened,  to  the  small  of  the  back,  bringing 
the  two  ends  round  the  body  before,  and 
the  upper  edges,  being  twisted  together,  are 
tucked  in  between  the  body  and  the  cloth. 
The  part  hanging  is  folded  in  large  plaits, 
passed  between  -the  legs,  and  tucked  in  be- 


hind as  before.”  (See  Bowring’s  “ Kingdom 
and  People  of  Siam.”) 

Sometimes  the  men  have  a white  cloth 
hanging  loosely  over  their  shoulders,  and  oc- 
casionally throw  it  over  their  heads.  When 
walking  in  the  open  air,  a broad  palm-leaf 
hat  is  used  to  keep  olf  the  sunbeams,  and  is 
worn  by  both  sexes  alike. 

There  is  very  little  difference  in  the  dress 
of  the  sexes.  When  very  young,  girls  wear 
a light  and  airy  costume  of  turmeric  pow- 
der, which  gives  them  a rich  yellow  hue, 
and  imparts  its  color  to  everything  with 
which  they  come  in  contact.  Up  to  the  age 
of  ten  or  eleven,  they  generally  wear  a 
slight  gold  or  silver  string  round  the  waist, 
from  tlie  centre  of  which  depends  a heart- 
shaped  piece  of  the  same  metal,  and,  when 
they  reach  adult  years,  they  assume  the  reg- 
ular woman’s  dress.  This  consists  of  the 
chintz  or  figured  silk  wrapper,  which,  how- 
ever, falls  little  below  the  knees,  and  a piece 
of  lighter  stuff*  thrown  over  one  shoulder 
and  under  the  other.  This  latter  article  of 
dress  is,  however,  of  little  importance,  and, 
even  when  used,  it  often  falls  off*  the  siioul- 
der,  and  is  not  replaced.  Even  the  Queen 
of  Siam,  when  in  state  dress,  wears  nothing 
but  these  two  garments.  As  a rule,  the  feet 
are  bare,  embroidered  slippers  being  only 
occasionally  used  by  great  people. 

The  appearance  of  the  king  in  Jiis  royal 
robes  may  b«  seen  from  the  portrait  of  a cel- 
ebrated actress  on  the  next  page.  In  Siam, 
as  in  China,  the  actors  are  dressed  in  the 
most  magnificent  style,  and  wear  costumes 
made  on  the  'pa-ttern  of  those  worn  by  roy- 
alty. To  all  appearance,  they  are  quite  as 
splendid  as  the  real  dresses,  for  gilding  can 
be  made  to  look  quite  as  well  as  solid  gold, 
and  sham  jewels  can  be  made  larger  and 
more  gorgeous  than  real  gems.  The  reader 
will  notice  that  upon  the  fingers  the  actress 
wears  inordinately  long  nail-preservers, 
which  are  considered  as  indicating  that  the 
nails  beneath  are  of  a proportionate  length. 

The  actors  in  the  king’s  theatre  are  all  his 
own  women,  of  whom  he  has  some  six  or 
seven  hundred,  together  with  an  average  of 
five  attendants  to  each  woman.  Ko  male  is 
allowed  to  enter  this  department  of  the 
palace,  which  is  presided  over  by  ladies 
chosen  from  the  noblest  families  in  the 
land.  These  plays  are  all  in  dumb  show, 
accompanied  by  music,  which  in  Siam  is  of 
a much  sweeter  character  than  is  usual  in 
that  part  of  the  world.  Besides  the  chief 
actors,  at  least  a hundred  attendants  assist 
in  the  play,  all  being  magnificently  attired. 
The  play  is  continued  ad  infinitum.  • When 
any  of  the  spectators  become  Avearied,  they 
retire  for  a while,  and  then  return,  and  it  is 
thought  a compliment  to  the  principal  guest 
to  ask  him  the  hour  at  which  he  would  like 
the  play  to  be  stopped. 

The  veritable  crown  is  shaped  mch  like 
the  mock  ornaments  of  the  actress.  The 


KING  OF  SIAM.  (See  page  1467.)  ‘ ARMOR.  (See  page  1460.)  ACTRESS.  (See  page  1468.) 


(1469) 


Of  THE 


HONORS  TO  THE  WHITE  ELEPHAKT. 


1471 


King  brought  for  the  inspection  of  Sir  J. 
Bowring  the  crown  used  at  his  coronation. 
It  is  very  heavy,  weigliing  about  four 
pounds,  and  is  of  enormous  value,  being 
covered  with  valuable  diamonds,  that  which 
terminates  the  peak  being  of  very  great 
size  and  splendor.  The  King  also  exhibited 
the  sword  of  state,  with  its  golden  scabbard 
covered  with  jewels.  When  the  sword  is 
drawn,  it  is  seen  to  bo  double,  one  blade  be- 
ing inserted  into  the  other,  as  into  a second 
sheath.  The  inner  blade  is  of  steel,  and  the 
outer  of  a softer  metal.  The  handle  is  of 
wood,  and,  like  the  sheath,  is  profusely 
adorned  with  jewels. 

The  Siamese  are  among  the  most  cere- 
monious people,  and  in  this  respect  equal, 
even  if  they  do  not  surpass,  the  Chinese 
and  Japanese.  Their  very  language  is  a 
series  of  forms,  by  which  persons  of  differ- 
ent rank  address  each  other;  and,  although 
there  may  be  no  distinction  of  dress  be- 
tween a nobleman  and  a peasant,  the  differ- 
ence of  rank  is  marked  far  more  strongly 
than  could  be  done  by  mere  dress.  It  is 
an  essential  point  of  etiquette,  for  example, 
that  the  person  of  inferior  rank  should  al- 
ways keep  his  head  below  that  of  his  supe- 
rior. 

Should  a man  of  low  degree  meet  a noble- 
man, the  former  will  stoop  at  the  distance  of 
thirty  or  forty  yards,  sink  on  his  knees  as 
his  superior  approaches,  and  finally  pros- 
trate himself  on  his  face.  Should  he  wdsli 
to  present  anything  to  his  superior,  he  must 
do  so  by  pushing  it  along  the  ground, 
and,  indeed,  must  carry  out  in  appearance 
the  formal  mode  of  address  in  which  he 
likens  himself  to  a worm.  Just  as  the 
peasants  grovel  before  the  nobles,  so  do  the 
nobles  before  the  king;  and  if  either  of  them 
has  a petition  to  offer,  he  must  put  it  in  a jar, 
and  so  crawl  and  push  it  along  the  ground 
as  humbly  as  if  he  were  a mere  peasant. 
Siamese  artists  are  fond  of  depicting  the  vari- 
ous modes  of  approaching  a superior,  and 
never  forget  to  indicate  the  great  man  by 
two  points.  In  the  first  place,  he  sits  erect, 
while  the  others  crouch;  and,  in  the  second, 
he  leans  on  his  left  arm,  and  bends  the  left 
elbow  inward.  This  most  strange  and  un- 
graceful attitude  is  a mark  of  high  birth  and 
breeding,  the  children  of  both  sexes  being 
trained  to  reverse  the  elbow-joint  at  a very 
early  age. 

As  may  be  expected  from  the  progress  of 
civilization,  the  Siamese  have  a tolerably 
complete  code  of  laws,  which  are  adminis- 
tered by  regularly  appointed  officers.  The 
laws  are  rather  severe,  though  not  much 
more  so  than  were  our  own  a century  ago. 
Murder,  for  example,  is  punished  with  death; 
and  in  every  case  of  murder  or  suicide,  the 
houses  within  a circle  of  eighty  yards  from 
the  spot  on  which  the  crime  was  committed 
are  considered  responsible,  and  fined  heavily. 
This  curious  law  forces  the  people  to  be  very 


cautious  with  regard  to  quarrels,  and  to  check 
them  before  tlie  two  antagonists  ])ccome 
sufficiently  irritated  to  seek  each  other’s  life. 
This  respect  for  human  life  contrasts  strongly 
with  the  utter  indifiereiice  with  which  it  is 
regarded  in  China  and  Japan. 

Nobles  of  very  high  rank  are  exempt  from 
capital  punishn^ent  in  one  way,  i.  e.  their 
blood  may  not  be  shed;  but,  if  guilty  of  a 
capital  offence,  they  are  put  into  sacks,  and 
beaten  to  death  with  clubs  made  of  sandal 
wood.  Some  punishments  arc  meant  to 
inflict  ignominy.  Such,  for  example,  is  that 
of  a bonze,  or  priest,  who  is  detected  in 
breaking  his  vow  of  chastity.  He  is  taken 
to  a public  place,  stripped  of  his  sacred  yellow 
robe,  flogged  until  the  blood  streams  down 
his  back,  and  then  kept  in  the  king’s  stables 
for  the  rest  of  his  life,  employed  in  cutting 
grass  for  the  elephants. 

Another  similar  punishment  is  inflicted  on 
laymen.  A cangue  is  fastened  round  his 
neck,  his  hands  and  wrists  are  chained,  and 
he  is  taken  round  the  city,  preceded  by  drums 
and  cymbals.  The  worst  part  of  the  punish- 
ment is,  that  he  is  compelled  to  proclaim  his 
crime  aloud  as  he  passes  through  the  streets; 
and  if  he  ceases  to  do  so,  or  drops  his  voice, 
he  is  beaten  severely  with  the  fiat  of  a sword. 
Prisoners  are  mostly  employed  on  public 
works,  and  at  night  they  are  all  fastened 
together  with  one  long  chain. 

Of  the  religion  of  the  Siamese  it  is  im- 
possible to  treat,  because  Buddhism  is  far 
too  wide  and  intricate  a subject  to  be  dis- 
cussed in  a few  pages.  There  is,  however, 
one  modification  of  this  religion  which  must 
be  mentioned;  namely,  the  divine  honors 
paid  to  the  White  Elephant. 

By  the  Siamese,  these  animals  are  thought 
to  be  the  incarnations  of  some  future  Buddha, 
and  are  accordingly  viewed  with  the  deepest 
respect.  The  fortunate  man  who  captures  a 
white  elephant  sends  the  news  to  the  capital, 
and  in  return  for  the  auspicious  news  is 
thenceforth  freed,  with  his  posterity,  from 
all  taxation  and  liability  to  militaiy  service. 
A road  is  cut  through  the  forest,  and  a mag- 
nificent raft  is  built  on  the  Meinam  River, 
for  the  reception  of  the  sacred  animal.  When 
the  elephant  reaches  the  raft,  he  is  taken  on 
board  under  a splendid  canopy,  and  kept  in 
good  temper  by  gifts  of  cakes  and  sweet- 
meats. Meanwhile,  a noble  of  the  highest 
rank,  sometimes  even  the  First  King  him- 
self, goes  in  a state  barge  to  meet  the  elephant, 
accompanied  by  a host  of  boats  with  flags 
and  music,  and  escorts  the  sacred  animal  to 
the  capital,  each  boat  trying  to  attach  a rope 
to  the  raft.  When  arrived,  the  animal  is 
taken  to  the  palace,  when  he  receives  some 
lofty  title,  and  is  then  led  to  the  magnificent 
house  prepared  for  him,  where,  to  the  end 
of  his  life,  he  is  petted  and  pampered  and  has 
everything  his  own  way,  the  king  himself 
deeming  it  an  honor  if  the  sacred  beast  will 
condescend  to  feed  out  of  his  hand.  On  the 


14/2 


SIAM. 


head  of  the  elephant  is  placed  a royal  crown, 
his  tusks  are  encircled  with  precious  rings, 
and  a royal  umbrella  is  carried  over  him  when 
he  goes  to  bathe. 

When  the  animal  dies,  the  hairs  of  the 
tail  are  reserved  as  relics  of  a divine  incar- 
nation, and  the  body  is  buried  with*  royal 
honors.  The  hairs  of  the  tail  are  set  in 
golden  handles,  profusely  adorned  with  pre- 
cious stones;  and  the  reader  may  possibly 
remember  that  the  First  King,  Somdetch 
Phra  Mongkut,  sent  one  of  these  tufts  to 
Queen  Victoria,  as  a priceless  proof  of  the 
estimation  in  which  he  held  her.  The  King 
also  gave  the  ambassador.  Sir  J.  Bowring, 
a few  hairs  from  the  tail,  as  a gift  about  equal 
to  that  of  the  Garter  in  England,  and  when, 
to  the  great  grief  of  the  nation,  the  elephant 
died  in  1855,  the  King  sent  Sir  J.  Bowring, 
as  a further  mark  of  his  favor,  a small  piece 
of  the  skin  preserved  in  spirits  of  wine. 

The  color  of  the  elephant  is  not  really 
white,  but  a sort  of  pale,  brick-dust  red. 
Albino  animals  of  all  kinds  are  venerated  by 
the  Siamese,  the  white  monkey  being  in  rank 
next  to  the  white  elephant.  This  veneration 
is  so  marked  that  a talapoin  — a sort  of 
preaching  fakir  — who  will  not  condescend 
to  salute  the  King  himself,  bows  humbly  if 
he  should  see  even  a white  cock,  much  more 
a white  monkey. 

The  architecture  of  Siam  deserves  a brief 
notice.  It  possesses  some  of  the  character- 
istics of  Chinese,  Japanese,  and  Burmese, 
but  has  an  aspect  that  belongs  peculiarly  to 
itself.  Ordinary  houses  are  of  comparatively 
small  dimensions,  but  the  temples  are  often 
of  enormous  size,  and  in  their  way  are  ex- 
ceedingly beautiful.  They  are  full  of  lofty 
and  gabled  roofs,  five  or  six  of  which  often 
rise  above  each  other,  in  fantastic  beauty,  so 
as  to  lead  the  eye  upward  to  the  central 
tower.  This  is  always  a sort  of  spire  or  pin- 
nacle, which  is  made  of  a succession  of  stories, 
and  is  terminated  by  the  slender  emblem  of 
sovereignty,  namely,  an  ornament  that  looks 
like  a series  of  spread  umbrellas  placed  over 
each  other,  and  become  less  and  less  as  they 
approach  the  summit.  The  whole  of  the 
tower  is  profusely  adorned  with  grotesque 


statues  in'  strange  attitudes,  and  there  is 
scarcely  a square  foot  which  is  undecorated 
in  some  way  or  other. 

The  palaces  are  built  on  much  the  same 
model,  and  their  gates  are  often  guarded  by 
gigantic  figures  carved  in  stone.  At  the 
door  of  the  Hall  of  Audience  at  Bangkok 
are  two  figures  made  of  granite.  They 
are  sixty  feet  in  height,  and  represent  men 
with  the  tails  of  fish  projecting  from  the 
spine.  In  fact,  they  are  almost  exact  repro- 
ductions of  the  Assyrian  Dagon,  as  it  is 
represented  on  the  Nineveh  sculptures. 

The  funeral  pile  on  (or  rather  in)  which 
is  burned  the  body  of  a king  or  any  of  the 
royal  family,  is  built  on  the  same  principle 
as  the  temples,  and  is  in  fact  a temple,  though 
made  of  combustible  materials.  There  is 
before  me  a photograph  of  the  funeral  pile 
which  was  made  for  the  body  of  the  First 
King’s  son,  and  another  of  a pile  erected  for 
the  purpose  of  consuming  the  body  of  his 
wife.  They  are  very  similar  in  appearance, 
being  temples  made  of  wood  and  canvas, 
covered  with  gilt  paper.  They  are  about  a 
hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  height,  and  on 
the  photograph,  where  the  nature  of  the 
material  is  not  shown,  look  like  magnificent 
specimens  of  Siamese  architecture. 

The  central  spire,  terminated  with  its 
royal  emblem,  rises  in  the  ■ centre,  and 
round  it  are  clustered  gables,  roofs,  pinna- 
cles, and  pillars,  in  bewildering  profusion. 

The  door  is  guarded  by  two  gigantic  stat- 
ues, and  the  body  lies  in  the  centre  of  the 
building,  hidden  by  curtains.  On  account 
of  the  flimsiness  of  the  materials,  to  all  the 
pinnacles  are  attached  slight  ropes,  which 
are  fastened  firmly  to  the  ground,  so  that 
they  act  like  the  ‘‘  stays  ” of  a ship’s  mast. 
Inflammable  as  are  the  wood,  paper,  and 
canvas  of  which  the  edifice  is  made,  they  are 
rendered  still  more  so  by  being  saturated 
with  oil,  tar,  and  similarly  combustible  sub- 
stances. Vast,  therefore,  as  is  the  building, 
a very  short  time  suffices  to  consume  it,  and 
the  intense  heat  reduces  the  corpse  to  a mere 
heap  of  ashes,  which  are  gathered  together, 
and  solemnly  placed  in  the  temple  dedicated 
to  that  purpose. 


CHAPTEE  CLIX. 


Ajq-CIEOT  EUROPE. 


THE  SWISS 


DISCOVERY  OF  THE  DWELLINGS  AND  RELICS — : 
LAKES — GENERAL  CHARACTER  OF  THE  B 


Many  of  my  readers  may  be  aware  of  the 
remarkable  discovery  that  was  made  in  1853- 
4,  showing  that  even  in  Europe  there  lived, 
at  one  time,  a race  of  men  having  exactly  the 
same  habits  as  the  swamp-dwellers  of  New 
Guinea,  or  the  lake-dwellers  of  Maracaibo 
on  the  Amazon.  During  the  winter  months 
of  those  two  years,  the  weather  in  Switzer- 
land was  very  dry  and  very  cold,  so  that  the 
rivers  did  not  receive  their  usual  supplies  of 
water.  Consequently,  the  water  in  the  lakes 
fell  far  below  its  usual  level,  and  this  dis- 
closed the  remarkable  fact  that  in  those  lakes 
had  once  been  assemblages  of  human  habi- 
tations, built  upon  piles  driven  into  the  bed 
of  the  lake. 

These  houses,  appropriately  called  “Pfahl- 
bauten,”  or  Pile-buildings,  were,  as  their 
name  implies,  built  upon  piles;  and  it  is  a 
most  interesting  fact,  that  not  only  have  the 
piles  been  discovered,  on  which  the  houses 
were  built,  but  also  fragments  of  the  walls 
of  those  houses;  many  specimens  of  the 
weapons  and  implements  of  the  inhabitants, 
their  ornaments,  and  even  their  food,  have 
been  brought  to  light,  after  having  been 
buried  for  centuries  beneath  the  water. 

The  resemblance,  not  to  say  the  identity, 
between  many  articles  found  under  the 
waters  of  the  Swiss -lakes  and  those  which 
are  still  used  by  savage  tribes  of  the  Western 
hemisphere  is  absolutely  startling;  and  not 
the^  least  remarkable  point  about  the  relics 
which  have  just  been  discovered  is,  that 
several  of  them  are  identical  with  inven- 
tions which  we  fondly  deem  to  be  modern. 

The  chief  part  of  these  lake-dwellings 
was  constructed  during  the  Stone  period, 
i.  e.  a period  when  axes,  spear-heads,  etc., 
were  made  of  stone,  the  use  of  fire  being 
unknown.  This  is  proved  by  the  quantity 


:-DWELLEIlS. 


OF  BUILDING  THE  HOUSES  — POPULATION  OF  THE 


of  stone  weapons  and  implements  which 
have  been  found  in  the  lakes.  That  various 
improvements  have  been  made  in  the  archi- 
tecture is  also  shown  by  the  difference  in 
details  of  construction. 

From  the  relics  that  have  been  discovered, 
it  is  easy  to  see  what  these  lake-dwellings 
must  have  been.  They  were  built  on  a 
scaffolding  made  of  piles  driven  into  the  bed 
of  the  lake,  and  connected  with  cross-beams, 
so  as  to  make  the  foundation  for  a platform. 
Upon  this  platform  the  huts  themselves  were 
built.  They  were  mostly  circular,  and  the 
walls  were  made  of  wattle,  rendered  weather- 
tight  by  the  clay  which  could  be  obtained  in 
any  quantity  from  the  bed  of  the  lake. 

The  reason  for  building  these  edifices  is 
analogous  to  the  feeling  which  induces 
military  engineers  to  surround  their  forts 
with  moats  filled  Avith  water.  In  those 
primitive  times,  man  Avaged  an  unequal 
war  against  the  Avild  animals,  such  as  the 
bear,  the  wolf,  and  the  boar,  and  in  conse- 
quence, these  lacustrine  habitations  proved 
to  be  strongholds  which  such  enemies  could 
not  assault.  It  is  natural,  also,  that  persons 
thus  threatened  should  congregate  together, 
and  in  consequence  Ave  find  that  in  one  lake 
alone,  that  of  Neufchatel,  a population  of 
some  five  thousand  had  congregated. 

A vast  number  of  relics  of  this  bygone 
age  have  been  recovered  from  the  lakes, 
and  are  of  absorbing  interest  to  the  anthro- 
pologist. In  the  first  place,  the  original 
IDiles  have  been  discovered,  still  standing, 
and  several  have  been  drawn,  in  order  to 
ascertain  the  depth  to  which  they  were 
driven.  Portions  of  the  wattled  Avails  of 
the  huts  have  also  been  found,  together 
with  great  numbers  of  stone  implements, 
denoting  a very  early  age.  Great  quantities 


1474 


THE  SWISS  LAKE-DWELLERS. 


of  pottery  have  also  been  found,  the  crescent 
being  a favorite  ornament,  and  several 
utensils  of  a crescentic  shape  having  been 
discovered. 

Then,  as  time  went  on,  men  improved 
upon  their  earlier  works,  and  took  to  metal 
instead  of  stone,  as  examples  of  which  may 
be  mentioned  the  wonderful  series  of  metallic 
objects  that  have  been  found  in  the  lakes. 
There  are  axes,  spears  and  arrow-heads, 
necklaces,  bracelets,  and  hair-pins,  and  — 
most  remarkable  — there  is  the  very  article 
that  was  patented  some  years  since  as  the 
“ Safety  Pin  ” for  nurseries. 

As  to  the  food  which  these  people  ate,  we 
have  abundant  evidence  in  the  way  of  bones 


belonging  to  various  animals,  and  — stran- 
est  of  all  — specimens  of  bread  have  been 
iscovered.  As  may  be  supposed,  the  bread 
in  question  was  of  the  coarsest  possible 
character,  the  grains  of  corn  being  roasted, 
slightly  ground,  and  then  pressed  into 
lumps,  which  may  by  courtesy  be  termed 
cakes.  Even  fruits  have  been  found  ready 
cut  and  prepared  for  consumption,  the  apple 
being  the  most  plentiful  of  these  fruits. 
Seeds  of  different  fruits,  such  as  the  plum, 
the  raspberry,  and  the  blackberry,  have 
been  found,  together  with  the  shells  of 
hazel  and  beech-nuts,  showing  that  all  these 
different  fruits  were  used  for  food  in  the 
olden  times  now  so  long  passed  away. 


INDEX 


A. 

Abyssinia,  641. 

Accawaios,  So.  America,  1222. 
Admiralty  Islanders,  970. 

Adoption  of  Parents,  Namaquas, 
279. 

Agkiculturk  among  the 
Badema,  367.  Bakalai,  492, 
Batoka,  360.  Bayeye,  338. 
Bouka,  971.  Dinka,  470.  Djour, 
448,  Fuegians,  1168.  Gani,  430. 
Guianans,  1246.  Hebrides,  New, . 
972.  Hottentots,  231.  Kaffirs,  . 
138,  139  - 144.  Manganjas,  355.  . 
Ovambos,  319.  Shekiani,  622.  . 
Wasagara,  407.  Watusi,  409. 
Ahitas,  Philippine  Islands,  920. 
Ahts,  Vancouver’s  Island,  1354. 
Ajitas,  Philippine  Islands,  920. 
Alapu-ches,  Chili,  S.  A.,  1190. 
Alfoers,  New  Guinea,  905. 
Alfouras,  New  Guinea,  905. 
Amaharas,  Africa,  667. 

Amakosa,  Africa,  12, 

Amaponda,  Africa,  12. 

Amaswazi,  Africa,  12. 

Amatonga,  Africa.  12. 
Amazomans,  So,  Am.,  1216. 
Amazons,  Africa,  667. 

Amazulu,  Africa,  12. 

Amulets,  see  Charms. 
Amusements  among  the 
Ahts,  1366,  Apono,  487. 
Araucanians,  1204.  Austra- 
lians, 748-753.  Bayeye,  339. 
Bechuanas,  296,  297.  Beghar- 
mis,  639.  Bosjesmans,  262-4. 
Camma,  509,  Co-yukons,  1375. 
Damaras,  313.  Dory,  917. 
Dyaks,  1141-1144.  Esquimaux, 
1349.  Fanti,  553.  Fijians,  954. 
Gallas,  671.  Ghoorkas,  1424. 
Guianans,  1252-1255.  Hotten- 
tots, 234-236,  Indians,  N.  A., 
1285-1298,  1320-1325.  Ishogo, 
479.  Japanese,  1454,  1462.  Kaf- 
firs, 144-147,  Korannas,  270. 
Madi,433.  Makololo,  335.  Male- 
mutes,  1374.  Maories,  845.  Mar- 
quesans,  1049.  Namaquas,  278. 
Ovambos,  320.  Pelew  Islanders, 
1108.  Samoans,  1026.  Sandwich 
Islanders,  1092-1096.  Shooas, 
629.  Tahitans,  1062,  1063. 

Tasmanians,  753.  Tibboos,  633. 
Tongans,  995,  996,  1004.  Tua- 
ricks,  634.  Tungusi,  1380. 
Wanyoro,  426.  Wanyamuezi, 
390-393.  Waraus,  1261.  Watusi, 
409.  Zealanders,  New,  818-^22. 


Ancient  Europe,  1473. 
Andamaners,  888. 

Anecdote  of  Korannas,  269. 
Anecdotes  of  Bosjesmans,  267. 
Aneiteum,  New  Hebrides,  975. 
Angolese,  Africa,  380. 

Animals  of 

Australia,  701.  Guiana,  1222, 
Fondness  for  in  Guiana,  1258. 
Dogs  of  Esquimaux,  1346.  Of 
Africa,  126.  Of  Kaffirs,  127, 
140.  Of  India,  1416-1421. 
Apingi,  Africa,  488. 

Apono,  Africa,  484. 

Aprons  of  Kaffirs,  Africa,  48. 
Arabs,  Africa,  687. 

Araucanians,  S.  A.,  1190. 
Arawaks,  Guiana,  1222. 
Architecture  of 
Abyssinia,  667.  Ahts,  1369. 
Ancient  Europe,  1473,  Anda- 
maners, 892.  Apono,  487.  Au- 
stralians, 784-786.  Bakalai,  491. 
Balonda,  378.  - Bari,  464.  Bay- 
eye,  339.  Bechuanas,  297,  299. 
Bedouins,  682.  Begharmis,  635. 
Bonny,  601.  Bornabi,  1103. 
Bornuese,  626.  Bosjesmans, 
251.  Britain,  New,  970.  Cal- 
edonians, ISTew,  884.  Da- 
home,  562.  Damaras,  310- 
311.  Dor,  447.  Dory,  914. 
Dyaks,  1149-1150.  Egbas,  592, 
Esquimaux,  1335.  Fijians,  956. 
Fuegians,  1165.  Gani,  429. 
Guianans,  1245-1270.  Guinea, 
New,  912.  Hassaniyeh,  686. 
Hervey  Islanders,  1037.  Hotten- 
tots, 227,  228.  Hovas,  690.  In- 
dians, N.  A.,  1329.  Ingeletes, 
1375.  Ireland,  New,  970.  Isho- 
gos,  476.  Japanese,  1461.  Kaf- 
firs, 56,  62,  207.  Kanemboos,  627. 
Kingsmill  Islanders,  1038.  Ma- 
di,  433.  Makololo,  328.  Mala- 
gasy, 690.  Malemutes,  1374. 
Maories,  866.  Mapuches,  1192, 
Marquesans,  1049.  Mexicans, 
1272.  Nicobarians,  896.  Niuans, 
1056.  Nubians,  674.  Obongos, 
482.  Ostiaks,  1384.  Outanatas, 
901.  Ovambos, 316.  Patagonians, 
1185.  Pelew  Islanders,  1108. 
Samoans,  1031.  Shekiani,  522. 
Shillooks,  472.  Shooas,  629.  Si- 
amese, 1472.  Society  Island- 
■ ers,  1073.  Tungusi,  1379.  Wa- 
ganda,  419.  Wanyamuezi.  389 
Waraus,  1268.  Wazaramo,  406. 
Armor  of  Japanese,  1460. 

. Art  of  Japanese,  1465. 

(1475) 


Ashangos,  Africa,  480. 

Ashanti,  Africa,  554. 

Ashira,  Africa,  496. 

Assagais,  Kaffir,  Africa,  94,  100. 
Aurora,  description  of,  1352. 
Australia,  Polynesia,  694. 
Ayhuttisahts, Vancouver’s  Island, 
1354. 

B. 


Badema,  Africa,  367. 

Baenda-pezi,  or  Go-Nakeds,  Ba- 
toka, 349. 

Bahurotsi,  Africa,  280. 

Bakalai,  Africa,  491. 

Bakoba,  Africa,  337. 

Bakwains,  Africa,  280. 

Balonda,  Africa,  369. 

Balondo,  Africa,  369. 

Bamairis,  Africa,  286. 
Bamangwato,  Africa,  295. 

Bantus,  Africa,  11. 

Banyai,  Africa,  361. 

Barber,  Chinese,  1427. 

Barea,  Africa,  668. 

Bari,  Africa,  462. 

Barolongs,  Africa,  280. 

Bathing,  Japanese,  1453,  1454. 
Batlapis,  Africa,  280. 

Batlares,  Africa,  286. 

Batoanas,  Africa,  337. 

Batoka,  Africa,  348. 

Batonga,  Africa,  348. 

Dayeye>  Africa,  337. 

Beauty,  see  Women. 

Bechuanas,  Africa,  280. 

Bedouins,  Africa,  681. 

Begharmis,  Africa,  635. 

Betrothal,  see  Marriage. 

Blackfeet,  North  America,  1273. 
Bonny,  Africa,  600. 

Bornabi,  Caroline  Islands,  1103. 
Bornuese,  Africa,  620. 

Bosjesman,  Africa,  242. 

Bouka,  Polynesia,  971. 

Brahmins,  India,  1408. 

Britain,  New,  Polynesia,  969. 
Brumer’s  Island,  Australasia,  907. 
Bubes,  Africa,  610. 

Burial  of  the  dead  among 
Abyssinians,  659.  Ahitas,  921. 
Ahts,  1373.  Ajitas,  921.  Ah 
foers,  906.  Angolese,  328-383. 
Apingi,  490.  Apono,  488.  Ar- 
aucanians, 1210.  Ashira,  503. 
Australians,  772-777.  Balonda- 
380.  Bari,  464.  Bechuanas,  30^. 
Camma,  520.  Co-yukons,  1375. 
Dahome,  588.  Damaras,  314. 


147G 


INDEX. 


Burial  of  the  Dead — continued. 
Dory,  917.  Dyaks,  IIGO.  Es- 
quimaux, IGol.  Faiiti,  550. 
Fijians,  965-907.  Of  Fijian  chief, 
9t)5.  Hottentots,  241.  Indians, 
N.  A.,  1330.  Kaffir,  200-205. 
Karague,  405.  Kingsmill  Isl- 
anders, 1043.  Krunien,  548. 
Latookas,  459.  Makololo,  330. 
Mauganjas,  360.  Marquesans, 
1051.  Mincopies,  895.  Mpon- 
gwe,  527.  Kicobarians,  897. 
Niuans,  1056.  Obongos,  483. 
Patagonians,  1189.  Pelew  Isl- 
anders, 1109.  Samoiedes,  1382. 
Siamese,  1472.  Sioux,  13.30. 
Society  Islanders,  1076.  Sow- 
ralis,  1389.  Tongans,  1004. 
Waganda,  421.  Wanyamuezi, 
396.  \Yanyoro,  428.  Wazara- 
mo,  406.  Zealand,  New,  869-874. 
Bushman,  Africa,  242. 

Button,  Chinese,  1429. 

C. 

Caledonians,  New,  883. 
Camauchees,  N.  A.,  1289. 

Gamma,  Africa,  504. 

Can'xibalish  among 
Ahts,  1.372.  Andamaners,  891. 
Australians,  747.  In  Britain, 
New,  970.  Bou)iy,  602.  Caledonia, 
New,  885.  Among  Caribs,  1240. 
Fans,  530-535.  Fijians,  942-946. 
Fuegians,  1167.  In  Ireland, 
New,  970.  Among  Isle  of  Pines 
Men,  887.  Kingsmill  Islanders, 
1040.  Maories,  8.‘34-837.  Marque- 
sans, 1051.  Niuans,  1056.  Papu- 
aius,  900.  Samoans,  1022-1023. 
Sandwich  Islanders,  1091.  Soci- 
ety Islanders,  1073.  Solomon 
Islanders,  968.  Tanna,  972.  Tun- 
gusi,  1379.. 

Canoes,  making  and  skill  in  man- 
agement of,  among 
Admiralty  Islanders,  971.  Ahts, 
1362.  Australians,  701-717.  Ba- 
toka,  349.  Bay  eye,  338.  Bouka, 
971.  Brumer  Islanders,  908-911. 
Caledonians,  New,  829.  Dyaks, 
1136.  Esquimaux,  1344.  Fanti, 
549.  Fijians, 932.  Fuegians,  1168.  ' 
InG-uinea,  New,  913.  Among 
Indians,  N.  A.,  1325.  Krumen, 
544.  Makoba,  340.  Makololo,  327- 
Maories,  82.5.  M.arquesans,  1051. 
Mincopies,  890.  Nicobarians,  897. 
Niuans,  1056.  Outanatas,  902. 
Papuans,  900.  Pelew  Islanders, 
1107.  Samoans,  1020.  In  San 
Christoval,  970.  Among  Society  ' 
Islanders,  1074,  Solomon  Island- 
ers, 969.  Waraus,  1222,  1262. 
Caribs,  G-uiana,  S.  A.,  1222. 
Caroline  Islands,  1100. 

Caste,  among 

Damaras,  312.  Karague,  399. 
Khonds,  1393.  Sowrahs,  1385. 
Zealanders,  New,  792. 

Gatlin’s  portrait  of  Indian  dan- 
dy, 1279. 

Cattle  of  the 

Balonda,  376.  Bosjesmans,  254 
Damaras,  310.  Hottentots,  233. 
Kaffirs,  66-71.  Kytch,  439.  La- 
tookas, 454.  Malagasy,  690. 
Namaquas,  277*  Shooas,  629. 
Watusi,  40k 

Ceremonies,  connected  with 
Accession  of  son,  Damaras, 


314.  Battle,  before  and  after. 
New  Zealand,  851.  Becom- 
ing men,  Australians,  701-704. 
Birth,  Abyssinians,  058.  Fi- 
jians, 954,  New  Zealanders, 
810.  Burial  of  K4iig,  Fiji- 
ans, 967.  Cementing  friendship, 
Balondos,  378.  Cooking  war 
dish,  Ashangos,  480.  Corona- 
tion, Congoese,  616,  Mpon- 
gwe,  527.  Customs,  Dahomans, 
573.  Death  of  King,  Tongans, 

993- 994.  Death  and  Mourning, 
Gamma,  520.  Drinking  kava, 
Tongans,  985-990.  Entering- 
boyhood,  Kaffirs,  18.  Fallen 
in  Avar,  Caledonians,  New,  880. 
Feast  of  First  Fruits,  Tongans, 
990-993.  Funeral  of  FinoAV, 
Tongans,  998.  Going  to  War, 
Bechuanas,  292.  Head-worship, 
Dahomans,  587.  Homage  to 
Manono,  Samoans,  1022.  Initia- 
tion of  Cannibal,  Malemutes, 
1372.  Kangaroo,  Australians, 
762.  King,  appearing  before, 
Dahomans,  574.  Making  broth- 
erhood, Aus  tralians,  7 07.  Arau- 
canians,  1205.  Marriage, 
Kaffirs,  86,  Samoans,  1031, 
Sowrahs,  1386.  M’paza,  or 
twin,  Ishogos,  479.  Moon,  full. 
Gamma,  510,  Fans,  5-39. 
Moon,  Ne-w,  Karagne,  401, 
Mincopies,  895.  Mourning, 
Australians,  772.  Ox  of  the 
Girl,  Kaffirs, ' 86.  Ox  of  the 
Surplus,  Kaffirs,  86.  Peceiving 
Guests,  Waganda,  419  Recep- 
tion into  “ iVIides,”  N.  A.  Indi- 
ans, 1.310.  Religious,  Abyssini- 
ans, 658,  Esquimaux,  1350 
“ Rupack,”  Pelew  Islanders, 
1104.  Sacrificial,  Kaffirs,  172, 
Society  Islanders,  1075.  Set- 
ting apart  “piai”  men,  Guiana, 
126T  Shedding  of  blood,  Dy- 
aks, 1159.  Sickness,  Tongans, 
998.  Society  of  hunters,  Au- 
stralians, 763.  Sprinkling  wa- 
ter, Dahomans,  588,  New  Zea- 
land, 817.  Tow-tow,  Tongans, 

994- 995.  Visiting,  Fijians,  940. 

Charms  among 

Abyssinians,  665,  666.  Angolese, 
381.  Apingi,  490.  Australians, 
771.  Bechuanas,  292.  Dyaks, 
1158.  Fans,  539.  Indians,  N. 
A.,  1313.  Kaffir,  181-183. 

Karague,  402.  Namaquas,  277. 
Nubians,  674.  Waganda,  419. 
Wanyoro,  428. 

Charming  serpents,  India,  1416. 

Cherokees,  No.  America,  1331. 

Chickasaws,  No.  America,  1319. 

Children,  treatment  of  among 
Andamaners,  892.  AraAvaks, 
1247.  Australians,  757, 758.  Bak- 
alai,  492.  Co-yukons,  1,375. 
Esquimaux,  1349.  Fijians,  954. 
Flat-heads,  1.319,1320.  Indians, 
Gran  Chaco,  1214.  Indians,  N. 
A.,  1319.  Ingeletes,  1375.  Tsh- 
ogo,  479.  Kaffir,  16-18.  Madi, 
433.  IMapuches,  1192.  Outan- 
atas, 901.  Patagonians,  1186. 
Samoans,  1009.  Wanyamuezi, 
393.  Zealanders,  New,"  816,  817. 

Chinese,  China,  1426. 

Chinnooks,  No.  America,  1.319. 

Choctaws,  No.  America,  1319. 

Chopsticks,  Chinese,  1431. 


Christie’s  .sketch,  Rosjesman,  266. 
Chuanas,  Africa,  280. 
Cleanliness  among 
Abyssinians,  (>07.  Lsakalai,  492, 
493.  Esquimaux,  1333.  Fueffi- 
ans,  1168.  Kaffirs,  45.  Madi,  4,30, 
Manganjas,  359.  Ostiaks,  1384. 
Wanyamuezi,  393.  Wanyoro, 
422-426.  Waraus,  1258.  Wa- 
tusi,  409. 

Commi,  Africa,  504. 

Complexion  of 
Aliyssinians,  642.  Ahitas,  290, 
Ahts,  1355.  Angolese,  380. 
Apingi,  488.  Australians,  694. 
Bakalai,  492.  Balondo,  370. 
Batoka,  348.  Begharniis,  636. 
Bosjesmans,  243.  Bouka,  971. 
Caledonians,  New,  883.  Gam- 
ma, 505.  DJibbas,  464.  Dyaks, 
1111.  Egbas,  590,  Esquimaux, 
1333.  Fans,  529.  Fanti,  549. 
Fijians,  922,  Fuegians,  1162. 
Gallas,  671.  Hebrides,  New, 
972.  HerA^ey  Islanders,  1032. 
Hottentots,  217.  Hovas,  090.  In- 
dians, Gran  Chaco,  1211.  Indi- 
ans, N.  Am.  1273,  Isle  of  Pines 
Men,  887  Japanese,  1449. 
Karague,  399,  Kingsmill  Isl- 
anders, 1038.  Krumen,  545. 
Makololo,  327.  Marquesans, 
1047.  Mundurucus,  1215. 
Neam-Nam,  442,  Nicobarians, 
896.  Nubians,  673.  Obongos, 
482.  Outanatas,  900.  Papuans, 
898.  Patagonians,  1172.  Pelew 
Lslanders,  1104,  Samoans,  1008. 
Sand-wich  Islanders,  1081.  She- 
kiaiii,  522.  Siamese,  1468.  Solo- 
mon Islanders,  968,  Tahitans, 
1058.  Tanna  Islanders,  972. 
Tongans,  977.  Vaffi  Islanders, 
972.  Waraus,  1222,  Zealanders, 
New,  792. 

Congoese,  Africa,  614. 

Cooking,  see  Food. 

Cook’s  Islanders,  Polynesia,  1032. 
Co-yukons,  Alaska,  1375. 

Cree  tribe.  North  America,  1313. 
Creeks,  North  America,  1331. 
Crow  tribe.  North  America,  1273. 
“Crowing”  of  Damaras,  310. 
Crucifixion,  Chinese,  1439. 

“ Japanese,  1461. 
Cruelty  to  aged  among 
Fijians,  954.  Indians,  1320. 
Namaquas,  278.  To  prisoners, 
Fijians,  954. 

Customs,  Dahome,  573. 

Customs,  curious,  of 
Alfoers,  906.  Araucanians,  1205. 
Ashanti,  Yam  and  Adai,  559. 
Caledonians,  New,  887.  Dyaks, 
11.36.  Fijians,  Loloku  of  the 
sail,  967.  Guianans,  1247.  Her- 
vey  Islanders,  1034.  Kanem- 
boos,  627.  Kingsmill  Islanders, 
1040.  Marquesans,  1049.  Obon- 
gos, domestic,  482.  Ovambos,  at 
meals,  322.  Tahitans,  1061. 
Tchuktchi,  1378.  Tongans,  982. 

D. 

Dacotahs,  North  America,  1307 
Dahomans,  Africa,  561. 

Damaras,  Africa,  304. 

Dancing,  see  Amusements. 
Dances  of 

Ahts,  doctor’s  nook,  1366,  rcof, 
1366.  Apono,  giant,  487.  Ara- 


IXDEX. 


1477 


Dances  of — continued. 
wales,  ])uris,  1252.  Australians, 
kuri,  74S,  palti,  752,  kangaroo, 
752,  pedeku,  751,  frog,  751, 
corrobboree,  752.  Bcchuanas, 
2P7.  Bosjesuxaiis,  2G2.  Camina, 
gorilla,  509.  Damaras,  3i:3. 
Dyaks,  sword,  114.‘3,  war,  1143, 
head,  1143.  Esquimaux,  1349. 
Fans,  full  moon,  639.  Fijians, 
955.  Guianans,  maquarri,  1255. 
Hottentots,  melon,  235.  Indians, 
N.  A.,  scalp,  128G,  butfalo,  1297, 
ball-play,  1320,  pipe,  1320,  beg- 
gar’s bear,  1320,  dog,  1320,  eagle, 
132.3,  braves,  1323,  green  corn, 
1323,  snow-shoe,  1323,  slave,  1323. 
Kaffir,  wedding,  55.  Korannas, 
270.  Latookas,  funeral,  459. 
Madi,  433.  Maleinutes,  1374. 
Marquesans,  1049.  New  Guinea, 
war,  917.  New  Zealand,  war, 
845.  Niuans,war,  1055.  Pelew 
Islanders,  1108.  Samoans,  wed- 
ding, 1031.  Sliooas,  668.  Tas- 
manians, 753.  Tungusi,  1380. 
Wanyainuezi,.390.  Watusi,  409. 

Dankallis,  Africa,  671. 

Delawares,  North  America,  1331. 

Dingan,  Kaffir  chief,  visit  to,  91. 

Dingau  at  home,  207. 

Dinkas,  Africa,  469. 

Djibba,  Africa,  464. 

Djour,  Africa,  448. 

Dog  eater,  initiation  of,  Ahts,  1371. 

Dor,  Africa,  444. 

Dory,  Africa,  914. 

Dress  among 

Abyssinians,  642  - 647.  Acca- 
waios,  1222.  Admiralty  Island- 
ers, 970.  Ahts,  1355.  Anda- 
maners,  889.  Apingi,  489.  Apo- 
no,  484.  Ashango,  480.  Ash- 
anti, 554.  Ashira,  496.  Aus- 
tralians, 699-705.  Bakalai,  492. 
Balonda,  370.  Bari,  463, 464.  Ba- 
toka,  348.  Bayeye,  3-39.  Bechu- 
anas,  284.  Bedouins,  681.  Bonny, 
603.  Bornabi,  110.3.  Bornuese, 
621.  Bo.sjesmans,246.  Bouka,971. 
Britain,  New,'  969.  Brumer’s 
Islanders,  907.  Bubes,  610.  Cale- 
donians, New,  883.  Caribs, 
1222.  Chinese,  1429.  Congoese, 
616.  Co-yukons,  1.375.  Daho- 
mans,  568.  Damaras,  306.  Din- 
kas, 469-  Djibbas,  467.  Dor,  447. 
Dory,  914.  Dyaks,  1112-1116- 
1118.  Egbas,  591.  Esquiinairx, 
1.334.  Fans,  529.  Fanti,  549:  Fij- 
ians, 926-928-  Fuegians,  1162. 
Gallas,  671.  Gani,  430.  Guian- 
ans, 1256-1258.  Hebrides,  New, 
972.  Hervey  Islanders,  10-32.  Hot- 
tf^ntots,  222.  Hovas,  690.  In- 
dians, Gran  Chaco,  1212.  In- 
dians, North  America,  1275, 
1276.  Ireland,  New,  969.  Isho- 
gos,  479.  Isle  of  Pines  Men, 
887.  Japanese,  kami-samo, 
1449-1453.  Kaffirs,  28-51,  53 
change  of  on  betrothal,  Kaf- 
fir, 51.  Kanemboos,  627.  Kara- 
gue,  405.  Khonds,  1389.  Kings- 
mill  Islanders,  10.38.  Korannas, 
270.  Krumen,  545.  Kytch,  436. 
Latookas,  453.  Madi,  4.30-433. 
Makoba,  339.  Makololo,  327. 
Malagasy,  690.  Maleinutes,  1.374. 
Manganja,  356.  Mapuches, 
1190-1191.  Marquesans,  1044. 
Mpongwe,  524.  Musguese,  639. 


Namaqurus,  275.  Neam-Nam, 
442.  Nicobarians,  89(5.  Niu- 
ans,  1055.  Nubians,  673. 
Nuehr,  4()8.  Obbo,  434.  Obon- 
gos,  482.  Outanatas,  900.  Ovam- 
bos,  316.  Papuans,  900.  Pata- 
gonians, 1173.  Pelew  Islanders, 
1104.  Komanzolf Islaiid(;rs,  1100. 
Samoans,  1009, 1013,  1014.  Sam- 
oiedes,  1383.  Sandwich  Island- 
ers, 1081.  Shillooks,  472.  Shir, 
461.  Shooas,  630.  Siamese, 
1468.  Solomon  Islanders,  969. 
Soumaulis,  672.  Sowrahs,  1386. 
Tahitans,  1059.  Tibboos,  630. 
Tongans,  gnatoo,  977.  Tuaricks, 
634.  Vate  Islanders,  972.  Wa- 
gogo,  385.  Wanyamuezi,  386. 
Waraus,  1269.  Wasagara,  407. 
Watusi,  408.  Wazaramo,  406. 
Zealanders,  New,  807-813. 
Drinks,  intoxicating,  of 
Abyssinia,  657.  Apingi,  490. 
Apono,  484.  Ashira,  498.  Ar- 
aucanians,  1203.  Balonda,  377. 
Chinese,  1429.  Congoese,  616. 
Dyaks,  1145.  Fans,  539.  Guia- 
nans, 1251.  Kaffir,  152.  Kara- 
gue,  400, 401.  Krumen,  546. 
Manganja,  359.  Wanyamuezi 
393,  394.  Waraus,  1269. 

Dust  signals  of  Outanatas,  902. 
Dutulu,  adventures  of,  69. 

Dyaks,  Land,  Borneo,  1110. 
Dyaks,  Sea,  1110. 

E. 

Eastern  Islands,  1100. 

Economy  of  Chinese,  1443. 

Egbas,  Africa,  590. 

Elephant  catcliing,  Bayeye,  338. 
Elephant,  ivhite,  Siam,  1471. 
Endurance,  see  Strength. 
Errumanga,  New  Hebrides,  975. 
Esquimaux,  N.  America,  1333. 
Etiquette  among 
Abyssinians,  657.  Asbiras,  498. 
Araucanians,  1205.  Balonda, 
377.  Batokas,  350.  Bonny,  601. 
Cammas,  505-509.  Dahomans, 
566,585.  Fijians,  940, 941.  Jap- 
anese, 14.59.  Kaffir,  87, 148,  160. 
Makololo,  326.  Maorffis,  824. 
85).  Mapuches,  1193.  Samoans, 
li)09.  Siamese,  1471.  Tahitans, 
1060.  AVaganda,  410.  Wanyan- 
muezi,  389.  Waraus,  1261. 

Watusi,  408. 

Europe,  Ancient,  1473. 

F. 

Fans,  Africa,  529. 

Fans,  Chinese,  1430. 

Fans,  war,  Japanese,  1461. 

Fanti,  Africa,  548. 

Feasts  of 

Abyssinians,  raw  flesh,  656. 
Abyssinians,  wedding,  658. 

Ahts,  1.364.  Arawaks,  piwarri, 
1252.  Chinese,  of  lanterns,  14.31. 
Fans,  marriage,  536.  Fijians, 
given  to  gods,  942.  Fuegians, 
1167.  Indians,  N.  A.,  dog,  1330. 
Kaffir,  first  fruits,  172.  Male- 
mutes,  1374.  Samoans,  wed- 
ding, 1031.  Waikato,  hui,  827. 
Feet  of  women,  Chinese,  1428. 
Female  soldiers,  Dahomans,  567. 
Fetishes,  Ashanti,  559. 

Fijians,  Australia,  922. 


Fire-Making  among 
Australians,  786.  Dyaks,  1151. 
Fuegians,  1168.  Kuliir,  100. 
Fishijsg  among 

Ahts,  135()-1361.  Australians, 
710,  728.  Badema,  with  not.s, 
367.  Balonda,  377.  Bayeye, 
388.  Chinese,  with  cormorants, 
1444.  Dyaks,  1118,  1132.  Esqui- 
maux, 1343.  Fijians,  turtle,  9.31. 
Fuegians,  1166.  Guinea,  New, 
913.  Hervey  Islanders,  1037. 
Kanemboos,  627.  Maleinutes, 
whale,  1361,  salmon,  1360. 
Maories,  830-833.  Mar<iuesans, 
1051.  Ostiaks,  1384.  Ovambo, 
320.  Samoans,  1026.  Sandwich 
Islanders,  1086.  Shillooks,  472. 
Flat  Heads,  N.  America,  1319. 
Food  of,  and  modes  of  eating 
among 

Abyssinians,  655.  Ahts,  1364. 
Andamaners,  891.  Angolese, 
manioc,  381.  Araucanians,  1200. 
Ashira,  497.  Australians,  tur- 
tle and  snakes,  702-714.  Baka- 
lai. 492.  Balonda,  manioc,  376. 
Banyai,  366.  Bechuanas,  296 
Bedouins,  684.  Bosjesmans,  252 
Caledonians,  New,  885.  Chinese, 
bird-nests,  1432.  Damaras,  313. 
Dyaks,  1118-1144.  Esquimaux, 
1336,  special  dainties,  1337. 
Fans,  534.  Fijians,  941,  942. 
Fuegians,  1166,  1168.  Guian- 
ans, 1248,  1249.  Hervey  Island- 
ers, 1037.  Plottentots,  232,  233. 
Kaffir,  131,  132,  147-151,  157. 

Kytch,  439.  Makololo,  826. 
Mandingoes,  608.  Maories,  827- 
8-34.  Mpongwe,  524.  Munduru- 
cus,  1220.  Neam-Nam,  442. 
Ovambo,  322.  Patagonians, 
1185.  Samoans,  palolo,  1030, 
1031.  Saiidwich  Islanders,  1086. 
Shir  tribe,  462.  Shoas,  668.  Siviss 
Lake-dwellers,  1474.  Tungusi, 
1380.  Wanyamuezi,  ,304.  AVan- 
yoro,  426.  Waraus,  1269. 

Fox  tribe,  N.  America,  1323. 

Form  of  women,  Hottentots,  218. 
Fuegians,  Tierra  del  Fuego,  1161. 
Funerals,  see  Burial. 

Furniture, 

Japanese,  1462.  Kaffir,  206.  See 
Architecture. 

G. 

Gallas,  Africa,  671. 

Games  of 

Abyssinians,  the  ladies,  653. 
Araucanians,  pelican,  1204. 
Avas,  1204.  Dyaks,  1141-1143. 
Fijians,  954.  Indians,  N.  A., 
archery,  128.5,  chung-chee,  1324, 
al-kol-lock,  1324,  pagessan,  or 
bowl,  1324,  ball,  1324,  leap- 
ing rock,  1329.  Japanese,  chil- 
dren’s, 1462.  Japanese  mall, 
14.54,  ladder  balancing,  14.56, 
top  spinning,  14.56,  butterfly 
trick,  1456.  Makololo,  children’s, 
332.  New  Zealand  children’s, 
818.  Society  Islanders,  chil- 
dren’s, 1095.  AV anyamuezi,  chil- 
dren’s, 393. 

Gani,  Africa,  429. 

Ghou  Damup,  Africa,  304. 
Ghoorkas,  India,  1395. 

Gilbert  Islands,  1100. 

Gold  washing,  Ashanti,  555. 


1478 


INDEX. 


Gonaquas,  Africa,  274. 

Goura,  musical  instrument,  Bos- 
jesniaiis,  2(>4. 

Government,  mode  of  among 
Abyssi  Ilians,  049.  Ajitas,  920.  Al- 
foers,  905.  Angolese,  380,  Balon- 
da,  309.  Banyai,  301.  Bechuanas, 
280.  Bornuese,  021.  Gamma,  504- 
500.  Dory,  914.  Fijians,  934.  Fue- 
gians,  1171.  Indians,  N.  A.,  1275. 
Kingsmill  Islanders,  1040.  Kru- 
nien,  540.  Makololo,  331.  Man- 
ganja,  3-55.  Mapucli^s,  1194. 
Sipongwe,  524.  Ovambo,  321. 
Shekiani,  521.  Shillooks,  473. 
Tasmanians,  754.  Tongans,  981. 
Wanyoro,  422. 

Goza’s 

Portrait,  35.  Young  Warriors, 
35,  And  his  Wives,  75. 

Grapple  plant,  214. 

Griquas,  Africa,  274. 

Guiana,  So.  America,  1221. 
Guinea,  New,  Africa,  898. 

H. 

Hair  DRESSING,  mode  of  among 
Abyssi  Ilians,  042-048.  Alits,  1355. 
Australians,  705.  Balonda,  370. 
Batoka,  348.  Bornuese,  020. 
Brumer’s  Islanders,  907.  Chinese 
1420.  Egbas,  590.  Esquimaux, 
1335,  Fanti,  549.  Fijians,  922, 
925,  Fuegians,  1102.  Gallas, 
671.  Gani,  queue,  430.  Hovas, 
690.  Indians,  Gran  Chaco,  1212. 
Indians,  N.  A.,  1273, 1274.  Ish- 
ogos,  475.  Japanese,  1450-1453. 
Khonds,  1389.  Krumen,  545. 
Mandans,  1274, 1275.  Mapuches, 
1191.  Musguese,  639.  Niu- 
ans,  1055.  Nubians,  674.  Pap- 
uans, 898,  Samoans,  1014.  Sand- 
wich Islanders,  1085.  Siamese, 
1408.  Soumaulis,  672.  Sowrahs, 
138(r.  Taliitans,  1059.  Zealand- 
ers, New,  814, 

Hamoa,  Navigator’s  Island,  1008. 
Hamraii  Arabs,  Africa,  075. 
Haraforas,  New  Guinea,  905. 
Hara-kiri,  Japan,  1401. 

Harem  of  Kaffir,  76. 

Hassaniyehs,  Africa,  686. 
Head-dresses  of 
Ah ts,  1305.  Fijians,  waterproof, 
920.  Guianans,  feather,  1255. 
Indians,  N.  A.,  1276.  Ishogos, 
475.  Kaffir,  41.  Mapuches, 
1191.  Marquesans,  1048.  Sa- 
moans, 1013. 

Head  hunting,  Dyaks,  1135, 
Hebrides,  New,  Polynesia,  971. 
Hervey  Islands,  Polynesia,  1032. 
Hindoo’s,  India,  1395. 

Honesty  of  the 
Apono,  484,  Ashira,  497,  Au- 
stralians, 695, 696.  Barea,  6(58. 
Bayeye,  337.  Bechuanas,  284. 
285.  Caledonians,  New,  886. 
Esquimaux,  1351.  Indians,East, 
1399,1400.  Krumen,  540.  La- 
tookas,  459.  Makoba,  339.  IMak- 
ololo,  320.  Outanatas,  902. 
Ovambos,  315,  Samoans,  1008. 
Shillooks,  473.  Society  Island- 
ers, 1005.  Tuaricks,  634. 

Hopo,  the  elephant  trap,  895. 
Horses  of 

Indians,  N.  A.,  1296,  1297. 
Horsemanship  of 
Araucanians,  1196.  Camanchees, 


1289,1290.  Crows,  1274.  Ham- 
raiiArax^s,  070.  Indians,  Gran 
Chaco,  1212.  Indians,  North 
America,  1325.  Japanese,  1454, 
1455.  Patagonians,  1174. 

Hospitality  of 
Abyssiiiians,  655.  Ajitas,  920. 
Apingi,  490.  Batoka,  353.  Es- 
quimaux, 1351.  Fuegians,  1171. 
Gani,  429.  Ishogos,  480,  Ja- 
kuts,  1379.  Kaffir,  16.  Mako- 
lolo, 320.  Manganja,  355.  Mao- 
ries,  827.  Samoans,  1008.  Shoas, 
007,  Shooas,  029.  Tahitans,  1000. 
Tchuktchi,  1378,  Wazaramo, 
400.  Zealand,  New,  826. 

Hottentots,  Africa,  217. 

Hovas,  “ 690. 

Huili-ches,  South  America,  1190. 

Hunting  among 
Ahts,  deer,  1355.  Araucanians, 
1198.  Ashira,  502.  Australians, 
717-725.  Badema,  with  nets, 
367.  Batoka,  353.  Banyai,  hip- 
popotamus and  elephant,  362- 
305.  Bayeye,  338.  Bosjesmans, 
ostrich,  252-253.  Gamma,  509. 
Dahomans,  571.  Dinkas,  470. 
Dor,  444-446.  Dyaks,  1131-1133 
Esquimaux,  seal,  deer,  fox,  wolf, 
bear,  1338-1344.  Fans,  elephant, 
gorilla,  533-542.  Ghoorkas,  ISOO! 
Guianans,  1223-1270.  Haniran 
Arabs,  elephant,  lion,  hippopot- 
amus, buffalo,  675-677.  Hotten- 
tots, 231.  Indians,  North  Amer- 
ica, buffalo,  1293-1296.  Indians, 
Asia,  elephant,  deer,  1418. 
Kaffir,  antelope,  giraffe,  ele- 
phant, rhinoceros,  lion,  buffalo, 
120-138.  Kanemboos,  627.  Ma- 
koba, 341.  Neam-Nam,  elephant, 
443.  Ostiaks,  1,384.  Patago- 
nians, 1178-1182.  Samoans,  1029. 
Samoiedes,  1383.  Shooas,  buf- 
falo, elephant,  628.  Tasmanians, 
753.  Tungusi,  1379. 

I. 

Illinoans,  Borneo,  1112. 

India,  Asia,  1395, 

Indians,  Gran  Chaco,  1211. 

Indians,  North  American,  1273. 

Industry  of 

Bubes,  610.  Congoese,  616 
Dyaks,  1118.  Fanti,  548.  Guian- 
ans, 1222.  Manganja,  355. 
Ostiaks,  1384.  Ovambo,  319. 
Watusi,  409.  Zealanders,  New, 
826. 

Ingeletes,  Alaska,  N.  A.,  1374. 

Ireland,  New,  Australasia,  969. 

Ishogos,  Africa,  475. 

Isi-baya,  of  Kaffir,  66. 

Isle  of  Pines  Men,  887. 

Issikoko,  or  head  ring,  Kaffir,  41. 

J. 

Japanese,  Japan,  1449. 

Jakuts,  Siberia,  Asia,  1379. 

Jukahiri,  Siberia,  Asia,  1377. 

K. 

Kaffir,  Africa,  11. 

Chivalry  of,  42.  Picturesque  ’ 
aspect  of,  42.  Perfume  of,  42.  ^ 
Gallantry,  55.  Ostentation,  59-  ^ 
Harem,  inmates,  etc.,  62.  Dread  ' 
of  death,  76.  Law  of  inheri- ; 


tance,  78.  Courtship,  79.  Names, 
mode  of  choosing,  88,  89. 

Boaster,  fate  of,  89.  Love  of 
Justice,  149.  Love  of  honey, 
154.  Fondness  for  tobacco,  160. 
Torture  for  bewitching,  185. 
Sleeping  accommodations,  200. 
Kanemboos,  Africa,  627. 

Karague,  399. 

Katchiba, 

Chief  of  Obbo,  434.  His  family, 
435.  His  character,  435.  His 
l)alace,  435.  Treatment  of 
guests,  435. 

Katema,  tlie  Balonda  Chief,  370. 
Kaveaks,  Siberia,  1375. 

Kingsmill  Islanders,  Polynesia, 
1038. 

Knob  kerrj’'  of  Kaffir,  106. 

Kona’s  Illness  and  its  results,  185. 
Kora,  Africa,  269. 

Korannas,  Africa,  269. 

Koraquas,  Africa,  209. 

■ Kraal  of  Kaffir,  54. 

■ Krumen,  Africa,  544. 

, Iv3'tch,  Africa,  436. 

L. 

Language  of 

Ajitas,  921.  Bosjesmans, 
“clicks,”  242.  Fijians,  court, 
939.  Fuegians,  1171.  Hotten- 
tots, “ clicks,”  234.  Ingeletes, 
1375.  Kaveaks,  1375.  INIale- 
inutes,  1375.  Mandingoes,  007. 
New  Zealand,  sacred,  857. 
Siamese,  1471. 

Lanterns,  Chinese,  1430. 

Lasso,  Araucanians,  1197. 

• Lasso,  North  Am.  Indians,  1296. 
Latookas,  Africa,  4.53. 

Laws,  code  of  among 
Abyssinians,  653.  Alfoers,  906. 
Australians,  747.  In  Britain, 
New,  909.  Fiji,  935.  Ireland, 
New,  969.  Karague,  405. 
Among  Makololo,  331.  Niuans, 
1056.  Samoans,  1010  - 1024. 
Siamese,  1471.  Waganda,  410. 
Zealanders,  New,  798. 
Legends  of 

Apono,  488.  Areois,  1080.  Ba- 
londa, 379.  Bubes,  010.  Chi- 
nese, 1429.  Fanti,  ,549.  Fijians, 
934.  Guianans,  1264-1267.  In- 
dians, N.  A.,  1313.  Kaffirs,  141, 
169.  Mandans,  1301.  Maories, 
858.  Nam  aquas,  276.  New  Zea- 
landers, 829.  Niuans,  1052. 
Society  Islanders,  1065. 

Life,  human,  value  of,  among 
Bechuanas.  285.  Dahomans, 
507,579.  Fans,  539.  Tenacity 
of  among  Hottentots,  240.  Wa- 
ganda, 413. 

Lloyd’s  account  of  Australians, 
789. 

M. 

Macoushies,  Guiana,  S.  A.,  1221. 
Madagascar,  Africa,  690. 

Madi,  Africa,  430. 

Mah-to-toh-pa,  exploits  of,  1286, 
1287. 

Makoba,  Africa,  339. 

Makololo,  Africa,  324. 
jMalagasy,  Africa,  690. 

Malays,  Malaisia,  920. 

Malemutes,  Alaska,  N.  A.,  1374. 
Malicolo,  New  Hebrides,  975. 


INDEX. 


1479 


Miuulans,  N.  America,  1301. 

Maiicliuii'oe.s,  Africa,  (J07. 

Maueuko  in  cominaud,  Balondo, 
375. 

Manganjas,  Africa,  355. 

Maiitatees,  Africa,  28(>. 

JMaiitcliu  Tartars,  Tartary,  1422. 

M.\n^ufactuiies,  skill  in  among 
Ahts,  1355.  Apingi,  489.  Arau- 
canians,  1205.  Arawaks,  123;3- 
1235.  Australians,  72G.  Ban- 
yai,  3G(),  3(57.  Bechiianas,  280- 
283.  DJour,  451.  Dyaks,  1151- 
1156.  Esquimaux,  1349.  Fans, 
532.  Fijians,  929-931.  Guinea, 
New,  914.  Hervey  Islanders, 
1033.  Hottentots,  226,  228.  Kaf- 
firs, 45-47,  95-99,  148-154,  206- 
212.  Latookas,  455.  Macousliies, 
1221.  Maories;  880.  Mpongwe, 
528.  Samoans,  1015.  Shir,  462. 
Swiss  Lake-dwellers,  1474.  Ton- 
gans,  977.  , 

Maories,  New  Zealand,  824. 

Mapu-ches,  So.  America,  1190. 

Mara-ches,  So.  America,  1190. 

Marksmen  of  Arawaks,  1235. 

Marquesas  Islands,  1044. 

Marriage  among 
Abyssiniaus,  658.  Ajitas,  931. 
Alfoers,  906.  Andainaners,  888, 
892.  Angolese,  382.  Apingi, 

489.  Araucanians,  abduction 

of  bride,  1199,  1200.  Arawaks, 
1247.  Australians,  755.  Banyai, 
362.  Bornuese,  626.  Bosjes- 

mans,  244.  Bub^s,  613.  Da- 
homans,  586.  Damaras,  313. 
Dory,  917.  Dyaks,  1137-1141. 
Esquimaux,  1349.  Fans,  536- 
Fijians,  955.  The  Fijian  bride, 
956.  Among  Ghoorkas,  carry- 
ing off  bride,  1394.  Hassani- 
yeh,  686.  Hottentots,  233.  In- 
dians, N.  A.,  1316.  Ingeletes, 
1375.  Kaffirs,  bridegroom  on  ap- 
proval, 77-87  In  Karague,  402. 
Among  Krumen,  earning  wives, 
546,  547.  Kytch,  439.  Ma- 
kololo,  328.  Mandingoes,  608. 
Namaquas,  277.  Obongos,  482. 
Ostiaks,  1385.  Ovambos,  322. 
Patagonians,  1183.  Samoans, 
1031.  Samoiedes,  1383.  Sow- 
rahs,  1386.  Tungusi,  1380.  Wa- 
ganda,  413,  414.  Zealanders, 
New,  8l8. 

Marshall  Islanders,  1100. 

Mbondemo,  Africa,  521. 

Mbicho,  “ 521. 

Mbousha,  “ 521. 

Medicine,  see  Treatment  of  Sick. 

Medicine  bag,  N.  A.  Indians,  1308. 

Medicine  Men,  of 
Ahts,  1371.  N.  A.  Indians,  1307- 
1309.  Kaffirs,  17. 

Mendana  Islands,  1044. 

Mexico,  North  America,  1271. 

Minatarees,  North  America,  1274. 

Mincopie  girls,  895. 

Miucopies,  Andaman  Islands,  889. 

Mirage,  notions  of  Hassaniyeh, 

688. 

Mirror  Ink  of  Hassaniyeh,  689. 

Mnande’s  burial,  202. 

Moheenda,  Africa,  .399. 

Mongolians,  Asia,  1422. 

Monkey  Men,  New  Guinea,  900. 

Mourning  among 
Abyssinians,  659.  Australians, 
772.  Australians,  widow’s  cap, 
777.  Bakalai,  “keen,”  495. 


Gamma,  520.  Damaras,  314. 
Dyaks,  1160.  Esquimaux,  1351. 
Fijians,  967.  Flat  - heads, 
mourning  cradle,  1320.  Indians, 
N.  A.,  1329.  Mpongwe,  524. 
New  Zealand,  tangi,  869. 
Mpongwe,  Africa,  524. 

Muohiahts,  Vancouver’s  Island, 
1354. 

Mumbo  Jumbo,  of  Bonny,  603. 
Mundurucus,  S.  America,  1215. 
Musguese,  Africa,  639. 

Music  of 

Balonda,  375.  Bosjesman,  263- 
2()5.  Chinese,  144(i.  Damaras, 
313.  Kaffirs,  208.  Korannas,  273. 
Musical  Instruments  of 
Abyssinians,  660.  Balonda,  375. 
Batoka,  353.  Bechuanas,  297. 
Bosjesmans,  goura,  guitar,drum, 
264-265.  Gamma,  509.  Chinese, 
1445.  Dor,  448.  Dory,  917. 
Esquimaux,  1351.  Fans,  540. 
Guianans,  1264.  Indians,  N.  A., 
1330.  Kaffirs,  55,  208-211.  In 
Karague,  405.  Among  Latook- 
as, 459-460.  Madi,  433.  Malaga- 
sy, 693.  Shillooks,  474.  Tahit- 
ans,  1062.  Zealanders,  New,  822. 

N. 

Namaquas,  Africa,  274. 

Names  among 

Araucanians,  exchanging  of, 
1209.  Bosjesmans,  244.  Kaffirs, 
mode  of  choosing,  88,  praise 
and  birth,  89.  Krumen,  546. 
Maganjas,  changing,  360.  New 
Zealanders,  signification  of,  and 
changing,  817. 

Neam-Nam,  Africa,  440. 

Necklace,  talismanic,  Kaffir,  199. 
Negritos,  Philippine  Islands,  920. 
New  Britain,  Australasia,  969. 
New  Caledonia,  Australasia,  883. 
New  Guinea,  Africa,  898. 

New  Hebrides,  Polynesia,  971. 

New  Ireland,  Australasia,  969. 
New  Zealand,  Australasia,  792. 
Nga-te-kahuhuua,  New  Zealand, 
796. 

Nicobarians,  Nicobar  Islands,  896. 
Niu(i,  Polynesia,  1052. 

North  American  Indians,  1273. 
Nubia,  Africa,  673. 

Nuehr  tribe,  Africa,  468. 

O. 

Obbo,  Africa,  434. 

Obongos,  Africa,  482. 

Oerlams,  Africa,  274. 

Ohyahts,  Vancouver’s  Island,  1354. 
Ojibbeways,  North  America,  1329. 
Omens,  see  Superstitions. 

Ordeals  of  the 

Angolese,  382.  Ashira,  the  ring, 
502.  Batoka,  353.  Bechuanas, 
boys,  292,  for  girls,  295.  Gamma, 
drinking  m’boundou,  515.  Ca- 
ribs,  1240.  Conguese,  drinking 
poison,  615.  Dacotahs,  medicine 
men,  1307.  Dyaks,  diving,  1159, 
boiling  water,  1159,  salt,  1159, 
snails,  1159.  Mandans,  on  reach- 
ing manhood,  1301,  suspension, 
1.30.3,  last  race,  1304.  Munduru- 
cus, of  gloves,  1216. 

Order  of  the  Scar,  Bechuanas,  289. 
Ornaments  of 

Abyssinians,  646,  647.  Admiral  • 


ty.  Islanders,  970.  Ahts,  lip 
1355.  Araucanians,  1197.  Ash- 
ango,  481.  Ashanti,  555.  Aus- 
tralians, dibbi-dibbi  nose-bone, 
turtle  scar,  703,  704.  Balonda, 
373.  Bayeye,  339.  Bechuanas,  284. 
Bedouins,  683.  Bornabi,  1103. 
Bosjesmans,  249.  Caledonians, 
New,883.  Co-’  ukons,  nose,  1375. 
Damaras,  306.  Dinkas,  470. 
Djibba,  scalp-lock,  467.  Djour, 
451.  Dor,  lip,  447.  Dyaks,  ear- 
rings, etc.,  111,-1,17.  Egbas,  591.' 
Fanti,  549.  Fijians,  92(5.  Fuegi- 
ans,  1165.  Gani,  430.  Ghoorkas, 
1399.  Hebrides,  New,  972.  Her- 
vey Islanders,  1033.  Hottentots, 
225.  Indians,  N.  A.,  wampum, 
1280, 1329.  Isle  of  Pines  Men,  887. 
Jaj)anese,  hair-pins,  1453.  Kaf- 
firs, 33-55, 198.  Kanemboos,  627. 
Kaveak,  1374.  Khonds,  1389.  La- 
tookas, lips,  453,  454.  Madi,  433. 
Makololo,  327.  Malemutes,  to- 
took,1374.  Manganjas,  356.  Ma- 
puches,  breast-pin,  1191.  Mar- 
quesans,  1048.  Mpongwe,  524. 
Musguese,  lip,  639.  Namaquas, 
275.  Neam-Nam,  442.  Nubians, 
674.  Nuehr,  468.  Obbo,  434. 
Outanatas,  901.  Ovambos,  316. 
Pelew  Islanders,  bone  bracelet, 
1104.  Romanzoff Islanders,  1100. 
Sandwich  Islanders,  1082.  Shil- 
looks, 472.  Shir,  462.  Solomon 
Islanders,  969.  Sowrahs,  neck- 
laces,1386.  Swiss  Lake-dwellers, 
1474.  Tongans,  ivhales’  teeth, 
978.  Tungusi,  1379.  Vatd  Isl- 
anders, 972.  Wagogo,  .385.  Wa- 
nyamuezi,  “ sambo  ” rings,  386. 
Watusi,  409.  Wazaramo,  406. 
Zealanders,  New,  813,  814. 
Ostiaks,  Siberia,  Asia,  1384. 
Otaheitans,  Society  Islands,  1058. 
Outanatas,  New  Guinea,  900. 
Ovaherero,  Africa,  315. 

Ovambos,  Africa,  315. 

Ovampos,  Africa,  315. 
Ovaquangari,  Africa,  320. 
Ovat-jumba,  Africa,  305. 

Oyos,  Africa,  566. 

Ox  of  the  girl,  Kaffirs,  86. 

Ox  of  the  surplus,  Kaffirs,  86. 


P. 

Pain,  indifference  to  of  the 
Bosjesmans,  250.  Damaras,  306. 
Guianans,  1254. 

Panda,  song  in  honor  of,  89. 
Papuans,  New  Guinea,  898. 
Pasuen,  Africa,  529. 

Patagonians,  South  America,  1172. 
Patagonians,  life  among,  1184. 
Pehuen-ch^s,  So.  America,  1190, 
Pelele,  or  lip  ring,  Manganjas,  359. 
Pelew  Islands,  1104. 

Penalties  or  Punishments 
among 

Caribs,  1241.  Chinese,  cangue, 
1436,  finger  - squeezing,  1436, 
heating  with  bamboo,  1436, 
strangulation,  1439,  crucifixion, 

1439,  decapitation,  1440,  cutting 
into  pieces,  1440,  sawn  asunder, 

1440.  Japanese,  crucifixion,  1461, 
hara-kiri,  1461.  Patagonians, 
1186.  Niuans,  1056.  Samoans, 
heating  in  sacks,  1023.  Siamese, 
1471. 


1480 


IKDEX. 


Pipes  of 

Australians,  701.  Bosjesmans, 
244.  Chinese,  1442.  Co-yukons, 

1377.  Crees,  caUiiuet,  1313.  Ja- 
pane.se,  1402.  Katiirs,  KJo-KiU. 
Malenmtes,  1370.  See  Smoking. 

Poison 

upon  arrows  of  Ajitas,  920. 
Araucanians,  1229-123o.  Bosjes- 
nians,  2;>0.  Muadurucas,  1234. 
In  wells,  Bosjesmans,  201.  Drank 
hy  Mr'.  jNIotfat,  201,  grul),  the 
N’gwa,  25S,  hyarri.  Muiidurncus, 
1234,  upas,  Dyaks,  1120,  wourali, 
1228. 

Poison  grub,  the  N’gwa,  258. 

Wourali,  1228. 

Politeness  of 

Batokas,  350.  Bedouins,  033 
In  Karague,  399.  Uf  Tchuktehi, 

1378.  Watusi,  409. 

POLTOAMY  among 

Australians,  755.  Bornuese, 
G2().  Egbas,  593.  Fijians,  935. 
Guianans,  1246,  1247.  Hotten- 
tots, 233.  Ingeletes,  1375.  Kaf- 
firs, 75,  70.  Makololo,  328.  JSTiu- 
aiis,  -1050.  Shillooks,  473. 
Tchuktehi,  1378. 

Ponda,  Africa,  12. 

Porcelain,  Japanese,  1465. 
Pritchard’s  adventure  v/ith  wild 
boar,  1029. 

Prophetess,  Kaffir,  189. 

Prophets,  among 
Kaffirs,  175-180,  186-189,  195. 
Preparation  of,  176.  Consulta- 
tion of,  180.  Curing  sickness, 
Bechuanas,  293.  False,  190. 

R. 

Paces,  causes  of,  and  reflections 
upon  decay  and  extinction  of 
Australians,  790,  791.  Esqui- 
maux, 1353.  Kew  Zealanders, 
880.  N.  Am.  Indians,  1331,  1332. 
Pain-Making  among 
Kaffirs,  126,  192-194.  Kama- 
quas,  277. 

Pangitani,  New  Zealand,  796. 
Panic,  distinction  of  among 
Bosjesmans,  244.  Japanese, 
1459.  Pelew  Islanders,  1104. 
Tahitans,  1061. 

Peligion  of 

Abyssinians,  660-604.  Ahts, 
1370.  Ajitas,  921.  Angolese, 
382.  Apingi,  490.  Apono,  488. 
Araucanians,  1209.  Ashangos, 
481.  Ashanti,  559.  Ashira,  501. 
Australians,  778.  Bakalai,  494. 
Balonda,  379.  Banyai,  367.  Ba- 
tokas, 353.  Beebaunas,  291. 
Bedouins,  685.  Britain,  New, 
970.  Bornuese,  625.  Cammas, 
510.  Congoese,  615.  Dahomans, 
562,  586.  Damaras,  314.  Dyaks, 
1110,  1157.  Egbas,  594.  Esqui- 
maux, 1349.  Fans,  539.  Fanti, 
5.30.  Fijians,  960-964.  Fue- 
gians,  1171.  Guianans,  1263. 
Hervey  Islanders,  10.37.  Hotten- 
tots, 234.  Indians,  East,  1407. 
Indians,  N.  A.,  1.301,  131.3.  Ire- 
land, New,  970.  Kaffirs,  169-171. 
Krumen,  547.  Malagasy,  693. 
Mandingoes,  607.  Manganjas, 
360.  Maories,  856-8.58.  Nama- 
quas,  276.  Ovambos,322.  Pata- 
gonians, 1186.  Pelew  Islanders, 
1108.  Samoiedes,  1381.  Sandwich 


Islanders,  1096.  Siamese,  1471. 

• Society  Islanders,  1064  - 1071. 
Toiigans,  1004.  Tungusi,  1380. 
Waganda,  420.  Wanyamuezi, 
395.  Wanyoro,  427.  Wazaramo, 
406. 

Rewards,  honorary,  Chinese,  1441. 

Piccarees,  N.  America,  1319.  • 

Bob  Roy,  a Kaffir,  69. 

Pomaiizoti’  Island,  1100. 

S. 

Sacrifices  among 
Araucanians,  1209.  Ash.anti,  in- 
struments of,  559.  Co-yukons, 
1376.  Dahomans,  578-582.  In 
India,  suttee,  1407-1410,  sacred 
noose,  1411,  juggernaut,-  1411, 
drowning  in  Ganges,  1413, 
beasts  substituted  for  human, 
1413.  Indians,  N.  A.,  1309,  1314. 
Kaffirs,  animal,  171,172.  Khonds, 
“meriah,”  1389-1392.  Samoiedes, 
1382.  Society  Islanders,  1074. 
Sowrahs,  1389.  Tahitaus,  1075. 
Tongans,  997-1001.  Waganda, 
420. 

Sacs,  N.  Amei’ica,  1323. 

Salutation,  mode  of,  among 
Ashira,  498.  Balonda,  373.  Bru- 
mer’s  Islanders,  907.  Egbas,  591. 
Esquimaux,  1349.  Gani,  429. 
Hassauiyeh,  686.  In  Karague, 
399.  Among  Makololo,  326. 
Manganjas,  356.  Nuehr,  469. 
Ovambo,  322.  Wanyamuezi,  389. 
Watusi,  409.  Zealanders,  New, 
823. 

Samoans,  Polynesia,  1008. 

Samoiedes,  Siberia,  1381.  [970. 

San  Christoval,  Solomon  Islands, 

Sandal  wood,  Aneiteum,  975. 

Sandwich  Islands,  1081. 

Saqua,  Africa,  251. 

Savage  Island,  1052. 

Scalping,  mode  of,  1285,  1286. 

Sea  Dyaks,  Borneo,  1110. 

Sechuanas,  Africa,  280. 

Senecas,  N.  America,  1288. 

Shekiani,  Africa,  521. 

Shields  of  Kaffirs,  108. 

Shillooks,  Africa,  472. 

Shir,  Africa,  461. 

Shoas,  Africa,  667. 

Shooas,  Africa,  628. 

Siam,  Asia,  1467. 

Sick,  treatment  of  among 
Angolese,  381.  Araucanians, 
1205.  Ashira,  501.  Australians, 
769-771.  Damaras,  205.  Hot- 
tentots, 233-240.  Kaffirs,  183,  184, 
l!i0-  Kor annas,  274.  Makoba, 
347.  Malcololo,  336.  Maories, 
862,  Mundurucus,  1219.  Nama- 
qnas,  277.  Patagonians,  1184- 
Tongans,  997.  Tuaricks,  634. . 

Sickness,  theory  of,  Angolese,  382. 

Silks  of  Japanese,  1466. 

Singing,  see  Amusements. 

Sioux,  N.  America,  1274. 

Slavery  among 
Ashira,  501.  Dory,  914.  Gallas, 
671.  Malagasy,  693.  IMusguese, 
6.39.  Zealanders,  New,  797. 

Sledges,  of  Esquimaux,  1345. 

Sleep,  power  of,  Hottentot,  233. 

Smoking  among 
Ahts,  1370.  Ashira,  501.  Au- 
stralians, 701.  Batokas,  3.50. 
Bayeye,  hemp,  339.  Bosjes- 
mans, 244,  262.  Chinese,  opium, 


1441.  Crees,  calumet,  1313. 
Damaras,  hemp  or  dagha,  165. 
Dor,  “bark quids,”  452.  lljours, 
452.  Indians,  N.  A.,  1313.  Ja- 
panese^ 1462.  Kaffirs,  163-166. 
Makololo,  336.  Mundurucus, 
“enchanted”  cigars,  1219.  Pat- 
agonians, 1183.  Tchutkchi,  1377. 
Wanyamuezi,  393. 

“Smoking  horses,”  Indians,  1290. 
Snake  Worship,  Dahomans,  565. 
Snake  cooking  and  eating,  Aus- 
traliansj  717. 

Snake  charming,  India,  1416. 
Snow-shoes  of  N.  A.  Indians, 
1294,  1295. 

Snuff  boxes,  Kaffir,  161. 

Snuff  taking,  Kaffir,  159. 

Society  Islands,  1057. 

Solomon  Islands,  9(58. 

Songs, 

Esquimaux,  amna-aya,  1349. 
Kaffir,  war,  90, 147,  208.  Makan- 
na’s  gathering,  197.  New  Zea- 
land, canoe,  853.  New  Zealand, 
tattoo,  802.  See  Amusements. 
SoumauHs,  Abyssinia,  671. 
Sowrahs,  India,  1385. 

Strength  of 

Dyaks,  1115.  Esquimaux,  13.34. 
Fuegians,  1166.  Waraus,  1261. 
Succession,  law  of,  among 
Angolese,  380.  AraAvaks,  1247. 
Ashanti,  556.  Fijians,  935.  In- 
dians, N.  A.,  1275.  In  Karague, 
400.  Among  Ovambos,  322.  Wa- 
ganda, 416. 

Superstition  among 
Ahts,  1372.  Angolese,  382. 

Apingi,  490.  Arabs,  687-689. 

Araucanians,  1205.  Ashangos, 
481.  Ashira,  502.  Australi- 
ans, 745,  778-783-  Bakalai,  493. 
Banyai,  366.  Bedouins,  685. 

Bonny,  604.  Cainma,  510-515. 
Caribs,  1241.  Damaras,  314. 

Dyaks,  1131,  1157-1159.  Egbas, 
5i)4.  Esquimaux,  1350-  Fans, 
539.  Fanti,  550.  Fijians,  960- 
965.  Guianans,  1264.  Kaffirs, 
88,  172,  190,  191.  Malcoba,  346. 
Malagasy,  (593.  IMandingoes, 
609.  Maories,  856-858,  8(54.  I’e- 
lew  Islanders,  1108.  Samoiedes, 
1383.  Shekiani,  523.  Society 
Islanders,  1079, 1080-  Tahitans, 
1058.  Tongans,  1007.  Waganda, 
419.  Wanyamuezi,  395.  Wan- 
yoro, 427.  "Wazaramo,  406. 
Swazi,  Africa,  12. 

Swimming  among 
Alfoers,  911.  Bosjesmans,  255. 
Indians,  North  America,  1330. 
Marquesans,  1051.  Sandwich 
Islanders,  1086,  1087, 1092.  Ton- 
gans,  1006. 

Swiss  Lake-dwellers,  1473. 

T.. 

Taboo  of  Banyai,  367. 

Taboo,  seeTapu. 

Tahitans,  -Society  Islands,  1058. 
Tanna  Island,  New  Hebrides,  972.- 
Taranaki s.  New  Zealand,  850. 
Tapu  of  Maories,  863-868. 

Ta'  tars,  ISIantchu',  Asia,  1422. 
Tasmanians,  Van  Dieinan’s  Land, 
753. 

Tattooing  among 
Abvssinians,  648.  Apingi,  489. 
Arawaks,  1222.  Australians, 


IXDEX. 


1481 


704.  Bedouins,  083,  Bornabi, 
1103.  Bonuiese,  020.  Brumer’s 
Islanders,  007.  Baliomaus,  580. 
Dyaks,  1111,  1117.  Egbas,  501. 
Esquimaux,  1331.  Eans,  530. 
Fijians,  020.  In  (xuinea.  New, 
OIL  Among  Japanese,  1450. 
Kiugsmill  Islanders,  1038.  Man- 
anjas,  350.  Marquesans,  1044. 
lundurucus,  1215.  Niuans,  1055. 
Pelew  Islanders,  1104.  Komau- 
zolf  Islanders,  1100,  Samoans, 
1010-1013.  Sandwich  Islanders, 
1085.  Soumaulis,  072.  Taliitans, 
1050,  Wanyamuezi,  380.  Watusi, 
400.  Zealanders,  New,  800,  800 

Tchaka,  suspected  of  death  of 
mother,  124. 

Tchaka’s  vision,  Kaffir  chief,  170. 

Tchaka  at  funeral  of  mother,  202. 

Tchuktchi,  Siberia,  1377. 

Tea  of  Chinese,  1432. 

Tea  houses,  Japanese,  1404. 

Te  Ohie,  a native  priest,  857. 

Theatres  of  Japanese,  1403. 

Thieves  of  Glhoorkas,  1309,  1400. 

Thugs  of  India,  1410. 

Tibboos,  Africa,  630. 

Tigre,  Africa,  007. 

Tikis,  New  Zealand,  861. 

Tobacco  among 
Kaffirs,  159  - 162,  163.  Mundu- 
rucus,  snulf,  paricu,  1220.  New 
Zealanders,  850. 

Tools,  see  Manufactures. 

Tongans,  Polynesia,  976. 

Toquahts,  Vancouver’s  Island, 
1354. 

Torture,  modes  of  among 
Chinese  1436,  Hindoos,  1414.  N. 
A.  Indians,  1288. 

Traixiivo  hy  East  Indians  of 
Antelopes,  1420,  elephants,  1418, 
falcons,  1416,  stags,  1420. 

Transmigration,  belief  in  by 
Australians,  780.  Makoba,  346.  ’ 
Shekiani,  523. 

Travelling,  mode  of,  Japan, ' 
1453  - 1456. 

Trees  of  Africa,  thorns,  213,  ’ 
grapple  plant,  214,  wait-a-bit, 
hook  and  prick,  and  monkey 
ropes,  215,  Aneiteum,  sandal 
wood,  975,  Australia,  grass,  726, 
Borneo,  nipa  palm,  1150.  TJpas, 
Borneo,  1120.  Guiana,  ita  palm, 
1268.  Hova,  travellers,  693. 
Tierra  del  Fuego,  Antartic 
beech,  1167. 

Tiiaricks,  Africa,  634. 

Tungusi,  Siberia,  Asia,  1379. 

IJ. 

TJzaramo,  Africa,  406. 

tJzinto,  adventures  of,  80. 

Y. 

Vancouver’s  Island,  N.  A.,  1334. 

Vat6,  New  Hebrides,  972. 


W. 

VVaganda,  Africa,  410. 

W agogo,  Africa,  384. 

Wahuma,  Africa,  399. 

, Waikatos,  New  Zealand,  850. 

Wanganja,  Africa,  355. 

■ Wanyambo,  Africa,  399. 
Wanyamuezi,  Africa,  386. 
Wanyoro,  Africa,  422. 

• War,  see  sacrifice.  Songs,  Warfare. 
Waraus,  Guiana,  S.  A.,  1222. 
Warfare  among 
Araucanians,  1199.  Ashangos, 
480.  Australians,  744,  745.  Ba- 
londa,  378.  Barea,  671.  Bari, 
462.  Batoka,  354.  Bechuanas, 
289.  Bedouins,  681, 684.  Beg- 
harmis,  635.  Bornuese,  622: 
Bosjesmans,  254.  Caledonians, 
New,  885.  Caniina,  506.  Caribs, 
1239,  1242.  Chinese,  1433.  Con- 
goese,  615.  Dahomans,  567- 
Dinkas,  469.  Djibbas,  467.  Dor, 
445.  Dory,  914.  Dyaks,  1119, 
1131-1135.  Egbas,  593.  Fans, 
531.  Fijians,  952, 953.  Fuegians, 
1165.  Gallas,  671.  Ghoorkas, 
1396.  Hervey  Islanders,  1034. 
Hottentots,  239.  Illinoans,  1112. 
Indians,  Gran  Ch  aco,  1213.  In- 
dians, N.  A.,  1281.  Kaffirs,  19, 
92,113-125,  196-198.  Kingsmill 
Islanders,  1039.  Latookas,  455, 
456.  Mantchu  Tartars,  1422. 
1423.  Maories,  838,  846-850. 
Marquesans,  1030.  Musguese, 
640.  Neam-Nam,  443.  Nubians. 
674,  Pelew  Islanders,  1107. 
S^xmoans,  1016-1020.  Sandwich 
Islanders,  1091.  Soci  ety  Island- 
ers, 1073.  Soumaulis,  671,  Tib- 
boos, 633.  Tongans,  984,  985. 
Waganda,  414,415.  W agogo,  385. 
Wazaranio,  406.  See  Dances. 

W atertoii’s  story  of  Ara  waks,  1230. 
Wasagara,  Africa,  407. 

Watusi,  Africa,  408. 

Watuta  tribes,  Africa,  402. 
Wazaranio,  Africa,  406. 

Weapons  of 

Abyssinians,  646-647.  Ahts,  1355. 
Ajitas,  920.  Andamaners,  889. 
Apo'no,  487.  Araucanians,  bo- 
las,  1197.  A.shangos,  480.  Ash- 
anti, 556.  Australians,  throw 
stick,  kangaroo  rat,  boomerang, 
719-724,  728-743.  Balonda,  378. 
Banyai,  axe,  366.  Bari,  464. 
Bechuanas,  289.  Bedouins,  681. 
Begharmis,  635.  Bornuese,  623. 
Bo.sjesmans,  257,  261.  Bouka, 
971.  Britain,  New,  970.  Cale- 
donians, New,  884.  Chinese, 
j ingall,  cross-bow,  14.33-1436. 
Congoe.se,  615.  Dahomans,  561, 
571.  Damaras,  312.  Dinkas,  469.' 
Djibbas,  464.  Dor,  444.  Dyaks, 
sumpitan,  or  blowgun,  parang- 
ihlang,  kris,  1119-1131.  Esqui- 
maux, harpoon,  1339.  Fans,  531. 


Fijians,  948-9.52.  Fuegians,  1165. 
Glioorkas,  kookery,  1,395.  Gui- 
anans, 122;j-1236.  Guinea,  New, 
913.  Hamraii  Arabs,  675.  Heb- 
rides, New,  972.  Hervey  Island- 
ers, 1034.  Hottentots,  232.  Illi- 
noans, 1112.  Indians,  East,  1400- 
1406.  Indians,  Cran  Chaco,  ar- 
mor, 1212.  Indians,  N.  A.,  tom- 
ahawk, 1282.  Iridand,  New,  970. 
Ishogos,  476.  Japanese,  sxvord, 
1459.  Kaffirs,  93,  94,100-113. 
Karague,  399.  Kbonds,  axe, 
1392.  Kingsmill  Islanders,  1039. 
Latookas,  453.  Madi,433.  Mant- 
chu Tartars,  b(Avs,  1423.  klao- 
ries,  838-844.  Marquesans,  1050. 
Mincopies,  bow,  890.  Musguese, 
639.  Neam-Nam,  443.  Nicobar- 
ians,  896.  Niuans,  1055.  Nu- 
bians, peculiar  sword,  (i73. 
Outanatas,  901.  Ovambos;  319. 
Papuans,  900.  Patagonians,  bo- 
las,  1174-1178.  Pelew  Islanders, 
1107.  Samoans,  1019.  Sandwich 
Islands,  1088.  Shekiani,  521. 
Shir,  461.  Society  Islanders, 
1073.  Soumaulis,  671.  Sowrahs, 
1386.  Swiss  Lake-dwellers,  1474. 
Tibboos,  633.  Vate,  972.  Waraus, 
1269. 

Wedding,  see  Dances,  Marriage. 

Weezees,  Africa,  386. 

Western  Islands,  1100. 

Witchcraft  among 
Araucanians,  1206.  Ashanti, 
560.  Bakalai,  493.  Camnia,  515- 
520.  Caribs,  1241.  Esquimaux, 
1350.  Fans,  539.  Kaffirs,  184, 
188.  Maories,  861.  Shekiani, 
522.  Waganda,  410.  Wanyam- 
uezi, 395. 

Women,  condition  of  among 
Angolese,  381.  Ashira,  496. 
Australians,  695,  756.  Banyai, 
362.  Bonny.  603.  Brumer’s  Is- 
landers, 908.  Congoese,  616. 
Dahomans,  589.  Damaras,  sin- 
gular cay>s  of  married,  313. 
Dyaks, 1118.  Fijians,  956.  Gani, 
43  d Guianans,  1246.  Indians, 
Gran  Chaco,  1214.  Indians, 
North  America,  1319.  Isle  of 
Pines  Men,  887.  Kaffirs,  24-27, 
90.  In  Karague,  402.  Among 
Latookas,  455,  IMakololo,  327. 
Musgue.se,  639.  Ostiaks,  1385. 
Patagonians,  1186.  Samoans, 
1014.'  Samoledes,  1383.  Sand- 
w'ich  Islanders,  1082-  1086. 
Shooas,  630.  Taliitans,  1058. 
Tongans,  983.  Waganda,  413. 
Wanyoro,  426.  Wanyoro,  fat- 
tening of,  426. 


Z. 

Zealanders,  New,  Australasia,  792. 
Zingian  Tribes,  Africa,  12. 

Zulus,  Africa,  12. 


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